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-- through the Clifford stories which have been loved for more than 50 years."
Norman Bridwell wrote dozens of books about "Clifford the Big Red Dog."
Clifford, an oversized, clumsy but good-natured dog whose curiosity sometimes gets him into mischief, was born in 1963. Bridwell originally wanted to name him "Tiny," but his wife convinced him otherwise. Clifford's friend, Emily Elizabeth, takes her name from one of Bridwell's children.
The original Clifford story was about a runty pup who grows into a gigantic dog thanks to Emily Elizabeth's care. Bridwell's manuscript was turned down by nine publishers before Scholastic put it out.
"Clifford, the Big Red Dog" was succeeded by such titles as "Clifford Gets a Job," "Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors" and "Clifford Follows His Nose."
Other Bridwell books include "A Tiny Family" and "The Witch Next Door."
Bridwell is survived by his wife, Norma, his daughter Emily Elizabeth, his son Timothy and three grandchildren.Guest Artist Needed
Cory, lazy gremlin that he is, is demanding a holiday, so I need a replacement artist to produce strips for Friday 17th and Tuesday the 21st. You'd be working with me and yes, it would be paid work. I've already had a couple of offers from some exceptionally talented artists, but I thought it'd be fun to give you readers a shot at contributing. So I'm holding a small competition.
To enter all you have to do is create a single panel strip about Erin interacting with one of her hallucinations. Colour is appreciated, but not mandatory. If your art is good we'll consider it, no matter the style.
Send the strips to me at [email protected] along with your contact information. Entries must be in by February the 12th at 9PM PT. Cory and I will select the winner and contact them the same day. We'll also contact a second artist just in case the first flakes out.
And just so we're clear:
You must be 18 or older.
You must have Photoshop, or another program for creating digital art. No, MS Paint does not count.
Any work you do for us on Critical Miss becomes the property of the Escapist.
I'll answer any questions you may have about the competition either via email, or in the comments thread for this strip.
Best of luck.Private jets may be touching down in Las Vegas today in greater numbers than usual as the first GOP primary of the 2016 presidential election season commences: the Sheldon Primary.
Formally, it’s a conference put on by the Republican Jewish Coalition — a politically active nonprofit which appears to be largely sponsored by Las Vegas Sands casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. As a 501(c)(4) group, it doesn’t have to disclose its donors.
Adelson is one of the largest individual donors to political causes on record; he and his wife Miriam contributed $92.7 million to super PACs for the 2012 election, mostly in support of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
But the Adelsons, along with Sheldon’s daughter, Shelley Adelson, and Miriam’s daughter, Yasmin Lukatz, have also been making a lot of contributions to candidates and party committees.
And judging by their giving habits, the Adelsons are not looking to shake up Washington. The family’s contributions indicate they are staunchly establishment.
In the 2012 cycle, the Adelsons poured money into the super PAC backing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — about $16 million in all. Eventually, though, they went all in for the GOP establishment candidate, Mitt Romney, giving $30 million to the super PAC supporting him. They also sent $5 million to the YG Action Network, an organization linked to House Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.). And, besides all the super PAC donations, the Adelson family also sent $15,000 to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and $7,500 to McConnell.
In a video posted online promoting this weekend’s event, which, according to the invitation, is open only to donors who give more than $1,000, shots of Boehner and Cantor are superimposed with terms like “great friendships” and “like-minded leader” — and are followed immediately by a photo of Adelson commanding the podium at an earlier RJC event.
On paper, Adelson doesn’t dominate the RJC. He’s not the chairman of the group, just one of 67 members of the board of directors — although the only one who owns the Venetian casino where this weekend’s event is being held. It’s also unclear if he’s the dominant donor to the group. According to the RJC’s 990 tax filing, it raised $9.3 million in 2012. Political nonprofits don’t have to publicly disclose their donors’ names on the forms, but they do have to release a redacted list showing how many contributions were received and in what amounts. The 990 shows the group took in at least 127 major contributions — including a single donation of $5.1 million, more than half its income, from one person. Still, there are several other major conservative donors on the RJC’s board of directors who could have provided that sum.
Beginning the parade of GOP presidential hopefuls at the RJC weekend, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will headline an exclusive event scheduled to take place Thursday night in an airplane hanger that houses Adelson’s fleet of jets. Three other Republican governors with presidential hopes will appear over the course of the weekend — Chris Christie, Scott Walker and John Kasich.
Update: According to Doug Stafford, executive director of the Reinventing A New Direction PAC (RAND PAC), the Kentucky senator was invited to the RJC weekend, but could not attend because of a family commitment.
Follow Russ on Twitter: @russchoma
Images: Sheldon Adelson at a press conference in Macau, China in 2012 (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected]Online retailer Amazon is listing a hardcover English release of the first volume of Moto Hagio's Otherworld Barbara manga for August 21, 2016. Fantagraphics is listed as the publisher and Matt Thorn is listed as the translator. The volume will cost US$39.99.
The listing describes the manga:
Fantagraphics Books is proud to present the first volume (of two) of Moto Hagio's Otherworld Barbara, in which Tokio discovers a phantom island named Barbara. Then there's a mysterious and missing geneticist, an eccentric clergyman, a grieving grandmother granted temporary youth, a psychologist killed by a freak tornado… Hagio offers a sci-fi explanation for these seemingly random paranormal elements, and makes it all matter with believable characters in complex and subtle relationships.This book won the "Nebula Award of Japan" (Nihon SF Taisho Award) in 2006.
Fantagraphics has released other manga titles by Hagio, including Heart of Thomas (Thomas no Shinzō) and A Drunken Dream and Other Stories.
In 2012, the Japanese government awarded Hagio the Medal With Purple Ribbon, which honors academic and artistic achievement. She launched her ongoing manga Ōhi Marugo ( Queen Margot ) manga later that year.
[Via Brian Ruh]ArchDaily: What will cities be like in the future?
Saskia Sassen: Well I have two scenarios: a very optimistic one and a very dystopian one. The dystopian scenario is that we will have a lot of private cities. Abuja is de facto a private city. It is how not to be in Lagos in Nigeria. The mechanism is very simple. Everything is super expensive. The milk, the houses, everything. It de facto eliminates all kinds of people. But I think we’re going to take it further. Songdo is sort of a private city. There are now big firms that sell you a city. They will build you a city. And some of them will rent you the city. So that’s the dystopian scenario. That’s the dystopian scenario; in other words we will have vast settlements with probably many toxic conditions, where a lot of people—modest, middle-class people—will be living in slums. In a country like Brazil, many people who are in the civil service of the government live in the slums. Same thing in India. This is contrasted with these brand new perfect cities that aren’t really cities in that full robust sense of the term.
At this end, my utopia is that when so many new people come to cities there is going to be a lot of making—making of sub-economies, not the economy. Making of urban agriculture, making of buildings that work with the environment. People of modest means will use their imaginations; they will understand how to make air circulate so that mosquitos are less likely to come in. They will work and have that knowledge—that is my optimistic scenario. So even a modest, poor slum will have people that know that the shack that they are building is part of larger systems. Then of course, the rich will be the rich and the upper-middle class will be the upper-middle classes. I think the modest middle-classes will keep on splitting up. The splitting up of the middle class has been happening for 25 years. I wrote about it in the late 1980s and people didn’t believe me. They said, “That’s not happening. We’re all becoming richer.” Well, no. Now we know that.
On a larger systemic map about cities, I think that the desirable, optimistic format is multiple articulations of the territory—not one endless metropolitan zone. I think we will have understood that the vast metropolitan area does not work.
The option is articulations. China is building all of these cities so they build nine small cities around Shanghai rather than letting Shanghai become an endless stretch. In my optimistic view, I see a different way of articulating the urban with territory. Moving away from metropolitanization. Now, my Dutch, practical sense tells me that we’re not going to be able to do that. We’ll build something unmanageable and then the elites will move out and build a new private city.
Those are the two scenarios. There’s much more to be said but it’s a complicated question.
ArchDaily: What is the role of architecture in growing cities?
Saskia Sassen: I think of the city as a complex but incomplete system. There are other such systems; the city happens to be one of the most complex and the most incomplete. It is an extreme condition—a big working city. I like to work with extreme conditions. My assumption is that they are heuristic: that they produce knowledge about more than the thing itself. So I look at the city to understand all kinds of other things.
Architects could be doing much more in the city. But it would mean expanding the range of interventions that architects do and thinking of the city as a complex space where there are multiple very diverse points of intervention—looking at the slums, low-income neighborhoods, degraded spaces, toxic spaces. At the other end, we look at architecture as a form of art, where it is a beautiful work and it amplifies the experience of being in that place.
ArchDaily: How does the internet affect cities?
Saskia Sassen: There is something very good there—the constituting of a global public that might be fed by people who are otherwise quite isolated in their own cities. There’s an opening there. They are non-cosmopolitans who might be poor and physically isolated, but they are part of an emergent global, subjective space. You don’t have to be online all the time but you can know that you’re not alone doing what you’re doing. This is extremely important. It’s a truly subjective global space. It’s not about communicating, it’s about knowing that that connectivity exists.
I find that the discussion of the internet that looks just at the communication bit is reductive. This global subjective space does not depend on communication—it’s something else.
On the other hand you have finance and all the global farms, who create their own separateness. When I look at the world of 100+ global cities that we have, I see also these fragments—the central business district—that constitute their own urbanity. But they are often far less connected to the hinterland that is city itself than they are to each other. The business centers in these cities connect much more with each other than they do with the larger city. Even though I insist that they need the larger city (the cleaners, the truckers that bring them stuff); I’ve written a lot about this. So that’s a subjective disconnection that means that you do less philanthropy for the city because you think that you don’t need the city. You just need that little bit of central business space—the global city functioning in the narrowest sense.Come on, admit it: Your high school book reports were little more than regurgitated back-cover-plot-synopses, or, at the most, owed a great deal to CliffsNotes. Don't kick yourself; the truth is, in this digital age, the majority of fiction junkies get their fixes from television or the movies (and cheat using Wikipedia). Still, ardent book hounds—such as your fam here at Complex—know that the best stories are usually told in literary form. Frankly, authors can get away with far more than directors, especially in the fantastic free-for-all that is the horror genre. For example, this weekend's new vampire flick Let Me In, with its suck-free child actors, is quite good (if not one of the best horror movies of 2010), yet its source material, Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist's 2004 novel Let the Right One In, still reigns supreme. It's not the first time a scary book has outshined its big-screen adaptation. Maraud through the nearest Barnes and Noble's "horror" section and you'll discover that several classic flicks were initially embraced in paperback or hardcover formats. Here, in no particular order, are 25 of the best horror books that eventually became films. And, the last time checked, only two of them (Dracula and The Turn of the Screw) are available in CliffsNotes editions. Take that, slackers.
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by Matt Barone
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AMERICAN PSYCHO (1991), BRET EASTON ELLIS
Synopsis: As the 1990s approach, Manhattan investment banker Patrick Bateman grows tired of his inferior peers and neighbors. Instead of simply leaving the Big Apple, though, Bateman entertains his violent urges and goes on a below-the-radar killing spree.
Why it's scary good: As a scathing parody of late '80s yuppie culture, American Psycho is top-notch. It's also an unexpectedly brutal slasher tale, though, saving its most vivid murders through many a chapter before finally unleashing Bateman's ax-wielding fury.
Movie adaptations: American Psycho (2000)
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THE STEPFORD WIVES (1972), IRA LEVIN
Synopsis: Jessica, a young photographer, suspects foul play after moving to a postcard-worthy Connecticut town where all the women adhere to their husbands' commands. Jessica begins to wonder if the town's females aren't all obedient robots programmed by their spouses.
Why it's scary good: You don't have to in touch with your feminine side to feel Jessica's pain and anxiety throughout Levin's psychologically dense novel. True, its themes of misogyny and "get in the kitchen, woman" gender woes hit harder if you're packing estrogen. That's why Levin's knack for gut-kicking climaxes (see Rosemary's Baby) is his secret weapon—he might've mastered lady-centric horror, but that doesn't mean he's quick to let his heroines off the hook.
Movie adaptations: The Stepford Wives (1975), The Stepford Wives (2004)
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A STIR OF ECHOES (1958), RICHARD MATHESON
Synopsis: Out of nowhere, Tom Wallace's hidden psychic abilities take shape, allowing him to hear people's thoughts. Not just those of flesh-and-blood individuals, though—he begins to receive messages from the deceased.
Why it's scary good: In Tom Wallace, Matheson created a great everyman. His sudden ability to communicate with the dead is presented informally, more like a secondary plot device. Matheson's primary focus is Wallace's teetering marriage to the mother of his unborn child. As Tom believes in his otherworldly skills more and more, his wife further rejects the possibility. The book's underlying message: Stay single as long as you can, fellas.
Movie adaptations: Stir of Echoes (1999)
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BURNT OFFERINGS (1973), ROBERT MARASCO
Synopsis: A man, along with his wife, son, and elderly aunt, relocates from Queens, N.Y., to a country mansion in Long Island. The new crib seems to be picturesque at first, before the supernatural takes over and, eventually, all hell breaks loose.
Why it's scary good: Burnt Offerings only seems like a obvious cross between The Shining and The Haunting of Hill House in plot description. Marasco separates his contribution to fiction's haunted house canon by giving the house a puppetmaster's control over the characters. As the house regenerates itself (dead flowers bloom without water, for instance), the family's attempts at hauling ass away from the grounds are repeatedly halted by unseen forces (such as trees falling onto roads). And you thought your constantly overflowing toilet was annoying.
Movie adaptations: Burnt Offerings (1976),
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THE SENTINEL (1974), JEFFREY KONVITZ
Synopsis: Aspiring model Allison Parker moves into an aged NYC brownstone after her father passes away. All goes well until she discovers that her new building is actually a gateway into Hell, a fact that her realtor neglected to mention.
Why it's scary good: Here's an example of an idea that's better in conception than execution. Konvitz's central plot is a doozy, as is the story's bonkers, demon-filled climax. You'll just have to push through some stilted dialogue to reach the showstopper of an ending, but damn if the coda isn't a knockout.
Movie adaptations: The Sentinel (1977)
• CLICK NEXT TO SEE MORE CLASSIC HORROR STORIES...
THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU (1896), H.G. WELLS
Synopsis: A shipwrecked man is saved and brought to an unnamed island, where a mad doctor performs interspecies experiments on humans and animals.
Why it's scary good: Look at the year in which this way-ahead-of-its-time classic was written: 1896. The ideas that Wells flexed in Doctor Moreau (dissection, gene splicing, God complexes) must've blown people's minds back when the tale first surfaced. What's just as impressive is how effectively it reads today; Doctor Moreau is right up there with Joseph Conrad's inimitable 1902 novella Heart of Darkness (filmed as Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola).
Movie adaptations: Island of Lost Souls (1933), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
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JAWS (1974), PETER BENCHLEY
Synopsis: A great white shark feasts on dangling human limbs in the waters of Amity, a seaside resort on Long Island. Looking to kill the huge fish, Amity's police chief, Martin Brody, teams up with an oceanographer and a grizzled shark hunter.
Why it's scary good: Steven Spielberg's mega-hit film version is easily the better of the two, but that doesn't mean Benchley's source page-turner is a slog. It's still a vicious bit of aquatic brutality, stronger with its shark attack moments than its character development (Benchley's screenplay, co-written with Carl Gottlieb, curiously pays more mind to the human element).
Movie adaptations: Jaws (1974)
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THE WOMAN IN BLACK (1983), SUSAN HILL
Synopsis: A young lawyer, Arthur Kipps, heads to a small village in the United Kingdom to attend the funeral of an elderly widow. While there, Kipps begins seeing a black-clad specter believed to be the harbinger of death for children.
Why it's scary good: There's nothing all that original about Hill's The Woman in Black. Spooky old houses, bumps in the night, and a voiceless ghost—fans of supernatural fiction have read it all before. Hill's tale stands out, however, thanks to its wise use of first-person narration, which gives the familiar scares a wicked sense of urgency. And as for its heart-crushing final scene... it'll leave you wanting to hug the nearest little kid in sight. Not like that, perv.
Movie adaptations: The Woman in Black (1989; made-for-TV in Britain), The Woman in Black (2011; in production for a 3D release)
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MISERY (1987), STEPHEN KING
Synopsis: Paul Sheldon, a famous romance novelist, is rescued from a car accident by Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his biggest fan and brings him to her secluded cabin for some R&R. After learning that Sheldon has killed off his most popular character, "Misery Chastain," Wilkes turns torturous.
Why it's scary good: King's ability to slowly mold Annie Wilkes into an imposing psychopath is what gives Misery its accessibility. Chances are, however, that the book is scarier for actual writers than casual readers. The idea that one's printed words can drive someone else to insanity is quite the sucker-punch for scribblers. King's Misery was Eminem's "Stan" before Marshall Mathers even started high school.
Movie adaptations: Misery (1990)
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LET THE RIGHT ONE IN/LET ME IN (2004), JOHN AJVIDE LINDQVIST
Synopsis: Oskar, a 12-year-old outcast living in Sweden, befriends peculiar little girl Eli, who's just moved into his apartment complex. Immediately after Eli and her suspect "father" settle in, though, corpses begin piling up, all without blood.
Why it's scary good: Lindqvist's novel is elegantly written and tautly macabre. And it's also much freakier than either film version; in Lindqvist's mind, Eli is a childlike immortal devoid of genitals, while her caretaker makes no qualms about his little-boy-adoring kinks. On second thought, let's thank Hollywood for leaving that minor detail alone.
Movie adaptations: Let the Right One In (2008), Let Me In (2010)
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THE TENANT (1964), ROLAND TOPOR
Synopsis: Mr. Trelkovsky moves into a strange apartment building; more specifically, he establishes residence in a room previously occupied by a suicide victim named Simon Choule. It doesn't take long for Trelkovsky to lose his marbles and think he's becoming Choule.
Why it's scary good: Like Roman Polanski's underrated film adaptation, Topor's frantic novel is akin to waking up in an inescapable bad dream. Trelkovosky's nosedive into madness is a hoot, layered with dark comedy and Topor's quirky sensibilities. It's a one-of-a-kind, brain-melting stew.
Movie adaptations: The Tenant (1976)
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THE OTHER (1971), THOMAS TRYON
Synopsis: Set in the 1930's, The Other is about 13-year-old twins living in a quaint Connecticut town, where they practice personality transference... just not safely.
Why it's scary good: Tryon's haunting novel isn't easy on its reader; his prose is enigmatic at times, seeped in abstract metaphors that demand undivided attention. He's also an especially disarming author, slipping in a key reveal earlier than expected, leaving the reader to think, "How bizarre can this get from here?" Try newborn-baby-slaughter nuts.
Movie adaptations: The Other (1972)
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THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1988), THOMAS HARRIS
Synopsis: With the help of an imprisoned and cannibalistic serial killer named Dr. Hannibal Lecter, FBI trainee Clarice Starling must track down "Buffalo Bill," a sicko who kidnaps fat women, starves them, and carves their skin off. In other words, he's quite the romantic.
Why it's scary good: On the surface, Harris's thrilling police procedural doesn't seem like a quintessential horror novel. But all it takes is one sit-down with The Silence of the Lambs to understand why it made this list. What's not horrifying about the book's many gore-drenched, and realistic, kill sequences? We'd like to see James Patterson write a murder mystery even half as raw as Harris.
Movie adaptations: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
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I AM LEGEND (1954), RICHARD MATHESON
Synopsis: After an outbreak of vampirism turns mankind into creatures of the night, the sole survivor, Robert Neville, devotes his lonely existence to fighting the monsters and researching possible cures.
Why it's scary good: Hopefully those Smigel-like, CGI-gone-bad creatures in 2007's Will Smith blockbuster flick haven't coated I Am Legend in corn, because Matheson's original novel is a master class in intelligent horror. Though it's largely about a man coming to terms with extreme loneliness, I Am Legend also puts human nature under its microscope, and the results aren't pretty. If that's too heavy, rest assured... there are plenty of coochie-flashing vamps and nasty bloodsucker fight sequences.
Movie adaptations: The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), I Am Legend (2007), I Am Omega (2007)
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THE EXORCIST (1971), WILLIAM PETER BLATTY
Synopsis: A young girl named Regan shows signs of demonic possession, which leads to visits from a Jesuit priest experienced in the field of exorcism. But Lucifer won't go down without a fight.
Why it's scary good: Director William Friedkin's film adaptation is regarded with more fanfare, yet Blatty's source material is superior in many ways. Seeing Regan's head spin and mouth spray vomit like a fountain in the movie is good dirty fun, yes, but allowing Blatty's descriptive writing to form loony images (such as Regan slithering along the floor like a snake while spewing blasphemy) in your head is what's really good.
Movie adaptations: The Exorcist (1973)
• CLICK NEXT TO SEE MORE CLASSIC HORROR STORIES...
ROSEMARY'S BABY (1967), IRA LEVIN
Synopsis: A happily married couple moves into a posh NYC high-rise and becomes friendly with the building's elderly occupants. Once the wife, Rosemary, becomes pregnant, paranoia sets in and she fears that her neighbors are occultists after her unborn child.
Why it's scary good: Paranoia can't be easy to capture in written form, yet Levin does just that with his lean narrative style and snappy dialogue. Rosemary's Baby is so fast-paced and engrossing that even the most ADD-prone can hang. Levin is also a master of detail, packing the novel with a few real-life NYC touches (a newspaper strike, a papal visit) to achieve an acute sense of realism. Mission accomplished, sir.
Movie adaptations: Rosemary's Baby (1968)
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FALLING ANGEL (1978), WILLIAM HJORTSBERG
Synopsis: Disheveled private detective Harry Angel is hired by a mysterious fella to find a singer named Johnny Favorite. Angel's search uncovers a New York City underworld full of voodoo rituals, devil worship, and mistaken identities.
Why it's scary good: Written in sharp first-person, Falling Angel is a rollercoaster of a read. It has everything lovers of pulp fiction could want in a hard-boiled detective novel, just with the additional smattering of gruesome scenes, such as a Black Mass in a subway during which a baby is sacrificed to Satan. All of the OMG moments are conveyed in Angel's own cynical voice, and his inevitable descent into a cryptic self-realization becomes more frantic with every page.
Movie adaptations: Angel Heart (1987)
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PSYCHO (1959), ROBERT BLOCH
Synopsis: Norman Bates—the unhinged proprietor of a roadside motel—has more mommy issues than social skills. His lonely world is disrupted, however, when a pretty girl pocketing stolen money checks into one of the rooms.
Why it's scary good: When it comes to writing about deranged folks with homicidal tendencies, Bloch is one of the greats. Particularly in his many colorful (i.e. gruesome) short stories, the late author (he passed away in 1994) conveyed sick psyches like no other. His penchant for such literary insanity is in full swing throughout Psycho. Bloch's text outweighs Alfred Hitchcock's classic film in one crucial area: how it establishes Bates's mental imbalance through inner monologues and secondary character observations (a brief peek at his bedroom library speaks volumes).
Movie adaptations: Psycho (1960), Psycho (1998)
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DON'T LOOK NOW: SELECTED STORIES OF DAPHNE DU MAURIER (COLLECTION RELEASED IN 2008), DAPHNE DU MAURIER
Synopsis: This stellar collection of Du Maurier's short fiction includes two stories of particular note. The first, "Don't Look Now," is about a troubled husband and his wife grieving over their dead child while vacationing in Venice; the second, "The Birds," finds the titular winged creatures suddenly attacking man, forcing a farmer and his family to barricade themselves indoors.
Why it's scary good: The experience of reading a Du Maurier story is equal parts unpredictable, entertaining, and dread-laden. She's not one for happy endings, particularly in "Don't Look Now"; its final image involving a murderous dwarf (seriously) is an all-time great shock. For 1952's novelette "The Birds," Du Maurier ignored the reader's jugular and honed in on the pulse, squeezing tons of pathos and intense attacks out of a simple, claustrophobic setting.
Movie adaptations: The Birds (1963), Don't Look Now (1973)
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THE TURN OF THE SCREW (1898), HENRY JAMES
Synopsis: A young governess is hired by a wealthy man to look after his parentless niece and nephew. Not a tough job, right? Sure, if the children's home wasn't haunted by a pair of malevolent spirits.
Why it's scary good: What's so fascinating about James's novella is that the existence of the ghosts is never confirmed, yet their appearances before the story's unnamed governess/narrator are quite eerie. James does a remarkable job of employing an unreliable storyteller, an untrustworthy woman who's off-center enough to envision a 10-year-old boy as her honeymoon partner. Little man must've had crazy game.
Movie adaptations: The Innocents (1961), The Turn of the Screw (1974; made-for-TV film), The Turn of the Screw (1992), Presence of Mind (1999), In a Dark Place (2006)
• CLICK NEXT TO SEE MORE CLASSIC HORROR STORIES...
DRACULA (1897), BRAM STOKER
Synopsis: A compilation of journal entries and letters, Stoker's multiple-POV story centers around Count Dracula, a suave vampire who destroys the lives of several warm-blooded English folk.
Why it's scary good: One of the more interesting things about Dracula is that it's Stoker's lone masterwork; the guy's other novels flip-flopped between hack-tastic and barely marginal. Despite the accompanying argument that Dracula is a fluke, its seminal aura is more than deserved. Everything in it works, from the romance to the perverse horror to the sly presentation of a sketchy rape fantasy. Think about it: Dracula prefers to drink the blood of helpless women. Stoker was one sick pup.
Movie adaptations: Nosferatu (1922), Dracula (1931), Dracula (Horror of Dracula) (1958), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
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THE LOST (2001), JACK KETCHUM
Synopsis: In the summer of 1965, New Jersey teenager and sociopath-in-training Ray Pine gets his first taste for blood. Four years later, with the cops having yet to catch him, Ray triggers a series of events that bring forth a high body-count and tons of anti-humanity ideas.
Why it's scary good: Ketchum is a horror lover's kind of writer, an anti-mainstream scribe whose prose is always crisp, and who never shies away from taboo-smacking graphic violence. With The Lost, he creates a most chilling sociopath in Ray Pine, a sort of young Hannibal Lecter. How Ketchum surrounds Ray with such sympathetic characters makes for truly devastating consequences once Ray snaps and gets his rocks off through ritualistic homicide.
Movie adaptations: The Lost (2006)
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GHOST STORY (1979), PETER STRAUB
Synopsis: Four elderly gents living in New England comprise the "Chowder Society," a club formed to share scary stories. Yet, their creepiest tale of all is one that's true, the death of a girl back when the fellas were much younger. And she's not exactly resting in peace.
Why it's scary good: First off, a word of advice: Avoid this one's inept, laughably horrendous film adaptation alone. It's quite possibly the worst book-to-film translation ever. And that's a shame, because Straub's work in Ghost Story is a sprawling achievement in multi-protagonist plotlines that blend seamlessly together. Not to mention, the ways in which Eva Galley enacts her vengeance pay off like gangbusters, especially a bit involving a character being sucked into a big screen showing George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead.
Movie adaptations: Ghost Story (1981)
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THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (1959), SHIRLEY JACKSON
Synopsis: A supernatural investigator invites three strangers to join him inside a supposedly ghost-filled mansion for the summer. The home's inner demons waste no time before making it one ghoulish season for its doomed inhabitants.
Why it's scary good: Jackson revolutionized the haunted house tale with this intricately written classic, an exercise in implication over exhibition. The bloodshed is minimal, nearly nonexistent; rather, Jackson alludes to horrific entities, and establishes their presence through sounds and character reactions. Hill House becomes a character itself, albeit one with interior design hiccups (doors that beat like hearts; walls that moan) that'd send those Extreme Makeover: Home Edition heads into an early retirement.
Movie adaptations: The Haunting (1963), The Haunting (1999)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Golding shopped the manuscript to ten publishers, all of whom rejected it, before Faber picked it up in 1953. Golding was one of the first authors championed by Charles Monteith, an influential editor at Faber, whose literary tastes launched the careers of many talented young authors including Ted Hughes, P. D. James, and Philip Larkin.First impressions of the first edition (with the dust jacket) from Faber start at about $3,000 online. The first American edition, published in 1955 by Coward-McCann, commands about half that price. Ironically, the first American edition is scarcer than the British edition. 2,383 copies of the first American edition were sold before the book initially went out of print. The first British edition, meanwhile, went through a print run of 3,040 copies.An interesting gallery of the wide variety ofcovers produced over the years can be seen here The William Golding exhibition will be on display at the Bodleian through December 23.WASHINGTON — The clusters of Chinese vessels busily dredge white sand and pump it onto partly submerged coral, aptly named Mischief Reef, transforming it into an island.
Over a matter of weeks, satellite photographs show the island growing bigger, its few shacks on stilts replaced by buildings. What appears to be an amphibious warship, capable of holding 500 to 800 troops, patrols the reef’s southern opening.
China has long asserted ownership of the archipelago in the South China Sea known as the Spratly Islands, also claimed by at least three other countries, including the Philippines, an American ally. But the series of detailed photographs of Mischief Reef shows the remarkable speed, scale and ambition of China’s effort to literally gain ground in the dispute.
The photographs show that since January, China has been dredging enormous amounts of sand from around the reef and using it to build up land mass — what military analysts at the Pentagon are calling “facts on the water” — hundreds of miles from the Chinese mainland.Who knew when I stepped onto the lush green grounds of Vancouver’s Stanley Park in the summer of 1990 that I’d be writing about it 27 years later? I sure the hell didn’t, and on Tim Curry’s birthday nonetheless!
I’d been assigned to write two 3,000-word set visit stories for then-thriving horror mag Fangoria on the filming of a two-part ABC TV miniseries based on Stephen King’s massive 1986 novel It. One of the articles would be a general colour story that included interviews with director Tommy Lee Wallace, screenwriter Lawrence Cohen, head makeup-FX artist Bart Mixon, and whatever cast members were around. (My request for a chat with the King himself was flatly ignored.)
The other would be an in-depth interview with Tim Curry, who was playing It‘s pivotal villain, Pennywise the Dancing Clown. As it turns out, that’s the conversation everybody wants to hear about all these years later and–thanks to my habit of saving most all the tapes from my 35-plus years of rock and horror journalism–can now actually hear.
A lot of today’s renewed interest in Curry/Pennywise has to |
the entire teams' BB gauges
3. Glum Strike - AoE attack
4. Moody Finale - Massive AoE attack on Turn 5. If you haven't killed him by now, guard all units and use Tesla/Oulu or Darvanshel's BB, and you'll only take ~2.5-3k damage on each of your units
5. Able to inflict Curse, Weakness, Sickness on all attacks
Notes - Highly recommended to bring ignore defense for this. You will one shot him. Another way is to bring a damage reflect sphere. He doesn't have much HP, so reflecting back ~100 HP is a huge chunk however small that may sound. If you have neither then you'll need to deal with Moody Finale. Guard everyone and use Tesla/Oulu or Darvanshel BB to survive
Battle 3 - Mad King Burny, Mender Squirty, Brute Mossy
Brute Mossy
1. Can inflict Paralysis on all attacks
2. Aggression - AoE attack, restore HP to full, and Taunt. Your units can only target him
3. High defense. Can only take damage after ignore defense buff. BB/SBB will not work
4. Low HP. Similar to Gloomy, you will one shot him if you have ignore defense buff Mender Squirty
1. Mending Aura - 15,000 HP heal to all allies. Can begin doing this on Turn 1
2. Mend - 250 HP heal to allies Mad King Burny
1. Vulnerable to Poison (30,000 HP/turn). Very high status resistance however
2. Scorching Flame - AoE attack with 25% chance of sickness
3. Lethal Blaze - Single target attack with 70% chance of Injury on the entire team (Only one unit takes damage but entire team takes Injury)
4. Cursed Flame - AoE attack with 100% chance of Curse
5. ATK, DEF, CRIT buff when <50% HP Notes - This fight doesn't seem too hard as long as you can prevent the status inflictions. Mossy's defense is so high that even with Lilith SBB you do 1 damage. Have to proc ignore defense to one shot or slowly wittle him down. Be careful after you drop Burny to <50%, as he does good damage with his BBs at that point; until then nothing is a threat except for the status inflictions. Try and keep units >5k HP, preferably >6k or more just to eliminate chances of being one shot.
Trial 02 - Destructive Force
An ancient destructive force reanimated and energized to its very limit.
Battles: 3
Energy: 25
2000 Exp
Reward - 100,000 Zel, 25,000 Karma, 1 Gem, 1 Burst Frog
Battle 1 - Fallen General Weiss
1. All attacks can inflict Injury and Poison
2. Has damage reflect the entire battle. Be wary of BBing him; the more damage you do the more damage you will take. This CAN NOT kill you
3. Toxic Reverie - AoE attack every 3 turns with 100% chance of poison. Guard and heal next turn. If possible BB the turn after then heal to ensure damage output and survivability
Notes - I suggest only using normal attacks for most of the battle. If you BB, you can take 2-3.5k self damage from the reflect, leaving you weak and vulnerable to his following attack. The only time I suggest BBing is when you have a heal ready. BB with everyone, wait for them to take the reflect damage, then pop your heal and fill everyone back up. Also, you won't take reflect damage if you kill him, so on your final turn you can BB everyone and if you burst him to death BEFORE any of your units finish their attack animations, you can avoid the reflect damage
Protip - Toxic Reverie is used every 3 turns. The best way to get good damage while not needing emergency heals is to BB and heal after every Toxic Reverie rotation. This way, you won't BB/heal too soon, get hit by the AoE, then be forced to Fujin and heal again.
Battle 2 - Holy Empress Luna, Ryujin Mifune
Ryujin Mifune
1. Immense defense, low HP. Will only take 1 damage, but if you have ignore defense will be one shot
2. Can reflect a large percentage of damage dealt
3. Dark Desolation - Massive AoE attack Holy Empress Luna
1. Chant of La Veda - ~15-18k heal to all allies every ~2 turns
2. Buffs self with ATK and DEF at ~55% HP Notes - Mifune can't be hurt even with BB/SBB so you have to proc ignore defense somehow. I suggest taking him out quickly as he'll stay alive and do fairly substantial damage the entire fight. Luna on the other hand can be scary once she buffs herself. Her normal attacks will do ~5-6k damage on non-dark units. She doesn't have much HP but the constant heals and the DEF buff makes her last longer than you'd expect
Battle 3 - Juggernaut
2. Vulnerable to Curse. Useful to prevent heals
3. Buffs self with ATK and DEF whenever he falls under 50%. This includes healing and going back down to 50%
4. Malefic Relapse - Single target attack every 3 turns that removes 80% of a single unit's BB gauge. Will not use if Cursed Conviction is used on the same turn
5. Cursed Conviction - Random attack with 100% chance of curse every 4 turns. Hits 2-3 units usually
6. Unyielding Stance - Will use this to prepare for Resolute Surge, which he will use next turn
7. Resolute Surge - Massive ATK buff for 4 turns. Will one shot with normal attacks (learned the hard way). Once he uses this, guard for 3 turns until this is over (the turn he buffs counts as turn #1). Use damage mitigation/heal when possible
8. Torrid Intervention - 70% chance of 225k heal every 10 turns. He has 2-3 actions per turn so there's a 70% chance for each action to cause a heal, meaning he can heal 0-3 times every 10 turns
Notes - Only real problem is Resolute Surge and his healing. I suggest guarding for three turns after you see him use Resolute Surge. The turn he buffs will count as #1, then for 3 following turns he really hurts.
Overall he doesn't do much damage if he's >50% HP; when he's under 50% and is buffed he'll hurt a bit more but nothing crazy.
He heals every 10 turns, so you need to have enough DPS to gun him down in 10 turns, or you'll be stuck in the loop
Turn Table for 40 Turns (Move your mouse to the spoiler area to reveal the content) 1. Crit resistant2. Vulnerable to Curse. Useful to prevent heals3. Buffs self with ATK and DEF whenever he falls under 50%. This includes healing and going back down to 50%4. Malefic Relapse - Single target attack everythat removes 80% of a single unit's BB gauge. Will not use if Cursed Conviction is used on the same turn5. Cursed Conviction - Random attack with 100% chance of curse every. Hits 2-3 units usually6. Unyielding Stance - Will use this to prepare for Resolute Surge, which he will use next turn7. Resolute Surge - Massive ATK buff for 4 turns. Will one shot with normal attacks (learned the hard way). Once he uses this, guard for 3 turns until this is over (the turn he buffs counts as turn #1). Use damage mitigation/heal when possible8. Torrid Intervention - 70% chance of 225k heal every 10 turns. He has 2-3 actions per turn so there's a 70% chance for each action to cause a heal, meaning he can heal 0-3 times every 10 turns
Trial 03 - Ultimate Defense
The gods gave the demon the spirit of ultimate defense, strengthened its power, sharpened its claws.
Battles: 3
Energy: 25
2000 Exp
Rewards - 100,000 Zel, 25,000 Karma, 1 Providence Ring, 1 Gem, 1 Burst Frog
Battle 1 - Death Magress, God Atro
Death Magress
1. Vulnerable to Poison (15,000 HP per turn)
2. Vermillion Tower - AoE attack with 30% chance of Curse God Atro
1. Vulnerable to Sickness, Poison (15,000 HP/turn), vulnerable to Weakness
2. Messiah Hazard X - AoE attack with 30% chance of Paralysis
3. ATK, DEF, CRIT buff at <25% HP Notes - Main problem will be the Curse and Paralysis. They don't do crazy damage or anything, but you will need some form of status prevention here. I used Altri and it worked just fine.
Battle 2 - Psycho Mage Claris
1. Immense defense buff for 4 turns; you do 1 damage until turn #5. Will be one shot with ignore defense
2. Time Distortion - AoE attack that drains BB gauges of everyone entirely
3. Chrono Force - AoE attack
4. Age to Death - Massive AoE attack, ~14-15k damage
Notes - Either bring ignore defense or hold out for 4 turns then kill her right away. Waiting extra turns runs you the risk of being hit with Age to Death. You can guard through it, but the risk isn't worth it and you don't know when it happens
Battle 3 - Demon Abaddon
1. Vulnerable to Injury (tickles), Poison (37,000 HP/turn), Weakness, Curse, Paralysis
2. Immense defense buff for ~5 turns. Will take 1 damage unless you BB. Ignore defense will also work
3. Buffs ATK and DEF at I think <25% HP
4. Fatal Strike - Single target attack with 90% chance of Injury and 35% chance of Poison
5. Grudge - AoE attack with a chance of partially draining BB gauge
6. Soul Corruption - AoE attack with 30% chance of inflicting Curse, Sickness, Poison, and Paralysis
7. Black Hole - Massive AoE attack
Notes - Overall not too difficult. You have to manage status as usual, but chances are if you've managed to get this far you know how to deal with those already. Only thing that really hurts is Black Hole, which can one shot Light units and deal very heavy damage to the others. A Grah friend could be nice. However because you can inflict Injury/Poison/Weakness, a Nalmika lead works great. His damage is easily dealt with if he's Injured, and Poison will do 37k damage per turn
New Sphere - Providence RingDoc Adams, Sam Breadon, Bill Dahlen, Wes Ferrell, Garry Herrmann, Marty Marion, Frank McCormick, Harry Stovey, Chris von der Ahe and Bucky Walters are the candidates for Pre-Integration Era Committee consideration for Hall of Fame election for the Class of 2016. Dahlen, Ferrell, Marion, McCormick, Stovey and Walters are included for their contributions as players, while the other four are inclusions for their off-field careers. All candidates are deceased.
Any candidate to receive votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Pre-Integration Era Committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 24, 2016, along with any electees who emerge from the 2016 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, to be announced on Jan. 6, 2016.
The 10 Pre-Integration Era finalists were selected by the BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee from all eligible candidates among Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players whose most significant career impact was realized during the time period from baseball’s origins through 1946. Eligible candidates include: Players who played in at least 10 major league seasons, who are not on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list, and have been retired for 21 or more seasons; and Managers, Umpires and Executives with 10 or more years in baseball.
Adams, Herrmann, McCormick, von der Ahe and Stovey are new additions for consideration by the Pre-Integration Era Committee, which elected Hank O’Day, Jacob Ruppert and Deacon White in December 2012, the last time the Pre-Integration Era Ballot was considered. Tony Mullane and Alfred Reach were previously considered for election in the fall of 2012 but did not return to the 2016 Pre-Integration Era ballot.
The Pre-Integration Era ballot was determined this fall by the Historical Overview Committee, comprised of 11 veteran historians: Dave Van Dyck ( Chicago Tribune ); Bob Elliott ( Toronto Sun ); Jim Henneman (formerly Baltimore Sun ); Rick Hummel ( St. Louis Post-Dispatch ); Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau); Bill Madden (formerly New York Daily News ); Jack O’Connell (BBWAA secretary/treasurer); Jim Reeves (formerly Fort Worth Star-Telegram ); Tracy Ringolsby ( MLB.com ); Glenn Schwarz (formerly San Francisco Chronicle ); and Mark Whicker ( Los Angeles News Group ).
The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Pre-Integration era features Hall of Fame members Bert Blyleven, Bobby Cox, Pat Gillick and Phil Niekro; major league executives Chuck Armstrong (Mariners), Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), Gary Hughes (Red Sox) and Tal Smith (Astros); and veteran media members/historians Steve Hirdt, Peter Morris, Jack O’Connell, Claire Smith, Tim Sullivan, T.R. Sullivan, Gary Thorne and Tim Wendel.Prop. 19: Fight over pot starts to heat up CAMPAIGN 2010 / Prop. 19
Young Marijuana plants for sale, this one is "UK Cheese" available, at the medical dispensary, Harborside Health Center in Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday Apr. 20, 2010. The company is a distributor of medical marijuana. less Young Marijuana plants for sale, this one is "UK Cheese" available, at the medical dispensary, Harborside Health Center in Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday Apr. 20, 2010. The company is a distributor of medical... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Prop. 19: Fight over pot starts to heat up 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
No TV ads. No billboards. Just a lot of news conferences, endorsement announcements, mailings by special-interest groups and phone calls to voters.
That's what the battle has consisted of so far in the campaigns around the lowest-key, highest-interest election issue on the Nov. 2 ballot - Proposition 19, which would legalize personal marijuana use for adults. And that's pretty much the game plan from here to the end.
The very subject of legalizing marijuana has been in the public discourse for so many decades that many people apparently have their minds made up already, observers and combatants say. So the main challenge has been to fire up the converted on both sides, while educating voters in the middle to shore up the margins.
A Public Policy Institute of California survey released Thursday showed 49 percent of Californians saying they would vote no on the measure, and 44 percent saying they'd vote yes. That's a turnaround from a Field Poll last month that had Prop. 19 up, 49 percent to 42 percent. A smattering of smaller polls disagree on which side is ahead.
What this means, in the home stretch toward election day, is that Prop. 19 is still up for grabs.
"It's probably going to be a squeaker one way or another," said Tom Angell, media director for Prop. 19.
"Our message is harder to get out, because it's got a little more complexity, but we're making headway," said Roger Salazar, spokesman for the No on Prop. 19 effort. "The other side is working overtime to generate some press, and so are we."
No ads
The most striking thing about the campaign is the lack of the advertisements, even though polls indicate Prop. 19 is by far the most recognizable measure on the ballot. It's also been drawing international headlines because it would make California the first place in the United States to legalize recreational pot.
"We're seeing lots of ads for everything else on the ballot, aren't we? But not Prop. 19," said Martin Carcieri, a political science professor at San Francisco State University. "It tells us that this is such a touchy subject you have to be careful.
"That, plus neither side has a ton of money, and ads are expensive."
It generally costs about $2 million a week to run television ads statewide in a California election, and so far neither campaign has been able to attract a lot of cash.
According to the California secretary of state's office, the anti-Prop. 19 side had raised just $250,000 as of Friday. The measure's proponents had pulled together $2.8 million, which could position them for a last-minute flurry of ads.
By contrast, more than $22 million has been raised by the pro and con sides around Proposition 24, which would repeal a number of tax breaks for big corporations.
The main weapons in the battle over Prop. 19 have been news coverage, endorsement announcements and opinion pieces in newspapers and on blogs. Representatives of both sides, including police, politicians and educators, have debated each other in hundreds of settings.
Each faction claims the most heat.
'Fired up'
"People are really fired up about this all over the country," Angell said. "We've got a huge bank of volunteers doing phone-bank work everywhere, and we're on most campuses.
"The crucial thing for us is direct contact with the voters through the phones and outreach. We really do feel we can win this."
About 1,000 volunteers from as far away as Denver's Women's Marijuana Movement have pitched in to spread the pro-pot message by phone to voters.
The proposition, drawn up by medical marijuana pioneer Richard Lee of Oakland, would allow local jurisdictions to legalize the possession of as much as an ounce of marijuana for recreational use by anybody 21 or older, and to tax pot sales. Each person could also grow the drug for personal use in anything up to a 5-by-5-foot space.
"I've always said that cannabis prohibition is hypocritical and unfair," said Lee, who founded the Oaksterdam marijuana-trade school in Oakland. "This sort of law is overdue."
'Confusion'
On the flip side, anti-Prop. 19 activists say people don't need to be convinced that a drug is a drug. It's getting them to the polls that matters most.
"Prop. 19 isn't really what it says it is - it will lead to a great deal of confusion, and it won't stop crime," said Pleasant Hill Police Chief Dunbar, spokesman for the California Police Chiefs Association. "Marijuana may be legalized one day, but this is not the way to do it."
Salazar said his campaign's message boils down to this: "Prop. 19 claims to regulate, tax and control marijuana, but it in fact does none of those things." He said there would be a proliferation of people coming to work and driving while stoned, and that many sellers may refuse to pay local taxes because marijuana would still be illegal under federal law.
Several home-grown groups, such as Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana, a self-started outfit of 15 in Sacramento, are spreading thousands of leaflets around the state to counteract the pro-Prop. 19 phone calls and campus crusades.
Last-minute ads?
Neither side will say if it is planning last-minute TV or radio ads, but if they do the arguments would undoubtedly echo what has already made the proposition the most recognizable one on the ballot, Carcieri said.
Those for Prop. 19 argue that it would bring in billions to governmental coffers through taxes and fees and give people the freedom to use an herb they see as less harmful than liquor or tobacco. And those who oppose it say Prop. 19 would legitimize a dangerous drug that the federal government would still outlaw.
"Americans really do believe in personal liberty, and that's part of why this proposition has gotten this far," Carcieri said. "Of course, this is too much for even a lot of those who believe in personal liberty - but this time there is also the money argument.
"Without the desperate economic situation we have now, this wouldn't be on the ballot."Image copyright Getty Images
McDonald's has agreed to sell 80% of its business in China and Hong Kong, as part of plans to franchise more of its restaurants worldwide.
China's state-owned investment group Citic, and US private equity firm Carlyle Group, will take control of the operations in a deal valued at $2.1bn (£1.7bn).
McDonald's owns and operates about 65% of its 2,000 China outlets.
Franchising allows it to take a slice of sales while cutting operating costs.
McDonald's is trying to streamline its global operations, and changing its ownership structure to revolve more around franchises is a major part of that revamp.
In March last year, the firm said it was seeking partners to help it add more than 1,500 restaurants in China, Hong Kong and Korea over the next five years.
Under the agreement signed Monday, the US fast food giant will keep a 20% stake in its China business. Citic will hold a 52% share in the partnership while Caryle takes 28% of the new business.
Competitor Yum Brands, the owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, is also restructuring its China business.
Both McDonald's and Yum Brands have been facing increasing competition from cheaper local rivals, particularly in China, where they are trying to recover from food safety scares.For the past 18 months video journalist Dougal Shaw has been shooting his features mostly on his smartphone. On this blog, he previously wrote about his self-enforced ‘mojo diet’ - when he pledged to use only the phone for one month. Here, he passes on some editing tips for getting the most out of footage shot on a mobile. He uses Final Cut X, though similar techniques can be used in other software.
1. Vignettes and adjustment layers From most phones, you will get large of depth of field. In other words, the background will be in focus rather than blurred in an artistic manner. That’s not necessarily bad for news, where context is important. But if you want to lose some of that flatness in the shot, you could add a vignette. That can be done using an adjustment layer – which is an empty ‘shell’ that sits at the top of your timeline and lets you add any number of effects into it, which will change the appearance of everything beneath it. So, you could add a classic, dark vignette. Or you could add blur, then select a shape mask to turn it into a vignette shape. In the adjustment layer you can also add effects like: crisp contrast, sharpness (use sparingly) and maybe boost the saturation a little. Various adjustment layers are available as free plug-ins to download.
The adjustment layer is at the top of the timeline with controls such as blur and crisp contrast top right.
2. Stills with atmos Rather than filming video of a static scene, why not simply take a still? Your phone’s camera will give you a superior image and save valuable memory space. When it comes to the edit, cut from moving video to still, then back to video. If you run continuous background noise (‘atmos’) under all the clips, your ear will help you believe this is one video sequence. You could also add a slight move to the still image, to maintain momentum in the sequence (see Ken Burns later). But your phone’s camera may not take stills in 16:9 aspect ratio: in the edit, you will need to crop what you shoot, so frame generously! 3. Magic wand
In news you don’t always have the luxury of time. Working to a deadline, a very handy tool is Magic Wand/Balance Color (above) which sits under the viewer in Final Cut X. If you choose this, it will attempt to give your shot a neutral colour cast (not too blue or orange) and also adjust the image to maximise contrast. Immediately this makes things look more punchy. Of course with more time you can analyse the whole clip to improve the colour balance, using Colour Board to change each shot manually. Making features, I’m lucky that I usually have time to improve each shot of my mobile footage – and it can make a huge difference.
Before
After
4. Your friend, Ken Burns The best way to add smooth movement in Final Cut X is the Ken Burns effect. This allows you to select before and after positions, and Final Cut creates a smooth transition between the two. It’s possible to over-use this feature (I admit I do), but it’s a good way to weave movement through a piece. Usually the subtler the movement, the better it looks. Since interviewees can look flat, adding a modest Ken Burns effect can make the shot feel more appealing. If you set your phone to film at a higher resolution than HD (4k for example), you can really play around with movement in the edit and achieve cinematic-style dolly shots, for example.
5. Stabilization
Ideally, you’ll use a tripod for many of your shots. There are many mounts you can get for smartphones, allowing you to attach them to tripods. But if for whatever reason you took some handheld footage and now wish it was less wobbly, the stabilization tool in the FCP video panel is very handy. By sacrificing some pixels and cropping your video around the edges, Final Cut is able to iron out the shakes from your original footage. I often use it to enhance what I call ‘tripod aerial footage’. Because the phone is so light, you can attach it to your tripod and hoist it over your head, then dangle it like a mic on a boom, to achieve a kind of drone effect. This can be a bit shaky, so stabilization will smooth it out. Obviously make absolutely sure the phone is not at risk of falling on anyone! 6. Voiceover If you want to add voiceover to your edit, a fast and effective way is to use your phone. In a quiet room, ideally a studio, speak your lines into the phone, keeping the microphone a few inches away from your mouth. This avoids popping, which occurs with bursts of air like ‘p’ sounds. Holding the phone as you normally would or hold it flat just below your mouth like the contestants on The Apprentice. Once you are happy with the recording, you can upload it to something like Google Drive, then download direct to your laptop. In the audio section of Final Cut’s Effects panel there are voiceover enhancers which can improve your recording. Or look into using Compressor effects. The quality is not quite as good as recording it in a voiceover booth but it’s good enough to run in television packages. Many radio contributions are now filed this way, both by interviewees and reporters.
7. Multicamera It’s very easy in Final Cut X to put together multi-camera edits, bringing together two camera angles. You might have recorded something handheld on your mobile, for example, which you want to use as a cutaway for another shot taken simultaneously with a broadcast camera. If you highlight both clips in your cliplist, right click and do a ‘Multicam sync’, you can weave these shots together. Final Cut syncs it for you by listening to the sound recording. The clapper-board operator is redundant. You can then ‘Match Colour’ to do your best to make these shots look as similar as possible.IT Alignment is Simple, Part 1
Results of the latest SIM CIO Survey were announced at SIMposium 2008. Once again, “IT and Business Alignment” was number 1 on the list of top IT management concerns (it’s been number 1 for a lot of years). [Note: as of 2016 it’s still number 1, and it’s been number 1 for ten out of fourteen years.] It’s amazing to me that CIOs haven’t yet learned how to solve the IT alignment problem, so in this article I’ll explain what IT alignment is all about, and in a follow-up article I’ll explain in more detail how to achieve business/IT alignment.
Unaligned IT is like driving blindfolded
First, I’ll use a metaphor to describe the problem. Suppose you’re a CIO driving a car, with your CEO in the front passenger seat. But in this example you’re blindfolded behind the wheel and so the CEO has to give you extremely detailed instructions on how to drive: “Turn just a little bit left. Prepare for a right turn. OK, turn NOW. Slow down just a little bit. A little bit more. Now speed up.”
Do you get the picture? How frustrating and nerve-wracking would this be for you as the driver? And how would it be for the CEO? If you were CEO wouldn’t you be incredibly frustrated that you have to spend so much time telling the CIO what to do? Why can’t the CIO just figure it out for him/herself?
Now take the blindfold off, and do some advance planning. Suppose you – the CIO – get together with the CEO prior to your trip and make plans for your travel. Together you pick a destination, and you jointly decide on criteria for picking a route: fastest, most scenic, most economical, whatever is important to the two of you. Then you – the CIO driving expert – recommend a route that will get the two of you to the destination in the best way possible, optimizing those selection criteria on which you just agreed. You discuss the recommended route with the CEO, make changes as necessary, and then start on your trip. You’re in the driver’s seat, but you’re no longer blindfolded.
Along the way things will happen. Your destination might change. Your route selection criteria might change. You may have to revise your route to adjust to unexpected weather, bad roads or traffic. But you make all of these adjustment decisions jointly with the CEO, and so you both agree that you’re doing the best that can be done.
This second approach – advance planning with no blindfold – is an example of alignment, but the first approach – driving blindfolded – is an example of what most unaligned IT organizations do instead. IT is driving blindfolded because most CIOs don’t have full visibility on where the CEO and other senior executives are trying to take the business. Instead, the CIOs are given short-term tactical statements of direction (e.g., implement this system, expand this data field, improve Help Desk service, improve transaction performance) rather than letting the CIOs drive IT for themselves with full knowledge of the destination, an agreed upon route, and the ability to respond to local driving conditions along the way.
Just like the CEO passenger in our blindfolded CIO driver example, the CEO and senior business executives are highly dissatisfied with an unaligned IT organization. They’re frustrated with having to constantly give detailed directions, they’re dissatisfied with the slow rate of change in IT, and they dislike the high “accident” rate (failed projects) that comes from blind driving. Everyone – in both IT and the business – hates operating under the blind driver model of IT. But in most organizations no one has ever taken the steps required to change the approach.
What is Business/IT Alignment?
In my experience, you achieve alignment between business and IT when all seven of the following criteria are met:
The Business strategy is understood by the business and by IT. The IT strategy is understood by IT and by the business. The two strategies agree, and don’t contradict each other. The IT strategy supports the Business strategy. The Business strategy supports the IT strategy. Business people and IT people trust each other to follow the strategies they’ve agreed on. Business people and IT people agree that the business and IT are aligned.
Let’s go through them one by one:
1. The Business strategy is understood by the business and by IT.
This is one of the problem areas most cited by CIOs when they’re asked about alignment. Many CIOs – particularly CIOs who don’t report to the CEO – claim that they aren’t part of the executive “inner circle” and that they frankly don’t know where the business is going. Although I understand their concerns, I don’t see membership in the inner circle as a necessary prerequisite for IT alignment. Often it’s enough to have a “pretty good feel” for where the business is going – a total understanding of the business strategy isn’t required. In fact, many CIOs would be surprised to find out that even the CEO doesn’t have a total understanding of the business strategy, since some of business strategy is “played by ear” and adapted to business conditions as they change and to business opportunities as they appear.
The most important aspect of this criterion is the communication of business priorities. The CIO must understand what’s important to the business, and what’s not as important. Alignment can be achieved only if IT is able to focus on the things that are most important to the business.
2. The IT strategy is understood by IT and by the business.
This criterion, on the other hand, is probably the biggest obstacle to IT alignment. Many IT organizations don’t have an IT strategy at all, and when they do, it’s often a document that’s used for communication downward to the rest of the IT organization. Seldom is the IT strategy put together in such a way that it can be clearly communicated upward to the business using business language. Yet upward communication of the IT strategy is even more important than downward communication. If business executives don’t have a good feel for IT’s overall direction, then they won’t trust IT (see #6), and they’ll try to micromanage the IT organization. This will bring you right back to the driving blind metaphor, and your IT organization will go into “order taker mode” where IT doesn’t have a strategy – it just does whatever it’s told.
3. The two strategies agree, and don’t contradict each other.
Once #1 and #2 are true (a pretty big step), then it’s usually fairly easy for business and IT leaders to discuss differences in strategic intent. Without those business and IT strategies, it’s impossible to carry on a rational dialog, since you’re trying to compare two things that are both nebulous and unwritten. But once you’ve got a business strategy that IT can understand and an IT strategy that the business can understand, it’s pretty easy to see if there are contradictions between the two documents.
When contradictions are detected, you can figure out why. Maybe a business assumption changed and IT didn’t know, or maybe an IT assumption about a certain system environment is causing problems in supporting a new direction for the business. Whatever the reasons for contradictions, the important thing is to revise the business strategy and/or IT strategy to eliminate the contradictions.
4. The IT strategy supports the Business strategy.
Having resolved #3, you have now eliminated contradictions between the business and IT strategies. But that doesn’t mean that the two strategies support each other. First look at the way the IT strategy supports the business strategy. Are there elements of the business strategy that cannot be performed given the current strategy for IT? (e.g., a move toward Internet selling that can’t be supported by your legacy systems) Are there elements of the business strategy that could be performed better with a shift in the IT strategy? Are there elements of the business strategy that have no support at all in the IT strategy? (e.g., the business strategy says acquire internationally, but the IT strategy doesn’t address the issues of multi-national, multi-language, multi-cultural, multi-currency systems) Modify the IT strategy as required to support the Business strategy.
5. The Business strategy supports the IT strategy.
Now that #4 has been accomplished, look at the two strategies from the other direction. Are there elements of the IT strategy that cannot be performed given the current business strategy? (e.g., business strategy calls for IT spending cuts but the business strategy also requires increased IT capabilities) Are there elements of the IT strategy that could be performed better with a shift in the business strategy? (e.g., business strategy calls for separate IT organizations for each business division, but IT project efforts for certain key business objectives will be duplicated in each division) Are there elements of the IT strategy that have no support at all in the business strategy? (e.g., the IT strategy calls for replacement of inadequate infrastructure but this investment hasn’t been factored into the business strategy) Negotiate modifications to the business strategy as required to support the IT strategy, or revise the IT strategy accordingly.
6. Business people and IT people trust each other to follow the strategies they’ve agreed on.
I’ve listed this as #6 but in fact trust is critical to every stage of the alignment process. As I’ve said in my book, Boiling the IT Frog, if your company doesn’t have a mutually trusting relationship with its IT organization, then IT won’t be successful, no matter how good you are at everything else. Read more about how to build trust in my book. There’s a whole chapter on the subject.
7. Business people and IT people agree that the business and IT are aligned.
This is the last step in achieving alignment. After you’ve done everything else and met all six of the other criteria, it’s important for business and IT people to specifically recognize the fact that they’re aligned. There are two reasons: (1) It will drive a stake into the ground to recognize that on a given date you actually had alignment, and (2) It will help motivate your organizations to put processes in place to keep business and IT in alignment.
You need to recognize that alignment is a transitory thing; it’s not enough to achieve alignment once – you have to keep working at maintaining that alignment. You can do this by periodically going through an analysis of the seven criteria, and by putting change management processes in place to deal with changes in business and IT strategy as they occur.
Conclusion
IT alignment is simple, but it’s not easy. Good strategies are short and to the point – we’re not talking about 100 page documents here. Unfortunately, many |
the major studios have mostly stopped making, it is a fascinating miss. Not only is a bad movie, but it is a bad movie because it is a painfully uncinematic film. It is, concerning how it is constructed and how much it cost, the kind of film that would be a financial disaster in cinemas. That it ended up on Netflix is arguably a case of the streaming giant doing the theaters a favor.
The picture, directed by David Michôd (Animal Kingdom), is loosely based on Michael Hastings's nonfiction book (The Operators) about the downfall of General Stanley McChrystal. For those who don't remember, he was fired in 2010 after Hastings' Rolling Stone feature story offered several choice quotes of McChrystal and his men badmouthing the Obama administration. The film is technically fiction, a choice made so that the filmmakers had more artistic freedom in telling their story, but a number of real folks and real incidents are discussed. But more disconcerting is that the big-budget picture is stunningly stagebound, offering two hours that mostly amount to men (almost all men) sitting in chairs having conversations with each other about how the Afghanistan occupation can be brought to an honorable and/or dignified end.
The film feels less like a movie than (at best) a glorified stage play and (at worst) a glorified audiobook of The Operators. There are moments of thoughtfulness and insight, but 90% of the interesting nuggets of wisdom are doled out by constant voice-over narration provided by Scoot McNairy's Sean Cullen, revealed in the flesh at the halfway point to be the film's stand-in for the late Hastings. The cast (Pitt, Michael Anthony Hall, Alan Ruck, Tilda Swinton, etc.) is polished and there are a few choice moments of scathing commentary. Pitt has a few choice moments (including explaining how killing insurgents leads to more insurgents), Ruck has a great monologue explaining why there won't be a victory parade at the end and Swinton's one-scene cameo involves a piercing bit of actual journalism.
Watch On Forbes:
But War Machine ironically feels less like a full-blown theatrical movie and more like the stereotypical TV movie. For a motion picture, it barely moves. It's a talking head documentary acted out by a big cast, complete with an oddly hammy star turn from a usually solid Brad Pitt who seems to think he was in a Coen Brothers comedy.
Yes, it's a little anticlimactic that this film comes out now, 16 years after the start of the post-9/11 Middle East overseas adventures and six months after America more or less made their choice to ignore or forget the lessons of the George W. Bush era. It feels like the kind of film produced under the impression that it would be a piece of art to move a policy debate as President Hillary Clinton decided how to proceed with our current military campaigns. But in this timeline, under this president, I don't think there's much anyone can do short of an electoral revolution to move the needle away from "never-ending faraway war against ever-changing enemies."
That in itself is not a fatal flaw or the fault of the movie itself. I felt the same way about Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk but still found that Ang Lee drama to be a fascinating piece of experimental cinema. Yet War Machine exists not as a shining example of Netflix stealing Hollywood's thunder but as an example of the kind of movie that would never have been a smart commercial play. It's not a good movie, it has no business being in theaters, and it was so expensive ($60 million) that it serves as an example of the sort of thing that almost killed adult cinema in the late 2000s.
I'm speaking of that period when films like (the excellent) State of Play and (the splendid) Duplicity were failing to justify their $60 million-$70 million budgets and were being held up as evidence that the adult movie was dead. Sure, those films had big stars, adult-skewing stories and high production values, but they were priced to a point where they had to basically become glorified blockbusters to break even. When the likes of 3:10 to Yuma, Body of Lies or The Lovely Bones made $70m-$100m worldwide on $60m-$70m budgets, the blame didn't go to their budgets but rather the very idea that adult dramas and adult-skewing major studio fare were an endangered species.
Fortunately, things got a little better when the costs came down. Hollywood eventually got the message. Starting in late 2010, we began seeing Ben Affleck's The Town costing $40 million, Looper costing $30m, and (among others) the Oscar-nominated American Hustle earning $250m on a $40m budget. From around late 2010 to the end of 2014 (ish), we did see a reasonable return of the "real" movie from the studios. Sure, some of this was thanks to newbie distributors like Open Road Films, but we started seeing responsibly-budgeted pictures that didn't go crazy but made enough to justify their place in multiplexes alongside the tentpole/franchise offerings.
Good or bad, you were just as likely to find The Social Network, Source Code, Savages, The Counselor, The Fault in Our Stars or The Hundred-Foot Journey at a theater near you as Tron: Legacy, Battle Los Angeles, The Amazing Spider-Man, Edge of Tomorrow or Expendables 3. The reason a lot of these films did well/made money was because they were budgeted at a level that didn't require blockbuster business. So The Counselor could be a modest hit earning $71 million on a $25m budget. And The Grey could be a winner at $77m on a $25m budget. For a few years, it looked like Hollywood as a whole might have dug itself out of its post-Harry Potter/Spider-Man/Pirates of the Caribbean-induced tentpole fever.
I think that the blowout success of The Avengers (through no fault of Walt Disney or Joss Whedon or any of the participants) in the summer of 2012 did cause not a little bit of harm. Its $1.5 billion worldwide gross sent every studio chasing the multi-part/interconnected cinematic universe alongside their current franchise fare. And that coincided with the lightning-fast rise of streaming services like Netflix and cable TV offering a deluge of high-quality and water-cooler-friendly episodic fare that filled in the gap for moderately budgeted, star-driven, adult-focused comedy and drama.
Television has been of a high quality (as art) for at least the last 25 years (The X-Files, The Simpsons, Homicide: Life on the Street, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc.). But the upswing in production values and spectacle alongside long-form storytelling and nuanced character development has left us with a TV landscape that can probably approximate 90% of all available theatrical feature content. So now, in the middle of 2017, the major studios are trying to figure out how to keep the money coming with old/rebooted franchises since it's so hard to get folks to come out to the theaters for anything new or non-tentpole-ish.
In such an environment, spending $60 million on a film like War Machine would be insane, and I don't remotely blame the interested parties who wanted to cut costs. Even during late 2011, an acclaimed and Oscar-nominated film like Moneyball made just $110m on a $50m budget. War Machine is an ambitious and well-intentioned picture that can't decide if it's Burn After Reading or Syriana, which would be an interesting quirk if the film weren't told so lifelessly and with so little cinematic flair.
Had the picture been produced and distributed as-is by Warner Bros. or Sony, it would struggle to make anything approaching the $150 million-$200 million necessary to break even and would instead spur another round of "Adult dramas are doomed!" At Netflix, if it were good, it would merely be a victory for existing. But the movie as it plays more like an old-school TV movie. Netflix's first big foray into "What Hollywood won't do anymore" is a most ironic miss. It is not only not a good movie, but it's an exorbitantly overbudgeted movie that fails both as a piece of art and even as a piece of theater-worthy cinema.
I agree with pretty much everything War Machine has to say. But there is little cinematic value in how it chooses to say it. And keeping it out of theaters and as a streaming offering helps, rather than hurts, the concept of a big-studio theatrical movie.One prisoner froze to death after being left to sleep, without pants, on a cold concrete floor. Another was forced to stand in a "stress position" on broken bones. CIA officers threatened to sexually assault the wife of one detainee, and cut the throat of another prisoner's mother.
And it gets worse.
After months of negotiations with the White House and CIA, the Senate Intelligence Committee has released a redacted summary of its original 6,300-page report on the "enhanced interrogation techniques" carried out by George W. Bush-era intelligence agents on suspected terrorists.
Through a process known as "extraordinary rendition," detainees were taken to prisons in allied nations — so-called CIA "black sites" — where American officers sought to extract information, often by using brutal and repugnant tactics banned by international law. The secret program began sometime in the weeks after 9/11; President Barack Obama's executive order formally ended it Jan. 22, 2009.
Tuesday's "executive summary" is approximately 500 pages, with certain key details — names and locations — blacked out by CIA censors. The report is a dense and at times confounding read. CIA officials did their best to obscure the names of the 54 countries that partnered with U.S. intelligence to host the prisons. In 2005, 92 videotapes showing hundreds of hours of extreme interrogations were destroyed. Names of individual agents have also been wiped from the record, either to protect their safety or preserve their careers.
Additional information will come out over time, but for now, here are 16 excerpts from the torture report the CIA does not want you to see:
1. A prisoner froze to death after being made to sit on a concrete floor without pants.
2. A CIA prison site known as COBALT was described as a "dungeon" and detainees were shackled with "only a bucket to use for human waste."
Prisoners would be disrobed and restrained with "mylar tape, then "walked around naked" and "hooded... while being slapped and punched."
3. Federal Bureau of Prisons staff were "WOW'ed" by the depravity of the COBALT prison.
4. Torture tactics caused detainees to develop psychosis, leading to hallucinations, paranoia and attempts to self-mutilate.
5. Five prisoners were subjected to "rectal rehydration" or "rectal feeding."
One detainee was eventually "diagnosed with chronic hemorrhoids, an anal fissure and symptomatic rectal prolapse," symptoms normally associated with a violent rape.
6. Buried in the footnotes, the report mentions that an officer played "Russian Roulette" with a prisoner.
7. Detainees were made to stand in "stress positions" on broken bones and prosthetic limbs.
8. The waterboarding of a prized prisoner devolved into a "series of near drownings."
"Waterboard" is mentioned 275 times in the report, which is technically just a "summary" of the official, classified report.
9. On at least two occasions, the CIA conducted "mock executions" of prisoners.
10. Former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice was deeply involved in evaluating the use of waterboarding and "staged burial."
11. The CIA manipulated the press and ignored when classified material that supported their torture policies was published.
12. Former CIA director Michael Hayden repeatedly misled Congress about the degree and extent of the torture.
13. A prisoner was tortured for months based on a false accusation made under duress by another prisoner.
On multiple occasions, CIA agents reported that Janat Gul knew nothing of the alleged "pre-election threat." But they were repeatedly told to continue their interrogations, including a "47-hour session of standing sleep deprivation," which over time caused him to hallucinate, seeing "his wife and children in the mirror" and "[hearing] their voices in the white noise."
14. Sleep deprivation led a detainee to hallucinate "dogs mauling and killing his sons."
15. CIA interrogators got tired of torturing one leading al-Qaida figure, so they took a 47-day vacation.
16. Torture did not provide the information that led to the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan that resulted in his death.
The architects: Former Vice President Dick Cheney told the New York Times on Monday night that criticism of the barbaric program was "a bunch of hooey." The use of torture, he said, was "totally justified." Bush told CNN on Sunday that the men and women who carried out the interrogations were "patriots."
While some of the details released Tuesday are new to the public, the CIA's rendition of suspects to foreign "black sites" was first reported on in 2005 by the Washington Post. The New Yorker brought us closer in 2007. But even now, the full scope of the program remains hidden from public view. Outgoing Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who had threatened to read the full report into the Senate record — a privilege afforded federal legislators by the Constitution — if the summary was not released, has indicated that he will not press for more disclosures.
UPDATE: Udall chose not to read the full report, but did on Wednesday reveal key details the classified "Panetta Review," calling that report a "smoking gun" and proof that "the CIA lied."
Torture is never justified: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chaired the Senate panel that oversaw the investigation and ultimately agreed to release the declassified documents, said Tuesday that "the techniques failed to elicit detainee cooperation or produce accurate intelligence." This is a familiar argument, often employed by Democrats and activists working to expose the program.
But the underlying logic is flawed. Torture is wrong not because it is inefficient; by that measure, useful torture would be a valuable and righteous tool. No, the interrogation tactics employed by the CIA were self-evidently heinous. What they did or did not yield is immaterial.
The Obama administration justifies the current drone-killing program with much of the same legal theory the Bush team used to justify torture tactics. The strikes are carried out in secret, with decision-makers facing no real accountability for their actions. President Barack Obama is fond of saying we "need to look forward as opposed to looking backward" when it comes to questions about the sins of the Bush-era. In that case, Obama should learn the lessons of the torture report, and end this ongoing extralegal war.
This post has been updated.A Maryland court last week ruled that the government does not need a warrant to force a cell phone provider to disclose more than six months of data on the movements of one of its customers. Two defendants had been accused of armed robbery, and a key piece of evidence against them was data about the movements of the pair's cell phones. The defendants had sought to suppress this location evidence because the government did not get a warrant before seeking the data from network providers. But last Thursday, Judge Richard D. Bennett ruled that a warrant is not required to obtain cell-site location records (CSLR) from a wireless carrier.
Courts all over the country have been wrestling with this question, and the government has been on something of a winning streak. While one court ruled last year that such information requests violate the Fourth Amendment, most others have reached the opposite conclusion.
The Obama administration laid out its position in a legal brief last month, arguing that customers have "no privacy interest" in CSLR held by a network provider. Under a legal principle known as the "third-party doctrine," information voluntarily disclosed to a third party ceases to enjoy Fourth Amendment protection. The government contends that this rule applies to cell phone location data collected by a network provider.
While this may be a plausible reading of previous precedents, the practical implications are alarming. While CSLRs are not as detailed as data that can be gathered via GPS, months of data can still reveal a host of sensitive information about a person's movements. If the third-party doctrine allows the government to obtain such information without a warrant, that's a strong argument for re-considering the third-party doctrine.
Limited precision
The Obama administration made its argument in a Texas case being heard by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The government had applied for a subpoena compelling MetroPCS and T-Mobile to turn over sixty days of cell phone location data for two phones believed to belong to suspects in a drug case. A judge denied the request, ruling that the government needed a search warrant to obtain such location data.
In a lengthy opinion, Magistrate Judge Stephen Smith, who has emerged as a leading advocate for stricter judicial oversight of electronic surveillance, concluded that "compelled warrantless disclosure of cell site data violates the Fourth Amendment."
Judge Smith's opinion drew heavily on testimony that Matt Blaze, a prominent University of Pennsylvania computer scientist, gave to Congress in 2010. Blaze argued that as the number and technical sophistication of cellular towers increases, cell phone companies are able to collect increasingly precise information about the location of their customers. "Under some circumstances, the latest generation of this technology permits the network to calculate users' locations with a precision that approaches that of GPS," Blaze said.
In its brief, the Obama Administration faulted Judge Smith for relying on Blaze's testimony without holding a hearing that would have allowed it to present contrary evidence. And it argued that Blaze's observations do not apply to the data it is seeking in the Texas case. According to the government, T-Mobile and MetroPCS only retain information about a phone's location at the beginning and end of a phone call, not when the phone is idle. And the data T-Mobile and MetroPCS have collected is much less precise than the theoretical maximum Blaze described.
Contacted by Ars Technica, Blaze told us that he wasn't able to comment on the specifics of the T-Mobile or MetroPCS networks. But he questioned the wisdom of making potentially precedent-setting decisions based on the low precision of location data held by a particular wireless firm. Other firms may have more precise data, and all firms' data is likely to get more accurate as towers become denser and more sophisticated.
Blaze also noted that the growing use of picocells and femtocells, which are designed to provide coverage to an individual building or even an individual floor within a building, meant that CSLRs could sometimes provide extremely precise information about a customer's location. And whether such fine-grained location data is available for a particular customer will only be known after a cellular provider discloses its customer's location data.
Re-thinking the third-party doctrine
In addition to arguing that the location data it was seeking was too coarse-grained to raise privacy concerns, the government also argued that it was legally irrelevant. That's because under the third-party doctrine, customers give up privacy rights in any location data they voluntarily disclose to a third party. And the government believes that customers do this every time they allow their cell phones to communicate their location to cell phone towers.
"As business records in the possession of a third party, cell-site records should not be judged under standards applicable to surreptitiously-installed tracking device," the government's brief argues.
This argument has a puzzling circularity to it. After all, it's equally true that customers "voluntarily" disclose the contents of their phone calls to the phone company when they make a call using a cell phone. And yet the contents of voice communications are protected by the Fourth Amendment.
Phone calls currently enjoy Fourth Amendment protection, but that wasn't always true. In 1928, the courts had held that the Fourth Amendment only barred physical trespassing by government agents. Since wiretapping could be accomplished without entering the suspect's property, the Supreme Court held that it didn't raise Fourth Amendment issues.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court re-thought this reasoning in 1967. The high court reversed its previous reading of the Fourth Amendment and found that the government needs a warrant any time it violates a target's "reasonable expectation of privacy."
The arguments the government makes about CSLRs are reminiscent of the claims the Supreme Court accepted in 1928 and then rejected in 1967. In both cases, the government focused on the technical details of how the information is collected. Because the information could be accessed without physically intruding on the suspect's property, the government argued, the suspect's privacy was not violated.
The Supreme Court wisely rejected this over-literal reading of the Fourth Amendment in 1967. And it ought to do the same thing when the CSLR controversy inevitably reaches the Supreme Court. Seeking months of data about a suspect's whereabouts is at least as invasive as other surveillance techniques the government has ruled unconstitutional.
Indeed, the high court should consider ditching the third-party doctrine altogether. A growing share of our personal communications and documents are stored with the assistance of third parties. Snooping through someone's Hotmail or Google Docs account is the 21st Century equivalent of rifling through an 18th century citizen's "papers and effects." The Fourth Amendment protects the privacy of the latter; in our view, it should do the same for the former.
At least one Supreme Court justice seems to realize the danger the third-party doctrine poses to privacy. In a concurrence to the high court's Janunary decision on the constitutionality of GPS tracking, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the doctrine was "ill-suited to the digital age." The third-party doctrine was not directly at issue in the case. Her decision to bring it up anyway suggests a high level of concern.In recent months, the pink press has gone to town against a series of announcements by various state governments declaring their intent to waive farm loans to varying extents. It all began with the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Yogi Adityanath, making this his first substantive economic announcement, in keeping with his party’s manifesto, although there was no overt demand from UP farmers then. Ever since, farmer agitations and suicides have snowballed across the country, compelling other state governments to consider this as a serious option for relieving farmers’ distress.
While the media and other commentators recognize the reality of farmers’ distress, they take serious exception to farm loan waivers as a means of addressing the problem. The position taken by India’s elite is best summed up in the words of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Urjit Patel: “I think it (farm loan waiver) undermines an honest credit culture, it impacts credit discipline, it blunts incentives for future borrowers to repay, in other words, waivers engender moral hazard. It also entails at the end of the day, transfer from taxpayers to borrowers. If on account of this, overall government borrowing goes up, yields on government bonds also are impacted. Thereafter it can also lead to the crowding out of private borrowers as higher government borrowing can lead to an increase in cost of borrowing for others."
Different aspects of this ominous view have been picked up by different interlocutors to create a new, frightening urban legend. It is important to critically examine the validity of these claims in the specific context in which waivers are being considered.
The first point that needs to be made is that this isn’t the first time farm loan waivers are being given. Therefore, it is possible to subject its effects to empirical validation. Second, even if such effects are valid, they need to be evaluated against the counterfactual: what is the likely outcome if waivers are not granted? Third, are these repeated instances of waivers just political populism or do they point to a more fundamental problem in the design of farm loans in India?
Credit culture and moral hazard
The last incident of waivers was in 2009-10, when the country was hit by the worst drought in 35 years. Following that, there has been no evidence whatsoever of farm loan repayments slackening in any sense or of repeated demands being made for waivers, not even during the two-year drought period of 2014-16. This has in fact been true post every farm loan waiver in the past.
Credit culture and moral hazard are attributes of individual behaviour, which are more relevant to the “regulatory forbearance" which RBI has routinely been extending to corporate loans than to this form of waivers that are granted to farmers as a class by a third party, namely the government. If any individual farmer doesn’t repay a loan on the expectation that it will be waived, he is exposing himself to the normal consequences of default if the government doesn’t oblige. The theory does not apply.
The present demands are an outcome of the fact that the government is willing to provide for “acts of God", not for “acts of state". The policy framework for farm loans has a provision that when the Centre declares a drought, farm loans in officially designated “affected districts" are rolled over, initially for a year, up to a maximum of three years. However, farmers’ problems in 2016-17 are almost entirely the outcome of demonetisation: there was no clear geographical demarcation, and there has been no rolling over of loans. Therefore, farmers across the country have to either agitate or face the prospect of default.
If loans are not waived...
Agricultural loans by banks in India are compulsorily insured by the Agricultural Insurance Company of India (AIC), whose liabilities are back-stopped by the Centre through budgetary support. Hence, even if loans aren’t waived, there is no loss to banks. In situations of widespread and acute farmer distress leading to substantial defaults, the Centre will have to step in and provide funds. This too will entail “transfer from taxpayers to borrowers" and increased “overall government borrowing". The difference is that waivers are borne by states, and defaults are borne by the Centre. While government pay-outs are likely to be larger in case of waivers vis-à-vis defaults, the latter impose a heavy penalty on the most distressed and vulnerable, forcing them out of access to formal credit and possibly out of farming.
This is not just an ethical issue—it also has economic consequences. To improve farmer livelihoods and check food inflation, our agricultural strategy has been based upon persuading farmers to move away from traditional subsistence agriculture towards more commercial operations. This entails farmers investing much more and taking higher risks. Traditional farm finance sources like moneylenders can neither provide the requisite volume of funds nor do they allow enough margins to make risk-taking worthwhile. Forcing farmers back to moneylenders will retard diversification, thereby increasing the risk of accelerating food inflation.
The ‘sub-sovereign’ dilemma
At the heart of this problem are constitutional provisions whereby the health of the banks is the Centre’s concern while the health of the farmers is that of the states. This division of responsibility is asymmetric in that if states protect the interest of farmers, they also protect banks; while the Centre can protect banks without concern for farmers. The Centre and states need to work together to evolve a farm loan model which protects both farmers and banks without bringing politics into it. This is the essence of “cooperative federalism" that this government sets such store by. Until such time, farm loan waivers need to be viewed less ideologically and with more compassion.
Pronab Sen is country director, IGC (International Growth Centre) India.
Published with permission from Ideas for India, an economics and policy portal.
Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.comAlmost 52% of public vote to keep Seanad in apparent protest against Enda Kenny's Fine Gael-Labour coalition
The Irish premier, Enda Kenny, has suffered a major blow to his authority as taoiseach after his plans to abolish the country's upper house of parliament were rejected in a referendum.
Almost 52% of the public voted to keep the Seanad, or senate. It was clear a majority had used the referendum as a protest vote against Kenny's Fine Gael-Labour coalition.
Kenny conceded defeat but admitted he was disappointed by the outcome. "Sometimes in politics you get a wallop in the electoral process," he said. The taoiseach said his government would now focus on reforming the upper house so it could contribute to politics in "a meaningful way".
"The Seanad question was one element of a process of change and reform to politics that government has been pursuing," he added.
The ruling parties face further problems over the next few weeks as they prepare for another unpopular, cost-cutting austerity budget this month. Fine Gael and Labour, alongside Sinn Féin, had called for a yes vote, while an alliance of independent Dail deputies and senators from left and right urged voters to oppose abolition. The main opposition party, Fianna Fáil, also campaigned for a no vote and described the drive to abolish the upper house as a "power grab" by the coalition.The Edmonton Oilers warm up prior to a game. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Oilers captain Andrew Ference is making history. He will become the first professional hockey player in Edmonton to march in the city’s 34th annual Pride Parade in support of the gay community. Ference told the Edmonton Journal the decision was “kind of a no-brainer,” adding:
“Making sure that [LGBT] youth know they have allies at the pro level, or whether it’s a teammate who might be thinking about coming out, or whatever it is, we want to make sure that it’s an accepting environment for everyone. I know most of my teammates and guys around the league line up with the same kind of belief.”
It’s true. The NHL is no stranger to the fight for gay rights. In 2011, the New York Rangers Sean Avery became the first athlete to publicly state he favors equal-marriage rights in New York. And earlier this year, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog contributed to the “You Can Play Project” by filming a PSA that promotes diversity and inclusion for all, including the LGBT community. Following that announcement, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman gave the movement the NHL’s full support. He said in a statement:
“Young athletes everywhere look up to National Hockey League players as leaders on inclusion. Our players, our Clubs and every member of the NHL family will strive to support important initiatives such as You Can Play in our local communities and around the world.”
With that in mind, then, it is really no surprise that Ference also told the Edmonton Journal that Oilers General Manager Craig MacTavish supports his decision to march in the parade, which will take place Saturday.Neil Basu of Met police says half of force's armed officers could stop carrying weapons if barred from conferring on statements
A police chief has said more than half of his force's armed officers could stop carrying weapons because of plans by the police watchdog to ban them from conferring with each other as they write up statements following a shooting.
Commander Neil Basu, Scotland Yard's head of armed policing, said the Independent Police Complaints Commission was being driven by a desire to salvage its battered reputation. He said the plan would leave officers feeling "criminalised" as murder suspects for doing their duty in tackling gun crime.
He said officers were likely to withdraw cooperation from investigations into the police following shootings and give "no comment" answers to any questions.
Basu's comments in a Guardian interview brings into the open a seething row between the police and its watchdog. The IPCC is acting after years of criticism over officers sitting with each other and conferring after serious incidents as they write up their statements. The police say conferring covers only the lead-up to the use of force. Critics including the high court say it is an opportunity for collusion.
Basu said the IPCC was pandering to a small minority who believed marksmen were "liars" conspiring to hide the truth by conferring. "I think that is based on the perception that officers confer to lie," he said.
Basu said he feared that 50-65% of his force's armed officers would decide not to carry a weapon any more. "I think there is a very serious risk that officers will no longer volunteer for the role." More than 2,000 officers in the Met carry arms.
Basu said his officers opened fire rarely and showed professionalism and restraint. "This is not … about paramilitary policing and death squads," he said.
Under the IPCC plans, which cover all forces in England and Wales, officers would be separated from each other where practical after serious incidents such as a shooting, use of a Taser stun gun or a death in custody.
Officers would not be allowed to talk to each other at any stage before or while writing up their account, according to the IPCC's proposals, which the watchdog is consulting on. They would also be expected to write their full account before going off duty, instead of the current system where they have 48 hours to recover.
The police say the current system means IPCC investigators get the "best evidence" available.
The IPCC announced the proposals to stop the practice of conferring after the inquest into the shooting of Mark Duggan. A jury found he was unarmed when shot dead but that the armed officer acted lawfully because he believed Duggan was holding a weapon. Days after the shooting, police officers sat in a room together for eight hours writing their accounts.
Basu said a leading lawyer for armed officers had warned that they would refuse to answer questions from the IPCC if the watchdog insisted on separating them after shootings.
"No amount of fantastic Churchilian leadership from me is going to make an officer want to contribute to an inquiry where they are being made a suspect," he said. "They will be legally advised to make no comment. Why wouldn't they, knowing that the slightest mistake they make … and they are potentially facing a murder charge for doing their job?"
Basu said separating officers after an incident as traumatic as a shooting would increase their stress, leaving them isolated at a time of their greatest need.
A survey of firearms officers released last week found that eight in 10 lacked confidence in the IPCC's planned changes and two-thirds in the Met "would think seriously" about handing in their weapons if the changes went ahead. Nine out of 10 believe that having to make a full statement after an incident – without having 48 hours to recover – would add to the stress they face and say the changes would make them feel like a criminal suspect.
Officers are already warned not to confer about why they may have used force and the actual use of force.
Basu said claims that the police and IPCC were too close were "laughable", and said the watchdog was fighting for its survival.
The IPCC's director of investigations, Moir Stewart, a former senior Met officer, said separating officers where practical gave the public better reassurance.
"It adds integrity to their accounts and protects them from accusations of a cover-up or collusion," he said. "I believe that explainable inconsistencies are more credible than unexplainable consistencies. The proposals we have put forward as part of our draft guidance will increase public confidence in the police version of events, and help ensure our investigations are as robust and thorough as they can be."
The IPCC said it would consider the police service's views, and it would be up to home secretary, Theresa May, to decide whether or not to approve the proposed statutory guidelines.The man standing before the stadium-sized crowd held the attention of thousands, in part because of humorous, yet moving, speech about the power of hope. But also because he was standing there at all.
Nick Vujicic, the 32-year-old president of motivational speech marketer Attitude is Altitude, was born without arms or legs. Though he struggles with some practicalities of everyday living (brushing teeth, for example), he has become an in-demand inspirational speaker.
There is no medical explanation for Vujicic’s physical disability, an extremely rare congenital disorder known as tetra-amelia syndrome. He has a small foot on his left hip which helps him balance. He can type, pick things up between his toes and even kick a ball. The self-confessed adrenalin junkie regularly swims and has gone skydiving.
Confidence didn’t come naturally to Vujicic. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, he struggled with depression and was bullied at school. When he was just 10 years old, he attempted suicide. Over time, Vujicic worked on adopting a positive attitude, and, at 17, an encounter with his high school janitor inspired him to go into public speaking. The charismatic Australian now travels the world addressing huge crowds, including business groups and schoolchildren. He has visited more than 50 countries and given thousands of talks.
The author of memoir Love Without Limits now lives in California with his wife, Kanae, and their 2-year-old son. They are expecting another child later in 2015. Vujicic runs a non-profit ministry, Life Without Limbs, as well as Attitude is Altitude, which markets his motivational speeches and campaigns against bullying.
Please click on the arrow above to see Nick Vujicic speak with BBC Capital about his extraordinary life and his recipe for success in the corporate world.
To comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, please head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.Melania Trump certainly knows how to start a conversation with her fashion choices. Recently, Dolce & Gabbana decided to boycott themselves with a strange campaign after they experienced controversy over dressing her. However, she's toned down her look a little in recent weeks, dressing in a casual (though admittedly pricey) look while moving into the White House. She's similarly dressed down for this 4th of July weekend.
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After stepping out to meet South Korea's President in a pink sheath dress and India's Prime Minister in a long printed gown during the week, she's going a little more casual during the holiday weekend. To celebrate the 4th of July, she instead opted for a white long-sleeved button down, a mid-length red gingham skirt from Altuzarra, and some white Christian Louboutin pumps. The look is topped off with sunnies, perfect for the summer sun.
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Trump was spotted wearing this look while disembarking from Air Force One in New Jersey. Both Barron and Donald were with her, and they were said to be heading to the Trump golf club in the area. We'll be watching to see what else the First Lady wears during the long weekend.
More on Melania Trump:
How to Paint Patriotic 4th of July Nails:
Follow Rosemary on Instagram and Twitter.— Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced Sunday that the team has signed free agent forward Jason Maxiell. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The training camp roster now stands at 18.
The 6-7 Maxiell spent last season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 3.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 14.4 minutes in 34 games. Originally selected with the 26th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by Detroit, Maxiell spent his first eight seasons with the Pistons |
Catholic, French-backed king for 105 days. And in utter contrast with the situation only a few years ago, the Protestant marchers will be received peacefully and even warmly by the city’s authorities, who come from the locally dominant Catholic and Irish-nationalist community.
When compared with the ugly, tourist-repelling riots that can still be triggered by similar marches in other parts of Northern Ireland, especially the grimy streets of North Belfast, consensus over the main annual celebration by the Apprentice Boys of Derry ranks as an impressive success. It was, after all, this very event which in August 1969 plunged the city into a spate of uncontrollable rioting, and hence Northern Ireland into a quarter-century of conflict. Years of delicate diplomacy have been needed to get this point, involving some risk-taking on all sides: the leaders of the Irish-nationalist camp, of the “loyal orders”—the Protestant guardians of history who organise such commemorations—and the bands who follow their parades.
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Contrary to what many outsiders assume, the orders and the bands are not the same thing, and that point is key to understanding the progress which has occurred in Northern Ireland’s second city. It has certainly helped that Derry’s Apprentice Boys, compared with the better known Orange Order, which parades across Northern Ireland on July 12th, have been pragmatic and flexible. But the more remarkable story has been the self-reinvention by local bands, which offer a badly needed dose of culture, pride and self-discipline in poor Protestant areas where jobs are scarce and educational results for boys abysmally low. The bands are still best known for playing at historical commemorations. But they perform at lots of non-political events such as charity functions, and within reason will tune up for anybody willing to pay them, thus defraying the cost of their uniforms and instruments.
At least in Derry, the role of bands in offering a dash of colour, comradeship and catharsis to poor Protestant areas has been acknowledged by Sinn Fein, the republican party which shares power in Northern Ireland. In March, leaders of the Londonderry Bands Forum were invited to address the all-Ireland gathering of Sinn Fein, which took place in their home city. With the approval of John O’Dowd, Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein education minister, the Derry bandsmen tour schools in both Protestant and Catholic areas and explain their history. Some bands have long traditions, like the 150-year-old Hamilton Flute Band, whose members carried stretchers in the bloodiest battles of the first world war. Others, like the Caw, have been formed in the past few years as an alternative to the criminal activities which might otherwise absorb the energies of bored youths.
Politics aside, there may be another reason why the Apprentice Boys march is a happier event than others in Northern Ireland. The drama of the siege and its relief makes a cracking tale and the undulating stone walls, looking out over ocean and mountain, are a glorious locale. Chris McGimpsey, a Unionist politician, says he will be marching there in memory of his ancestor “Swimmer McGimpsey”, who was assigned by the city’s defenders to swim up the River Foyle, dodging the besiegers, with a message hidden in an inflated animal’s bladder for the forces poised to relieve the city. He drowned, but another swimmer got through.
Stories like that belong to the whole population of a city where lingering sectarian tensions, and sporadic violence, coexist with strong local pride. Despite their role in Protestant sacred history, “Those walls are part of my heritage, too,” insists Gearoid O hEara, a Sinn Fein leader who welcomed the Protestant bandsmen to his party’s gathering five months ago.New Delhi: As the country debates on death mystery of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's son Anil Shastri, Saturday, urged the central government to declassify the files related to his father's death.
While urging the NDA government to order a probe into Shastri's death, Anil Shastri, a member of Congress, told news agency ANI that many people think his father's death was not natural as his body had turned blue and a diary was also missing from the room of a Russia hotel in which the former PM was staying.
Accusing the then Indian embassy in Russia of being careless, Lal Bahadur Shastri's son said his father's hotel room in Tashkent did not even had a bell or a telephone.
In an interview to CNN-IBN, Anil Shastri said his mother had also believed that her husband didn't die a natural death.
The Congress member also questioned as to why didn't the Indian administration requested former Soviet Union to conduct port-mortem of his father's body.
Anil Shastri appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declassify all files related to the death of the former PM to clear the air around the circumstances of his demise.
The former PM had died under suspicious circumstances in Russia in 1966 where he had signed a peace pact with Pakistan a few hours earlier.
The UPA government had rejected RTI application demanding declassifying the files related to Shastri, saying that doing so would hamper foreign relations.
Shastri's family have appealed to the previous Manmohan Singh government thrice, but nothing was done.
Lal Bahadur Shastri died in Tashkent on January 11, 1966 at the age of 61 soon after signing the Tashkent Pact with Pakistan. It was maintained that Shastri had died of cardiac arrest but his family had alleged foul play.
The demand to declassify files on Shastri comes after West Bengal government last week released the top secret files related to Netaji.This article is part of a series about Java Forum Nord 2015, a conference that took place in Hannover, Germany. Links to articles about other talks I visited there can be found below.
Stefan Zörner is known for having built quite a nice brand around himself and his thoughts about software architecture. He is one of the few speakers I know who have a corporate identity on his website, book design and slides.
Stefan began his talk with THE question concerning software architecture: "What is software architecture?" According to Stefan, it is the sum of all important decisions. These decision are the ones that are fundamental facts and hard to change afterwards. As Grady Booch said in his "The accidental architecture": "Every interesting software-intensive system has an architecture. While some of these architectures are intentional, most appear to be accidental."
Knowing that every system has some kind of architecture, it is important to assess this architecture. This assessment includes the balance between
architectural relevant technical requirements, the architecture itself (models, concepts, decisions), best practices and the implementation of this architecture.
Also of importance is the balance between key factors of the system, such as usability, portability, maintainability, security, costs and so on.
Besides other interesting thoughts Stefan mentioned, I found one tool very important: scenarios. Scenarios are short texts like user stories that describe quality attributes of the software. They are a tool for communication between software developers to discuss consequences and solutions of specific situations. There are different scenarios like
Quality scenario: "Connection to database broke down. Within 2 seconds, the user gets informed about the consequences". A quality scenario consists of a source (person, system, event), a trigger / action, an artifact (object of the action), a response (of the system or the environment) and some kind of metric for this response, for example time. Change scenario: "The user interface should be translated to a new language. Given a complete textual translation, the programmer is able to integrate this translation into the application within 1 day." Error scenarios: "Client lost connection to backend. After reestablishing the connection, the work can go on and no data was lost."
Listening to the talk, I remembered a thought I heard earlier, maybe in a podcast or an article: Systems can be tested continuously against errors, even within a productive environment. To do that, specific scenarios are programmatically triggered and the response of the system monitored.
Other content of Java Forum Nord 2015
These are the talks I visited:
TL;DR
At Java Forum Nord 2015, Stefan Zörner talked about what software architecture is, how it can be defined in the context of a given software system and how scenarios can be used to discuss the behavior of a system.Mentioned in this Article Brett G. Johnson
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Stacey Woelfel
Professional Practice Professor Professional Practice Professor
Journalism Professors Identify Key Issues in Competing Interests
Columbia, Mo. (Nov. 10, 2015) — Confrontations between journalists and protesters at the University of Missouri on Nov. 9 provide important opportunities to discuss the First Amendment, according to Missouri School of Journalism professors Brett Johnson and Stacey Woelfel.
University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe and University of Missouri-Columbia Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin both resigned on Nov. 9 after complaints and protests of their leadership.
The boundaries of freedoms of speech, press, assembly, religion, and petitioning against the government for grievances were brought to the forefront during a protest on Carnahan Quad. A video taken during the protest appeared to show a faculty member from the College of Arts and Science dealing aggressively with student journalists. This individual also has a courtesy appointment in the Missouri School of Journalism but has never had a teaching role. Update Nov. 11, 2015: This individual resigned her courtesy appointment with the Missouri School of Journalism. She never taught courses at the School.
Johnson and Woelfel identified key First Amendment issues highlighted by this incident that are especially relevant in an educational setting. Regardless of what reporters’ First Amendment rights may be, they should always use good ethical judgment. The legal and ethical considerations are best understood after viewing the video. These points can be used to enhance discussions in journalism programs and newsrooms across the country.
Refereeing of a Public Space
The space in question, Carnahan Quad, was a public space in which protestors should have been able to hold their event, and journalists should have been able to cover it freely. Ideally, the space would have had neutral parties to maintain order between the groups, and no such official referees existed to do that.
The Carnahan Quad incident was different than scenes often portrayed by the media involving protesters and counter-protesters. The media were there as neutral agents trying to cover an event. They were there to gather information and did not have a position to support.
At question is the role of two university officials at the event. It makes a difference if they were there as university officials or if they were there as participants. Some would argue that an on-campus event involving Missouri students would require the two employees to step in and act as neutral parties.
Privacy in a Public Space
Regarding an expectation of privacy in a public space, it’s clear that the entire quad (or the area inside the human circle) could not be declared to be private. But the space inside the tents of the protestors, walled off out of sight, can be considered a private space, even though they were set up in the middle of a public space. The protestors could have reasonably expected to have privacy inside the confines of the tents, protecting them from members of the news media.
Legal Questions on Protected Speech vs. Unprotected Conduct
The ring of students and others used to hold back the media can be seen in two ways. The circle appeared to have been made up of students and individuals acting as private citizens and not as agents of the university or other government entities. Therefore, their human circle was not a violation of the First Amendment rights of the media. It could be argued that the human circle was the expressive speech of the people assembled. On the other hand, others might say the human circle was unprotected conduct intended to create a media-free zone, thus denying members of the press their First Amendment right to gather information in a public place. Had neutral parties been present, they could have made the distinction between whether or not the human circle was protected speech or unprotected conduct.
Conflicts of Interest
The School instructs its students who are working as journalists for its news outlets not to be participants in the events they cover. Missouri journalism students have a responsibility to be above reproach and to consider their actions in every situation. Some students had to make personal choices regarding their participation in this event.
Excluding the Media
A broader question looks at the value to the protesters of excluding the media in the Carnahan Quad area. Many groups use social media to control their own messages. Bypassing the news media may not be the best long-term strategy.
Threat of Violence
The threat of violence in the video against the reporters is troubling. The threat may have derived from a crowd mentality that seemed to come into play at the scene or might have been influenced by an earlier physical encounter between one of the university officials and a non-student member of the press. Regardless of the situation, there are laws protecting all citizens from true threats and physical violence.
Contact Johnson or Woelfel with questions and comments about these key First Amendment issues.Featured Image by Ester Segarra
Uncle Acid and the deadbeats are gearing up to release their new album, The Night Creeper, on September 4th. The record’s two singles, “Waiting for Blood” and “Melody Lane,” contain slick, grooving riffs paired up with pop melodies that tell a sinister story. Uncle Acid is exceedingly talented in creating songs that mesh deep, hard rock riffs with poppy vocals, and contain lyrical content not for the faint-of-heart. Check out the tracks below, as well as an ominous video for the latter track.
The English psychedelic metal band is also embarking on a month-long US tour which will bring them to Union Transfer on September 13th (tickets). Ahead of their visit to Philly, we chatted with Uncle Acid to ask them about the new album and what we can anticipate from their live show. From their answers, we’re even more certain that their upcoming gig in Philly is not to be missed!
(continue onto next page)An FBI request that Apple develop software to bypass the security barriers of the iPhone 5C belonging to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook has highlighted Apple’s encryption methods — technology that uses 256—bit encryption to keep data private. How it works:
Read more: While the FBI battles Apple over encryption, pushback from the tech industry persists
What is 256-bit encryption?
Like all computers, your iPhone stores data as 0’s and 1’s. It uses an encryption key — a unique number that is 256 bits long to encrypt all the data on the phone. How long is 256 bits? A bit stores a 0 or 1. One bit has two patterns and two bits have four distinct patterns. The more bits there are, the more possible combinations of 0’s and 1’s.
256-bit encryption and the iPhone passcode: How secure is it?
256 bits can provide trillions of patterns — virtually impossible to guess, even for a computer.
When an iPhone leaves the factory, Apple doesn’t keep a copy of its key. Without the key, no one, not even Apple, can unscramble the data.
If the user sets up a passcode, the passcode allows the encryption key to unscramble the user’s data making it readable.
Why does the FBI need Apple’s help?
The FBI has asked Apple to create software that will allow it to bypass two iPhone features designed to maintain the security of its data. First, if a passcode is entered wrong several times, your iPhone will stop accepting additional inputs for a period of time.
Second, a user can enable his or her phone to permanently delete the information needed to unscramble its data if the wrong code is punched in too many times. These two security measures have made it difficult for the FBI to use “brute force” — automatically inputting each possible combination of numbers until the correct passcode is found — to unlock Farook’s iPhone.
Brute force
If the FBI succeeds in getting Apple to help defeat the iPhone’s security measures, it will use a program to throw every possible number combination at the phone — also called a “brute force” attack. Sources: Apple, Stanford University
raoul.ranoa@latimes.com
Follow me for the latest infographics from the latimes. @latimesgraphics @ranoaI’m used to rolling my eyes when analysts issue proclamations about Apple, but I can’t remember ever sputtering in disbelief — until now. John Gruber of Daring Fireball linked to a CNBC story by Cadie Thompson about the prospects of Apple releasing some sort of wearable gadget, and Thompson’s story contains the following statement:
“They only have 60 days left to either come up with something or they will disappear,” said Trip Chowdhry, managing director at Global Equities Research. “It will take years for Apple’s $130 billion in cash to vanish, but it will become an irrelevant company … it will become a zombie, if they don’t come up with an iWatch.”
Setting aside the possibility that the oft-quoted Chowdhry was mis-quoted in this case, it’s a dazzling thing to contend. I get thinking that wearables are the next big thing, and that Apple could be at risk of being left behind if it doesn’t dive into the category. If you felt that way in the first place, you’d probably be only more serious about it after Google’s announcement this week of its Android Wear platform.
But saying that Apple will (not “might”) disappear (not “suffer a setback”) if it doesn’t produce an iWatch in 60 days (not “reasonably soon”)? That’s not another wacky over-the-top Apple prediction. The prognosticator who Chowdry reminds me of most is the late evangelist Harold Camping, who, as Wikipedia tells us:
…predicted that Jesus Christ would return to Earth on May 21, 2011, whereupon the saved would be taken up to heaven in the rapture, and that there would follow five months of fire, brimstone and plagues on Earth, with millions of people dying each day, culminating on October 21, 2011, with the final destruction of the world.
(Note: Camping was mistaken.)
If you asked Apple watchers what the dumbest thing ever said about Apple was, many would likely cite Michael Dell’s famous advice to Steve Jobs in October 1997, when he recommended that Jobs close the company and give the money back to the shareholders. What’s usually forgotten: As preposterous as Dell’s statement looked even just a few years later, it wasn’t all that nutty at the time — the conventional wisdom really was that Apple was doomed.
With Chowdhry’s quote, though, there’s no mitigating factor. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen an alleged expert say about Apple. Especially given that the company entered the MP3 player, smartphone and tablet markets years after numerous other companies — part of the secret of its success is swooping into markets awfully late in the game.
Of course, there’s some chance that I’m the dummy. Just in case, I’ve created the above Apple Doomsday Clock, which is counting down even as we speak. It’s set to conclude 60 days after the publication of Thompson’s story. (Chowdhry didn’t say that Apple would disappear in a puff of black smoke on May 20th if there were no iWatch, but I figure that it’ll be clear soon enough thereafter that it’s toast.)
Remind me to revisit this topic when the clock strikes zero. Unless Apple releases an iWatch in the next few weeks, whereupon we can all release one huge sigh of relief.
Contact us at editors@time.com.A comparison habit can wreak psychological havoc, generating envy and leading to depression, so common wisdom has long warned against it. Writer Mark Twain once said, “comparison is the death of joy,” and philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti told admirers, “I never compare myself with anybody, but I learn from everybody, including presumptuous idiots.”
Yet comparison is cultivated culturally and starts early, in families and at school, continuing through adulthood. It’s a habit that’s particularly hard to break. So if you can’t quit, try turning the habit to your advantage by learning from comparisons.
To become truly incomparable, compare wisely. Do it right. Compare to gain liberating perspective, says Ming Hai, a Zen Buddhist monk and abbot of the Bailin temple near Beijing, China. He believes that when we examine comparisons deeply, we can pierce illusions about relative superiority and inferiority and be more at peace with ourselves and others.
On the Aug. 4 episode of his weekly podcast, Shifu Says, the monk discussed comparisons, responding to a query from Peter, a 40-year-old Hong Kong teacher who has started avoiding his materially successful friends because he feels inferior to them. Peter’s friends are kind to him but he can’t manage his own emotions in their presence.
The zen master told Peter to face his friends and fears, promising the bad feelings will fade upon close examination. ”We should notice the differences between people and be aware of them while maintaining a quiet heart,” says the abbot. By letting money mar friendships, Peter is emphasizing its importance rather than simply acknowledging circumstances. ”Know the difference but have no reaction,” says the zen master.
In other words, comparison doesn’t require judgment. If you feel pain, face it, he says. Unpleasant emotions are a call to examine what we really value.
Advice in action
According to the abbot, Peter is likely to discover that his feelings are fleeting. And the zen master is right. That’s what happens when I apply that advice.
My job involves constant comparison and it would be totally maddening if I didn’t get a handle on the habit. Writers at Quartz can measure themselves against one another on a minute-to-minute basis, literally. Our stories generate metrics and the numbers seem to tell us about our relative success or failure. Whether you read and share what we write decides our rank, which can and does change throughout the day.
I have yet to talk to a writer who doesn’t feel dismay about these rankings, which can make us feel great or terrible. One solution is to ignore metrics altogether. Another is to examine personal reactions and ask what’s behind them. When I do the latter, thinking rationally, I find any pain about comparisons fades naturally.
Every writer has strengths and weaknesses, different circumstances, experiences and interests, personal flourishes, and each succeeds regularly. That’s what’s needed in order to reach the many different types of readers who exist. In the details, we’re all totally different and in general we’re all similar, everyone struggling and succeeding.
To the extent that I feel bad on any given day, it’s often got a lot to do with how quickly the good feelings of previous successes fade. When I remember that I can get back to what’s important, focusing on my own writing.
Master of comparison
If you can’t examine your feelings neutrally, use them as fuel. That’s what JT McCormick, president of the Austin, Texas, publishing company Book in a Box, did. Born in the 1970s to a pimp and teenage orphan in Dayton, Ohio, McCormick mastered advantageous comparison, using it to make his way from poverty to wealth. In his 2017 autobiography I Got There, he explains that by daring to compare, he learned what was possible.
McCormick first saw big homes as a teenager and vowed to someday live in one. This got him interested in business. At jobs, he dared to compare himself to company leaders and copy them. He studied how they spoke and dressed, attempting to discern the elements of success, and then he did the same, tweaking to suit his style.
It worked. Still, it’s notable that McCormick was careful. He compared, yet measured success by his own yardstick. He didn’t expect to immediately become company president just because he memorized leaders’ speech patterns. He compared himself to people whose lives he admired and worked hard until he had that life. Now, he talks to kids in juvenile detention in the hopes they will dare to compare and copy him.
So if you can’t stop comparing, turn this tendency to your advantage. Look very closely at those people you both admire and disdain to dissolve any pain and discover why you’re incomparable.May 16, 2017
Industry growth and its effect on Poloniex
Dear Poloniex Community,
When we launched Poloniex over three years ago, we had a vision for a vibrant blockchain ecosystem supporting many innovative communities. Our goal was to build a trading platform for blockchain tokens that reduced the friction from acquiring tokens for all of these new and exciting blockchain networks. We are humbled to see so much of our vision for the blockchain community being realized.
We have never seen such enthusiasm for trading blockchain tokens as we have in the past few months. Since January, we’ve seen an increase of more than 600% active traders online and regularly process 640% more transactions than we did merely 4 months ago.
Given this unprecedented level of excitement, we would like to take the opportunity to remind users, especially new entrants, of some key considerations related to trading blockchain tokens.
Blockchain token exchanges in general face operational threats that can disrupt the user (trader) experience. These intrusions come in the form of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that target exchange servers with varying levels of sophistication, attempted laundering of funds or funding of terrorist activity, attempted theft of user funds, and other cybersecurity threats that get more creative with every iteration. Moreover, malicious threats to an online global exchange, like Poloniex, can occur at any time of the day, on any day of the year, and from anywhere on the planet. In the case of Poloniex, these threats are present every day, often with multiple, unrelenting DDoS attacks directed at several endpoints simultaneously.
Unlike many other markets, blockchain token exchanges strive to operate on a 24/7 basis with no weekends or holidays, all while under perpetual assault.
As exchanges like ours experience a surge of mainstream awareness about blockchain networks and tokens, new traders entering the ecosystem at exponential rates can strain exchange resources. In a short period of time, exchanges can see sudden and tremendous swells of new users seeking to create accounts, yet to meet compliance obligations, only so much of this onboarding process can be automated. Additionally, seasoned traders intensify buy and sell activity, and margin positions are rapidly being opened and closed. As trading activity multiplies with an expanding userbase, exchange staff and support grow only as fast as human resources can hire.
Poloniex is not immune to these operational challenges. In the face of heightened demand, we have worked diligently to scale up our operations safely and securely. We have been in the process of hiring and carefully vetting and training compliance specialists, support staff, developers, and management to match the exciting and rapid growth of the blockchain community and Poloniex. We have also provisioned and deployed over a dozen additional servers in the last month alone, but as any seasoned systems engineer can attest, there are areas where merely adding on more hardware will not address the kinds of complex challenges that exchanges like Poloniex face.
Trading blockchain tokens on an exchange, especially on margin, comes with a high level of risk. Traders new and old alike must be ever-mindful of price volatility, illiquidity risk, market manipulation, regulator activity, and various other items that make up the unique and unpredictable mosaic of factors affecting the value of any given blockchain token.
Poloniex does not advise on the merits of any particular trade (including the associated trading risks and strategies) or the tax consequences of any trades. We are an execution-only service. Even so, we want our community to take stock of these risks because as a general matter, trading risk may be compounded by operational stress whenever volume increases at massive scale over short periods of time. In addition, understanding these risks is important because to offer our services, Poloniex requires users to agree to our terms and accept these trading and operational risks. This means users accept the risk of transaction failure resulting from unanticipated or heightened technical difficulties, such as those resulting from operational challenges or sophisticated attacks. Review our full terms.
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- The Poloniex teamIn 1998, Ben Lecomte became the first person to swim across the Atlantic. It took him 73 days to complete the 3,716-mile journey. When asked how he managed each day to confront the vast ocean that lay ahead, he answered, “I never jump into the water thinking about the entire ocean, I just cut it into small pieces. When I am in the middle of the ocean, I think about being in a pool and the pool moves with me.”
These days, health care organizations find themselves crossing another ocean – from fee-for-service to fee-for-value. By 2018, declared the Department of Health and Human Services back in January, half of all Medicare payments will be tied to value. Today 80% of Medicare is still fee-for service. That’s a lot of open water to cover.
Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOs, are leading the effort to transform health care delivery in the U.S. In just five years, more than 700 ACOs have formed, providing care for 25 million people. But despite explosive growth and considerable promise, success has proved elusive for the vast majority of ACOs. In the first year, only a quarter received a bonus for hitting performance targets, while 11 failed the most basic test on quality scores. Recent results for 2014 show little improvement – less than one-third of ACOs received a payment.
Insight Center Measuring Costs and Outcomes in Healthcare Sponsored by Medtronic A collaboration of the editors of Harvard Business Review and the New England Journal of Medicine, exploring cutting-edge ways to improve quality and reduce waste.
In our work with ACOs, we’ve identified three general principles that can guide providers in their efforts to improve quality scores – all of which involve measurement. In 2013, the second year of the Pioneer ACO program, just two of these ACOs accounted for more than $36 million in savings – close to 40% of the entire program that year. How did they do it? Truth be told, these Massachusetts-based providers had the benefit of serving as the test kitchens for a handful of commercial risk-based contracts prior to entry into the CMS ACO programs, so they had a head start. Over the course of several years prior to joining the pioneer ACO program, and then continuing to the present, we have helped them develop capabilities that are relevant to any provider embarking on the fee-for-value journey.
Here are some lessons learned.
Start simple, and build as you go
It pays to start small and keep things simple — building capabilities, tweaking workflows and demonstrating success (including fiscal success) before expanding to other initiatives.
One ACO, for example, started with the goal of optimizing a single basic quality measure — in this case, HbA1c levels for patients with diabetes. (HbA1c provides a gauge of historic blood sugar levels.) To accomplish this, they first needed to build an open IT infrastructure to connect numerous clinical systems across their ACO just to report the data. Second, they needed to motivate providers to follow guidelines and monitor results. Finally, they needed to figure out how to reward providers for outcomes.
In the process of tackling just one quality measure, they managed to build new competencies and rally providers in a way that helped fuel subsequent efforts. With these capabilities in place, tackling new quality measures was markedly easier. While new ACO entrants may not have the luxury of managing to a single measure, they can still benefit from breaking down quality management into its component parts.
Focus on the “small picture”
It is often small decisions – whether made or deferred – that shape health care costs and quality. Our high performers trained their focus and technology on what behavioral economist Dan Ariely has called “the small picture”– the small decisions and behaviors that, additively, lead to big impacts.
One such small-picture decision our ACOs focused on is the choice to send patients out of network for care. Paying your competitors for patient care that you can deliver represents a hefty financial loss, especially if you can provide the same care at lower cost, and it’s particularly a shame if your quality is better. Of course, there are sometimes good reasons to send a patient out of network, such as when a particular specialist isn’t otherwise available. But, as a recent Harvard Medical School study showed, even in ACOs with a large number of specialists, patients still went out of network for 54% of specialty visits.
We helped tackle this problem through choice architecture by modifying the ordering screen of the providers’ electronic health record. When a provider looks for a referral, in-network specialists are now clearly flagged. While a referring provider is free to choose any specialist, if she does choose an out-of-network provider, she’s prompted to select a reason for doing so from a drop-down menu. After making the in-network choice more visible and prompting providers to reflect on their decisions, the in-network ordering rate increased by 14%.
Measure and (creatively) reward the right behavior
Changing the behavior of large groups is never easy, but it’s particularly hard in new organizations – as most ACOs are — that have yet to align around a shared sense of purpose and mission. And yet, the shift to value-based payment requires major behavioral shifts: A physician accustomed to cranking through 30 patient visits per day, for example, must become comfortable with spending an hour with a diabetic patient to prevent a readmission.
Of course, providers find it easier to get behind new approaches when they have skin in the game – especially upside. But money is only one tool to help get doctors rallied behind the cause. One of our ACO clients found that bringing patients to physician meetings to testify to the positive impact of new care models on their health helped motivate and align clinicians. Another ACO saw noticeable upticks in provider satisfaction when it started tracking and celebrating the number of patient lives saved under the program. At New England Quality Care Alliance, the not-for-profit physician network of Tufts Medical Center, physicians are able to reinvest shared savings back into their practices to fund innovations that ease the work burden on them and their staff while also improving patient experience. In each of these cases, the celebration of and reward for small victories along the way helped fuel long-term success.
The recent, sobering results of the Medicare ACO program reveal that population health is a long game that most health care organizations are not yet equipped to play. The reality is there is no quick and easy way to lower costs while improving quality. It’s difficult, block–and–tackle work that takes time and patience. But by taking a steady, staged approach, sweating the details, and celebrating small victories along the way, organizations can survive, and even thrive through, the shift to value.Between dodging photon torpedoes and engaging a ship’s warp drive, the “conn officer” in Starfleet has a lot of responsibilities. And the face of Starfleet’s latest conn officer — a pilot of a starship — has been revealed. Actress Emily Coutts has been listed in a major role on Star Trek: Discovery.
On Sunday, eagle-eyed Trekkies noticed a new name added to the IMDB list of Discovery cast and characters: a “conn officer” played by Emily Coutts. The actress seemed to confirm this news by retweeting an Italian news report of her casting in the show.
While Coutts is probably most well-known for her role in the 2015 gothic horror film Crimson Peak, Star Trek fans will recognize the “conn officer” as the person responsible for driving the starship. Sometimes just called the “helmsman” or “navigator,” or “flight controller,” many Starfleet captains from Kirk to Janeway have told someone to “take the conn,” which basically means “take control of driving the ship.” In the original series, Hikaru Sulu was conn officer, while the first season of The Next Generation had a blind conn officer in the form of Geordi La Forge.
Star Trek conn officers: Sulu, La Forge, and O'Brien
While Emily Coutts’s Discovery character has yet to be named, Star Trek has a long tradition of its Conn Officers starting as the ship’s pilot, and rising through the ranks quickly. Sulu ended up being the captain of the USS Excelsior, and Geordi LaForge went from being the conn officer to chief engineer of the Enterprise in just one season, while Mile O’Brien was an unnamed conn officer in “Encounter at Farpoint” who later become the Chief of Operations of the space station Deep Space Nine.
So, if Star Trek tradition continues, Coutt’s character will probably be on Discovery for a long, long time. Right now, IMDB lists her “Conn Officer” role in just two episodes, but hopefully, she’ll be going boldly for much, much longer.
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Here’s everything we know about Star Trek: Discovery.26 Gallery: Paterson teacher inspires students
PATERSON — It was 11 p.m. on a Friday in December when Nathan Thomas, one of the many music teachers laid off in the recent purge, received a text message from a student in Paterson.
"Jahid and I have been practicing since 8 p.m. in my room, and we still are as we speak," wrote Foiaz Ahmed.
Thomas knew they could have been at the movies, eyeballing girls at the mall, losing their natural mind in cyberspace video games.
Instead they were practicing classical music on their violins. On this evening it was the “Canon” by Johann Pachelbel, a work rich and serene with violins.
Thomas, still taken aback, was stunned by what the two students did next. They sent him clips of the music he taught them for their Christmas concert.
You see, Thomas, who never wanted to do anything but inspire kids to love music, was laid off at the beginning of the school year from School No. 7, but he has continued to teach a violin ensemble of 16 kids who were once his middle school students in Paterson. He drives 80 miles round trip from Franklin Township in Somerset County to Paterson each Saturday for the two-and-a-half-hour class. And he does it for |
that when Aol came out with the new “Project Phoenix” Mail product in 2010, many in Aol Consumer Applications wanted to market it as being free but their suggestions were overturned by higher-ups as the percentage of misinformed subscribers still ponying up just to use Aol Mail is very profitable.
Aol’s over 3.5 million dial-up subscribers brought in $191 million in revenue last quarter — which is still where the majority of Aol’s profits come from according to Auletta.
The reason why these local news reports are so sad is that even Cave Creek, Arizonans have figured out dial-up is a dying business. Sure Aol tries to sugarcoat this in earnings reports by boasting about its lowered subscription churn rate, but in plain English this basically means that there are fewer people leaving because there are fewer people to leave.
“AOL Mail is a web-based product that is free to all users regardless of their paid relationship with us,” Aol PR told me when I inquired as to why these headlines (somewhat mistakenly) accuse them of charging for it. Well, that explanation is much more clear than this vaguely-worded “Project Phoenix” press release.
Disclosure (in case you live under a rock): Techcrunch is owned by Aol.WEDNESDAY, 1:41pm: The Vikings have officially released Carlson, the team announced today (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 3:21pm: Although the Vikings and John Carlson had been in talks about a potential restructure of the tight end’s contract, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, and the team will instead release Carlson, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 (Twitter link). Carlson had three years remaining on his contract, but rather than hitting the open market after the 2016 season, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent immediately.
Carlson, 29, recorded a total of 40 receptions for 387 yards in his two seasons with the Vikings as the team’s second tight end behind Kyle Rudolph. Carlson was said to be considering retirement this offseason after suffering his third concussion during the 2013 season, but it appears he’ll continue his playing career, assuming he catches on with another club.
With the move, the Vikings will eliminate Carlson’s $5MM cap number for 2014 from their books, but will be left with $3MM in dead money, for a total of $2MM in cap savings.BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told Germans and their leader on Saturday he would not let intelligence work damage relations, and differences of opinion between the two countries was no reason to wiretap.
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the National Security Agency from the Justice Department in Washington January 17, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
In a rare interview on German TV, Obama set out to mend ties frayed last year by media reports citing leaked intelligence documents that Washington was spying on European Union citizens and had bugged Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone.
“I must and cannot damage this relationship through surveillance measures that obstruct our trusting communication,” Obama told ZDF public TV, according to a German translation of his comments.
“As long as I am the President of the United States, the German Chancellor need not worry about that,” he added.
The interview came a day after Obama banned U.S. eavesdropping on the leaders of close allies, among a series of reforms triggered by the revelations of former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden.
Obama’s comments on Saturday were his clearest indication that Germany was included in that list of allies.
Merkel and he “may not always be of the same opinion on issues of foreign policy, but that is no reason to wiretap,” he told ZDF.
The German leader accused the United States of an unacceptable breach of trust after the allegations about her mobile in October and phoned Obama to tell him any bugging was unacceptable. Berlin has since been pushing for a sweeping “no-spy” agreement with Washington.
Obama stopped short of apologizing over the allegations on Saturday and defended the importance of U.S. intelligence work for international security.
The capabilities of the U.S. services went “beyond the abilities of many other states,” he said, and that meant a “special responsibility for the United States”.
“Why would we need intelligence services if they only found out things you can read in Spiegel (magazine) or the New York Times,” he asked.
“Per definition, those services are tasked with finding out what people are planning, what goes on in their minds, what their aims are. That supports our diplomatic and political goals.”
Even as the White House put the final touches on its security reform plan this week, media outlets reported that the National Security Agency gathers nearly 200 million text messages a day from around the world and has put software in almost 100,000 computers allowing it to spy on those devices.
Snowden, living in asylum in Russia, is wanted on espionage charges, although some Americans would like him to be granted amnesty for exposing secrets they feel needed to be made public.The Vikings may have shed the Erhardt-Perkins offense with the addition of offensive coordinator Norv Turner, but they won’t let go of the greater Erhardt legacy, especially when it helps them. Football historians will note that former Pittsburgh Steelers center and current Hall of Famer Dermontti Dawson was the first pulling center the NFL had seen, something he petitioned offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt to allow him to do in a preseason game in 1992. Despite any issues that could have cropped up in the quarterback-center exchange, Erhardt greenlighted it. It changed the game.
Though Sullivan likely won’t reach the level of notoriety that Dawson did for his part in innovating NFL run blocking, he deserves consideration as the game’s best. The fact that he’s been asked to pull this year, just like Dawson, is just one of the many reasons he can provide tools that other centers can not. Beyond that, he’s one of the most cerebral and technically sound players the NFL has. Should he play at this level for a few more years, even if he doesn’t get the Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition he deserves (he was awarded All-Pro recognition in 2012), he needs to be a serious contender for a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Before his All-Pro year started, Robert Mays at Grantland profiled why Sullivan is his favorite center:
No matter whom you ask, whether it’s coaches or teammates, the first answer anyone gives about what makes John Sullivan exceptional is the same — his mind. Sullivan went to Notre Dame after graduating from Greenwich High School in Connecticut; Musgrave still remembers recruiting him while he was the University of Virginia’s offensive coordinator. “He’s very sharp,” Musgrave says. “Nothing on the football field surprises John.” That intelligence manifests in Sullivan’s preparation. Musgrave says that as Minnesota game plans on Monday and Tuesday, they do so at a graduate level, thanks in large part to his center. “He’s able to see the entire defense,” Davidson says. “He knows what to expect based on linebacker location, safety location, different alignments out of the nose guards. All the stuff that he can accumulate over the week, it all means something to him.”
Ask around and that’s what you’ll hear. The offensive line staff can’t get away from how ridiculously intelligent Sullivan is, and his teammates are the same. Brandon Fusco couldn’t hide how impressed he was with how intelligent Sullivan is. I asked him what made Sullivan so revered among the staff, and he said “[If] anyone who knew half of the mental side of the game there was in football… It’s unbelievable. He knows everything. It seems like he knows when blitzes are coming, what front we’re going to get. Where the O-Linebackers are going to be. Where the pressure’s coming from at all times. It makes our job, everything so much easier, just having him and his smarts.”
Charlie Johnson said likewise. “He’s super smart. Great football IQ. He’s able to see things in a defense that I don’t think most centers can pick up. He’s a guy who’s looking beyond the front seven. He’ll look at the safety rotations and stuff and he’s a technician. You hardly ever see him in a bad position.”
His backup agrees. Joe Berger, who has been in the league with four different teams (the Miami Dolphins twice), says that Sullivan “understands the game the best of of any center I’ve played with or behind or next to.”
For context, Berger was in camp with 8-year vet Jeff Mitchell, 8-year vet Seth McKinney, 7-year vet and Rimington Trophy winner (given to the best center in college football) Jake Grove, 5-time Pro Bowler and 2-time All Pro Andre Gurode (Berger was with the Cowboys for three of Gurode’s Pro Bowl years and one of his All-Pro years), and first-round pick and Pro Bowler Mike Pouncey.
High praise.
Said Berger of Sullivan’s study habits, “He’s a student of the game, he knows what’s going to happen. He studies film. I think that that really helps his game out.”
As Jeff Davidson, the offensive line coach with the Vikings said to Mays, “I hate saying this for a guy that’s currently playing for me, but he’s one of the best I’ve ever been around, in that I truly believe that I could walk out of the room and he could run the meetings.”
Obviously, it takes more than a high football IQ to do well. Fusco, noted for his own physical play and aggressive on-field attitude, spoke out in favor of John’s physical abilities. While Robert Mays’ profile touches on hand strength and leverage, Fusco notes that Sullivan’s approach to blocking is distinct from other centers. After talking about Sullivan’s football intelligence, the former Slippery Rock center detailed what else makes the Minnesota lineman so great, “He’s physical. He’s not one of those laid back centers that’s going to wait for someone come into him. He’s going to attack them and get in their face.
“There’s not a lot of physical centers. He’s a bigger center in this league. With his size, he’s meant to be physical. The way he plays, he has an attitude for it. It makes him a great player.”
Sullivan isn’t just noted for his ability to win matches based on his leverage. Consistently around the league, you hear about his hand strength and ability to carry people out of the play. It’s difficult to disengage from him, and he’ll use players’ momentum against themselves.
Fusco said it simply, “I think he’s by far the best center.”
This is a fact that has slowly been recognized by people who follow football. Before the 2012 season, John Clayton referred to John Sullivan as a “journeyman” center, a reference not to whether or not he’s traveled among teams (he hasn’t), but a mediocre make-work talent level. But that year he agreed to a contract extension and earned his All-Pro recognition, though he was already coming off of a season where Pro Football Focus ranked him as the third-best center in the NFL.
In 2012, they gave him top billing.
Though his 2013 was a struggle to start the season, he still ended up as their third-graded center with an incredible second half of the season—one which would have ended up with a 16-game grade that was the best grade a center put together in the past five years and the third-highest in PFF history (stretching back to 2007). Even knowing he had a down year, he graded negatively in only four games. All of that comes with just his after-snap performance—it doesn’t even take into account how well he sets up the offensive line.
This all matches Dawson’s strengths, but what stood out was his ability to be an effective pulling center. Sullivan is doing that again, after he did it much more often at Notre Dame. His ability to pull and get into space to block is a big advantage. He pulled quite a few times in the Vikings’ game against Oakland, and Sullivan was as excited as anybody to install this new wrinkle in the Vikings offense, despite being a little rusty.
“I did it a lot in college. I was really familiar with it. I haven’t done it in a while. It’s a part of this offense that makes us more dangerous,” he said. When asked if there were issues re-adapting to a scheme that has him pull, particularly in regards to footwork, Sullivan acknowledged the learning curve but dismissed its importance in the long run.
“I need to embrace [it] and that I need to get it done. Ultimately it’s about the scheme, not the individual player. Whether or not you’re comfortable with what you’re doing, you’ve got to get the job done,” he said. About the footwork he said, “It takes a little bit to get the footwork right and even then it’s never perfect. You’re constantly having to make improvements. You think you’ll have something figured out and then something else goes. That’s why we’re out here practicing every single day.”
The ability to pull the center is something that coordinators love to have. Grantland noted Chip Kelly’s offense doing it as part of a wider set of innovations he’s pioneering into the league. While we’ve seen centers pull before, small wrinkles like these can add up to an even more innovative run offense than the already effective one the Vikings have.
There’s a very good chance that who pulls is determined by the front. In stretch plays with a pin-and-pull concept, like the play above seems to be, the center can often make a “me” or “you” call depending on whether or not the nose tackle is playside (in this case, heads up on the center is playside) or on the backside of the play. Against different fronts, you can expect the backside guard (Brandon Fusco in this case) to pull.
There’s a lot more involved in this than just whether or not the nose tackle is head-up over the center. As Johnson said, “There’s a lot of different things—whether he’s covered or uncovered, where the ‘backer is lined up. Depends on the look you get from the defense.”
Sullivan echoed the flexibility that a pulling center provides as a running option. “It’s just creating angles on a defense. Generally when you’re pulling, it’s because there’s somebody with a better angle down blocking, and therefore you’re walling off a defense in a certain way, just creating running lanes. So as long as you’re athletic enough to do it, it’s a great option and a great weapon.”
Those leverages are difficult to map out without a blackboard to diagram, but the angles created by the offense against the defense is the biggest reason he’s been asked to pull.
Pulling centers is no longer rare like it once was, but adding this to his resume only strengthens his case as the best in the game. The Vikings won’t necessarily integrate this into their game once the regular season starts—it’s why they practice it—but it certainly makes the team more dynamic.
Recognition is something Sullivan deserves, but it’s not something he craves. As Mays wrote:
It isn’t in the quality of play from each man but in how that play will be recognized. Offensive linemen are almost universally unheralded, but Sullivan remains the overlooked of the overlooked. After two years as arguably the league’s most effective center, he has yet to be selected to a Pro Bowl. He was voted All-Pro by the Pro Football Writers Association in 2012 but snubbed by the AP. Nowhere is the NFL’s dispersal of accolades more broken than for interior offensive linemen, where name recognition trumps all else. (An example: Jeff Saturday, who was relieved of his duties as the Packers’ center last season, was invited to the Pro Bowl.) For the past two seasons, Sullivan has been its chief victim. Sullivan sounds resigned when discussing it. “I’d love to go to the Pro Bowl,” he says, “but the Pro Bowl system is what it is. When I retire, I’d like to be a guy that my teammates all say, ‘We could count on him.’” It’s a platitude, but it’s true. A center is responsible for everyone around him.
They said the same of Dawson. For now, Sullivan is fulfilling his responsibility admirably.Welcome back to 1999 where you and every other person living in the digital age needs a computer--a rugged, portable, reliable computer. DSA Dolch is one of our all-time, bestselling keysets. Modeled after the original color scheme of Dolch Computer System's portable computer stations, this set honors the history of mechanical keyboards like no other.
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Newman, who was the co-chair of Ted Cruz’s Pro-Life Coalition, said that Trump is the only candidate left in the race who will challenge abortion rights. Newman’s deputy Cheryl Sullenger said in a statement that Trump pledged to:
1. Appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices, which have been pre-vetted by the conservative Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation.
2. Appoint strong pro-life judges to the Federal Courts.
3. Repeal and replace Obamacare and the abortion mandate that forces the insured to pay for abortions and abortifacient drugs.
4. Actively support and sign into law the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
5. Defund America’s largest supplier of abortion, Planned Parenthood.
None of these promises is new, as despite media stories about Trump’s supposedly “moderate” social views, the presumptive GOP nominee has been campaigning on his vow to put anti-choice judges on the court, cut access to reproductive services and defund Planned Parenthood as long as it offers abortion care. Trump has renounced his previous support for abortion rights and quickly backtracked after he recently told CBS that he didn’t want to change abortion laws.
Meeting with Newman would go a long way toward shoring up his anti-choice credentials.
Newman spearheaded the recent smear campaign against Planned Parenthood that falsely accused the organization of selling fetal tissue and has built an entire career around harassing abortion providers. Sullenger, his Operation Rescue colleague, even served “time in jail for conspiring to bomb a California abortion clinic in the 1980s.”
Newman’s views are so extreme that he said a man convicted of murdering an abortion provider was “little more than a political prisoner” who should have been allowed to argue that he was performing a “justifiable defensive action” and “present a defense that claimed that the killing of the abortionist was necessary to save the lives of the pre-born babies that were scheduled to be killed by abortion that day.”
He and Sullenger once wrote at length about why it is a government responsibility to execute abortion providers:
In addition to our personal guilt in abortion, the United States government has abrogated its responsibility to properly deal with the blood-guilty. This responsibility rightly involves executing convicted murderers, including abortionists, for their crimes in order to expunge bloodguilt from the land and people. … Rejecting that innocent blood is to reject the only standard that is effective against innocent bloodshed, excluding the lawful execution of the murderers, which is commanded by God in Scripture.
In the same book, “Their Blood Cries Out,” the two also suggest that women who have had an abortion are “murderesses” who shouldn’t be treated any differently than abortion providers or “any other mother” who killed “any other family member,” and that God is now punishing America for abortion rights with terrorist attacks like 9/11, cancer and HIV/AIDS. The California drought,inclement weather and financial turmoil, according to Newman, are all results of the legalization of abortion.
But, as we’ve said before, there appears to be no one who is too extreme to be embraced by Trump.Contents show]
Game Info Edit
Requires Order. ( )
+12 Defense. (Vanilla)
Defensive buildings in all cities are 25% more effective. (Vanilla and )
) +50% Production when building armored units. ( )
Production when building armored units. ( ) 1 Free Social Policy. ( )
Strategy Edit
As the special Wonder of the Order Ideology in Brave New World, the Kremlin will be a considerable help to a militaristic player. However, most militaristic players should have started conquering long before adopting Order and getting this wonder, and the Kremlin may be less useful to them. Nevertheless, Germany's Panzers can benefit tremendously from this wonder. Build it early, then let the Tanks roll!
Civilopedia entry Edit
"Kremlin" is a Russian word which denotes a fortified complex of buildings in the center of a city. It is most often used to refer to the Kremlin in the city of Moscow, a remarkable set of buildings which hold much of the Russian government. The Kremlin sits on a hill overlooking the Moskva River. In one form or the other, fortified structures have been in that location for almost 1000 years. The site was named "Kremlin" in the 14th century.
The Kremlin is within a triangular, walled area about 68 acres in extent. The walls are of red brick, with pencil-like towers at the corners and entrances. Many of the buildings are painted white with yellow trim and green roofs that look quite cheerful from a distance. The Cathedral of the Dormition, constructed in the 1470s, is the oldest building in the complex. Two other cathedrals lie within its walls, as do a surprising number of palaces, the Kremlin Palace being the largest.
The Kremlin has seen many great figures rise and fall within its walls. Ivan the Terrible built the Palace of Facets in the Kremlin. In the Great Patriotic War (WWII), Josef Stalin drove the German invaders from the gates of Moscow - perhaps the greatest service that any Russian ruler has ever performed for his country. (It was also here that Stalin planned the systematic extermination of millions of his own people.) It was here that Mikhail Gorbachev oversaw the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Today, the Kremlin holds the government of the Russian Federation.
To whatever use it might be put in the future, the Kremlin will always stand as a mighty monument to Russia's past - for it has seen the best and the worst of that great nation.
Trivia Edit
The image used to represent the Kremlin in-game is actually a depiction of St. Basil's Cathedral, a landmark adjacent to the actual Moscow Kremlin. It is located outside the wall of the Kremlin rather than in it. This is a common mistake, which was also made in Civilization IV. The large picture, however, properly depicts the actual Kremlin with a line of people visiting Lenin's Tomb.
. The large picture, however, properly depicts the actual Kremlin with a line of people visiting Lenin's Tomb. The game lists Kremlin as a Modern Era wonder, while in reality it was built during the Renaissance Era.
Gallery EditA Tunisian man, who has been branded ‘the most hated man in Sweden’ after video showed him attacking a woman in front of her two young children and then spitting on her at a metro station in Stockholm, is being deported to Denmark, Expressen.se reports.
The attack took place on January 5 at Gamla Stan station in the Swedish capital. The video footage shows the man kicking and punching the victim after she attempted to prevent him stealing from the handbag of an elderly woman.
To be sent to Denmark
The police went public with the video on Thursday and on Friday he was identified and arrested. It is reported that he sought asylum in Sweden in October but that his application was rejected and the Swedish migration agency Migrationsverket has decided to send him back to the last country he was in before entering Sweden, which is Denmark.
It was staff at Migrationsverket itself who identified the man from the video footage and alerted police to his whereabouts in a centre for refused asylum-seekers in the Stockholm suburb of Märsta. The man is currently in police custody awaiting trial, but denies the charges.
Ekstrabladet reports that, according to Ekrem Güngör, the man’s lawyer, the Danish authorities have confirmed to the Swedish authorities that they are ready to receive him.Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday, Paul argued that the American people might finally be ready to pay attention to the message he's been pushing for years.
“Time has changed — and if it is true that [voters] are coming my way, I tell you what, we have a solid base,” Paul said. “The country has changed, dramatically different compared to four years ago. Think about the success we’ve had with the Federal Reserve. Bernanke has to go out in front of press conferences — they’re on the defensive now.”
“The movement is in our direction — you talk about the failure of the Fed,” he continued. “This is significant. They don’t have any cards left to play, this whole economy has no cards left to play.”
Paul also said that the media and political establishment are dismissing his campaign because they’re afraid of his attacks on the status quo.
He cited the media coverage surrounding rival Herman Cain’s Florida straw poll win versus media coverage for one of his straw poll wins.
“The week where [Cain] really soared and was on the news constantly, he won a straw vote in Florida and it was on the news constantly,” Paul said. “That same week I won the straw vote in California — zero coverage.”
“I’m attacking the status quo like never before,” he said. “I mean the whole entitlement system, and I think there’s a whole lot of support out there for what I’m talking about and they realize that and they’re not going to give me a boost because I’m challenging the whole banking system, the military industrial complex, the welfare state, our foreign policy. I want to go back to following strictly the Constitution.”The word quickly caught on, adopted by the demonstrators and online activists, and became a viral video. [4] Many took the concept further by integrating the unique nature of the demonstrations and defined it as "to act towards taking the democracy of a nation to the next step by reminding governments of their reason for existence in a peaceful and humorous manner." [5] Variations of chapulling were also coined for other languages. [6]
Chapulling ( Turkish : Çapuling ) is a neologism originating in the Gezi Park protests, coined from Prime Minister Erdoğan's use of the term çapulcu (roughly translated to "marauders") [2] to describe the protestors. Pronounced /t͡ʃapuɫd͡ʒu/ [3] in Turkish, çapulcu was rapidly reappropriated by the protestors, both in its original form and as the anglicized chapuller and additionally verbified chapulling, given the meaning of "fighting for your rights". [1] Chapulling has been used in Turkish both in its anglicized form and in the hybrid word form çapuling.
Graffiti from Turkey, June 2013. It plays on the "Every day I’m Shuffling." lyrics of LMFAO's " Party Rock Anthem ", which is itself a parody of Hustlin' by Rick Ross
The graffiti is adapted to many artworks on t-shirts, posters, etc. and these artworks contributed to the reappropriation of the term çapulcu
We cannot just watch some çapulcu inciting our people. [...] Yes, we will also build a mosque. I do not need permission for this; neither from the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP) nor from a few çapulcu. I got permission from the fifty percent of the citizens who elected us as the governing party. [7] [8] [9] [10]
The protesters quickly decided to reappropriate the term, and began to describe themselves as çapulcu.[13][14] Within days, the usually negative term was being used as a positive term of self-identification. International supporters of the Gezi Park events posted social media photos of themselves holding messages of "I'm a chapuller as well" in their own languages. The movement was supported by the linguist and political critic Noam Chomsky,[15] who defined himself as a chapuller, recording the message that "everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance".[16][17] Cem Boyner, Chairman of Boyner Holding, also supported the movement by holding a banner saying "I'm neither rightist nor leftist, I am a chapuller."[18] The word became widely used on social networking sites, with Facebook users update their statuses to say that they were "capulling", and T-shirts and banners were produced with chapulling slogans,[16] and a Ustream-based live stream from Gezi Park was launched under the name Çapul TV.[19]
It was reported that the Turkish Language Association (the language regulator for the Turkish language) had changed the description of "çapulcu" in their online dictionary to mean "rebel" instead of its traditional meaning, "looter", in response to the events,[20] but the Association said this was not the case.[21] One online Turkish-English dictionary, Zargan, adopted the new word chapulling in what Agence France Presse described as "a gesture of solidarity with the demonstrators".[1] It was also added to the Tureng dictionary and Urban Dictionary.[22][23]
By 8 June the Turkish Patent Institute had received 16 applications for çapulcu-related trademarks, covering items such as toilet paper, drinks, and a newspaper.[24]
Following the protests in Turkey the Istanbul based platform InEnArt presents Urban Voices which opens a critical view on cultural practices and phenomena that expresses the ethos, aspirations, and dreams of a specific population during a well-defined era and that triggered dramatic cultural changes. One section of Urban Voices focusses on the protest culture in Turkey as described with the neologism Çapuling. It describes and reflects the visual culture, humor and irony of the peaceful protestors (the Çapulcu) as it developed in many forms in Turkey during 2013.[25]
For the exhibition Made in Turkiye presented by NoLaB in 2017 at Hasköy Spinning Factory, the participating artists continue to show a reflection on traditional Turkish culture by recreating old handcraft in an innovative, ironical and artistic way. [26]Let’s face it: the World Baseball Classic’s uphill climb as an event worth watching wouldn’t gain any momentum if Team USA ran away with it.
That’s why it has to be pretty exciting for MLB to see Puerto Rico advance past the U.S. and join the Dominican Republic, Japan and The Netherlands in the WBC semifinals. While baseball hardly needs a boost in the Dominican and Japan, it’s standing in Puerto Rico and Europe figures to get at least a modest boost thanks to this month’s tournament.
In the short term especially, it’s money more than talent than MLB is hoping to gain from Europe. But getting Puerto Rican kids more interested in baseball would be a nice boon for the league. It’s no coincidence that all of Puerto Rico’s stars on the field Thursday were over 30 years old. The only actual position prospect on the team is the Twins’ Eddie Rosario. And while I like Houston’s Xavier Cedeno as a lefty specialist, none of the pitchers would seem to have grand futures in MLB, either.
Puerto Rico just hasn’t produced much major league talent since MLB put its prospects into the draft. MLB teams can no longer set up there and develop the players themselves, as they’ve long done in the Dominican Republic. A nice run in the WBC isn’t going to undo all of the damage, but it’s a little something to try and build on.
The Dutch island of Curacao is already producing talent and even more kids there could be inspired to pick up a baseball as Andrelton Simmons, Jurickson Profar and Xander Bogaerts hopefully develop into major league stars. Throw in Baltimore’s Jonathan Schoop and The Netherlands’ infield could well rival the Dominican group come 2017.
As for the U.S. team, well, this was probably the best way for it to go down; it was competitive yet far from dominant. One imagines that the U.S. players will hear it from the Dominicans and Puerto Ricans in the clubhouse over these next several months. Whether that inspires a few more stars to suit up in 2017 remains to be seen; odds are the 2013 results will be largely forgotten a year from now. But I believe the next WBC will be viewed more favorably by the players. It’s not that we’ve gotten particularly high quality baseball from the teams, but we’ve seen a bunch of very competitive games and boisterous crowds. I think it’s the case that some of the guys who opted out — the Mike Trouts, Bryce Harpers and Prince Fielders — have watched these games and felt like they’re missing out.Illinois Prosecutors Planning To Appeal Ruling That Said Recording Police Is Protected By The First Amendment
from the of-course-they-are dept
Earlier this month, we wrote about the ridiculous criminal case against Michael Allison, who was facing 75 years in prison for the horrible crime of recording the police. The details of the case made it quite clear that the charges against him were vindictive, in response to attempts by Allison to challenge a questionable fine he'd received. Thankfully, an Illinois state court tossed out the lawsuit, noting that the law pretty clearly violated the First Amendment.Of course, for whatever reason, Illinois state law enforcement has taken particular interest in the case, with the state Attorney General office coming in to help with the case, and the Illinois Assistant Attorney General flat out claiming that there's no First Amendment right to record police. So, it should probably come as little surprise that the state has indicated that it's planning to appeal the ruling (via Radley Balko ). Perhaps this isn't a surprise -- but it does suggest a really broken system where the state is so adamant in trying to vindictively punish a guy for defending his own rights.
Filed Under: free speech, illinois, michael allison, police, recordingIf you've been looking for a full, 5-row keyboard experience on your Android device, then look no further - Hacker's Keyboard may fit the bill perfectly. HK is really designed to be used with apps like ConnectBot for SSH since it features working Tab, Ctrl, Alt, Esc, and arrow keys, but it's worth noting that this keyboard may not work properly with all apps. The reason for this is because some apps may not recognize the additional keys, as they weren't built to handle that type of virtual input.
However, if you experience any other problems while using this app, the developer requests that you file a bug in the issue tracker so he can work on a resolution.
Hacker's Keyboard is free in the Android Market and works on any 2.2+ device.It didn’t take too long to the globalists to destroy Ukraine. White genocide is the priority, afterall.
They instantiated a fake war in the east, recruiting thousands of young Ukrainian men to the battlefield. Killing them, demoralizing them, and leaving the rear country defenseless.
Women stay alone and pray for their man to return… Or simply gargle their ego with occidental feminist dreams, sometimes selling their body to the first pornographer coming. Men fight, women betray, that is the cultural marxist agenda for Ukraine.
One of the last unconquered country at the door of Russia is Ukraine, and the land of these people shall remain neither Christian nor White. Because to their master, their lord is the false lord, it is no doubt local blood should also be replaced.
That is why Ukraine will now take some refugees. Europe took about 0 Ukrainian refugee; these having been taken were by chance, by mistake or for sex. The UNHCR says:
More than three years of conflict has left more than two million Ukrainians displaced from their homes. 480,000 others have sought asylum in neighboring countries. Many fled with barely anything and in search for safety. The conflict has impacted some of the most vulnerable populations in Ukraine – of the estimated 1.6 million IDPs in Ukraine, 900,000 are over the age of 60.
Never heard about that in any newspapers in Europe… But Ukraine HAS to take refugees and get more diverse if it wants to enjoy the true democratic heaven of the EU and NATO.
Ukrainian men and women, we pray for you. Don’t let them in, beat them and keep your women safe. Because these women are your true treasure and the key to your future as Ukrainians.
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Like this: Like Loading...On Wednesday, Oct. 25, the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics featured the premiere and discussion of a new documentary film titled “Flag Flap Over Mississippi.” This film is an independent venture by award-winning filmmaker Rex Jones and was produced by The Southern Documentary Project, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.
Rex Jones said he is a “one-man band” behind the film, shouldering the entire filmmaking process from research to camerawork. His film studies the pressures and conflicts surrounding the divisive Mississippi state flag and includes interviews with Mississippians who represent a range of opinions on the meaning of the state’s official banner, which displays the Confederate battle emblem.
He said he tried to format this film as a conversation between people who wouldn’t normally talk to |
’s big business these days, and these studies make big headlines, which is precisely why they get research grants in the first place.
Apparently, men who displayed “benevolent sexism” while playing a trivia game were considered more approachable, warmer, friendlier and more likely to smile.
So, boiled down, this study concluded thus: the nice guys are actually the most sexist guys.
The researchers went on to warn that this “benevolent sexism” was harder to spot than the hostile version.
Here, at last, I agree with them. For only a fool would claim it’s easier to detect sexism in a smile than, say, it is to spot sexism when a builder wags his penis from a van window.
This gesture'may entice women to accept the status quo' (Photo: Alamy)
Warning: the following quote may bring you out in hives.
The report’s male co-author, PhD student Jin Goh, actually said: "While many people are sensitive to sexist verbal offences, they may not readily associate sexism with warmth and friendliness.
“Unless sexism is understood as having both hostile and benevolent properties, the insidious nature of benevolent sexism will continue to be one of the driving forces behind gender inequality in our society."
Translation: if you’re friendly towards a single woman you’re suppressing all of them.
Wielding terrible metaphor, Prof Judith Hall, the other co-author added: "Benevolent sexism is like a wolf in sheep's clothing that perpetuates support for gender inequality among women at an interpersonal level.
"These supposed gestures of good faith may entice women to accept the status quo in society because sexism literally looks welcoming, appealing, and harmless."
As a passionate writer on men’s issues, I’m often dismayed at surveys and quotes like this that deliberately set out to prove men are maliciously toxic.
And I’ve written before on how chivalry is dead – and modern feminism is directly to blame.
This time, though, I’m actually laughing. Maniacally, almost. The Chinese water torture methods used by femi-scientists can get you like that.
The biggest insult to all our intelligence is that this misandric cod-science is even given the time of day.
Studies like these are actually deeply un-scientific, in that they deliberately set out to “prove” what they decided in the first place – in this case the notion that deep, unjust misogyny is everywhere, even in games.
Such rabble-rousing rhetoric is blatantly anti-man, but studies like these go further. They actively betray and damage feminism, too, by making men at best switch off and disengage with it altogether, and at worst become actively hostile towards it.
This is petrol for a Men’s Rights Activist’s bonfire. Why go there, unless the goal is to deliberately enflame men – whom you can then dismiss as hostile and sexist. Round and round we go.
In short, what makes some men sexist are endless studies that tell us we’re sexist. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy – and it has to stop. Now. This, surely, is Peak Feminism. We can’t go any further than saying smiles are sexist. Can we?
I’ll be damned if some hokum student study is going to make me change the habits of a lifetime. Listen to this study and we all – men and women – lose.
We should defy its poisonous message with continued, and indeed heightened, chivalrous acts of random kindness towards women – and men.
If the recipients of this sudden and unexpected outbreak of chivalry don’t like it, well, I’ll think them rather rude. But I promise you this: I’ll soon get over it – and so should they.As Britain continues forward with its narrowly voted-in referendum to exit the European Union, one of the most recent side-effects of the controversial decision has been the impact on the United Kingdom’s higher education system, as uncertainty sets in over long-term research funding and the unknown impact of potential immigration practices.
In the latest rankings of international higher education institutions, 38 of the 48 British universities in the top 400 worldwide fell overall, with the University of Cambridge dropping from its spot in the top three for the first time since the QS World University Rankings began back in 2004. Cambridge, University of Oxford, University College London, and Imperial College London remained in the international top ten, but overall, British institutions took a hit, especially compared to the consistent rise of both American and Chinese universities.
Although the rankings were compiled before the vote itself, uncertainties about Britain's future in the EU likely contributed to the drop in rankings, QS said.
"Uncertainty over research funding, immigration rules, and the ability to hire and retain the top young talent from around the world seems to be damaging the reputation of the UK’s higher education sector," said Ben Sowter, the head of research at QS, according to The Guardian.
The recent rankings follow a July survey from an education consultancy, Hobsons, which showed that 30 percent of prospective international students said they were less likely to study in the UK after its Brexit vote, with a further 6 percent stating that they would definitely not chose a British school. The Hobsons survey showed that nearly two-thirds of the students questioned were concerned about difficulties obtaining a student visa, as The Financial Times reported, and half felt they had a slimmer chance of obtaining employment in Britain after graduating.
In the wake of the Brexit vote, academic researchers in Britain's esteemed university system have voiced worries about funding, as EU-funded consortiums began withdrawing opportunities for British scientists. Uncertainty about how much funding to anticipate has led to suggestions that some EU-based projects are removing British researchers from prominent roles, or excluding them altogether.
In the QS Rankings, American institutions saw their ratings improve: Of the 78 US universities in the top 400, nearly half saw their ranking rise.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, and Harvard University now occupy the top three slots. Chinese universities also did well, with three institutions in the global top 50.
"While high levels of national investment and dedicated programs such as Russia's 5-100 initiative and China's 211 and 985 projects appear to be paying off, other nations are struggling to keep pace," QS notes in a release.
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If international students' interest in British institutions dims – taking their often-high tuition dollars with them – they may look beyond the EU. Thirty-two percent said they would favor Canada, while 21 percent selected Germany, and 20 percent were interested in either the United States or Australia.
Meanwhile London Mayor Sadiq Khan plans to ensure that the city's status as a top educational destination remains untouched. "I'm saying loud and clear to the world that London is open as the best place to study, do business, and innovate, and a city where all Londoners can take advantage of these opportunities," said Mr. Khan, according to the Independent.Delhi people were probably leaving the city due to pollution levels and crime rate, high court said.
People of the national capital were probably leaving the city due to pollution levels and the crime rate, which the authorities appeared unwilling to control, the Delhi High Court said today.A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar observed this after the Centre told the court that the decadal growth rate of population was declining as per census records.Attributing this purported downward trend in population growth to people leaving the national capital, the court said,"People are leaving Delhi because of pollution and crime rate which you (authorities) are not willing to control".The issue was raised before the court which was hearing a PIL initiated by it after the December 16, 2012 gangrape case, in which it has been giving directions from time to time with regard to improving crime investigation and protection of women in Delhi.The court was also informed that Delhi Police was contemplating bringing forensic laboratories under its administrative control while the AAP government has said this move should be stopped before it is implemented.The bench did not issue any direction as sought by the Delhi government and asked the lawyer for the police to inform the court whether there was any such move to bring the forensic labs under its control.Amicus curiae Meera Bhatia told the court that there have been several incidents of rapes of women in the city from January this year till August 8, to which the court remarked "what is happening to the city?"The Centre, on the other hand, said that a high level committee (HLC) of senior police officers has been formed and it had on July 27 held a meeting where certain decisions were taken regarding criteria to enhance strength of Delhi police.Delhi Police, through its lawyer Rajesh Mahajan, told the court that in response to the minutes of the meeting held on July 27, it has forwarded two letters to the LG containing various proposals to increase its manpower by around 54,000. The court asked the lawyer representing the Lieutenant Governor to forward to the Centre, at the earliest, the proposals by the police and listed the matter for hearing on September 14.The party is already making women’s lives miserable with its healthcare bill – now it’s kicking them out of the speaker’s lobby for baring their arms. In her weekly advice column, our style expert asks what’s next in this brave new world?
So I’ve been watching The Handmaid’s Tale. Gosh it’s good! But clearly nothing like that could happen in the modern world, right?
Dana, by email
Oh, ho, ho, Dana, you have made me laugh! Yes, the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic is a real doozy, and not just because it finally answers a question that has long puzzled the world: what the hell ever happened to Joseph Fiennes? (Answer: he has been busy cultivating some fine facial hair.) Anyway, OF COURSE it is mere science fiction: no way, in a free western society, would women be obliged to cover up their bodies entirely, as ordained by men, no matter how uncomfortable and hot it makes them, so they can only look back longingly to the “freedom” of wearing less. Hahaha! Now, let’s catch up with what’s happening with the Republican administration in the US, lah-di-dah, here we are and – um. Um. UM.
So you may have thought that the Republicans were doing quite enough to make American women’s lives completely miserable just in their healthcare bill, what with defunding Planned Parenthood for one year, putting coverage for silly niche things such as post-partum depression (which affects one in nine women) in jeopardy and potentially making pregnancy a pre-existing condition. That specific pre-existing condition will now cost 425% more under this healthcare bill. Happy Mother’s Day, United States!
Well, we should never underestimate the Republicans’ multitasking abilities when it comes to treating women like sexualised chattel. So last week, on the very day the House voted on the GOP’s nasty healthcare bill, a female journalist, Haley Byrd, was kicked out of the speaker’s lobby, the area outside the House of Representatives, where journalists often do interviews, because she was wearing a sleeveless dress. Meanwhile, another female was refused entry to the speaker’s lobby because her disgusting, whoreish, irresistibly tempting shoulders were on display. In order to try to do her job, this journalist ripped pages out of her notebook and stuffed them around the armholes of her dress so as to cover her slutty upper arms, but this was still deemed “unacceptable”. Be gone with you, slattern!
So first, let’s get a couple of things straight: yes, there has always been a House dress code, which states, rather vaguely, that people should dress “appropriately”. What this means is left up to the House speaker. Step forward, one Paul Ryan! And yes, these rules have existed for over a decade, predating former speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, Byrd said officers on patrol have been “cracking down on the dress code” recently. “I suspect the rules are being emphasised now that it’s summertime and excruciatingly hot outside and everyone is dressing for the weather,” she added. So this is about how much Republicans hate women and how much they hate journalists. Gosh, killing two birds with one stone is fun. Indeed, Ryan recently took time out from his busy schedule of being a spineless Trump apologist to remind Congress of the importance of “appropriate business attire”, not bothering to explain (a) what this means, (b) why he’s so scared of shoulders and (c) why it’s totally appropriate for, say, Kellyanne Conway and Ivanka Trump to wear sleeveless dresses – their favourite style, incidentally – and still be, respectively, counselor to the president and apparent president-in-waiting.
It is no surprise that this administration should find women’s shoulders so terrifyingly unacceptable. After all, the vice-president finds just having a meal with a woman who is not his wife too much of a temptation (no word on whether the hypothetical woman in this scenario is similarly tempted). Republicans see women as uncontrollable, brain-dead sexual temptresses who, for the good of the helpless menfolk around them, need to be kept far away from things such as birth control and abortion. Otherwise they’ll become nymphomaniacs, popping five morning-after pills before breakfast and getting an abortion after lunch. And it all starts with the shoulders, you see. They’re just saving us ladies from ourselves! And them!
Of course, some people (men) have tried to defend this banning of lady shoulders by saying that male lobby journalists have to wear suits and ties. That is such an excellent point – except that sleeveless dresses and open-toe shoes for women are generally considered acceptable office wear by offices that are not in Saudi Arabia.
It is also worth reminding ourselves that this administration is under the presidency of a man called Donald J Trump. You may have heard of him? You know, the guy who bragged about grabbing women’s vaginas (presumably they flaunted their shoulders at him); who said his oldest daughter has “the best body” (stop flashing your shoulders at your father, Ivanka!); who for years cheated on his first wife (maybe Ivana didn’t show her shoulders enough?). But remember, it’s the women who need to be controlled here.
So, even though walking-Viagra-pill Trump, woman-shunning Mike Pence and shoulder-phobic Ryan often act like raging misogynists, clearly the problem is they just love women too much. They can’t trust themselves around them – that’s how much they love women. In fact, I don’t think this rule goes far enough: Ryan should ban women from being seen in public full stop, and all menstruating women should be sent to caves, those bleeding, irresistible temptresses, until they are clean again for their husband’s consumption. Clearly this is the only way Ryan and his fellow walking boners can cope, given they only need to see a clavicle to start rubbing their thighs. Hell, ban women, full stop! Only then will the United States be safe.
Post your questions to Hadley Freeman, Ask Hadley, The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Email ask.hadley@theguardian.com.After traveling to the U.S. on a visa at age 18, Hoil landed in Colorado and worked in restaurants as a cook. Hoil didn't speak English at first. But he found his motivation to learn in a beautiful waitress, Jennifer.
"If I wanted to talk to her, I needed to speak English," said Hoil, laughing. He learned the language by asking bar patrons to repeat phrases to help him learn. "When my shift would end at 10 p.m., I would go talk to drunk people … trying to figure it out and put sentences together."
His strategy worked. Hoil and Jennifer, now his wife, have three children. After marrying, they moved to Virginia in 2006. Osiris Hoil worked in construction and rode the housing boom to support his family. But then he hit a roadblock in 2008, when the recession unraveled and he was laid off.
"I will never forget that day. My wife was pregnant and I begged for my job," Hoil said. "I told the owner he could pay me minimum wage, I can sweep the floors." He looked for work in construction and kitchens to no avail.
Those dead ends turned out to be a blessing in disguise.Bernie Sanders has proudly never run a negative political ad during his decades in politics, but he left the door open to changing his ways during this presidential campaign in a new interview with former Obama adviser David Axelrod.
“Well, it’s my hope that I will never run a negative ad,” Sanders replied when Axelrod asked if the senator thought he could make it through the 2016 campaign without going negative. “I surely hope so. I surely hope so.”
“I never have after all these years. But I — we’ll see,” Sanders added in the interview, which was released Tuesday.
RELATED: Hillary Clinton’s not-so-subtle message to Bernie Sanders
Sanders has not shied away from drawing contrasts with Hillary Clinton on policy issues like climate change and trade deals, and aides suggested he’s became more willing to edge toward conflict after a pro-Clinton super PAC was revealed to be pushing anti-Sanders opposition research. But Sanders has avoided discussing non-policy issues like Clinton’s emails.
For her part, Clinton has barely uttered Sanders’ name, but in an interview with MSNBC Monday, she noted that Democratic members of Congress have lined up behind her, with the implicit point being that they’ve snubbed Sanders.
Meanwhile, Sanders also bemoaned the rise of selfies in the interview with Axelrod, who now runs the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. The interview was the debut episode of a new podcast hosted by the Obama alum.
“Oh, my God. Jesus, don’t talk to me about selfies,” Sanders said when asked if he’s surprised how many people want to take a picture with hum. “Don’t ask me for a selife, David!”Photo: Ybrain Doctors could prescribe Ybrain's headband for at-home tDCS treatment of depression.
A doctor’s prescription for clinical depression could one day sound like this: In the comfort of your own home, slip on a brain-zapping headband a few times per week. For 20 minutes, send a tiny stream of electricity through your brain.
The treatment would be delivered by a user-friendly type of brain stimulation called tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation), which has recently become a hot topic in neuroscience research. Now it’s beginning to make the transition from lab to doctor’s office. And a South Korean startup called Ybrain thinks its stylish tDCS headband, specifically designed to treat depression, will be the product that brings tDCS into the clinical mainstream.
Depression might be the first killer app for tDCS.
Ybrain founder and CEO Kiwon Lee made his pitch earlier this month at the NYC Neuromodulation conference, where doctors and researchers working on the cutting edge of brain stimulation met to compare notes and chart the field’s progress. When his turn came at the podium, Lee predicted that his device will receive regulatory approval in Korea this March. He also laid out his very optimistic game plan for worldwide market domination.
Lee says Ybrain will roll out the device in 70 Korean hospitals this year to reach thousands of patients with clinical depression. The company will use data from all those patients to build a case for approval in Europe, Lee says, and then in the United States, where the regulatory requirements are most stringent. “After one device is approved by the FDA, it will be seen as a mainstream treatment,” he says.
Ybrain’s tDCS device may not be first to make it to the all-important American market; the New York-based Soterix Medical has a tDCS system for depression that’s already approved for clinical use in Europe, and the company is pursuing FDA approval now. But the European patients using the Soterix device are mostly using it in the clinic under a doctor’s supervision. Ybrain hopes to make its at-home treatment the norm.
Source: PubMed The number of research articles about tDCS has skyrocketed in the past decade.
TDCS is seen as an exciting new type of treatment in part because the gear is cheap, portable, and easy to use. The systems use electrodes placed at particular locations on the scalp to channel a few milliamps of current through a specific brain region, and they can be powered by a 9-volt battery. Last year there were nearly 700 papers published about tDCS, with studies on every topic imaginable: Researchers experimented with physical rehab for stroke patients, memory improvement for people with Alzheimer’s, and craving reduction for smokers and alcoholics.
It’s so easy to set up a tDCS stimulator that DIYers are making their own rigs, and startups are selling products directly to consumers as tools to enhance mental focus or improve athletic performance.
“We don’t know the best ‘dose’ for tDCS.” —Andre Brunoni, neuroscientist & psychiatrist
Yet scads of scientific questions must still be answered. The NYC conference revealed the experts’ consensus that tDCS can definitely alter the brain in meaningful ways—but they don’t know which medical conditions will truly benefit from these alterations. The journal Clinical Neurophysiology just published a comprehensive review of the evidence on tDCS effectiveness across a range of disorders; for most it concluded that there haven’t yet been enough rigorous trials to draw conclusions. However, the article singled out tDCS treatment for depression as “probably effective.”
Depression might be the first killer app for tDCS. At the NYC conference, attendees heard from Andre Brunoni, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at the University of Sao Paulo who coauthored a 2013 study comparing tDCS to a standard antidepressant medication. Interestingly, that study found the electric and pharmaceutical therapies to be equally effective, and found that patients who received both treatments together fared best of all.
Brunoni says he’s not quite ready to forge ahead with tDCS in his clinical practice; he’s still waiting for evidence on many crucial questions that will define tDCS’s practical use. “We don’t know the best ‘dose’ to use for tDCS,” he says. “What’s the best amount of current to use? What’s the optimal number of sessions? There are a lot of parameters to explore.”
But Brunoni also tells IEEE Spectrum that tDCS may offer advantages over antidepressants as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which requires clinics to invest in an expensive machine and patients to travel to the clinic for each treatment session. He mentions three types of potential benefits:
Price: Because tDCS is relatively cheap, Brunoni says, private medical plans would likely prefer it to more expensive treatments like TMS.
Ease of use: Brunoni says that companies such as Soterix and Ybrain “are developing very safe and reliable devices that would allow home-use with almost zero risk.”
Short-term treatment: TDCS treatment for depression would likely start with an intense phase of treatment—for example, two weeks of daily sessions—followed by less frequent “maintenance” stimulation sessions. Brunoni calls this a big advantage over antidepressant drugs, which require treatment for at least 9 months and can cause a host of unpleasant side effects throughout that time (like weight gain and sexual problems).
In South Korea, Ybrain is betting that these benefits and its slick consumer-friendly design will speed adoption of its device. “It’s designed for home use,” says Ybrain CEO Lee, “so physician can electronically prescribe the device and patients can bring it to their homes.”
To make the medical gadget easy to use and failsafe, designers kept it simple. "The device has just a power button, no interface,” Lee says. “The patient turns it on and puts the device on their head, and it automatically starts the stimulation based on the doctor’s prescription.” So if the doctor prescribed one 20-minute session of 2 milliamps per day, the gadget wouldn’t allow more than the prescribed limit.
Photos: Ybrain Ybrain's system includes a headband with scalp electrodes and an attachable processor module. The doctor can program many modules at the docking station.
The Ybrain system comes with a smartphone app that regularly asks the patient to rank their mood on a depression scale, and sends this info to their doctor along with device usage data. These features enable the doctor to monitor the treatment’s effects. Not incidentally, this setup also enable Ybrain to collect efficacy data the company can use when it applies for regulatory approval in Europe and the United States.
While the NYC Neuromodulation meeting showed that Ybrain isn't alone in having high hopes for tDCS depression treatments, there were also cautionary notes. In one panel discussion the distinguished neurologist and psychiatrist Mark George, who directs the Brain Stimulation Laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina, said he’s not yet ready to prescribe tDCS to his clinically depressed patients.
George invokes the Hippocratic Oath: “First, do no harm.” While there’s ample evidence that tDCS is safe when used correctly, George notes that physical safety isn’t the only consideration. Depressed patients who come to see him are desperate, despondent, and looking to him for salvation.
“Hope is fragile,” George says, “and you want to be very careful with what you throw out there for your patients. You want to go with your best shot. And right now, I don’t see tDCS as your best shot.”
This article appears in the March 2017 print issue as “At-Home Electric Headband for Depression Could Go Mainstream.”Woman says she’s terrified that she’ll be raped again, but this time by facebooking drag queens in the bathroom.
Yes. Transgender woman are all heading to the nearest bathroom, now that we have legislative protections, to rape the first cisgender woman who enters just like we have done, ah, oh never.
Thats right, there has never been an instance of a transgender woman abusing enacted legislation to rape anyone. Or to act inappropriately in the bathroom for that matter.
But you can’t tell that to Tina Siegert. She testified against Maryland’s Fairness bill back in February 2012 saying:
“I have not had good sleep in the past few weeks because of this bill,” said Tina Siegert, a Catonsville resident. “The thought of a man being in a [women’s] restroom just unnerves me.”
Siegert said her facebook account was deleted becuse she was using a pseudonym to avoid a rapist. That in itself would cause me to empathise with her but then she goes on to say how unfair it was that Facebook is ‘pandering’ to drag queens
Siegert told Examiner, the media “chopped up half of my sentence to make it sound like something else.” She also said the media did not report the reason for her opposition. Before the hearing, she explained, a Democratic politician who had her phone number tracked her down on Facebook to send her a message. Shortly afterward, “a ton” of gay extremists with gay flags on their profile pics started trying to friend her. “I was victimized all over again,” she said. “I had my ID set as Tina Si at the time. Luckily I went in and changed my name to Tina IsSavedByGrace and blocked them and it stopped.” But her problems weren’t over. A short time later, Facebook demanded she provide photo identification to prove she is a real person. Their goal, she added, was to silence her. “They didn’t care that I was a rape victim,” she said. But, she added, the social media giant bent over backwards to pander to gay activists, even apologizing for the policy.
Oh yeah and did I mention she’s also islamophobic right wing Obama basher who runs a
Christofascist
facebook page called NewsTheMediaWontShowYou which…
EXPOSES OBAMA’S ISLAMIZATION
and gives us
PROOF OF OBAMA & THE DNC’S GODLESSNESS?
Lions, tigers, bears and tons of people with profile pictures with gay flags who are trying to be friendly. Oh and the transgender rapey man in a dress in the womans room.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
Kelli Busey Editor in Chief at Planet Transgender Kelli Busey an outspoken gonzo style journalist has been writing since 2007. In 2008, she brought the Dallas Advocate on-line and has articles published by the Reconciling Ministries Network, The Transsexual Menace, The Daily Kos, Frock Magazine the TransAdvocate, the Dallas Voice and The Advocate. Kelli, an avid runner is editor in chief at Planet Transgender which she founded in 2007.
Related
Facebook CommentsWhite House press secretary Sean Spicer chided a reporter for comparing his press briefings to President Trump’s tweets, calling it “the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.”
During Thursday’s briefing, Jared Rizzi, SiriusXM's White House correspondent, questioned why the president has tweeted multiple criticisms of Nordstrom for pulling his daughter Ivanka’s clothing and accessory line instead of addressing the recent Quebec City mosque attack and similar situations.
Rizzi cited White House aide Kellyanne Conway’s statement that Trump doesn’t have time to address everything as the lead-in for the question. Spicer pushed back, noting that he addressed the January Quebec City attack that killed six people and injured eight from the briefing room.
“I literally stand at this podium, and opened a briefing a couple of days ago about the president expressing his condolence,” Spicer said. “I came out here and actually spoke about it.”
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When pressed further about why Trump chooses to engage on certain issues on Twitter, Spicer said it's “silly” to compare tweets to the press briefing, before shutting down the heated exchange.
“You’re equating me addressing the nation here and a tweet,” Spicer said. “That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Twitter has been one of Trump’s preferred platforms for communication and he has frequently indicated where he stands on issues and policies through the social media outlet.Christy Clark says a tweet calling out "yoga haters" sent from her official twitter account Thursday morning was meant as a joke.
Clark has been plagued by a growing backlash to the mass yoga class that will close the Burrard Bridge for part of June 21, to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. The province helped organize the event.
Points of criticism have included opposition to the bridge closure itself, the cost to taxpayers (estimated at $150,000), and the fact that June 21 is also National Aboriginal Day.
"Hey yoga haters – bet you can't wait for international tai chi day," read the tweet. It was accompanied by a photo that shows the premier standing in front of a tai chi studio.
Asked about the tweet Thursday morning, Clark said it "was a joke".
Hey Yoga Haters- bet you can't wait for international Tai Chi day. <a href="http://t.co/1sEfIwKbG3">pic.twitter.com/1sEfIwKbG3</a> —@christyclarkbc
The tweet at first was received with bewilderment and suggestions that her official account had either been hacked or was being handled by someone inexperienced at social media.
But, as no retraction followed, the responses took the tweet on face value, with the majority appalled.
The tai chi studio Clark is photographed in front of is in Parksville, B.C. Clark had a planned event in Nanaimo Thursday morning.
<a href="https://twitter.com/christyclarkbc">@christyclarkbc</a> I was sure this was some sort of parody account. Whichever staffer wrote this tweet should be fired. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCpoli?src=hash">#BCpoli</a> —@Badger_Janzen
<a href="https://twitter.com/christyclarkbc">@christyclarkbc</a> is this an actual tweet from our premier or has the account been hacked? —@McCubbinLaw
<a href="https://twitter.com/christyclarkbc">@christyclarkbc</a> are you serious right now? Our premier showing all the maturity of a 12 year old. —@CptClimate
<a href="https://twitter.com/christyclarkbc">@christyclarkbc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CTVLyndaSteele">@CTVLyndaSteele</a> this is completely inappropriate. Mocking tax payers for their legitimate opposition —@soap_4(CNN) -- Sukhraj Beasla's parents boast that their successful daughter works at a bank. The problem is that it's all a lie -- she was laid off more than two years ago.
The tentacles of this lie taunt her, adding to mounting familial pressure to get it together.
When Beasla visits her parents in Northern California and they go out to dinner or their temple, they brag right along with the other parents. Beasla has no choice but to play along with the lie.
"I have to go there and tell them I was able to get my next promotion and that I'm on track and that there's no way the company would let me go because I'm such a valuable asset and all this bulls***," Beasla said.
Beasla, who is 30, has been living off part-time work since she lost her job in February 2009 as a project manager and later as a trust manager for LaSalle Bank.
She earned an annual salary between $65,000 to $70,000 and was about to be promoted to an assistant vice president, but layoffs came instead.
Now she's making roughly $1,200 in a bad month and $2,000 when times are good. Her estimated yearly income will be from $15,000 to $25,000 this year.
Share your story: How are you coping with tough times?
Last week, new census data showed the nation's poverty rate rose to more than 15%, the highest level since 1993. More than 46 million Americans are now considered in poverty, 2.6 million more than last year.
Beasla is still earning enough to keep her above the official national poverty line, which is $11,139 a year for an individual.
But her income barely covers her living expenses in Orange County, where the cost-of-living index is higher than the state or national average.
"I will overdraft my account if I have a bad month," she said. "It sucks because it will mean stocking up on Ramen (noodles)."
She's online all day promoting various clients for a social media marketing agency. Babysitting, dog walking, tutoring and a collection of random jobs occupy her nights and weekends.
It's enough to give her 40 to 50 hours of work every week, including weekends, but it's not always enough to cover the rent.
She's paying $1,300 a month for her one-bedroom apartment in Lake Forest, California. That's just under the average monthly rent for Orange County, which is $1,400, according to city-data.com.
See where U.S. poverty is increasing
As all of her work is part-time, she has no benefits. Insurance of any kind is too expensive, she said.
She's strictly living off what she makes and has not received any assistance from the state since her unemployment benefits ran out in 2010.
She has found creative ways to survive.
"I'll sell stuff on Ebay to get by," said Beasla. "I'll call for extensions on Internet so I can do my job at home. I can't really be without Internet."
Lentils last forever
Cutting back and sacrificing more than ever, Beasla has made do with her daily expenses.
She leaves her car at home and walks wherever she can -- gas is hovering at $4 a gallon in her area. Basic TV, not cable, is free and there's always Hulu or the chance to watch cable while she's babysitting at night.
When friends ask to go out for happy hour, she persuades them to go to Denny's or a place where she can afford to spend a few dollars and treat herself.
She eats at home whenever possible and tries to buy groceries only once a month.
"I look at the Pennysaver religiously and look at ads and decide how many meals I can make," she said. "I have a book on one-person meals and I make it stretch. I invested in a couple good cookbooks like that."
Lentils last forever and, when mixed with some onions and spices over rice, Beasla says they make a nice meal. Potatoes, frozen food and canned soup, give her a variety of dinner options.
Beasla has found happiness in eating on the cheap and blogging about it.
Her goal is to write about single meals with a "fresh perspective on Indian food." But for now, she says, the ingredients are just too expensive.
"I've discovered I have this real passion for food and it was born out of this unemployment phase," she said.
"I'm really enjoying talking about food and my journey through food. If I could, I would travel and write about food."
Parental pressure
Beasla, who holds a degree in marketing, took control of her situation shortly after she was laid off in 2009 and launched her own social media business.
After a year, her business went under.
She had a heart-to-heart talk with her father one night over dinner about how her business had hit a rut.
The words that came out of his mouth stung, she said.
"'God, you're 30 years old and I really expected you to be somewhere right now,'" he told her disappointedly, she recalled.
Her mother jumped in with a solution: Marry a doctor and she'd be set.
Family and friends question what she's been doing with her time and blanket her with advice like this all the time.
"Every day it's a challenge and I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm looking for work here or abroad or out of state," she said. "I appreciate all the help, but I'm out there working. It's not like I'm not working."
A year-and-a-half after being laid off, Beasla submitted her story to iReport. It was right after her unemployment benefits ran out in summer 2010, but she said she was still smiling.
"I've just found that if I stay positive, I know that eventually I'll be back on my feet again and I won't have to worry about the next unemployment check, where the money is coming from, or what I'll have to cut back on," she told CNN last year.
Now, sadness and frustration have sunken in. She's not quite so optimistic anymore.
"I'm still fortunate to have a roof over my head and make do with what I can, but I miss having a decent job and being on track with my life," she said.
"No one really understands you when you're poor and can't get by. Most of my friends say, 'I don't know what I would |
Indigenous women are being marginalized in their own communities, as they remain underrepresented in the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), “which is so contrary to our matriarchal traditions.”
“The Indian Act, the Church, and other institutions have destroyed our matriarchal traditions,” she says. “And our women are saying that the way towards decolonization is through addressing the erasure of our matriarchal traditions.”
Alice Lee, on behalf of her group, Asian Women Coalition Ending Prostitution, expressed solidarity with Indigenous women’s calls to address the systemic factors that subject Aboriginal women to such high rates of violence. She added that things like a guaranteed livable income, universal childcare, safe and affordable housing, and education would would ensure that Aboriginal women (and all women) are less vulnerable to the attacks of men.
“If they were to offer a true solution to the missing and murdered women, the government would have to address the cause of poverty, systemic racism, and women’s inequality, and they’re just refusing to do that,” Lee said.
All representatives reinforced the need for Canada’s current prostitution laws, which criminalize the purchase of sex, to be enforced across the country. Here in Vancouver, Lee reminds us, there is a huge trafficking and prostitution trade that the City of Vancouver and the police have refused to address. She says this effectively abandons poor women of colour, in particular, to exploitative men and to the racist stereotypes the sex industry relies on.
“One of the issues that Indigenous women face here in Vancouver is the non-Native groups that are pushing for the legalization of prostitution,” Blaney says. “Most Indigenous women that I encounter are abolitionists like I am.” She goes on to make the connection between the prostitution of Indigenous women and colonialism, saying, “We didn’t have a word in our languages for prostitution but then there was an Indian act saying we were prostitutes and squaws — sexually accessible and disposable. And now we have these lawyer’s groups pushing for the legalization while talking about making our women ‘safe’ — it’s such a harmful agenda.”
“That’s what makes us targets,” Blaney said. “The non-Aboriginal liberals who are out there promoting sex as a viable source of income are relegating us to a very degrading life.”
Smith-Tague is careful to point out that the issue of the missing and murdered women is not limited to Canada, but is, rather, a global phenomenon. “But we’re also in a moment where women worldwide — and especially Indigenous women — are rising up in resistance and that’s reason to celebrate on International Women’s Day and to stand in solidarity with women worldwide who are resisting male violence.”
And here in Canada we are in a position to do just that — to heed our Indigenous sisters’ calls to make violence against women the full focus of the inquiry. “It cant be an examination of colonization as it impacts all Indigenous people — it has to be gender-specific,” Blaney said. “We have to keep the pressure up. We cant give up now. We’re in a moment now where we just have to step up and do everything we can to change the direction of that huge steamroller coming at us.”
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Meghan Murphy Founder & Editor Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, I-D, Truthdig, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her dog.The owners of Hazelwood are refusing to pay an $18 million bill for the firefighting effort to stop a massive fire at their brown coal mine last year that shrouded the town of Morwell in smoke and ash.
In March, the Country Fire Authority sent an invoice to Hazelwood owners GDF Suez to recover costs from the enormous operation to put out the mine fire, which saw thousands of firefighters deployed into the mine pit to battle the blaze over many weeks.
The open cut mine fire at the Hazelwood plant in Morwell in February 2014.
But it is understood the company last week told the CFA in negotiations that it believed it should not have to pay the $18 million invoice.
That decision was confirmed in a statement released by the company to Fairfax Media on Monday, in which a spokesman said it was GDF Suez's position that it had already paid for the CFA's services through state fire service levy contributions over many years.North Korean diplomat Kang Sok Ju (L), pictured shaking hands with a Japanese lawmaker in July, is headed for a tour of Europe (AFP Photo/)
Tokyo (AFP) - A top North Korean diplomat left Saturday for a tour of Europe amid signs reclusive Pyongyang has started to adopt a more active approach to foreign relations, a report said.
Kang Sok-Ju, a secretary of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party, is scheduled to visit Belgium, Switzerland and other European countries, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported from the North Korean capital, quoting diplomatic sources.
Kang, 75, who was vice prime minister from 2010-2014, could also make contact with Chinese officials in Beijing on the way to or from Europe, Kyodo said.
He is seen to have played a pivotal role in Pyongyang's relations with the rest of the world, including the United States, Japan and China since the 1990s.
North Korea appears to have launched a diplomatic offensive as it is also planning to send Foreign Minister Ri Su-Yong to New York later in September for the United Nations General Assembly, the report said.
If realised, it would be the first time in 15 years that a North Korean foreign minister has visited the United States.Japan has lifted some unilateral sanctions against the communist state as a reward for its decision to reopen investigations into the fate of Japanese who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
Pyongyang admitted to some of the kidnap cases and returned some of the victims in 2002 but Tokyo has demanded it come clean on all the cases. The abduction issue has derailed efforts to normalise ties between the two countries, along with North Korea's nuclear and missile development.
Kang met twice with Japanese wrestler-turned-lawmaker Kanji "Antonio" Inoki who travelled to Pyongyang to stage an unusual martial arts event last weekend.
For Kang, this is his first overseas trip since becoming a secretary responsible for international affairs in the ruling party in April, Kyodo said.Share. Lady Gaga-themed farm will launch on May 17 Lady Gaga-themed farm will launch on May 17
Lady Gaga can now count Zynga among her Little Monsters. The pop starlet has teamed up with the social gaming giant to promote her new album, Born This Way, through FarmVille.
According to a story on Venture Beat, FarmVille players will have the opportunity to visit GagaVille, which will appear as one their neighbors' farms in the game. GagaVille will be stocked up with various Lady Gaga-themed items including unicorns and sheep on motorcycles. Players will be able to purchase a special unicorn to take home to their own farm.
FarmVille players will also be able to unlock and stream new songs from the album before its release.
"I want to celebrate and share Born This Way with my little monsters in a special way that's never been done before," said Lady Gaga in an official statement. "Zynga has created a magical place in FarmVille where my fans can come play, and be the first to listen to the album."Wine Announcement
The Wine development release 1.7.38 is now available. What's new in this release (see below for details): - New version of the Gecko engine based on Firefox 36. - Support for themed scrollbars. - Updated version of the Mono engine. - More compatible RPC interface for service control. - Support for X Drag & Drop version 5. - Threading fixes in IME support. - Various bug fixes. The source is available from the following locations: http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/wine/wine-1.7.38.tar.bz2 http://mirrors.ibiblio.org/wine/source/1.7/wine-1.7.38.tar.bz2 Binary packages for various distributions will be available from: http://www.winehq.org/download You will find documentation on http://www.winehq.org/documentation You can also get the current source directly from the git repository. Check http://www.winehq.org/git for details. Wine is available thanks to the work of many people. See the file AUTHORS in the distribution for the complete list. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bugs fixed in 1.7.38 (total 57): 9610 Non-Windows(XP) behaviour for using themes in apps 12182 Multiple games need X3DAudio1_1.dll (Supreme Commander) 12717 Europa Universalis III: Borders drawn corrupted 12804 winecfg: pressing enter in library override closes winecfg 14367 revise stack-frame relay code never to touch other side of stack pointer 15721 Adobe Digital Editions doesn't install 16039 configure does not support detection of (n)cursesw 17403 Uru - Ages Beyond Myst + Expansion Packs: Decompressing sounds produces faulty output 23057 BitComet: Crashes at clicking on web content 23370 OpenBOR and many other application crashed. 23560 Text missing and/or background not rendered in Peril at End House 24103 MYOB: won't print report 24545 Monkey Island: Special Edition wants X3DAudio1_6.dll 25436 Lithuanian translation of "Program files" and "Application Data" folders (see file shell32_Lt.rc) causes problems with some software for Windows 26167 Crash in open file dialog when dragging folder upon file 26784 Icebreakers demo does not start 27050 Audiosurf - mouse does not work properly 27279 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean DEMO needs XAPOFX1_3.dll.CreateFX (XAudio2) 29450 Some GDI+ objects do not display correctly 30212 Multiple apps need Scripting.Dictionary 'Add' method stub implementation (AutoIt 3, Polymath) 30715 DVDFlick 1.3.x fails on startup with "automation error" (needs Scripting.Dictionary "Exists" method implementation) 30901 32-bit services fail to run in 64-bit WINEPREFIX/shared wow64 (PunkBuster, SafeDisc,...) 32476 DVDFlick 1.3.x fails on startup with "automation error" (needs Scripting.Dictionary "get_Item" method implementation) 32913 Planetside 2: Mouse Jittering 33409 ExpeditionPCB EE7.9 crashes 33672 Wine Internet Explorer unable to login to http://cctvcamerapros.vmddns.com/ 33781 Installation of CSC Show Control needs RemoveAll() for Dictionary 33897 TeamView Cannot Move or Resize Remote Linux Application Window 33990 MSVC 2013 std::mutex crashes 34310 Exiting Backyard soccer 2004 leaves only a small portion of screen usable 34518 MS Powerpoint 2007: Crashes on embedded vector graphic 34582 Gothic: problems with mouse look 34716 HippoAnimator3 fails on startup, complains 'Invalid name' (GetTempPathW on poisoned stack buffer) 34809 WinDirStat: command line here (right click on file) doesn't work 35361 Multiple games and applications crash or freeze on input (Steam with in-game community overlay enabled, The Scourge Project)(cross-process/thread IME manipulation is forbidden) 35369 differences between./dlls/shlwapi/wsprintf.c and./dlls/user32/wsprintf.c 35429 Naver LINE crashes when you close a window 35463 shell32/tests shlfileop : would fail depending on locale settings 35508 File picker in LMMS 0.9.90 Win32 doesn't show files 35781 kernel32/pipe test fails 36005 windowscodecs/metadata tests fail with WINEDEBUG=warn+heap 36090 Outside ground textures in WildStar Online are corrupted 36371 Visolve Deflector Black Screen 36594 valgrind shows uninitialized memory use in windowscodecs/tests/metadata.c 36868 Builtin browser can't submit HTML <form> if target is "_blank" 36874 Incorrect check in SrcColorKey32BlitTest() 37046 Roblox Studio/Player fails to download games ('Accept-Encoding' header is valid for 'HTTP/1.0' requests) 37261 Dasher crashes on start in mshtml:get_node() 37888 mshtml: multi-line text inside a <pre> element is rendered in a single line 38091 Desperados 2 v1.01: speech missing (needs msvcp71.dll.?do_date_order@?$time_get@DV?$istreambuf_iterator@DU?$char_traits@D@std@@@std@@@std@@MBE?AW4dateorder@time_base@2@XZ) 38106 Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 fails to install, load_streams unable to open stream 38111 Desperados 2 v1.01: assigned keys not displayed properly in the options menu (needs msvcp71.dll.?_Getcat@facet@locale@std@@SAIPAPBV123@@Z) 38122 Spelling mistake in Dutch crash dialog 38129 Wavelab 6.1.1 crashes 38143 IO completions cause wineserver to leak APC packets 38144 Condemned: Criminal Origins: online activation fails 38165 F.E.A.R 1 freezing in the menu (network related) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Changes since 1.7.37: Akihiro Sagawa (6): po: Update Japanese translation. winmm/tests: Add tests for PlaySound(). winmm: Add.wav extension when searching for PlaySound. po: Update Japanese translation. winmm/tests: Add MCI_SETAUDIO command tests. mciqtz: Implement MCI_DGV_SETAUDIO_VOLUME. Alex Henrie (1): x3daudio1_2: Add stub dll. Alexandre Julliard (34): schedsvc/tests: Don't depend on folder enumeration order. user32/tests: Ignore WM_PAINT messages in GetMessagePos test. user32/tests: Avoid a race with the get/set window text threads. kernel32/tests: Try harder to empty the pipe for completion notification. dinput: Implement GetDeviceInfo for Linux joystick. imm32: Add a helper function to get the default context. imm32: Simplify the helper functions to retrieve the thread data. imm32: Remove redundant IsWindow calls. ntdll: Use the fileio structure and callback also for ioctl calls. ntdll: Move NtNotifyChangeDirectoryFile to file.c and make it use the standard fileio structure. ntdll: Don't queue a user APC when there is no callback function. ws2_32: Add a common header to the async I/O structures. ws2_32: Add a separate structure for async shutdowns. ws2_32: Don't queue a user APC when there is no callback function. server: Allow passing an argument for the user APC async I/O callbacks. ntdll: Allow specifying the user APC argument in the system APC callback. ntdll: Avoid the intermediate user APC callback. Revert "shell32: Also return Attributes in GetFolderDefinition." include: Avoid IKsPropertySet forward type redefinition. wrc: Remove duplicate parentheses. winebuild: Avoid assigning values outside of the target_cpu enum range. msvcp90: Add support for throwing bad cast exception to avoid unused variable warning. msvcrt: Undefine __thiscall before redefining it. msvcrt: Use the correct object type for __non_rtti_object exceptions. oledb32/tests: The destination array address can't be modified by the called function. shell32/tests: Use NULL for a null pointer. mmdevapi/tests: Use float constants with fabsf. scrrun: Fix typo in header guard. gdi32: Use shorter constants for byte and word masks to avoid warnings. wininet: Hardcode the base64 table to avoid ugly macros. mountmgr: Don't access the IRP after it has been completed. ntoskrnl: Use the IRP allocation routines for standard ioctl processing. ntoskrnl: Use the MDL allocation routines for standard ioctl processing. ntoskrnl: Get rid of the IRP instance list. Alistair Leslie-Hughes (4): dpnet: Add check for mismatched string lengths. dpnet: Free previous allocated data. dpnet: Always update type since it might change. dpnet: Correct usage of memcpy in GetComponentByName. Amine Khaldi (3): dinput/tests: Declare pDirectInputCreateEx in a MSVC compatible way. include: Complete and properly pack DNS_HEADER structure. include: Correct DDSCAPS2 and DDSURFACEDESC2 structures and their uses. Andrew Eikum (10): advapi32: Stub EventActivityIdControl. services: Monitor process handles for process quit. advapi32/tests: Don't test service timeout. advapi32: Partially implement NotifyServiceStatusChangeW. shell32: Rearrange error handling in IKnownFolder::GetFolderDefinition. shell32: Use a helper function to get DWORDs from registry. shell32: Use a helper function to allocate strings from the registry. shell32: Also return ParentFolder ID in GetFolderDefinition. shell32: Also return RelativePath in GetFolderDefinition. shell32: Fall back on CSIDL path for knownfolders without a path in the registry. Andrey Gusev (5): po: Fix a mistake in Dutch translation. x3daudio1_4: Add stub dll. x3daudio1_5: Add stub dll. x3daudio1_3: Add stub dll. po: Update Ukrainian translation. André Hentschel (6): taskmgr: Remove dead code. ole32: Remove unused macros. strmbase: Remove unused macro. oleaut32: Remove unused macros. msxml3: Declare debug channels only when needed (Clang). shell32: Don't call Drop without valid target. Aric Stewart (5): imm32: Move thread data from TLSEntry to an internal list. imm32: Do not let ImmDestroyContext destroy any default contexts. imm32: Use thread data from target HWND. imm32: Restrict cross-thread association and destruction. imm32: Limit cross thread access to ImmSet* functions. Aurimas Fišeras (3): po: Update Lithuanian translation. po: Update Lithuanian translation. po: Update Lithuanian translation. Austin English (4): x3daudio1_6: Add stub dll. shlwapi: Sync wsprintf implementation from user32. include: Add more entries to msasn1.h. include: Add ASN1_* function prototypes. Bruno Jesus (4): kernel32/tests: Add more GetTempPath tests. kernel32: GetTempPathW must zero the remaining buffer. kernel32: In GetTempPathW only copy the path if it fits and zero the buffer when it doesn't. ws2_32: Make closesocket() more robust. Christian Costa (2): windowscodecs: Fix init of LONGLONG variable with a negative value in TGA decoder. d3dx9_36: Fix d3dx9_skin_info_ConvertToIndexedBlendedMesh stub. Damjan Jovanovic (1): winex11.drv: Support XDnD version 5. Daniel Lehman (1): wininet: Eat terminator on last chunk. François Gouget (13): advapi32: Fix compilation on systems that don't support nameless unions. dbghelp: Fix compilation on systems that don't support nameless unions. include/ddk: Make ntddk.h compatible with systems that don't support nameless unions. services: Fix compilation on systems that don't support nameless unions. mshtml: Make insert_adjacent_node() static. dinput: IDirectInputDevice8WImpl_SetActionMap() is redundant so remove it. ndis.sys: Convert ndis.sys to a native driver as it should be. advapi32/tests: Make cb_{running,stopped}() static. advapi32: Avoid defining SECURITY_INFORMATION multiple times. ole32: Don't define NONAMELESSUNION in olestd.h. It's not needed anyway. d3dx9_36: Remove unneeded NONAMELESSXXX directives. mountmgr.sys: Remove unneeded NONAMELESSXXX directives. hal: Remove unneeded NONAMELESSXXX directives. Hans Leidekker (3): msi: Decode stream names in load_streams. msi: Support updating streams. msi: Add offsets to file patch sequence numbers. Henri Verbeet (25): d3d10core: Implement d3d10_device_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_device_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_device_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_texture2d_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_texture2d_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_texture2d_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_query_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_query_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_query_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_buffer_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_buffer_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_buffer_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_input_layout_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_input_layout_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_input_layout_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_vertex_shader_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_vertex_shader_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_vertex_shader_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_geometry_shader_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_geometry_shader_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_geometry_shader_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_pixel_shader_SetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_pixel_shader_SetPrivateDataInterface(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_pixel_shader_GetPrivateData(). d3d10core: Implement d3d10_blend_state_SetPrivateData(). Jacek Caban (21): hhctrl.ocx: Store WebBrowser container struct instead of interfaces in HHInfo. mshtml: Added OLECMDID_COPY implementation. mshtml: Share OLECMDID_SELECTALL implementation with IDM_SELECTALL. mshtml: Added support for CONTEXT_MENU_TEXTSELECT context menu type. hhctrl.ocx: Added support for context menus. wininet: Call WSACleanup only if WSAStartup was previously called successfully. mshtml: Correctly handle S_OK with NULL URL return from TranslateUrl. mshtml: Wine Gecko 2.36 release. appwiz.cpl: Use custom user agent string for addon downloader. urlmon: Added IInternetBindInfo implementation to BindStatusCallback object. mshtml: Use return_nsstr helper in IHTMLDocument5::get_compatMode. vbscript: Added support for DISPATCH_PROPERTYPUTREF flag. vbscript: Pass DISPATCH_PROPERTYPUTREF flag to InvokeEx when apropriate. vbscript: Convert VT_DISPATCH propput value to trivial value if DISPATCH_PROPERTYPUTREF is not set. vbscript: Fail to set non-object values with DISPATCH_PROPERTYPUTREF flag. vbscript: Leave assigning value up to add_dynamic_var callers. vbscript: Leave converting object to trivial values up to calee. vbscript: Added DISPATCH_PROPERTYPUTREF tests. appwiz.cpl: Include package version in request URL. vbscript: Added a helper for getting default IDispatch value. mshtml: Return S_OK in IHTMLPluginsCollection::refresh. Jonathan Vollebregt (3): reg: Add sane_path function to do preliminary key validation. reg: Add a check for multiple backslashes at the end of the key. reg: Add wchar/type conversion functions. Julian Rüger (1): po: Update German translation. Lauri Kenttä (1): po: Update Finnish translation. Marcus Meissner (1): dsound: If 3d sound is disabled, just return (Coverity). Mark Harmstone (11): winecfg: Refresh sys params on theme change. dsound/tests: Add a test for SetFX. include: Add IMediaObject interfaces. include: Add definition for KSDATAFORMAT_TYPE_AUDIO. include: Add definition of GUID_All_Objects. comctl32: Call OpenThemeData on themed scrollbars. dsound/tests: Add GetObjectInPath tests. comctl32: Paint themed scrollbars. comctl32: Add hit testing for themed scrollbars. comctl32: Draw hot parts of themed scrollbars. uxtheme: Assume imagecount to be 1 if unspecified. Matteo Bruni (10): opengl32: Filter disabled extensions on OpenGL core profile contexts too. opengl32: Return a NULL pointer for functions requiring unsupported or disabled extensions. d3d8/tests: Move a Present out of the loops in fog_with_shader_test(). wined3d: Use the core version of the INCR_WRAP and DECR_WRAP tokens. wined3d: Remove ARB_/EXT_TEXTURE_ENV_ADD. wined3d: Remove an obsolete comment. wined3d: Drop a few unnecessary &x[0]. wined3d: Add a couple checkGLcall() in surface_prepare_rb(). wined3d: Drop redundant check for instanced rendering from drawStridedFast. d3d9: Pack structures to 4-bytes alignment on x86. Michael Müller (3): wininet: Allow Accept-Encoding for HTTP/1.0 requests. winedevice: Call DriverUnload function when unloading a driver. gdi32: Fix arguments for OSMesaMakeCurrent when using 16 bit formats. Michael Stefaniuc (36): oledlg: RT_DIALOG is already an int resource (PVS-Studio). setupapi: RT_MANIFEST is already an int resource (PVS-Studio). mshtml/tests: Remove an always true conditional subexpression (PVS-Studio). oleaut32/tests: Remove an always true conditional subexpression (PVS-Studio). rsaenh: Remove an always false conditional subexpression (PVS-Studio). wcmd: Remove an unused variable (PVS-Studio). appwiz.cpl: Use the proper type to hold the return value (PVS-Studio). d3d8/tests: Test the return value of CreateVolumeTexture (PVS-Studio). mshtml: RT_HTML is already an INTRESOURCE (PVS-Studio). riched20: Remove no-op addition with 0 (PVS-Studio). crypt32/tests: Remove an unused assignment (PVS-Studio). crypt32/tests: Add a missing test case (PVS-Studio). ieframe: Remove unused assignments (PVS-Studio). d3d9/tests: Actually test some return values (PVS-Studio). ddraw/tests: Actually test some return values (PVS-Studio). kernel32/tests: Actually test a return value (PVS-Studio). oledb32/tests: Remove an unused assignment (PVS-Studio). shell32/tests: Actually test some return values (PVS-Studio). shlwapi: Remove two unused assignments (PVS-Studio). windowscodecs/tests: Actually test some return values (PVS-Studio). winmm/tests: mmioAdvance() returns a MMRESULT and not a size (PVS-Studio). ws2_32/tests: Remove an unused assignment (PVS-Studio). ws2_32/tests: Actually test a return value (PVS-Studio). wininet: Remove unused code, sizeof(void*)%4 is always false (PVS-Studio). version: VS_FILE_INFO is already and INTRESOURCE (PVS-Studio). gdi32: Remove double parentheses, not a misplaced pair (PVS-Studio). mmdevapi/tests: Remove an unused assignment (PVS-Studio). msctf/tests: Remove an unsused assignment (PVS-Studio). mshtml/tests: Remove an unused assignment (PVS-Studio). msvcrt: Clarify comparison of the diff of two unsigneds with 0 (PVS-Studio). mmdevapi: Don't check for IID_IDirectSoundCapture8, it is just a define (PVS-Studio). winhlp32: Simplify code that happened to work by chance (PVS-Studio). wordpad: Simplify code that happened to work by chance (PVS-Studio). ieframe/tests: Merge adjacent identical if's (PVS-Studio). msxml3/tests: Merge two adjacent if blocks with identical condition (PVS-Studio). d3d9/tests: Remove no-op binary & with all 1's (PVS-Studio). Nikolay Sivov (41): dwrite: Use FreeType CMAP cache system instead of parsing tables manually. dwrite/tests: Fixed font instance leak. dwrite/tests: Test default colors of render target memory HDC. dwrite/tests: Place test font file in temporary location, make sure it's deleted after the test. scrrun: Store compare method for dictionary. gameux/tests: Simplify test game registering, add intermediate test checks. gameux/tests: Simplify initial test skipping. scrrun: Implement HashVal property for VT_BSTR case. scrrun: Implement HashVal property for integer keys. scrrun: Implement HashVal for floating point keys. services: Make ChangeServiceConfig2W() rpc call compatible with native one. services: Pass resume index to server. po: Update Russian translation. scrrun/tests: More dictionary tests. scrrun: It's not allowed to change compare mode when dictionary is not empty. include: Fix REPASTESPECIAL definition. include: Fix packing of DWM_BLURBEHIND. advapi32: Fix trace format for access mask in OpenService(). services: Make RPC interface compatible with native. advapi32: Forward to CreateServiceWOW64W() when appropriate. services: Mark WOW64 services in registry. include/debug.h: Support tracing of VT_BSTR|VT_BYREF. scrrun: Implement Add() and RemoveAll() for dictionary. scrrun: Support VT_BSTR|VT_BYREF keys. scrrun: Implement Item() property for dictionary. scrrun: Implement Remove() for dictionary. scrrun: Implement Exists() method for dictionary. comctl32/tests: Fix Monthcal tests failures on some VMs. services: Locate service image in proper system dir for WOW64 case. scrrun: Implement Keys() and Items() of dictionary. scrrun: Implement put_Key() for dictionary. scrrun/tests: A test for adding BYREF item. scrrun: Implement GetExtensionName(). include: Fix null pointer dereference while tracing. rpcrt4: Use RPC_* error code names. rpcrt4: Fix argument check in MesEncodeFixedBufferHandleCreate(). rpcrt4: Implement MesBufferHandleReset(). rpcrt4: Implement MesEncodeDynBufferHandleCreate(). services: Fix GetNotifyResults() prototype. rpcrt4: Implement RPC_FC_CALLBACK_HANDLE handle type for NdrClientCall2(). rpcrt4: Added inline helper to test for Oicf stub descriptions. Piotr Caban (15): winmm: Write user data after headers in mmioAdvance so IDiskOffset is updated correctly. winmm: Save data that was not yet written in mmioSetInfo. winmm: Add RIFF creation tests. msvcp71: Add locale::facet::_Getcat implementation. msvcp: Added _Getdateorder implementation. msvcp90: Added time_get<char> class stub. msvcp90: Added time_get<char>::do_date_order implementation. msvcp: Sync spec files. ieframe/tests: Added more OleObject_Close tests. windowscodecs: Initialize unused part of metadata PROPVARIANT to 0. windowscodecs: Make it possible to use MetadataReaders when COM was not initialized. windowscodecs: Add helper to create internal COM classes without CoCreateInstance call if possible. gdiplus: Don't use CoCreateInstance in decode_image_wic. gdiplus: Don't use CoCreateInstance in get_palette function. gdiplus: Don't use CoCreateInstance in encode_image_wic. Sebastian Lackner (21): shell32: Fix memory leak in ApplicationAssociationRegistration_QueryCurrentDefault. shell32: Simplify check for an empty string. ntdll: Try to handle write-watches while we're on the signal stack. winebuild: Do not access memory below ESP when restoring thread contexts. winex11: Only enable XInput2 cursor warp workaround if necessary. msxml3: Fix incorrect size argument of FormatMessageW. shell32: Fix incorrect size argument of FormatMessageW. browseui: Always use interlocked functions when accessing variable BROWSEUI_refCount. amstream: Do not allow unloading while library is still in use. d3dxof: Do not allow unloading while library is still in use. quartz: Remove unused variable. msctf: Always use interlocked functions when accessing MSCTF_refCount. include: Fix definition of SECTION_BASIC_INFORMATION and SECTION_IMAGE_INFORMATION. ntdll/tests: Add tests for NtQueryLicenseKey. ntdll/tests: Add tests for TpSimpleTryPost function. ddraw: Remove unused code for ChangeUniquenessValue. ole32: Fix an invalid usage of InterlockedCompareExchange. winebuild: Conditionally use different code for restoring the context structure. winecfg: Add library override instead of closing winecfg when pressing Enter. ntdll: Assert when trying to replace an exiting file descriptor in fd_cache. ws2_32: Avoid kernel32 functions in system APC calls. Shuai Meng (1): shell32: Also return Attributes in GetFolderDefinition. Stefan Dösinger (2): d3d9/tests: Extend the FPU setup test. d3d8/tests: Extend the FPU setup test. Thomas Faber (3): wbemprox: Allocate a large enough buffer in get_computername. wbemprox: Implement Win32_ComputerSystem.UserName. wbemprox: Implement MSVC version of do_cpuid. Vincent Povirk (4): xmllite: Fix reader_cmp for multiple characters. crypt32: Add test for PKCS_RSA_PRIVATE_KEY decoding. crypt32: Implement PKCS_RSA_PRIVATE_KEY decoding. mscoree: Update Wine Mono to 4.5.6. -- Alexandre Julliard julliard@winehq.orgPROTESTERS FROM THE Occupy Dame Street movement descended on Pearse Street Garda station in Dublin tonight.
Around 50 protesters staged a protest outside the Garda station having earlier assembled outside the Central Bank on Dame Street where their camp had been taken apart by gardaí earlier this morning.
The protesters were believed to be at the station to request their belongings back. Earlier those who had been camped outside the Central Bank since last October claimed that all their belongings had been taken by Gardaí who moved in at 3am this morning to clear the camp.
Gardaí said tonight there had been no arrests and that the protest has now moved back towards the Central Bank. Gardaí, 40 of whom surrounded Pearse Street station, are following the protesters and there are traffic restrictions in the area.
Here are a selection of photos from the earlier protest:New figures from marijuana business analysts confirm that Los Angeles will continue to be an American cannabis market without peer as legal recreational sales begin in January.
New Frontier Data and delivery platform greenRush today released a new analysis of expected statewide marijuana revenues and online sales projections that puts L.A. at the center of the action in the United States. "Los Angeles will likely become the largest cannabis market in California — and eventually the world — after adult use is implemented in the state," according to the report, "Cannabis on Demand: Evolving Trends in California’s Medical Market."
"We expect Los Angeles to be the single largest city market in America for a time to come," says John Kagia, executive vice president for industry analytics at New Frontier Data. "When we think of all the other top-tier cities in the U.S. — New York, Chicago, Houston — most won't have legalized adult use in the near future."In the past couple of days, several women have come forward with sexual-assault allegations against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. His opponent Hillary Clinton’s campaign responded with a statement that called the accusations “disturbing,” adding that it “sadly fits everything we know about the way Donald Trump has treated women.” And even Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson (née WeedLover420) has felt it necessary to speak out about the issue.
In an email sent on Wednesday night, Johnson — or, rather, a member of his campaign staff, perhaps even Melissa Joan Hart herself — wrote that he was releasing a statement “re: allegations of inappropriate behavior by Donald Trump towards” … “mowmen.” Who???
Best typo of 2016: Gary Johnson responds to Trump’s treatment of Mowmen. pic.twitter.com/a0ZeS2cuHJ — Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) October 13, 2016
Aw, Gary, c’mon. Mowmen?! Spell-check, my man.A year after Radcliffe Roye went to New Orleans to photograph survivors of Hurricane Katrina, his archives were crammed with hundreds of 4-by-5 images that sat unseen and unpublished. He wonders now whether, if Instagram had existed at the time, he would have had a better opportunity to share the voices of the people working to rebuild their city.
Last year, when Hurricane Sandy ravaged Breezy Point, Queens, he was ready. With only his smartphone, he uploaded a stream of haunting and raw images of the devastation to Instagram, the photo-sharing site, where he now has nearly 27,000 followers. A few days later, The New Yorker came calling.
Telling stories this way has always fascinated Mr. Roye, a 43-year-old Jamaican photographer who cares deeply about “the forgotten man” — the diverse, blue-collar residents of his Brooklyn neighborhood, Bedford-Stuyvesant. |
property.
Do not conduct surveillance or photograph persons in areas where there is an expectation of privacy without the individual’s permission (see AMA’s privacy policy).
Users of commercial and recreational UAS should be aware that in remote, rural and agricultural areas, manned aircraft, including fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, may be operating very close to ground level. Pilots conducting agricultural, firefighting, law enforcement, emergency medical, wildlife survey operations and a variety of other services all legally and routinely work in low-level airspace. Operators controlling UAS in these areas should maintain situational awareness, give way to, and remain a safe distance from these low-level, manned airplanes and helicopters.
Interested in e-learning more?
Check out What to know before you fly, an educational course from the AMA that teaches the basics of SUAS, their operation and the airspace.LG is reportedly planning to release its premium V30 smartphone in September, and it’s thought that it’ll have an OLED screen instead of an LCD one. According to notable leaker Evan Blass, the original concept for the phone could also feature a slide-out secondary display.
Blass released a series of renders, cautioning that the images are older mock-ups, and it’s not clear if the phone is actually going to feature the secondary display as imagined. The renders reveal a primary screen that could slide up to reveal a second one under it, which could be used for a keyboard, search results, or additional controls that might otherwise obstruct what you’re looking at.
Weekend bonus: this is an old-ish mockup of Project Joan, a.k.a. the LG V30. Not clear if the project is still headed in this direction. [1] pic.twitter.com/k5jNJ7DyLz — Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 27, 2017
Here's how the device was envisioned to look with the secondary display fully extended. [2] pic.twitter.com/HNkZErj7xB — Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 27, 2017
Finally, several use-case scenarios for the second screen. [3] pic.twitter.com/ZKucMOScam — Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 27, 2017
The device looks a little like the BlackBerry PRIV, which features a slide-up screen that reveals a keyboard, or even Apple’s Touch Bar, which displays app-specific commands. It remains to be seen just what the final version of the phone will look like, and if it’ll include the slide-out display. We’ll find out later this fall.MEDIA INFORMATION COLLECTION NAME: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection Record Author: Rand McNally and Company Author: Sparks, John B. Date: 1931 Short Title: The Histomap. Publisher: Rand McNally and Company Publisher Location: Chicago Type: Timeline Obj Height cm: 158 Obj Width cm: 31 Note: Histomap is accompanied by a Foreword explaining the purpose and layout of the history. Map and Foreword slide into a green folder with title and relevant information, such as price, on the outside. World Area: World Subject: Pictorial map Subject: Historical Subject: Data Visualization Full Title: The Histomap. Four Thousand Years Of World History. Relative Power Of Contemporary States, Nations And Empires. Copyright by John B. Sparks. Published by Histomap, Inc. Chicago, Ill. Printed and distributed in the U.S.A. by Rand McNally & Co., Chicago, Ill. List No: 1810.001 Series No: 2 Publication Author: Sparks, John B. Publication Author: Rand McNally and Company Pub Date: 1931 Pub Title: The Histomap. Four Thousand Years Of World History. Relative Power Of Contemporary States, Nations And Empires. Copyright by John B. Sparks. Published by Histomap, Inc. Chicago, Ill. Printed and distributed in the U.S.A. by Rand McNally & Co., Chicago, Ill. Pub Note: See note field above. Pub List No: 1810.000 Pub Type: Timeline Pub Height cm: 158 Pub Width cm: 31 Image No: 1810001 Download 1: Full Image Download Download 2: GeoViewer for JP2 and SID files Authors: Rand McNally and Company; Sparks, John B. The Histomap. Related BUY PRINT EXPORTComments
I see the is categorized as "sad". I know where you're comming from, but it definately made me smile at the same time. I hope that mother reads this and it makes HER think about her sons health. #1 - by nicoleeee
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I'm 18 and have been working at McDonald's for about 4 years, the saddest thing to see is parents bring their kids EVERYDAY into, order them the SAME amount of crap EVERYDAY, and scold them for being misbehaved. #2 - by mharriga
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made me sick, i dont want to get all political but it truly illustrates our misconception of food and how we have been eating more and more poison. definitely sad.....see "food inc" #3 - by mfaller
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Honestly, as much as McDonald's is horrible for you, it's better than just straight ice cream, isn't it? Don't Big Macs at least have a form of meat product, and at least a leaf of lettuce? I completely agree that McDonald's isn't the best food available, but a Big Mac is more filling, at the absolute least, than a cup of ice cream. #5 - by truthtruthlie
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I see your point, but in her defense, her son might have just been an EXTREMELY picky eater. One of my little brothers is like that, and every now and then, I admit to caving and buying him a pizza or McFood just so he'd eat SOMETHING. #6 - by Nocturnesthesia
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Add a commentIt was 25 years ago today that A Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released on the Super Nintendo. That game, building on the success of prior entries, sought to create a world that captured the magic of the original with a cutting-edge presentation. Lands were more vibrant, colors were brighter, sprites more detailed, but underlying the entirety of the game was a simple premise: save the princess from an evil wizard who has split the world in two.
In entertainment, everyone is taught to be able to make an elevator pitch. This pitch, thirty seconds or less, should summarize the core of your story so quickly that it captures your audience from the start. Writers are taught to be able to summarize their stories in much the same way. Whether presenting to agents and publishers or trying to win a book sale, authors need to be able to encapsulate their entire story into a single core idea that can easily be communicated.
At the core of the Legend of Zelda franchise, the concept of saving the princess has been built upon for decades. The original Zelda entry was a straightforward demonstration of the idea, and required Link to gather eight pieces of the Triforce in order to overthrow the evil thief-wizard, Ganon. The Game Boy entry, a Link to the Past, set aside this premise in favor of a dreamscape world where reality wasn’t what it seemed.
So, there was a five-year gap between 1986 and 1991 in which Nintendo worked to create one of the most highly lauded games of all time. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past returned to the timeless premise of the original, except this time building upon that core idea by including a much more expansive world, dozens of original and interesting characters, and a number of magical items that have now become staples of the franchise.
The introduction to the game was simple, beginning on a rainy night (a traditional omen of dark times ahead) and quickly introducing Link, a young boy who pursued his uncle into the dungeons beneath Hyrule Castle. Nintendo sets up a number of plot elements in quick succession here. From the death of his uncle due to injury, to his rescue of the princess, to his quest to attain the Master Sword and defeat Agahnim, Link is tasked in rapid succession with a number of duties.
Importantly, Nintendo would build upon its premise in many of its future games, even if it began to vary the pace at which the overarching plot was introduced. The Ocarina of Time presented Link as a member of an insulated culture of Kokiri, and it took time before the Great Deku Tree sent Link to find and help Zelda. Twilight Princess introduced Link as part of an isolated farming village before he departed to Hyrule Castle for the first time. Even in games when Zelda wasn’t properly a princess, such as Skyward Sword, Nintendo continued to rely on the premise of helping Zelda as a means of motivating the action.
Interestingly, while some might call this a trope that lends itself to bad or outdated storytelling, the exact opposite can also be true. The premise is so basic and flexible that Nintendo was able to update the concept in future iterations of the series. Beginning in the Ocarina of Time, Zelda became a much more active force in Link’s Quest, as her role in the persona of Sheik had her guiding the young hero through the course of his journey. In Wind Waker, she was a brash pirate captain leading her crew across the seas and coming into conflict with Ganondorf. At the extreme end, Hyrule Warriors was an example of Zelda taking on a large combat role. However, constant throughout all those games was one underlying premise: rescue the princess.
Because, in the end, there was still a Ganon waiting to conquer the world and still a Zelda he needed to overthrow to do that. As the series continued, the premise never changed, but the way the characters were portrayed within that initial framework did. In some iterations of the series, particularly Wind Waker, Ganon was a far more sympathetic being who only wanted to save his people from their harsh lives in the desert. Zelda transitioned between pirate, to princess, to (technically) queen, and the powers attributed to her changed drastically between games. In later games in the series, she took on a supporting role in helping Link defeat Ganon during their final battles
Link remained the hero throughout all these iterations, but again, the flexible premise underlying the Zelda franchise makes few demands of its characters. Saving the princess does not mean the princess is helpless, and in the narrative of the games, Zelda’s role became more active through her guidance and support of Link. Her role grew, even as the premise remained constant.
The flexibility of the premise also allowed each iteration to make it own additions to the narrative that did not need to contradict previous additions. To take a look back at A Link to the Past, we see the introduction of the Dark World, the Master Sword, the existence of the Goddesses, the first notion that Ganon can inhabit different forms, and so on.
The power of a simple premise is that it can be built upon time and again while each time making the narrative your own. Story tellers and writers shouldn’t shy away from these core ideas simply because some people consider them tropes. Rather, writers can work with these concepts and make them their own, building upon the basic structure and creating amazing narratives from them. Nintendo has demonstrated this time and again throughout its history, which is why the Legend of Zelda remains one of the most recognizable franchises today.
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Jason Luthor is the author of the science fiction and dystopian horror, FLOOR 21.Get the biggest MyWestLondon News stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Members of a moped robbery gang who snatched more than 100 mobiles during a string of attacks in London have been jailed for 13 years.
Claude Parkinson, 18, and two other teenagers, aged 15 and 16 and both from Islington, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, admitted to conspiracy to rob between April 18 and May 5.
The teenagers targeted people on the streets of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Islington and Camden over the course of three weeks, between April 18 and May 5 this year.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the offences took place on just five days.
During this period, there were 212 robbery and snatch offences in Westminster - 83 of these were committed by this gang, according to the Met Police.
Parkinson, of Thornhill Square, N1, was sentenced to five years and three months' imprisonment by Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday (October 11).
The two other teenagers were jailed for four years and two months each.
Masking their appearance with helmets and motorcycle clothing, the gang rode on two motorbikes and pounced on members of the public, often driving at speed up onto pavements to steal phones.
On several occasions they used violence, wielding a hammer and a tyre lever.
At one point they used the hammer to smash the window of a car which chased them.
Andrew Caird, the CPS reviewing lawyer, said: “These young men preyed on a huge number of members of the public on the streets of London over a series of days, using violence or threats on some occasions.
“Their victims were in many cases extremely traumatised by the robberies, and on at least one occasion a victim was very nearly hit by the mopeds.”
The teenagers were part of a wider crime wave of more than 100 such offences a week at one point in Westminster alone, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Parkinson rode the lead moped on all five days, while the two other teens admitted being involved in 42 offences each over two days.
A fourth man, Samsul Chowdhury, 40, of Usk Street, E2, who also admitted being part of the conspiracy to rob, admitted a further charge of handling stolen goods at an earlier hearing.
He was jailed for four years and 10 months on Wednesday (October 11).
Known as ‘Boss’ he had advertised that he was willing to pay money for mobile telephones and had been in regular contact with the gang.
When his home was raided police found 35 phones, several laptops and other items stolen from two residential burglaries.
His detailed accounts showed between April 5 and May 17 this year he sold 327 items for a total of £52,150.
Speaking after the teenagers' sentencing, Mr Caird added: “One witness described them whooping with joy as they made a snatch.
“However photos of the gang taken on May 4 by a photographer with a long lens captured such detail of Parkinson’s distinctive eyes, fingers and jacket, that he was identified.
“This along with mobile phone message data, clothing comparisons, and eyewitness accounts led to the guilty pleas and today’s prison sentences.
“Londoners should be able to go about their daily lives without being targeted on the streets in this way.”
Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.
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Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android.You've been asking for awesome tokens, and this campaign can make it happen! And best of all, you will be involved in the process of creating some of these collector tokens. You can help me design a new token. You can get yourself immortalized as a token. You can own one of the original paintings. Through stretch goals, you'll all get to help decide on which new tokens will be added! Be the envy of your friends or better yet, get them a Collector Pack too!
My goal is to produce the most incredible, beautifully illustrated Collector Pack of Tokens. Each Collector Pack comes with 54 full-color card tokens printed on high quality, and hard to crease industry quality cardstock. These card tokens match the size and quality of most trading card games so they’ll fit in perfectly with your deck. The cards come packaged in their very own full-color box featuring ultra-violet varnish coating to ensure the packaging art stays vivid and striking.
I’ve already created most of the artwork for these card tokens (which you can see below), but I’ll be revealing more artwork during this campaign exclusively here on Kickstarter.
Signed cards really complete the design.
Each pack will contain the following collector tokens with more to be revealed during the campaign and created after the Kickstarter ends.
Printed on 300gsm regulation quality cardstock with a smooth aqueous coating. They fit nicely into perfect fit sleeves.
I'll be updating the deck list images throughout the campaign, so check back often.
Perfect Fit
For the discerning fan interested to know if these cards fit into "perfect fit" card sleeves, have a look. UPDATE: The tokens will now be cut to a fraction smaller and fit even better into perfect fits! 63mm x 88mm.
Note: The final card design has changed slightly.
This is pretty cool. It might be hard to describe but, once you have one in your hands you don't want to put it down. It feels like ooze! Check out this little video to give you a better idea.
There are now 3 options.
I've teamed up with some amazing folks who have transformed my tokens into wood engravings. Each token is laser cut into beautiful birch. They even smell great. The scent will remind you or the campfire on a cool fall day. I have an elemental and a cat currently available for this Kickstarter. On the back of each token is the elements of the regular card token back. They are so tactile, you'll have a hard time keeping these out of your hands.
HOW TO ADD-ON TO YOUR BACKER PLEDGE
Press “Manage Your Pledge”. If you have not backed this project yet it will say “Back This Project”.
Increase your pledge in the Pledge Amount Box by the total price of the add-ons you would like to add. For example, add $1 for an extra Goblin Token.
Do not change the tier you are currently pledged at, unless you would like to change it. If you do, you will also need to add the add-ons amount to the new tier.
Once the Kickstarter ends you will receive a survey that will ask you questions how you want the add-on money assigned. I'll be using Backerkit to make this process very easy.
Shipping and Handling is free to US backers. Additional shipping is needed for worldwide shipping.
Josh Krause is currently running a Classic Art Token campaign right here on Kickstarter as well. Josh is a good friend and an amazing champion of the artists of the gaming community. We wanted to thank our fans who have supported both of our campaigns with limited edition tokens.
Support both campaigns and automatically get these tokens added to your respective orders. We take care of this process on our end.
Fun interview with the cast of Brainstorm Brewery Podcast
Click the logo to go to their site and listen.
Thumbs up from The Meadery!
About the illustrator
Aaron Miller is a professional illustrator from Chicago, Illinois USA. Specializing in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. Featured projects; Magic: the Gathering, Star Wars LCG, Dungeons & Dragons, and many more.
Note:
If you back this project, make sure you have the correct email address listed in your KS account because that is the ONLY way I will be able to contact you after the end of this campaign to get you your rewards.Before we start discussing such important matters, I feel I need to put my cards on the table. From way back I’ve been a die-hard 70% cocoa-solids-or-nothing type of girl.
I once thought the only answer to the question of whether milk chocolate should even deserve to be called ‘chocolate’ was a resounding N.O.
I’m risking getting myself kicked out of the dark chocolate lovers club here… but I need to share my story.
A few years ago, I took a job which many would consider the ‘holy grail’ of employment.
Yes, I was a chocolate biscuit (cookie) designer for the best chocolate biscuits in Australia. Yes, it was my job to come up with new Tim Tams. And yes I got paid to eat chocolate.
One of my favourite parts of the job was visiting the factory where the chocolate was made. Not exactly Willy-Wonka, but easily the best smelling work place I’ve ever encountered.
The thing that surprised me the most was that when we were making milk chocolate, the smells were actually better than when we were making dark.
At first I just ignored my traitorous nose. But as I learned more about chocolate making, it started to make sense.
During the ‘chonching’ or chocolate making process the chocolate is mixed for long periods of time to give that lovely super smooth texture.
At the same time, the milk proteins in the milk powder used for milk chocolate are able to react with the sugars to produce lovely caramel flavours. These add another dimension to milk chocolate than just the cocoa flavours, the milky flavours and the simple sweetness.
It also makes it smell amazingly good.
So is milk chocolate better than dark?
Really, it depends what you’re in the mood for…
If it’s the smooth richness of a fine chocolate melting in your mouth, dark is where it’s at.
BUT!
If you’re looking for a lovely sweet dessert to end a meal. Sometimes a good caramelly, sweet milk chocolate will be heaven sent. Just make sure it’s real chocolate, not any of that cheap ‘Easter egg’ crap.
How do you tell if chocolate is real chocolate?
Check the ingredients list. It should have ‘cocoa butter, cocoa solids or cocoa mass’ listed. If it just says ‘vegetable oil’ then step away from the packet.
And a quick announcement before I get to the cake recipe…
Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School DOORS are NOW OPEN for a limited time!
To start learning before they close again, go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/svcs
no-bake chocolate peanut butter cake
serves 8-10
This is a super rich cake. Serve small slices! If you’re a die-hard dark chocolate lover, please go ahead and use your favourite 70%+ cocoa solids. Or live dangerously and try your own blend of milk and dark.
200g (7oz) whipping cream
400g (14oz) good quality milk chocolate
200g (7oz) shortbread biscuits
150g (5oz) peanut butter
1. Bring cream to the boil in a small saucepan.
2. Bash or chop chocolate into small chunks and place in a bowl or jug. Add hot cream and stand for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, line a loaf pan with baking paper, cling wrap or foil.
4. Stir cream and chocolate until smooth and well combined. Pour enough melted chocolate into the base of the cake to cover the bottom.
5. Place a layer of shortbread on top. Cover with peanut butter and scatter with flakes of sea salt, if you like the whole sweet and salty thing.
6. Add a final layer of shortbread. Drizzle remaining chocolate over the top.
7. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or longer if possible.
VARIATIONS
dairy-free – use dairy-free cookies instead of buttery shortbread. Replace cream with almond milk or rice milk or coconut milk. And replace milk chocolate with dark. I’d drizzle in a little honey on top of the peanut butter to give a little extra sweetness.
dark chocolate – be a purist and replace milk chocolate with 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate.
nut-free – just skip the peanut butter and make a layer of chocolate between the 2 layers of shortbread.
short on time? – chop the shortbread into chunks to make them easier to eat. Freeze until the chocolate is set.
white chocolate – don’t be tempted. There won’t be enough cocoa solids to get the cake ‘set’.
__________
video version of the recipe
_________
Recently on the Stonesoup Diaries
:: The easiest way to steam greens
:: Kale. The ultimate pizza topping?
:: What would you cook if you lost your sense of smell?
________
Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School DOORS NOW OPEN!
The doors to the Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School are open now, for a limited time.
To secure your place in the ‘Master Your Meal Plan’ class AND our April class ‘The Weekend Cook – How to Prepare for the Busy Week Ahead‘ go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/svcs
Happy Easter!
Cheers
Jules x
PS. Wondering if classes at the Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School can help YOU?
Here’s what current students are saying about the classes…
Elizabeth, SVCS Student.
The template recipes are a new flexible approach to cooking with what you have/what you want. They have sparked creativity and better nutrition, not to mention less waste. Each lesson has had a positive impact on our cooking and eating habits.
Amy, SVCS Student.
Yes, I would definitely recommend ‘Master Your Meal Plan’. Obviously, the content was great, but the videos that let us watch you prepare a dish really made the point that cooking really is a skill that doesn’t have to take hours and hours of time. The course simplified shopping and planning for me.
Julie, SVCS Student.
The whole way I cook has under gone a transformation. Your recipes where the ones that started me down this path, as I find I can manage any of them any night after work.Why a Special Convention is the Wrong Path for DSA
Many DSA comrades acting in good faith and with DSA’s best interests in mind have recently called on DSA to hold a special convention as quickly as possible to resolve continuing tensions around Danny Fetonte’s position on the National Political Committee (NPC). Since the NPC did not vote to remove Fetonte from his position, these comrades argue that the membership should take action to remove him. Because the DSA constitution does not currently contain a recall mechanism, they have proposed to convene an emergency convention of DSA’s membership that could recall Fetonte and thereby resolve the present tensions in DSA that are keeping so many of us from getting back to work on growing our movement and moving our many important campaigns forward. While I very much appreciate the thought and energy that has gone into this effort so far, and respect members’ desire to find a constitutional resolution to this issue, I do not believe that a special convention is the right path for our organization to take.
This is not because I am against democracy in DSA. Far from it. To me DSA’s commitment to radical democratic internal practice is one of, if not the most fundamental strength it has as an organization. For years I have been actively promoting more robust mechanisms of internal debate and decision-making, playing a lead role in developing a year-long organization-wide debate process around the strategy document we approved at the 2015 convention, developing mechanisms for member participation and broad discussion of DSA’s national priorities leading up to the 2017 and as a coauthor of several important democratizing reform proposals put out by the Spring Platform leading up to the 2017 convention, including the NPC petition amendment that we adopted. I strongly support additional mechanisms of accountability, transparency and democratic debate within DSA, including the revival of the National Advisory Committee, a recall mechanism for NPC members, and stronger mechanisms of regional representation within DSA, among other potential reforms. A special convention, however, would not serve these aims, and would be ill-advised for a number of practical reasons that I will lay out below.
This is my argument in short. First, such a convention would almost certainly have to be conducted in person, which would present massive logistical and financial obstacles to DSA and place a tremendous burden on our members’ time and energy in months of preparation. Second, even if a special convention could be conducted virtually, as many members have claimed, it would still be inadvisable to do so. A virtual convention would still require a massive investment of organizational resources that could be much better deployed in other areas. Finally, it would likely increase factionalism and divisiveness in DSA, and would require us to make rushed decisions on extremely important organizational questions that should be debated and discussed at length across the organization before being brought to a DSA convention.
Danny Fetonte has lost nearly all support in the organization and alienated the entire rest of the NPC. He will not be able to shape DSA’s agenda in any meaningful way, and at our 2019 convention he stands no chance at reelection. Rather than prolong a highly-destructive battle within the organization for another half year or more, I strongly suggest that DSA throw itself into the important work of building the movement for democratic socialism in the US.
Why Don’t We Just Hold a Virtual Special Convention?
Simply put, it would be unconstitutional for DSA to hold a virtual special convention. After consulting with experts in parliamentary procedure, it is clear that Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RRONR), which is established in Article XII of DSA’s constitution as the governing rules of DSA, forbids the calling of a virtual convention unless such a procedure is expressly permitted in the constitution. And DSA’s constitution does not expressly permit this. Thus if a special convention is to be held, it must be an in-person convention. (In addition to the procedural reasons why this must be the case, there are also a number of important practical considerations, which I will explore below.)
Some may wonder why it is permissible for the NPC to convene virtually but not a nationwide special convention, since our constitution does not establish a mechanism for the NPC to convene virtually. As as 501c4 organization incorporated in the State of New York, DSA is governed by New York State corporate law. That law expressly permits the virtual convening of board meetings in extenuating circumstances, but forbids the convening of full membership meetings (such as a convention) by virtual means. Why? A meeting of 15–20 people can reasonably approximate the conditions of a live, in-person meeting, but a convention of 600–700 people held online cannot (more on this below). So a special convention would have to take place in person.
The costs of doing an in-person special convention would far outweigh the benefits for us. As much as I’d love to see all my comrades from around the country again, it would be so logistically and financially taxing that it would simply be irresponsible for DSA to do so. The August convention, for instance, cost over $230,000, which is over a quarter of DSA’s 2016 budget, and after accounting for registration fees we still ran a more than $50,000 deficit with the convention. But beyond the cost, we also have to factor in how much it also drained donor pools in chapters across the country (by funding travel expenses and contributions to travel subsidies) and what work was left undone because our staff, national leadership, as well as many chapter leaders were essentially unable to focus on anything other than convention planning for months leading up to the convention. Organizing a special convention would cost DSA the equivalent of two staff organizer positions over the next four to six months (say, roughly, $20,000 for each organizer for 6 months) or potentially more, given that fundraising for the special convention would be much more difficult than for the August National Convention. Generous donors have so recently given a lot of money to get delegates to the convention, and many will likely be tapped out. In turn, DSA would be on the hook to cover travel costs for the many delegates who likely wouldn’t be able to fundraise sufficiently for their travel to the special convention.
There are real tradeoffs involved here. Going through such a process again so shortly after the last convention would mean that in the span of 12 months (spring 2017 through spring 2018) DSA’s staff and leadership would have spent much more time doing the work of planning conventions than they would have spent building DSA’s infrastructure, developing national campaigns, conducting trainings and educational events, etc. We are in too critical of a moment in the development of the US socialist movement to allow this to happen. As many of our limited resources as possible need to be going towards carrying out the priorities we adopted together at the August convention. There is a ton of exciting work to be done in the fight for Medicare for All, labor work, electoral politics, anti-police brutality work, immigrant rights work, environmental justice organizing, etc. We must keep building the organizing capacity of our chapters (ideally by hiring new regional organizers and taking other critical steps to increase transparency and democratic debate in DSA, such as reviving the National Advisory Committee), and continue to build on the success we’ve had over the past year to make DSA a real force in US politics.
Maybe a virtual special convention is unconstitutional, but these are unusual circumstances. Why don’t we just hold it anyway?
Even if a virtual convention were permissible, or if the NPC decided it were permissible to violate the DSA Constitution and move forward with one, it would still be ill-advised. Even though it would be less onerous than an in-person convention, a virtual convention would also place a massive burden on the staff and national leadership, as well as chapter leaders who would be responsible for organizing chapter meetups, finding housing for members, etc. Those who think a virtual conference would be quick and easy haven’t yet thought through all of the steps it would involve and how much work would have to be put into it. As the only person who has actually planned an organization-wide virtual conference for DSA (two, in fact: a strategy discussion leading up to the 2015 convention and the priorities resolution debate this July), I know very intimately the kind of commitment they entail. The amount of time and energy that went into organizing these virtual conferences was huge. In the case of a virtual special convention, however, the logistical requirements placed on all levels of DSA leadership would greatly exceed those we faced in the planning of past virtual conferences.
Unlike previous virtual conferences, for a convention the NPC would have to coordinate delegate elections across the organization and, if necessary, run At-Large delegate elections. We have never had to conduct this process for a national conference before because the number of At-Large members who self-nominate have been fewer than the number of At-Large delegates assigned. We can expect this to no longer be the case with a virtual convention since there would be no travel and fundraising burden for at-large delegates. Every chapter would also have to go through nominating and voting processes for convention delegates. We would also have to go through an extended process of submitting resolutions and constitutional amendments to the convention, which would require DSA to set up a range of venues for pre-convention debate and discussion, as well as chapters to set up various pre-convention debate and discussion meetings.
In the lead up to the recent national convention we began the process of discussing resolutions and amendments as early as three months in advance. In retrospect nearly all of us agree that the calendar leading up to the August convention in Chicago did not allow sufficient time for discussion, debate, and consideration. Many chapters could not properly discuss the proposals because they were so busy with the already high burdens of carrying out our organizing work and other important chapter business. Further, chapter delegate elections occurred before proposals and NPC candidates were announced, so delegates could not run on platforms related to the items that would actually be taken up at the convention. I personally heard from many chapter leaders that in the future we need to allow for considerably more time before the convention in order to have genuinely democratic organization-wide pre-convention discussions. This means a lot more time and a lot more organizational resources than we’ve used in the past, and asking this of DSA mere months after the last convention would be asking too much of an organization that has already put so much of its pressing organizing work on hold for months leading up to the August convention.
To complicate matters further, a special convention cannot simply remove a single NPC member. This is the case because RRONR (570–573) stipulates that in the interpretation of bylaws and constitutions, when a specific manner of carrying out a given act is expressly stipulated in the text all other ways in which the act could be carried out that are not expressly provided for in the constitution/bylaws are prohibited. The DSA constitution stipulates that only the NPC has the authority to remove single NPC members, and therefore a special convention cannot. So, in order to remove Danny Fetonte at the convention, an entirely new NPC election would have to be held. Needless to say, this would entail major time investments in campaigning, candidate debates, and the like, requiring a much higher time commitment by everyone in the preceding months. We should also bear in mind that the lack of sufficient time to vet candidates leading up to the convention is one of the central reasons why we find ourselves in this situation right now. We certainly wouldn’t want to run the risk of committing the same error again. Simply put, a special convention, whether virtual or not, would require truly massive organizational resources that would be much better allocated elsewhere.
Dangers of Factionalism
A special convention under current circumstances would likely prolong and intensify the already high level of factionalism and divisiveness in DSA around the Danny Fetonte situation. This would be a grave risk even if an in-person special convention took place. With tensions so high and levels of trust across the organization so low right now, our collective capacity for comradely debate and good faith discussion will be very limited. It is likely that substantial minorities in the organization will view the outcome of convention decisions as illegitimate and/or unacceptable, which means that there’s a real possibility of mass walkouts, resignations, and even organizational splits. These are not the conditions under which a DSA convention should be held.
If the special convention were held virtually, it would do nothing but exacerbate these risks. When we meet in person, there is at least the potential to address disagreements face-to-face, talk things through, and remind each other that we’re all comrades working together to build a new society. But when we meet virtually there are far fewer opportunities for cooling tensions and humanizing political opponents.
While virtual conferences are preferable to social media debates, they are still vulnerable to many of the same negative dynamics. The lack of any real opportunity to interact with each other at all outside the debate space itself means participants are more apt to engage aggressively and disrespectfully with each other. Participants feel less of a general sense of camaraderie since they’re not in the same room together (this was critical in ensuring that numerous debates at the August convention didn’t drag on indefinitely), and are highly vulnerable to miscommunication and unfounded rumors. Under these conditions, it is very possible that special convention would devolve into vitriolic and counterproductive infighting. In fact, these are conditions that are likely to increase the possibility that we come out of a special convention with even less trust, more rigidly-defined factions, and potentially fewer members than we went in with. If that happens the convention certainly would not have been worth it for us. The risks are too high to justify holding a virtual special convention.
Finally, it is likely that numerous proposals for organizational reforms such as an NPC recall mechanism would be introduced during a virtual special convention. Questions that mean structural changes to DSA are too important to be pushed through an extremely rushed process in which tensions are running high. For such changes to be successful |
oxide. Video display terminals and ultrasound have not been found to have an effect on the rates of miscarriage. In dental offices where nitrous oxide is used with the absence of anesthetic gas scavenging equipment, there is a greater risk of miscarriage. For women who work with cytotoxic antineoplastic chemotherapeutic agents there is a small increased risk of miscarriage. No increased risk for cosmetologists has been found.
Other [ edit ]
Alcohol increases the risk of miscarriage.[29] Progesterone has not been found to be effective in preventing miscarriage.[80] Cocaine use increases the rate of miscarriage.[35] Some infections have been associated with miscarriage. These include Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, group B streptococci, HIV-1, and syphilis. Infections of Chlamydia trachomatis, Camphylobacter fetus, and Toxoplasma gondii have not been found to be linked to miscarriage.[45]
Diagnosis [ edit ]
In the case of blood loss, pain, or both, transvaginal ultrasound is performed. If a viable intrauterine pregnancy is not found with ultrasound, blood tests (serial βHCG tests) can be performed to rule out ectopic pregnancy, which is a life-threatening situation.[81][82]
If hypotension, tachycardia, and anemia are discovered, exclusion of an ectopic pregnancy is important.[82]
A miscarriage may be confirmed by an obstetric ultrasound and by the examination of the passed tissue. When looking for microscopic pathologic symptoms, one looks for the products of conception. Microscopically, these include villi, trophoblast, fetal parts, and background gestational changes in the endometrium. When chromosomal abnormalities are found in more than one miscarriage, genetic testing of both parents may be done.[83]
Ultrasound criteria [ edit ]
A review article in The New England Journal of Medicine based on a consensus meeting of the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound in America (SRU) has suggested that miscarriage should be diagnosed only if any of the following criteria are met upon ultrasonography visualization:[84]
Miscarriaged diagnosed Miscarriage suspected References Crown-rump length of at least 7 mm and no heartbeat. Crown–rump length of less than 7 mm and no heartbeat. [84] Mean gestational sac diameter of at least 25 mm and no embryo. Mean gestational sac diameter of 16–24 mm and no embryo. [84] Absence of embryo with heartbeat at least 2 weeks after an ultrasound scan that showed a gestational sac without a yolk sac. Absence of embryo with heartbeat 7–13 days after an ultrasound scan that showed a gestational sac without a yolk sac. [84] Absence of embryo with heartbeat at least 11 days after an ultrasound scan that showed a gestational sac with a yolk sac. Absence of embryo with heartbeat 7–10 days after a scan that showed a gestational sac with a yolk sac. [84] Absence of embryo at least 6 weeks after last menstrual period. [84] Amniotic sac seen adjacent to yolk sac, and with no visible embryo. [84] Yolk sac of more than 7 mm. [84] Small gestational sac compared to embryo size (less than 5 mm difference between mean sac diameter and crown–rump length). [84]
Classification [ edit ]
A threatened miscarriage describes any bleeding during pregnancy, prior to viability, that has yet to be assessed. At investigation it may be found that the fetus remains viable and the pregnancy continues without further problems.[medical citation needed]
An anembryonic pregnancy (also called an "empty sac" or "blighted ovum") is a condition where the gestational sac develops normally, while the embryonic part of the pregnancy is either absent or stops growing very early. This accounts for approximately half of miscarriages. All other miscarriages are classified as embryonic miscarriages, meaning that there is an embryo present in the gestational sac. Half of embryonic miscarriages have aneuploidy (an abnormal number of chromosomes).[45]
An inevitable miscarriage occurs when the cervix has already dilated,[86] but the fetus has yet to be expelled. This usually will progress to a complete miscarriage. The fetus may or may not have cardiac activity.
A complete miscarriage is when all products of conception have been expelled; these may include the trophoblast, chorionic villi, gestational sac, yolk sac, and fetal pole (embryo); or later in pregnancy the fetus, umbilical cord, placenta, amniotic fluid, and amniotic membrane. The presence of a pregnancy test that is still positive as well as an empty uterus upon transvaginal ultrasonography does, however, fulfill the definition of pregnancy of unknown location. Therefore, there may be a need for follow-up pregnancy tests to ensure that there is no remaining pregnancy, including an ectopic pregnancy.
An incomplete miscarriage occurs when some products of conception have been passed, but some remains inside the uterus.[87] However, an increased distance between the uterine walls on transvaginal ultrasonography may also simply be an increased endometrial thickness and/or a polyp. The use of a Doppler ultrasound may be better in confirming the presence of significant retained products of conception in the uterine cavity.[88] In cases of uncertainty, ectopic pregnancy must be excluded using techniques like serial beta-hCG measurements.[88]
A 13-week fetus without cardiac activity located in the uterus (delayed or missed miscarriage)
A missed miscarriage is when the embryo or fetus has died, but a miscarriage has not yet occurred. It is also referred to as delayed miscarriage, silent miscarriage, or missed abortion.[89][90]
A septic miscarriage occurs when the tissue from a missed or incomplete miscarriage becomes infected, which carries the risk of spreading infection (septicaemia) and can be fatal.[45]
Recurrent miscarriage ("recurrent pregnancy loss" (RPL) or "habitual abortion") is the occurrence of multiple consecutive miscarriages; the exact number used to diagnose recurrent miscarriage varies.[45] If the proportion of pregnancies ending in miscarriage is 15% and assuming that miscarriages are independent events,[91] then the probability of two consecutive miscarriages is 2.25% and the probability of three consecutive miscarriages is 0.34%. The occurrence of recurrent pregnancy loss is 1%.[91] A large majority (85%) of those who have had two miscarriages will conceive and carry normally afterward.
The physical symptoms of a miscarriage vary according to the length of pregnancy, though most miscarriages cause pain or cramping. The size of blood clots and pregnancy tissue that are passed become larger with longer gestations. After 13 weeks' gestation, there is a higher risk of placenta retention.[92]
Prevention [ edit ]
Prevention of a miscarriage can sometimes be accomplished by decreasing risk factors.[10] This may include good prenatal care, avoiding drugs and alcohol, preventing infectious diseases, and avoiding x-rays.[10] Identifying the cause of the miscarriage may help prevent future pregnancy loss, especially in cases of recurrent miscarriage. Often there is little a person can do to prevent a miscarriage.[10] Vitamin supplementation before or during pregnancy has not been found to affect the risk of miscarriage.[93]
Non-modifiable risk factors [ edit ]
Preventing a miscarriage in subsequent pregnancies may be enhanced with assessments of:
Modifiable risk factors [ edit ]
Maintaining a healthy weight and good pre-natal care can reduce the risk of miscarriage.[29] Some risk factors can be minimized by avoiding the following:
Smoking [35] [37] [29]
Cocaine use [35]
Alcohol [29]
Poor nutrition
Occupational exposure to agents that can cause miscarriage
Medications associated with miscarriage [62] [29]
Drug abuse[29]
Management [ edit ]
Women who miscarry early in their pregnancy usually do not require any subsequent medical treatment but they can benefit from support and counseling.[23][99] Most early miscarriages will complete on their own; in other cases, medication treatment or aspiration of the products of conception can be used to remove remaining tissue.[100] While bed rest has been advocated to prevent miscarriage, this has not been found to be of benefit.[101] Those who are or who have experienced an abortion benefit from the use of careful medical language. Significant distress can often be managed by the ability of the clinician to clearly explain terms without suggesting that the woman or couple are somehow to blame.[102]
Evidence to support Rho(D) immune globulin after a spontaneous miscarriage is unclear.[103] In the UK, Rho(D) immune globulin is recommended in Rh-negative women after 12 weeks gestational age and before 12 weeks gestational age in those who need surgery or medication to complete the miscarriage.[104]
Methods [ edit ]
No treatment is necessary for a diagnosis of complete miscarriage (so long as ectopic pregnancy is ruled out). In cases of an incomplete miscarriage, empty sac, or missed abortion there are three treatment options: watchful waiting, medical management, and surgical treatment. With no treatment (watchful waiting), most miscarriages (65–80%) will pass naturally within two to six weeks.[105] This treatment avoids the possible side effects and complications of medications and surgery,[106] but increases the risk of mild bleeding, need for unplanned surgical treatment, and incomplete miscarriage. Medical treatment usually consists of using misoprostol (a prostaglandin) to contract the uterus, expelling remaining tissue out of the cervix. This works within a few days in 95% of cases.[105] Vacuum aspiration or sharp curettage can be used, though vacuum aspiration is lower-risk and more common.[105]
Delayed and incomplete miscarriage [ edit ]
In delayed or incomplete miscarriage, treatment depends on the amount of tissue remaining in the uterus. Treatment can include surgical removal of the tissue with vacuum aspiration or misoprostol.[107] Studies looking at the methods of anaesthesia for surgical management of incomplete miscarriage have not shown that any adaptation from normal practice is beneficial.[108] Some organizations recommend delaying sexual relations immediately after a miscarriage to prevent infection.[109] However, there is not sufficient evidence for the routine use of antibiotic to try to avoid infection in incomplete abortion.[110]
Induced miscarriage [ edit ]
An induced abortion may be performed by a physician for women who do not want to continue the pregnancy.[111] Self-induced abortion performed by a woman or non-medical personnel is extremely dangerous and is still a cause of maternal mortality in some countries. In some locales it is illegal or carries heavy social stigma.[112]
Support [ edit ]
Organizations exist that provide information and counseling to help those who have had a miscarriage.[113] Family and friends often conduct a memorial or burial service. Hospitals also can provide support and help memorialize the event. Depending on locale others desire to have a private ceremony.[113] Providing appropriate support with frequent discussions and sympathetic counseling are part of evaluation and treatment. Those who experience unexplained miscarriage can be treated with emotional support.[99][102]
Outcomes [ edit ]
Psychological and emotional effects [ edit ]
A cemetery for miscarried fetuses, stillborn babies, and babies who have died soon after birth
Every woman's personal experience of miscarriage is different, and women who have more than one miscarriage may react differently to each event.[114]
In Western cultures since the 1980s,[114] medical providers assume that experiencing a miscarriage "is a major loss for all pregnant women".[99] A miscarriage can result in anxiety, depression or stress for those involved.[82][115][116] It can have an effect on the whole family.[117] Many of those experiencing a miscarriage go through a grieving process.[3][118][119] "Prenatal attachment" often exists that can be seen as parental sensitivity, love and preoccupation directed toward the unborn child.[120] Serious emotional impact is usually experienced immediately after the miscarriage.[3] Some may go through the same loss when an ectopic pregnancy is terminated.[29] In some, the realization of the loss can take weeks. Providing family support to those experiencing the loss can be challenging because some find comfort in talking about the miscarriage while others may find the event painful to discuss. The father can have the same sense of loss. Expressing feelings of grief and loss can sometimes be harder for men. Some women are able to begin planning their next pregnancy after a few weeks of having the miscarriage. For others, planning another pregnancy can be difficult.[113][109] Some facilities acknowledge the loss. Parents can name and hold their infant. They may be given mementos such as photos and footprints. Some conduct a funeral or memorial service. They may express the loss by planting a tree.[121]
Some health organizations recommend that sexual activity be delayed after the miscarriage. The menstrual cycle should resume after about three to four months.[113] Women report that they were dissatisfied with the care they received from physicians and nurses.[122]
Subsequent pregnancies [ edit ]
Some parents want to try to have a baby very soon after the miscarriage. The decision of trying to become pregnant again can be difficult. Reasons exist that may prompt parents to consider another pregnancy. For older mothers, there may be some sense of urgency. Other parents are optimistic that future pregnancies are likely to be successful. Many are hesitant and want to know about the risk of having another or more miscarriages. Some clinicians recommend that the women have one menstrual cycle before attempting another pregnancy. This is because the date of conception may be hard to determine. Also, the first menstrual cycle after a miscarriage can be much longer or shorter than expected. Parents may be advised to wait even longer if they have experienced late miscarriage or molar pregnancy, or are undergoing tests. Some parents wait for six months based upon recommendations from their health care provider.[109]
The risks of having another miscarriage vary according to the cause. The risk of having another miscarriage after a molar pregnancy is very low. The risk of another miscarriage is highest after the third miscarriage. Pre-conception care is available in some locales.[109]
Later cardiovascular disease [ edit ]
There is a significant association between miscarriage and later development of coronary artery disease, but not of cerebrovascular disease.[123]
Epidemiology [ edit ]
Among women who know they are pregnant, the miscarriage rate is roughly 10% to 20%, while rates among all fertilized zygotes are around 30% to 50%.[1][6][45][99] A 2012 review found the risk of miscarriage between 5 and 20 weeks from 11% to 22%.[124] Up to the 13th week of pregnancy, the risk of miscarriage each week was around 2%, dropping to 1% in week 14 and reducing slowly between 14 and 20 weeks.[124]
The precise rate is not known because a large number of miscarriages occur before pregnancies become established and before the woman is aware they are pregnant.[124] Additionally, those with bleeding in early pregnancy may seek medical care more often than those not experiencing bleeding.[124] Although some studies attempt to account for this by recruiting women who are planning pregnancies and testing for very early pregnancy, they still are not representative of the wider population.[124]
The prevalence of miscarriage increases with the age of both parents.[124][125][126][127] In a Danish register-based study where the prevalence of miscarriage was 11%, the prevalence rose from 9% at 22 years of age to 84% by 48 years of age.[125][needs update] Another, later study in 2013 found that when either parent was over the age of 40, the rate of known miscarriages doubled.[45]
In 2010, 50,000 inpatient admissions for miscarriage occurred in the UK.[13]
Terminology [ edit ]
Most affected women and family members refer to miscarriage as the loss of a baby, rather than an embryo or fetus, and healthcare providers are expected to respect and use the language that the person chooses.[102] Clinical terms can suggest blame, increase distress, and even cause anger. Terms that are known to cause distress in those experiencing miscarriage include:
abortion (including spontaneous abortion ) rather than miscarriage,
(including ) rather than miscarriage, habitual aborter rather than a woman experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss,
rather than a woman experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss, products of conception rather than baby,
rather than baby, blighted ovum rather than early pregnancy loss or delayed miscarriage,
rather than early pregnancy loss or delayed miscarriage, cervical incompetence rather than cervical weakness, and
rather than cervical weakness, and evacuation of retained products of conception (ERPC) rather than surgical management of miscarriage.[102]
Pregnancy loss is a broad term that describes miscarriage, ectopic and molar pregnancies.[102] The term fetal death applies variably in different countries and contexts, sometimes incorporating weight, and gestational age from 16 weeks in Norway, 20 weeks in the US and Australia, 24 weeks in the UK to 26 weeks in Italy and Spain.[128][129][130] A fetus that died before birth after this gestational age may be referred to as a stillbirth.[128] Under UK law, all stillbirths should be registered,[131] although this does not apply to miscarriages.
History [ edit ]
The medical terminology applied to experiences during early pregnancy has changed over time.[132] Before the 1980s, health professionals used the phrase spontaneous abortion for a miscarriage and induced abortion for a termination of the pregnancy.[132][133] In the late 1980s and 1990s, doctors became more conscious of their language in relation to early pregnancy loss. Some medical authors advocated change to use of miscarriage instead of spontaneous abortion because they argued this would be more respectful and help ease a distressing experience.[134][135][needs update] The change was being recommended by some in the profession in Britain in the late 1990s.[136] In 2005 the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) published a paper aiming to facilitate a revision of nomenclature used to describe early pregnancy events.[89]
Society and culture [ edit ]
Society's reactions to miscarriage changed over time.[114] In the early 20th century, the focus was on the mother's physical health and the difficulties and disabilities that miscarriage could produce.[114] Other reactions, such as the expense of medical treatments and relief at ending an unwanted pregnancy, were also heard.[114] In the 1940s and 1950s, people were more likely to express relief, not because the miscarriage ended an unwanted or mistimed pregnancy, but because people believed that miscarriages were primarily caused by birth defects, and miscarrying meant that the family would not raise a child with disabilities.[114] The dominant attitude in the mid-century was that a miscarriage, although temporarily distressing, was a blessing in disguise for the family, and that another pregnancy and a healthier baby would soon follow, especially if women trusted physicians and reduced their anxieties.[114] Media articles were illustrated with pictures of babies, and magazine articles about miscarriage ended by introducing the healthy baby—usually a boy—that had shortly followed it.[114]
Beginning in the 1980s, miscarriage in the US was primarily framed in terms of the individual woman's personal emotional reaction, and especially her grief over a tragic outcome.[114] The subject was portrayed in the media with images of an empty crib or an isolated, grieving woman, and stories about miscarriage were published in general-interest media outlets, not just women's magazines or health magazines.[114] Family members were encouraged to grieve, to memorialize their losses through funerals and other rituals, and to think of themselves as being parents.[114] This shift to recognizing these emotional responses was partly due to medical and political successes, which created an expectation that pregnancies are typically planned and safe, and to women's demands that their emotional reactions no longer be dismissed by the medical establishments.[114] It also reinforces the pro-life movement's belief that human life begins at conception or early in pregnancy, and that motherhood is a desirable life goal.[114] The modern one-size-fits-all model of grief does not fit every woman's experience, and an expectation to perform grief creates unnecessary burdens for some women.[114] The reframing of miscarriage as a private emotional experience brought less awareness of miscarriage and a sense of silence around the subject, especially compared to the public discussion of miscarriage during campaigns for access to birth control during the early 20th century, or the public campaigns to prevent miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant deaths by reducing industrial pollution during the 1970s.[114][137]
In places where induced abortion is illegal or carries social stigma, suspicion may surround miscarriage, complicating an already sensitive issue.
In the 1960s, the use of the word miscarriage in Britain (instead of spontaneous abortion) occurred after changes in legislation.
Developments in ultrasound technology (in the early 1980s) allowed them to identify earlier miscarriages.[132]
According to French statutes, an infant born before the age of viability, determined to be 28 weeks, is not registered as a 'child'. If birth occurs after this, the infant is granted a certificate that allows women who have given birth to a stillborn child, to have a symbolic record of that child. This certificate can include a registered and given name with the purpose of allowing a funeral and acknowledgement of the event.[138][139][140]
Other animals [ edit ]
Miscarriage occurs in all animals that experience pregnancy, though in such contexts it is more commonly referred to as a "spontaneous abortion" (the two terms are synonymous). There are a variety of known risk factors in non-human animals. For example, in sheep, miscarriage may be caused by crowding through doors, or being chased by dogs.[141] In cows, spontaneous abortion may be caused by contagious disease, such as brucellosis or Campylobacter, but often can be controlled by vaccination.[142] In many species of sharks and rays, stress induced miscarriage occurs frequently on capture.[143]
Other diseases are also known to make animals susceptible to miscarriage. Spontaneous abortion occurs in pregnant prairie voles when their mate is removed and they are exposed to a new male,[144] an example of the Bruce effect, although this effect is seen less in wild populations than in the laboratory.[145] Female mice who had spontaneous abortions showed a sharp rise in the amount of time spent with unfamiliar males preceding the abortion than those who did not.[146]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]When I think about the New Fantasyland expansion, what gets me most excited is that Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) is adding two Disney castles to the park – Beast’s Castle, which houses Be Our Guest Restaurant, and the one pictured below, Prince Eric’s Castle, which tops off the Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid attraction.
While we’ve showcased pieces of this castle in previous posts, here’s the first complete look at Prince Eric’s abode. I have to say when I first saw the rendering for this attraction, I had no idea it would possibly turn out to be this amazing!
Just like Beast’s Castle, Prince Eric’s Castle uses the forced perspective technique for which WDI is famous to make the structure appear much larger in size than it is in reality.
Forced perspective, which has been used since Walt Disney oversaw the construction of Disneyland park in the 1950s, is sort of an optical illusion that uses architectural scale to “trick” the eye into believing a building towers above you, when it’s really not as tall as you’d think.
So I have to ask, which of these new castles do you prefer – Beast’s Castle or Prince Eric’s? (Visit this post for a look at Beast’s). I have my favorite. Share yours in the “comments” section below!
Read more posts in the “All in the Details” series from Walt Disney Imagineering:Former state chemist Annie Dookhan pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court today to 27 indictments for allegedly mishandling and tainting drug evidence, including one case where she claimed to have tested a drug sample that wasn’t even in her laboratory at the time.
Dookhan, 35, is at the center of one of the largest law enforcement scandals in recent Massachustts history and her alleged misdeeds in the now closed state drug laboratory in Jamaica Plain may impact tens of thousands of cases and cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Today, Dookhan pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to 27 indictments that allege she deliberately mishandled evidence she was supposed to verify were illegal drugs. and for falsely claiming to have a master’s degree from UMass-Boston.
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Dookhan has been free on $10,000 cash bail when she faced a preliminary round of charges and has also been under a 6 p.m. curfew. Today, her attorney Nicholas Gordon, said in court that Dookhan’s social life has been impacted by the limitation and asked that it be set at 10 p.m., a request that was granted.
Dookhan, dressed in black slacks, a dark blue blouse and a black coat, stood before Trial Magistrate Gary Wilson and in a soft tone uttered “not guilty’’ as the court clerk read off the charges. She left the courthouse holding hands with her husband, Surrendranath Dookhan, without commenting.
Her attorney, Nicholas Gordon, declined comment, saying he has not had a chance to review the evidence in the case.
The indictments, involving 22 defendants overall, allege that Dookhan altered drug tests in six cases and improperly removed drug samples from the evidence room in another, forging a colleague’s initials to cover up her misconduct. She faces an additional 17 counts of obstruction of justice in cases from counties across Eastern Massachusetts, including Suffolk, Plymouth, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex, and Bristol.
Each count of tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice carries up to 10 years in state prison. The single perjury count carries up to 20 years in prison. Lying about her degree is a misdemeanor, carrying up to 2½ years in county jail.
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Dookhan allegedly “dry labbed’’ seized drugs, which means she falsely certified that she tested samples when, in fact, she had merely made a visual examination. In papers filed in court today, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office alleged that Dookhan certified she had completed testing on some drug samples – six months after the evidence was sent back to the investigating police agency.
During Dookhan’s nine years at the lab, authorities allege, a second chemist would test the same sample as Dookhan and come up with a different result. When the samples were sent back to Dookhan, she allegedly tampered with them to make them match her inaccurate results.
Dookhan worked for the Department of Public Health from 2003 until she resigned under pressure in March. She was the lab’s most productive chemist before she breached the chain of custody in June 2011 by removing 90 samples from the lab’s evidence room without signing them out.
She continued to work in the lab after the protocol violation, though she was barred from doing actual testing. And she continued to testify in cases almost until the day she was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 21.
Prosecutors, defense lawyers, and state officials believe her actions may have undermined tens of thousands of cases that were prosecuted during her career, imposing an enormous cost to review and potentially retry many of the cases. Prosecutors, the Committee on Public Counsel Services, municipal governments, and social service agencies have already requested millions of dollars to deal with increased caseloads, and Patrick has requested $30 million to manage the crisis.
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Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said last week that 159 defendants statewide had been released to the streets so far in the drug lab scandal, and eight have been rearrested.With America creating jobs fast, some are starting to worry about inflation taking hold. Stagnating Britain can only wish it had such a problem
With the UK economy going sideways and continental Europe in the doldrums, all eyes are on the US. It could be a "breakout" year. That's the phrase used by a respected group of analysts at Société Générale, who believe the US economy, after years spent taxiing down the runway, is about to take off. Friday's jobs numbers, which showed the unemployment rate tumbling to 7.7% from 7.9%, added to the growing euphoria.
Such is the momentum that many who make their money on the US stock market are preparing for the day when the Federal Reserve stops pumping money into the economy. Before too long, they argue, it will even be forced to raise interest rates.
According to analysts at fund manager M&G the 236,000 extra jobs the US added in February will bring the unemployment rate down to 6.5% by the summer of 2014. The 6.5% number is important because that is the level Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, has made his target before he turns off the money taps. The central bank is currently buying in $85bn (£57bn) of assets a month.
In theory, stock markets that have risen on the back of central bank pump priming will cope with the decline in quantitative easing by switching their focus to the resurgence in growth. Like drug addicts who find their supply lines cut, they will stay happy by mainlining the next best thing – a booming economy based on rising property values and consumer borrowing.
But before criticising the nature of that US boom, which would appear to be storing up the same problems that led to the sub-prime crisis, we should consider how likely it is that market theory will become market fact.
Fox News, CNBC and Bloomberg TV have spent much of the last four years parading a succession of pundits, analysts and economists who insist that the Federal Reserve's $2trn injection of funds under its quantitative easing policy will eventually create hyper-inflation.
The argument runs that when growth returns, today's pessimist investors will switch to optimists, and far from releasing a steady trickle of private sector funds back into the market, the switch will release a tidal wave. Investment funds that have sat on the sidelines will want to splurge their reserves on all manner of assets. Borrowing will become ridiculously easy again, encouraging consumers to spend on credit.
Surely such a wall of money, which will push demand far in excess of supply, must create inflation?
The same debate is happening in the UK, where some monetarists believe the extent of the downturn has been exaggerated by official statistics. In fact, they argue, growth is just around the corner – and growth will be quickly followed by runaway inflation.
The former Bank of England official Andrew Sentance is one of a select band who have spent recent weeks picking through official data in an attempt to show last year's double dip recession was nothing of the kind and the prospect of a triple dip is fanciful.
Simon Ward of Henderson Investors, in particular, uses some fancy footwork to strip out oil and gas from the output figures (they are both in a steep decline) – the result is to show the rest of the economy is not so bad. He also points to figures showing record employment levels as a strong signal of economic health.
But economists including Paul Krugman, the Princeton professor and Nobel prize winner, are sceptical. Looking at the US, he argues that the level of Fed spending is dwarfed by the amount of money withdrawn from the economy in the last four years as companies and households have paid down debts. He also ridicules those who talk up the economy and claim it is back to its pre-crash vibrancy.
Looking at the jobs numbers is a good start. The official 7.7% unemployment rate excludes the huge numbers of people who have withdrawn from the labour market, either to care for people who are no longer supported by welfare, or because they cannot find a job. On this view the real unemployment rate is more than 11%. Even taking the official figure as accurate, Krugman argues it is significantly higher than historical norms and far from any notional level of full employment.
Krugman and his supporters also recommend switching focus from the ups and downs of Wall St to consider the economic conditions on Main Street, where they see few signs of life. In much of the US, demand would need to rocket before it started to bid up the price of goods and trigger inflation.
With so many workers on short shifts or zero-hour contracts that mean they work mostly part time, there is plenty of slack to use up before wages start to rise and push up production costs. Let's be clear, the average US worker has failed to win a real-terms, inflation-busting pay rise in about 30 years and there is no sign of them winning one any time soon.
Much the same can be said in the UK. Analysts at Capital Economics believe the gap between the supply of labour and demand remains large enough for the Bank of England to maintain QE until the end of 2015 when it will have soared from the current £375bn to £500bn. If market theory says prices jump when employment reaches capacity and wages rise, then with 2.5 million unemployed the time for a price jump is a decade in the future.
But what about Simon Ward's point about record levels of employment? Well that only comes about because the UK's population is rising. Taken as a whole, the UK has more people in some kind of work than ever before, but as a proportion of the workforce, we are still well short of the 2007 peak.
Sometimes it is best to get away from the figures and relate the stories of businesses that want to expand. In the US there are fewer blockages in the financial system standing in the way of small businesses asking to borrow.
The Obama administration pumped excessive amounts of funds into the banks following the Lehman's crash, not just relying on QE to bolster confidence and re-invigorate a bustling economy. That said, Obama has bent to Congress's demands for public spending cuts, which have restricted public investment and prolonged the recovery.
The crucial mistake made in the UK was to balk at a full bailout of the banks. A loathing of bankers stymied efforts to give them the necessary cash, whether through full nationalisations or massive high-interest loans as in the US. Now it is they who stand between small UK businesses and essential funds for investment.
George Osborne's marriage of weak banks with a warm embrace for austerity has delivered the worst of all worlds. No wonder his ratings are plummeting.
If the budget on 20 March does anything, it must tackle these twin problems. In the bad times only the government has the resources to rebuild confidence. Bizarrely, in the home of free market capitalism across the Atlantic, enough policymakers understood this fact.
It is better to argue over the nature of a recovery than not have one at all.DEFAULT
PRESS RELEASE
Index on Censorship is calling upon the new government and mayor of London to re-affirm the right to protest in Parliament Square. With police planning to remove the “Democracy Village” protests in Parliament Square tomorrow after campaigners lost a legal battle with the mayor of London, Index is concerned that a precedent will be maintained that prohibits any form of overnight protest.
Index is also concerned that the police will remove long-term protester Brian Haw, who has maintained his vigil for 3,294 days since June 2001. At the state opening of Parliament on 25 May, Brian Haw was arrested, hardly an auspicious start for a new government that has committed to a “Great Repeal Bill” of illiberal legislation.
Index on Censorship is calling upon politicians to make it clear that the right to protest in Parliament Square is a “non-negotiable” right for the British people and that the legislation that restricts protest there is repealed.
The mayor of London also has an important role in protecting protest in Parliament Square. In 1999, under the Greater London Authority Act, the square was transferred from the Parliamentary estate to the Greater London Authority. As such, the mayor of London has responsibility for the use of Parliament Square and so could enshrine the space as a designated space for protest.
John Kampfner, chief executive of Index on Censorship said:
“The right to protest in Parliament Square is non-negotiable. Whilst there may be long-term consequences in letting the ‘Democracy Village’ stay, it is the duty of politicians to maintain the right to free expression and assembly, and then deal with associated public order issues. The new government has an opportunity to repeal the previous administration’s authoritarian legislation prohibiting protest around Westminster.”
Jo Glanville, editor of Index on Censorship, said:I think that it is a gross injustice that the federal government is allowed to subject its loyal empolyees to polygraph harrassment and abuse. If the polygraph isn't going well, the session quickly turns into an adversarial interrogation. Then, the loyal emploee, is berated, accused of sexual deviancy and accused of treason. This can go on for hours and hours and the loyal employee, who desperately wants to pass, keeps putting up with the abuse for hours, hoping to convince the polygrapher that he/she is telling the truth.
The fact of the matter is, once they have made up their minds, no amount of talking will change their minds. I was interrogated, berated, accused of treason by two men for hours, while strapped to a chair. This session became very personal and ended with me admitting to being raped. The polygraph perverts wanted to hear all of the details and just refused to believe that I wasn't a traiter. This was like reliving the rape all over again. 8 months later I tried to kill myself.
I have been a loyal government employee for 21 years and I was treated worse than any criminal that I have ever interviewed. I just can't believe that it is ok to subject our own people to this type of abuse/torture. I still haven't passed the test and my career is ruined, all for nothing. It is all bullshit, but there is nothing I can do about it.
There was a lot of lying going on in that room, but all of it was coming from the polygraphers. I find it ironic that I was being berated for being a liar, when I was telling the truth, and the polygraphers lied to me throughout the process. It's just rediculous. The emperor has no clothes. The government wraps itself in the cloak of ploygraph security, but their is no cloak. They don't catch any one, except for getting people to admit they smoked pot 20 years ago. They certainly didn't catch Proutty. If we had been spending more money on BIs, instead of contracting those out and relying on the stupid polygraph, |
window Sunday night.
The search in Buckeye for Jesse Wilson has been hampered by sweltering temperatures and had to be halted late Wednesday morning because of the extreme heat.
Jesse Wilson, 10, was last seen in his room in Buckeye, Arizona, on the night of July 17, 2016, before disappearing. Buckeye Police Departmen
The area is supposed to hit the triple digits by noon Thursday, when the formal search is expected to be suspended again.
The FBI was assisting in the investigation.
Volunteers are looking through fields and rough terrain as family and friends remain hopeful that the boy, a student at the Bradley Creemos Academy charter school, can be found.
“We're working on looking for any clues that would help us find Jesse Wilson," volunteer Marylu Lopez told NBC affiliate KPNX. "I’m a mom of five and I think that one more pair of eyes will always make a difference."
Jesse is described as African American, 4 feet tall and weighing 60 pounds. He was last seen in his room at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, police said, and was wearing a red shirt, shorts, black socks and black shoes.Record-breaking New Zealand boss Steve Hansen has hailed Ireland's Joe Schmidt as one of the world's best coaches.
All Blacks head coach Hansen praised his fellow Kiwi Schmidt in the wake of Ireland's 40-29 victory over New Zealand at Chicago's Soldier Field on Saturday.
Ireland ended their 111-year wait for a victory over New Zealand in the US, cutting short the back-to-back world champions' record winning streak at 18 matches.
Hansen also admitted the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) had worked hard to prise Schmidt away from Ireland and back into their Super Rugby coaching set-up.
"He's probably one of the best coaches around," said Hansen of Ireland boss Schmidt.
"He's meticulous in his work ethic, a good analyst of the game and that's why Ireland want to keep him and why New Zealand wanted to bring him home."
Schmidt only signed his new Ireland contract two weeks ago, committing his future to the IRFU until after the 2019 World Cup.
"They're having a great year, they've knocked over South Africa and they've knocked us over. So he'll be feeling pretty pleased with himself and so he should."
The 51-year-old had seriously considered taking a coaching job with either the Highlanders or the Chiefs, but eventually opted to remain in Dublin.
Family concerns and the desire to lead Ireland past the quarter-finals of a World Cup for the first time tipped the balance in the end however.
Schmidt has already assured his place in Irish folklore courtesy of Saturday's victory, whatever happens next, but New Zealand coach Hansen expects his countryman to continue to guide Ireland on an upward curve.
Hansen believes Schmidt can rightly be viewed among the sport's shrewdest minds, after adding the maiden All Blacks scalp to Ireland's first win over the Springboks on South African soil in June.
"It's good for Joe, and Joe's a really good man, I've got a lot of time for him as all our coaching staff has; he's a top bloke," said Hansen of Schmidt.
"He's working hard and trying to do something with Ireland and he's having some success.
"They're having a great year, they've knocked over South Africa and they've knocked us over. So he'll be feeling pretty pleased with himself and so he should."Among other illegal activities, the Camorra mafia clan has evidently been running a string of very successful bakeries in Naples.
According to The Local, police in Naples seized more than 3 tons of bread in a raid on the mafia clan’s illegal bakeries and closed at least 17 of the 1,500 bakeries being operated. Police say the illegal bakeries were unhygienic, with bread being produced among "insects and mouse droppings" and baked in wood-burning ovens that were treated with toxic varnish and not up to health standards. Police even found bakeries out in the countryside, where they were illegally operating out of stables and producing bread right next to the animals.
Illegally baking bread in backstreet bakeries in Naples is estimated to generate around $680 million a year for the Camorra mafia clan, authorities say. The loaves are supplied to street vendors who sell bread out of the trunks of cars. Some loaves even make their way into restaurants and shops in Naples.
Baker’s association UNIPAN welcomed the raid, with president Mimmo Filosa saying he had been campaigning for years for the protection of "genuine Neapolitan bread" and urging police to do something about all the illegal baking going on in Naples.Clint Eastwood appears during an interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, Oct. 13, 2010. CBS
Clint Eastwood, legendary actor and director, told Katie Couric that while President Obama is a "nice fella," he's "not a fan of what he's doing at the moment."
During an interview about his latest film "Hereafter," Eastwood told Couric that the president is not "governing" and he's laying out lines in the hopes that people will believe him "so he can stay in his position."
Eastwood, who was once the Mayor of Carmel, Calif., expressed his view on the political election process.
"I don't think there's anybody I see out there, or many people that have that kind of discipline, that are willing to take a chance on losing."
Clip: Eastwood Doesn't Think Obama is "Governing"
Watch the full @katiecouric interview here:Get the biggest What's On 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
Foot-long sausages, gallons of gluhwein and boozy hot chocolates: the Manchester Christmas Markets are in full swing, and most people are very happy about it.
Most, but not all.
Launched in 1999 as just a single site in St Ann’s Square, the markets are now a gargantuan attraction to millions of visitors each year. And while Santa is working the world over, deciding who's been naughty or nice, there's still one that he's been puzzling over: the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Unbeatable atmosphere or too crowded? Financial boost to the city or cannibalisation of spend to the wooden huts? These are the biggest debates to return year on year.
They are issues that the council are well aware of. In 2011 councillor Pat Karney vowed a price freeze, after visitors complained that the produce was too expensive.
Despite these criticisms, one of the biggest virtues of the Manchester Christmas Markets, according to the council, is the windfall it gives to the local economy.
(Image: Matt Ratcliffe)
According to Cllr Karney, the last economic assessment was made in 2014 and the Christmas Markets were found to boost the economy by up to £90m. This was after nine million people visited the markets in the same year.
"This year’s markets have been very busy so far," he adds. "It’s difficult to predict the impact each year, but we would hope the impact will be in line with 2014."
So how much of the Christmas footfall is directly drawn by the markets? Karney claims that adding Christmas markets to Market Street boosted the footfall on Manchester's main shopping street by 41 per cent on the previous year.
While it's hard to say exactly where the crowds of extra people are from - some businesses think that visitors from outside the city put off regular customers, who decide to stay away from the city centre because of the crowds.
"We don't see any positive impact," says Ryan Ward of Rockefellers jewellers, just off King Street.
"Without the markets we would probably do more business. Customers call and say they are not coming into Manchester because it is too busy and will come in when it is quieter.
"I would honestly say we get no footfall from the markets."
(Image: Matt Ratcliffe)
But it's not just the footfall that some local businesses take issue with, it's the money.
Ward says: "I think the markets only make money for Manchester Council. The stall holders make ridiculous sums and take it all back abroad, so what benefit is that to the local economy?
"It would be nice if the council would promote people coming in to the city to help struggling local fixed businesses and not just for the markets that they profit from."
It's hard to gauge just how many stores feel the same way. Worries about upsetting the local council or coming across a little bah-humbug can put off business owners from commenting. Harvey Nichols declined to contribute to the article, as did Selfridges, both of which are surrounded by market stalls every year.
But some businesses are openly supportive.
Simon Bloss, general manager at bar and restaurant El Gato Negro on King Street estimates that 15 per cent of their trade comes from the Markets on their doorstep.
"We have felt a strong increase in footfall into the ground floor bar, as we are located on King Street the markets are literally outside our front door. We have also some increases in the restaurant and black cat dining, in particular on Thursday’s and Sundays.
"So for us it’s been a very positive experience," he adds.
(Image: Matt Ratcliffe)
But if there's one thing that all of the surrounding businesses seem to agree on, it's that the Manchester Markets should include a bigger proportion of local traders.
Bloss says: "I think this would add a real touch of the vibrant Manchester food and drink scene to the markets - and make them standout against other Christmas markets. It’s true the increase in footfall is good for all, but having a trading presence for local retailers in the market should provide another revenue stream."
It's a view shared Jason Bailey, director of Manchester's thriving independent food market GRUB.
"As far as local businesses go, very few of them are involved in the Christmas Market - so at a time when they should be enjoying peak sales some are missing out," says Bailey.
"Involving more local traders would mean they benefit from the Christmas peak trade allowing them to grow and flourish in the new year hopefully going on to bigger and better things. The Christmas markets are just another example where Manchester should be encouraging local entrepreneurship and the grassroots food and drink."
But it could be too late for the Council to turn around their business, says Bailey, who fears that financially the council relies so heavily on the Markets, they would collapse without their current structure.
"It's certainly putting cash in the council coffers, attracting visitors and a lot of people absolutely love going along but I have my doubts about the quality of the goods being sold, there's some dubious food and drink being sold at inflated prices. That said this is probably an end result of the inflated pitch fees which themselves are driven by the council's lack of funding.
"Sadly I don't think there's much that can be done now, it's already too much of a cash cow for the council that they can't risk doing anything differently. It'll just go on getting bigger and bigger.
The only way to improve it would be to lower pitch fees to encourage higher quality offerings which just aren't possible when you have to deliver huge margins to make the numbers work."
The atmosphere is the best thing about the Christmas Markets, adds Bailey, but that's what Mancunians bring with them rather than anything offered by the Markets themselves.
(Image: Matt Ratcliffe)
And the Council's view on increasing the number of local traders? According to Karney, organisers are already doing their bit to support local businesses.
"The Christmas Markets complement the high street and offer a choice for shoppers between major stores and the independent traders on the market. The markets are also responsible for a large increase in visitors to Manchester, which is important as this is crucial time of year for traders of any size.
There is also a marked increase in hotel stays during the Christmas season, along with the associated increase in people eating at the city’s restaurants, bars and cafes."
Employment is another benefit of the Markets, adds Karney, who says that Christmas in Manchester creates another 25,000 seasonal jobs in the city.
Moreover, the percentage of UK traders featured in Manchester Markets is estimated by the Council to be 70%, and around 40% are from the North West.
Karney adds: "There's a large contingent of UK-based traders at the Christmas Markets, and the vast majority of those are from the North West – so a large portion of the market’s economic boost is retained in the region.
"But of course the traders who travel to the UK, stay, live, work and eat in Manchester throughout the season adding to the economy themselves."
In addition, the financial benefit of the Markets to the council is unquestionable. This year they're working to a financial business plan surplus £800,000.
"The surplus contributes to the overall surplus, which Manchester Markets are required to make. This is consistent with the Council's business planning process," says Karney.
"Manchester Markets work with partners and annually invest in the Christmas Markets year-on-year to improve and maintain the infrastructure and make the markets what they are today."
(Image: Matt Ratcliffe)
Overall, it's difficult to say just how much positive effect the Manchester Christmas markets has on local business, but what is for certain, is that there is room for improvements.
While the Council does delegate a percentage of stalls to local traders, this needs to be increased if the local economy is to really benefit. The money spent in restaurants and hotels by traders passing through the city is a benefit, but a short term one.
As Bailey said, atmosphere is the best thing about the markets. But Christmas spirit isn't created by the dodgy bratwurst or the watery mulled wine, it's created by visitors looking for somewhere to celebrate during the festive season.
Providing a platform for local businesses which will in turn benefit the local economy should be the Council's priority here. Maybe it was at one point, but it's a priority which is now curbed by the need to maximise pitch fees for short term benefit which lowers the standards of the traders' offering.
Yes, the Markets are good for Manchester, but they've got a long way to go. Can they turn it around so late in the game? It's not likely, and until they meet a rival market with a better offering - local traders, better quality produce and more integration with the Manchester high street - they'll probably keep ticking over.
But that rival market might not be so far away - given the buoyancy of the Manchester food and drink scene at the moment, it might be just around the corner.A stellar season and a Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award under his belt, Ander Herrera is a man in form. The Manchester United midfielder’s evolution under Jose Mourinho has been sensational. A man of the match performance in the Europa League marked the complete transformation from shackled bench-warmer to midfield enforcer.
Under former manager Louis Van Gaal, however, Herrera struggled to nail down a regular place in Manchester United’s starting XI, making just two starts in 20 games in his first season. His second season would again see him being left out of the side for long spells playing just 1543 minutes in 27 games in the English Premier League.
During his time in Spain with Atletico Bilbao, Ander Herrera had been compared with the likes of Barcelona legend, Xavi, a player able to orchestrate the tempo of a football match. Louis Van Gaal did not appear to see this quality in the Spaniard, choosing instead to play him much further up the field as a No. 10; a decision that would result in an up-turn in goal output but did not cement his place as a crucial figure for United.
The arrival of Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford would see Herrera finally become the player Manchester United fans thought they were getting back in 2014. Looking at the Manchester United team sheet last season, you may have been drawn to big names like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Paul Pogba or Henrikh Mkhitaryan. From a tactical viewpoint, however, it can be argued that Ander Herrera was one of the most important pieces of Jose Mourinho’s puzzle. Herrera has put in numerous impressive performances in a Manchester United shirt this season, stationed in front of the back four his relentless pursuit of opposition attackers allowed Paul Pogba the freedom to use his attacking ability to greater effect.
Arguably his best game of the campaign was United’s 2-0 premier league win over Chelsea. Herrera followed Chelsea’s playmaker, Eden Hazard all over the pitch, forcing him into an ineffective wide position and frustrating the Belgian all afternoon. His cool defensive performance was complimented by an outstanding attacking contribution, a sublime through ball for Marcus Rushford’s opener and a goal of his own capped off an outstanding showing.
Looking at the statistics, Ander Herrera was one of the leagues finest midfield players. Herrera has made more interceptions, clearances, and blocks respectively than the highly praised Chelsea midfielder, N’Golo Kante, despite having played 670 minutes less during the 2016/17 campaign.
Herrera also possesses a higher pass completion rate and more successful passes than Jordan Henderson, a key element of the Liverpool Captain’s game and considered by many one of his strongest attributes.
Not only has Herrera been an important defensive player in Mourinho’s Manchester United side, he has also developed offensively; contributing to United’s attack where necessary and proving his versatility. Speaking to Sky Sports, the 27 year old had this to say about his current manager,
“He told me that I was going to play sometimes a different role in the team. He told me sometimes I was going to play more defensive and in other games he was going to need me more forward. I told him I’d play wherever he wanted me to play and I would give my best.”
Herrera’s improvement under Mourinho has included in all aspects of his game. The midfield enforcer is not only immensely talented, but has become a vocal presence for United on the field and has proven unfazed by the pressure of big games. For example, in the League Cup Final Manchester United met Southampton in a contest which saw Ander Herrera produce a man of the match performance. In a game dominated in large parts by an attacking
Southampton, Herrera worked tirelessly up and down the field tracking the movement of Southampton’s forward players. The midfielder also managed to deliver a perfect cross for Zlatan Ibrahimović’s winner which secured Manchester United another League Cup. A complete performance in an important final.
The Spaniard has settled into his role at Old Trafford, despite an underwhelming start, and is now a fan favourite to take the club captaincy heading into the 2017/18 season. A massive honour for an incredibly talented and, arguably, under-rated player, it’s hard to imagine a United midfield without him now.
If you enjoyed what you read here you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date with everything we are covering, or sign up to our mailing list here!Northcote by-election: Greens win inner-city seat, Thorpe to become first female Aboriginal MP
Updated
The Greens have won their third Victorian lower house seat, defeating Labor in Northcote, a seat the ALP has held for almost a century.
Key points: Lidia Thorpe will become the first Aboriginal woman in Victoria's Parliament, defeating Labor's Clare Burns
It is the first time Labor has lost a Victorian by-election since 1948
Only 78 per cent of people voted in the by-election at the close of polls, the electoral commission said
ABC election analyst Antony Green called the win for the Greens just before 8:30pm AEDT.
The by-election in the inner-city seat was triggered by the death in August of Labor minister Fiona Richardson, who had been diagnosed with multiple tumours.
Labor won Northcote in 2014 with a 6 per cent swing.
The Greens' Lidia Thorpe will become the first Aboriginal woman in Victoria's Parliament, defeating Labor's Clare Burns on the back of a campaign that included a pitch to voters that they could make history while not toppling a progressive government.
It is the first time Labor has lost a Victorian by-election since 1948.
Labor sources were quick to point out on Saturday night that despite its best campaign efforts, demographic changes in the area and soaring house prices made the appeal of the Greens too big.
The defeat will likely see Labor focus more on suburban and regional seats over the next 12 months leading up to the November 2018 election.
Only 78 per cent of people had voted in the by-election at the close of polls on Saturday, the electoral commission said.
Labor had been worried a low voter turnout could hurt their prospects.
With preferences set to be decisive, Labor did a deal with the Liberal Democrats and the Animal Justice Party.
Labor had campaigned hard in the seat it has held for 90 years, spending $500,000 and utilising an army of volunteers.
Ms Thorpe campaigned on more localised issues, including a plan to cap rent hikes, and public transport overcrowding.
The Greens also focused on the party's wider environmental policies such as the creation of the Great Forest National park in the central highlands above Healesville.
"People do care about the Great Forest National Park," Ms Thorpe said after her victory.
'Tonight is just the beginning,' Greens leader says
After her win, Ms Thorpe, who only joined the Greens last year, paid tribute to the late Ms Richardson and thanked all the Greens volunteers and campaigners.
Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said the victory showed voters cared about climate change action, and a stop to public housing sell offs.
"Tonight is just the beginning," Ms Ratnam said.
She said the Greens would now focus on winning Richmond and Brunswick at next year's election.
"All I can say is [Federal Labor MP for Batman] David Feeney — watch out."
Topics: elections, government-and-politics, state-parliament, parliament, northcote-3070, vic, australia
First postedImage copyright Facebook Image caption Rocío Cortés Núñez, a mother of three, died at a Seville hospital soon after giving birth to her third child
A Spanish woman has died after being crushed in a freak accident involving a hospital lift, local media report.
Rocío Cortés Núñez, 25, had just given birth by Caesarian section in Seville's Our Lady of Valme hospital when the incident occurred on Sunday.
Her hospital trolley was being wheeled out of the lift when it began to rise with its doors open, leaving part of her body hanging outside.
Firefighters were called to rescue her but she could not be saved.
Some reports say her head was severed.
Family is 'devastated'
Ms Núñez had two other children, aged four and five, and her newborn daughter - who was with her at the time - was not harmed.
Her brother-in-law David Gaspar said that the family wanted to know why safety systems appeared to have failed. He added the accident was hard to believe.
Ms Núñez's husband, José Gaspar, said he was devastated by what had happened.
"This can't be so. Today it was Rocío but tomorrow it could be someone else," he told ABC Sevilla.
Regional health minister Marina Alvarez has opened an investigation but told reporters that the lift had passed safety tests earlier this month.
She called it a "rapid, unusual and tragic" accident.
A porter was reportedly moving Ms Núñez to a maternity ward when the doors on the lift they were in opened and closed a few times.
But as he attempted to wheel her out of the lift to try another one, it began to rise, trapping her.Roger Ver is an early adopter of bitcoin and has invested in foundational cryptocurrency startups such as BitPay, Blockchain.info and Purse.io.
When we interviewed Roger for the ZapChain Bitcoin Show, we asked him about the low price of bitcoin as of late.
But in Roger’s mind, if bitcoin becomes popular in just one industry it could be worth tens of thousands per every single coin.
This is what he said:
“We’ll compare this to Amazon
Amazon.com grosses $38 billon a year. Assuming a 3% transaction fee, Amazon pays $1 billion a year in credit card transaction fees.
Amazon.com nets $1 billion per year. Amazon could double their profits from doing all their transactions in bitcoin.
If the market cap for bitcoin was $38 billion, each single bitcoin would be worth $5,400.
Gambling
The online poker market is a $4.8 billion per year industry.
Online gambling will follow poker and is a $30 billion a year industry.
If the market cap for bitcoin was $30 billion, each single bitcoin would be worth $4,300.
Gas Stations
Credit card companies charge gas stations a 2% transaction fee. By eliminating credit card transaction fees, gas station owners could double their profits.
If the US consumes 65 billion gallons of gasoline a year; at $3.66 a gallon, this would be $234 billion going through the bitcoin economy each year.
If the market cap for bitcoin was $234 billion, each single bitcoin would be worth $34,400.
International remittance
In 2007, remittances worldwide totaled $300 billion.
Western Union fees for remittance can run around 4% to 20% or more.
If the market cap for bitcoin was $300 billion, each single bitcoin would be worth $42,000.
The important thing to keep in mind here is it won’t be just gambling. It won’t be just Amazon. It won’t just be gasoline stations.
If it’s any one of those, it’s going to be all of those.
I don’t think it’s any sort of stretch of the imagination to say that very, very realistically each single bitcoin, if bitcoin becomes popular, will have to be worth at least tens of thousands of dollars. If not hundreds of thousands of dollars, for each single bitcoin.
$260 for each single bitcoin seems incredibly cheap compared to that.
That will take some time to build the infrastructure and all the tools that make it easy for all the businesses and mass consumers to use bitcoin around the world.
But it seems pretty darn clear that it’s headed in that direction.”Hormones such as testosterone are responsible for driving young male traders to take increasingly ill-calculated risks that turn bull markets into bubbles and even financial crises, according to neuroscientist and former Wall Street trader John Coates.
Coates, who is now a Senior research fellow in Neuroscience and Finance at Cambridge University, told the audience at DLD Women that biology had a major contribution to the global financial crisis. He said: "Every blow-up in a bank of $1 billion or more occurs at the hands of a trader at the end of a multi-year winning streak. You become euphoric, delusional and overconfident. You take way too much risk and there are terrible risk-reward trade-offs."
Coates and his team at Cambridge have been researching the psychology and biochemistry of high-frequency traders and believes that it is a huge oversight that no one has studied what happens to traders when they are on a winning streak just before a crash.
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Coates believes that there is a Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation that these men experience pass when under pressure, which he refers to as "the hour between the dog and the wolf", a phrase he has also used to title his book on the subject.
Testosterone gets released into the body at points of competition, risk-taking and victory. In the animal kingdom, this leads to the " winner effect". This is where a male that wins a battle generates higher levels of testosterone, which in turn helps him to win again in the next fight. However, after a while, the animal surpasses the optimal level of testosterone and starts to become impaired and over-confident. "Animals go out in the open, pick too many fights, patrol areas that are too large and there are increased rates of predation. Risk taking becomes risky behaviour.
Read next The Wired.co.uk Podcast 32: Google+You The Wired.co.uk Podcast 32: Google+You
That's exactly what is going on in Wall Street," Coates said.
Coates and his team have studied traders in London and found that higher levels of testosterone detected in the morning correlated with higher profits in the afternoon. These came from taking greater risks. "It sounds like an amazing mechanism", however, most hormones have an inverted-U shaped dose response curve. "Once you go over the top of the response curve, you start taking increasingly risky positions," he explained.
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Cortisol is another hormone that can exacerbate problems in uncertain markets, according to Coates. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when under stress. In small doses it has a positive impact on the body, but if it persists it can lead to gastric ulcers, hypertension, depression and anxiety. Coates studied the correlation between cortisol levels and the levels of uncertainty in markets, in particular the German bond market. He found that the higher the variance in trading results, the higher the cortisol levels.
He explained: "So what we think is happening is that during a bull market, testosterone shifts traders' risk profiles to become overly aggressive, causing bubbles. In bear markets, stress hormones cause people to be too risk averse. Risk preferences are radically unstable in the financial world."
Coates and his team have theorised that if bubbles are caused by a testosterone feedback loop in young men, you could stabilise the financial markets by having more women and older men working in high-frequency trading positions, since they have a "very different biology with less testosterone", which could make them less prone to the winner effect. He noted that although women had the same levels of stress hormones, these were generally triggered by social stress rather than competitive stress, making them more resilient in the face of adverse markets. "So when it comes to making and losing money, women may be less hormonal than men."
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Women represent just five percent of traders in trading floors.
A much higher percentage -- closer to 50 percent -- of asset managers are women. Coates puts this down to men's willingness to act on impartial information. "Women take a longer time to think it through." Asset management allows for a longer time to make decisions, and requires the confidence to hold a position for six months.
Coates revealed that he will shorty be publishing the findings of a new round of research on precisely this topic.Yesterday, Breitbart legal editor and former Family Research Council official Ken Klukowski guest-hosted the FRC’s “Washington Watch” radio program, where he interviewed former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and FRC senior fellow Ken Blackwell about the presidential election and the future of the Supreme Court.
Both Perry and Blackwell urged listeners to get behind Donald Trump, saying that while potential Trump nominees to the bench would emulate the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a Democratic president like Hillary Clinton would nominate more people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
When Klukowski asked Perry, who attacked Trump as an unchristian demagogue before endorsing him, to “make the case for Mr. Trump,” Perry replied: “Let me make it as a simple as I can. Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump. Supreme Court appointment.”
“This isn’t about just the next four years,” he said, “as a matter of fact, it’s not about the next eight years, if we were to have a candidate that won successive terms. This is about the next 40 or 50 years because of those Supreme Court appointments. Listen, Hillary Clinton, we know exactly what she’s going to appoint, she’s going to appoint an individual, a raging liberal, an individual that keeps the left happy.”
He said that no matter how Clinton governs, “we know what she’s going to do on the Supreme Court” since the “activists in the Democratic Party, they’re going to force an individual upon this country through that presidential appointment of the Supreme Court of the most absolute radical, making laws from the bench, as you can imagine.”
Klukowski said Clinton “wouldn’t need any forcing” to make such an appointment, “she’d be leading the charge, they’d be chasing to catch up in terms of getting a committed liberal like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, another one of those on the Supreme Court.”
“Or [Sonia] Sotomayor, I think Hillary Clinton’s appointments to the Supreme Court would make those individuals look almost moderate,” Perry said.
Blackwell, a former Ohio secretary of state and a vocal conservative activist, said voters in the presidential election will determine “the direction of the Supreme Court.”
“If they choose Hillary Clinton, we know what they will get: an expansion of abortion rights, more stringent gun control laws, a vanishing capital punishment, a continued attack on religious liberty,” he warned.
Praising the list of potential high court nominees Trump released yesterday, Klukowski said that several jurists on the list are “some of the most conservative judges in the country” while “all of them are conservative of one stripe or another.”
“When you’re voting for the president, you’re also going to be voting for the U.S. Supreme Court,” he added.
Blackwell said that in this election, “It’s the courts, stupid.”Leonardo-Finmeccanica has been contracted to deliver its Osprey AESA radar for the US Navy’s newly-upgraded unmanned helicopter, the MQ-8C Fire Scout.
The MQ-8C Fire Scout has been designed to take flight from the decks of US Navy ships to scan the sea for distant threats.
It is expected to be fully integrated with both variants of the US Navy’s littoral combat ship in the future.
"The radar uses high-frequency radio waves to facilitate long range viewing at night."
Under the contract, Leonardo will deliver five radars in the first batch to the US Navy’s procurement organisation, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and will be used as a look-out on-board for the unmanned helicopter.
The radars will be sent to undergo testing and evaluation, following which NAVAIR will exercise the option to acquire more sets of radars, to be deployed for operations.
The 2-panel version of the Osprey, selected by the US Navy, will provide a 240° instantaneous field of view and a range of digital modes, including weather detection, air-to-air targeting and a ground moving target indicator (GMTI). The radar uses high-frequency radio waves to facilitate long range viewing at night, as well as in poor visibility conditions.
Its E-Scan design allows it to function without have to move parts, or the requirement for a heavy external radome, thereby reducing repair and support costs.
Osprey also provides an open architecture, which will allow the US Navy to install new software independently.
Image: Leonardo’s Osprey radar to be quipped on US Navy’s unmanned helicopter. Photo: courtesy of Leonardo – Finmeccanica – Società per azioni.Five homes in Portage Park were burglarized during the Thanksgiving holiday, police warned Tuesday. View Full Caption File photo
PORTAGE PARK — Five homes in Portage Park were burglarized during the Thanksgiving holiday, police warned Tuesday.
The incidents happened in the:
• 5300 block of west Cullom Avenue between 9 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday
• 5300 block of west Warner Avenue between 3 p.m. Nov. 20 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday
• 4000 block of north LeClaire Avenue between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday
• 5600 block of west Pensacola Avenue between midnight Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday
• 4800 block of west Hutchinson Street between 5 and 7:10 p.m. on Monday.
The burglars entered the homes and apartments through doors and windows and took electronics, jewelry and cash, police said.
Anyone with information about the crimes can call detectives at 312-747-8263.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:Bravo for Bulgaria! Following in the footsteps of France, the Netherlands and Belgium, they’ll be banning the burqa. Those who break the law will face fines and have their social security benefits cut off. Not all are rejoicing though.
The usual suspects are screaming that this legislation is Islamophobic, xenophobic, anti-Muslim and perversely, anti-woman.
But banning misogynistic costumes like the burqa and the niqab isn’t about being unfair but rather, levelling the playing field.
Plus, we in western democracies live in free societies without checkpoints on every corner with guards asking for our I.D. papers mostly because we can actually see one another!
And the law doesn’t prevent anyone from wearing a burqa at home or in a mosque, just not in a public place yet progressive lefties decry the ban. People like John Dalhuisen, spokesman for the U.K. chapter of Amnesty International who said:
“Women in Bulgaria should be free to dress as they please and to wear the burqa or the niqab as an expression of their identity or beliefs. This ban violates their rights to freedom of expression and religion.”
There’s so much wrong with this it’s hard to know where to begin but watch as I take a stab at it.
In the meantime, again, bravo for Bulgaria in taking a stand against the rise of Islamism.
Wouldn’t it be great if Canada followed suit?
But, given the politically-correct, Islamist-friendly cowards in charge right now, don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.Mustaches are fine, right? Like having a mustache, not having a mustache – no one really thinks about this in a lot of detail. Not usually, at least. Which is why the following case of a man getting fired from a school over his mustache makes zero sense.
Meet Haseeb Ali Chishti
Haseeb is a teacher who has worked in schools all over Islamabad for a while, now
However, in an odd turn of events, he was recently let go over his facial hair. Therefore, he called out the Institute in the following Facebook post:
Being told 'your moustache gives liberal ideas to students' and 'you're a young, handsome man… it will distract our… Posted by Haseeb Ali Chishti on Dienstag, 29. August 2017
The entire incident is definitely pretty strange. Firstly, what is the definition of “liberal ideas” and why exactly are they considered to be detrimental to students? Secondly, what connection does a mustache have to these liberal ideas? I mean, it’s just facial hair. Lastly, why has a mustache been hypersexualized to the point that a man lost his job?
As expected, people chimed in with their support
Some called the entire incident a ‘case of weird jealousy’
Others called it discrimination and were livid at the entire incident
Some even called out the particular school in question
Others were just plain shocked at the fact that a man lost his job due to the school’s absurd mentality
People on other social media platforms spoke up for Haseeb as well
A very good friend got laid off from job because of his mustache. Where is Pakistan going? Unreal. pic.twitter.com/RZ |
always played on a coastal links golf course. Links golf is often described as the "purest" form of golf and keeps a connection with the way the game originated in Scotland in the 15th century. The terrain is open without any trees, and will generally be undulating with a sandy base. The golf courses are often primarily shaped by nature, rather than 'built'. Weather, particularly wind, plays and important role, and although there will be a prevailing onshore breeze, changes in the wind direction and strength over the course of the tournament can mean each round of golf has to be played slightly differently. The courses are also famous for deep pot bunkers, and gorse bushes that make up the "rough".
The Swilcan Bridge with St Andrews clubhouse in the background
A golfer playing on a links course will often adapt his game so the flight of the ball is lower and so is less impacted by the wind, but this will make distance control more difficult. Also due to the windy conditions the speed of the greens are often slower than a golfer might be used to on the PGA Tour, to avoid the ball being moved by a gust.[62][63]
Old Course at St Andrews [ edit ]
The Old Course at St Andrews is regarded as the oldest golf course in the world, and winning the Open there is often regarded as one of the pinnacles of golf.[64] Given the special status of the Old Course, the Open is generally played there once every five years in the modern era, much more frequently than the other courses used for the Open.[65] Previous champions will often choose St Andrews as their final Open tournament. It has become traditional to come down the 18th fairway to huge applause from the amphitheatre crowds, and to pose for final pictures on the Swilken Bridge with the picturesque clubhouse and town in the background.[66]
Trophy presentation [ edit ]
The Open trophy is the Claret Jug, which has been presented to the champion since 1873. The trophy always has the winners name already engraved on it when presented, which often results in television commentators speculating as to when it is safe for the engraver to start.[67] The winner of the Open is always announced as "The Champion Golfer of the Year", a title which has been used since the first Open in 1860. He will nearly always pose for photos with the trophy sitting on one of the distinctive pot bunkers.[68]
Name [ edit ]
The first event was held as an invitational tournament, but the next year Prestwick Golf Club responded to pleas from outsiders and unanimously resolved that "the belt... on all future occasions, shall be open to all the world".[69] In its early years it was often referred to as The Championship but with the advent of the Amateur Championship in 1885, it became more common to refer to it as The Open Championship or simply The Open. The tournament inspired other national bodies to introduce open golf tournaments of their own, such as the U.S. Open, and later many others.[70] To distinguish it from their own national open, it became common in many countries to refer to the tournament as the "British Open", a term which the R&A, the organiser of the Open, has never used.[70][71]
In 2017 a representative of the R&A openly stated that it is a priority to "eradicate the term British Open" and have a single identity and brand of "The Open" in all countries.[71] Tournament partners, such as the PGA Tour, now refer to it without "British" in the title,[72] media rightsholders are contractually required to refer to the event as The Open Championship,[71] and the official website has released a statement titled "Why it's called 'The Open' and not the 'British Open'" stating that "The Open is the correct name for the Championship. It is also the most appropriate".[70] The R&A's stance has attracted criticism from some commentators.[71][73][74]
The R&A also run The Senior Open, the over 50s equivalent of the Open, which was officially known as the "Senior British Open" from its inception in 1987 until 2007, when "British" was dropped from the name.[75] The Women's British Open, seen by some as the women's equivalent to the Open (although unlike the Open it is not always held on a links course, and was not run by the R&A until 2017) has included the term "British" since its inception in 1976.
Status [ edit ]
The Open is recognised as one of the four major championships in golf, and is an official event on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour.
The Open begun in 1860, and for many years it wasn't the most followed event in golf, as challenge matches between top golfers were more keenly followed, and drew large crowds.[76] The Great Triumvirate dominated the Open between 1894 and 1914 and were primarily responsible for the formation of the PGA in 1901 which had a big impact in promoting interest in professional golf (and therefore The Open) and increasing playing standards.[77] Between the world wars, the first wins by Americans were widely celebrated when they broke the dominance previously held by British players.[78] After World War II, although the profile of the tournament remained high in the UK and Commonwealth countries, the low prize money compared the US events and the cost of travel meant less Americans participated. High-profile visits and wins by Ben Hogan, and Arnold Palmer, the growth of cheaper and faster transatlantic flights, and the introduction television coverage, recovered its prestige.[1] When the modern concept of the majors was cemented the Open was included as one of the four events.
The Open is now one of the four majors in golf, along with the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and Masters Tournament. The term "Major" is a universally acknowledged unofficial term used by players, the media, and golf followers to define the most important tournaments, and the performance of them is often used to define the careers of the best golfers.[79] There is often discussion amongst the golfing community as to whether the Open, U.S. Open, or the Masters Tournament is the most prestigious major, but opinion varies (often linked to nationality). The PGA Championship is usually seen as the least prestigious of the four.[80][81]
In terms of official recognition, the tournament has been an event on the European Tour since its formation in 1972. The PGA Tour added it as its first official event outside of the United States and Canada in 1995, in addition all previous PGA Tour seasons have been retroactively adjusted to include the Open in official money and win statistics. Currently the Open, along with the other three majors, and The Players Championship are the top tier tournaments in the FedEx cup, offering more points than any other non playoff event. The Open is also an official event on the Japan Golf Tour.[82]
Structure [ edit ]
Qualifying [ edit ]
Qualifying was introduced in 1907, and for much of its history, all players had to go through the qualification process. In the modern era, the majority of players get an exemption from qualification which is awarded for previous performance in the Open, performance in high-profile global tournaments (such as other majors), performance in top golf tours, or a high position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Five amateurs are also exempt from qualifying by winning various global amateur titles.[83]
Another ways of qualifying is to finish in a high position in the Open Qualifying Series of global events, which are about twelve tour events across the globe, run by various local golfing organisations.[84]
Twelve players still qualify at Final Qualifying, which is four simultaneous 36 holes one day events held across the UK.[84] If there are any spots left, then alternates are made up from the highest ranked players in the OWGR who are not already qualified, which brings the total field up to 156 players.[85]
In 2018, the OWGR gave the Open a strength of field rating of 902 (the maximum possible is 1000 if the top 200 players in the world were all in a tournament). This was only bettered by the PGA Championship, a tournament which actively targets a high strength of field rating.[86][87]
Format [ edit ]
Field: 156 players[88]
Basic Format: 72 hole stroke play. Play 18 holes a day over four days, weather permitting.[88]
Date of Tournament: Starts on the day before the third Friday in July.[89]
Tournament Days: Thursday to Sunday.[88]
Tee off times: Each player has one morning and one afternoon tee time in first two days in groups of three, which are mostly randomised (with some organiser discretion). Groupings of two on the last two days with last place going off first and leaders going out last.[90]
Cut: After 36 holes, only top 70 and ties play the final 36 holes.[88]
Playoff: If there is a tie for the lead after 72 holes, a four-hole aggregate playoff is held; followed by sudden death if the lead is still tied.[88]
Prizes [ edit ]
The purse at the 2018 Open Championship was US$10.5 million.[91] Up until 2016, the purse was always stated, and paid, in pounds sterling (£), but was changed in 2017 to US dollars ($) in recognition of the fact that it is the most widely adopted currency for prize money in golf.[92]
Champion's prizes and benefits [ edit ]
The champion receives trophies, the winners prize money, and several exemptions from world golf tours and tournaments. He is also likely to receive a winner's bonus from his sponsors.[93] In 2018 the prizes and privileges on offer for the champion included:
From 1860 to 1870, the winner received the challenge belt. When this was awarded to Young Tom Morris permanently for winning three consecutive tournaments, it was replaced by the gold medal (1872 onwards), and the claret jug (1873 onwards).[95]
Other prizes and benefits, based upon finishing position [ edit ]
There are several benefits from being placed highly in the Open. These are:
Amateur medals [ edit ]
Since 1949 the leading amateur completing the final round receives a silver medal. Since 1972, any other amateur who competes in the final round receives a bronze medal.[95] Amateurs do not receive prize money.[106]
Professional Golfers' Association (of Great Britain and Ireland) awards [ edit ]
The Professional Golfers' Association (of Great Britain and Ireland) also mark the achievements of their own members in The Open.
Ryle Memorial Medal – awarded since 1901 to the winner if he is a PGA member. [107]
Braid Taylor Memorial Medal – awarded since 1966 to the highest finishing PGA member. [108]
Tooting Bec Cup – awarded since 1924 to the PGA member who records the lowest single round during the championship.[109]
The Braid Taylor Memorial Medal and the Tooting Bec Cup are restricted to members born in, or with a parent or parents born in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland.[94]
Courses [ edit ]
The Open Championship has always been held on a coastal links golf course in Scotland, England or Northern Ireland. The hosting pattern has been:[65]
Overview [ edit ]
A total of 14 courses have hosted the Open, with ten currently active as part of the rotation, and four have been retired from the rotation (shown in italics). The year the golf course was originally built is shown in parenthesis.
Prestwick Golf Club (1851):[115] Prestwick is The Open's original venue, and hosted 24 Open's in all, including the first 12.[65] Old Tom Morris designed the original 12 hole course,[115] but it was subsequently redesigned and expanded to be an 18-hole course in 1882.[116] Serious overcrowding problems at Prestwick in 1925 meant that the course was never again used for the Open, and was replaced by Carnoustie Golf Links as the third Scottish course.[30][31]
Old Course at St Andrews (1552):[117] Considered the oldest golf course in the world, and referred to as "the home of golf". Famous features include the "Hell Bunker" (14th), the Road Hole (17th).[118] Due to its special status it usually hosts the open every five years in the modern era.[65] It is designed to be played in wind, so can result in low scores in benign conditions.[119]
Musselburgh Links (c1672):[117] A 9-hole course that hosted six Opens as it was used by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, one of the organisers of The Open between 1872 and 1920. When the Honourable Company built their own course in 1891 (Muirfield), it took over hosting duties.[120] Musselburgh wasn't happy with this and organised another rival 'Open' competition prior to the Muirfield event, one with greater prize money.[121]
Muirfield (1891): Built by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers to replace Musselburgh on the rota. Known for the circular arrangement the course has, which means the wind direction on each hole changes, and can make it tricky to navigate.[122] Briefly removed from the rota in 2016-17 due to not having any female members.[123][124]
Royal St George's Golf Club (1887):[125] The first venue to host in England, and the only venue on the current rota in Southern England. It went 32 years without hosting between 1949 and 1981, but returned following the rebuilding of three holes, tee changes to another two holes, and improved road links.[126] Known for having the deepest bunker on the rota (4th hole).[127]
Royal Liverpool Golf Club (1869):[128] Often simply referred to as Hoylake. Royal Liverpool went 39 years without hosting between 1967 and 2006,[65] but returned following changes to tees, bunkers, and greens.[128] In 2006 Tiger Woods famously won by hitting just one driver.[129]
Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club (1892):[130] Hosted the 1909 and 1920 Opens, and was scheduled to host in 1938 and 1949 but both had to be moved to Royal St George's Golf Club due to abnormally high tides flooding the course. It was removed from the rota but is still used for qualifying.[131][132][133][134][135]
Royal Troon Golf Club (1878):[136] First used in 1923 instead of Muirfield when "some doubts exists as to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers being desirous of their course being used for the event".[137] Redesigned, lengthened, and strengthened by James Braid shortly before it held its first Open. Famous features include the "Postage Stamp" 8th hole, and the 601 yards 6th.[136]
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (1886):[138] A relatively short course, but has 167 bunkers which demand accuracy.[139] Slightly inland since some coastal homes have been built since the course first opened.[138]
Carnoustie Golf Links (1835):[117] Replaced Prestwick after it was no longer suitable for the Open.[31] It went through modifications prior to the 1999 Open. Thought of as being the toughest of the Open venues, especially the last three holes, and is well remembered for Jean van de Velde triple bogeying on the 18th when he only needed a double bogey to win.[52]
Prince's Golf Club (1906): Only hosted once in 1932. Has been redesigned in 1950 due to war damage.[140]
Royal Portrush Golf Club (1888):[141] The only venue to host the Open outside England and Scotland when it hosted in 1951. With the political troubles in Northern Ireland diminished, and the after successful hosting of the Irish Open it will return in 2019. The course underwent significant changes before the 2019 Open, including replacing the 17th and 18th holes, which also provided the space for spectators and corporate hospitality that a modern major requires.[114]
Royal Birkdale Golf Club (1894): Extensively redesigned by Fred Hawtree and JH Taylor to create the current layout in 1922, it is known for its sand dunes towering the fairways. Often ranked as England best Open venue.[142][143][144]
Turnberry (1906): Made its Open debut in 1977, when Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus famously played the Duel in the Sun. Known to be one of the most picturesque Open venues, it was bought by Donald Trump in 2004, who has spent substantial amounts renovating the course.[145] It is rumoured that some R&A members are reluctant to let Turnberry host whilst under the current ownership.[146]
Hosting record of each course [ edit ]
References:[65][61]
Future venues [ edit ]
Records [ edit ]
Champions [ edit ]
(a) denotes amateur
"Dates" column includes all days on which play took place or was planned to take place, including any playoffs
The Open began paying in U.S. dollars in 2017,[153] subsequent figures in pounds are rounded estimates.[154]
Silver Medal winners [ edit ]
Since 1949, the Silver Medal is awarded to the leading amateur, provided that the player completes all 72 holes.[95] In the 70 Championships from 1949 to 2018, it has been won by 45 players on 51 occasions. Frank Stranahan won it four times in the first five years (and was also the low amateur in 1947), while Joe Carr, Michael Bonallack and Peter McEvoy each won it twice. The medal has gone unawarded 19 times.
Broadcasting [ edit ]
The distribution of The Open is provided by a partnership between R&A Productions, European Tour Productions (both run by IMG) and CTV Outside Broadcasting. The broadcasters with onsite production are Sky (UK), NBC (USA), BBC (UK), and TV Asahi (Japan).[155]
Many non-British broadcasters referred to the Open as the "British" Open in their coverage until 2010, when the R&A introduced use of contractual terms in their media contracts, similar to the Masters, and now rights holders are obliged to refer to the tournament as "The Open".[71] On 7 November 2018, the parent company of the U.S. rights holder, NBC, completed a takeover of the U.K. rights holder, Sky. This means the media rights in the two primary markets are owned by the same company, albeit produced separately by two different subsidiaries.[156] There are over 170 cameras on site during the tournament, including cameras in the face of the Open's pot bunkers.[157][158]
United Kingdom [ edit ]
Television rights history Broadcaster Broadcast Period Rights Fee Per Year BBC 1955–2014 Varies 2015 £7.0m Sky Sports 2016[a] £7.0m[a] 2017–2021 £15.0m a b BBC sold the rights to Sky for £7.0m Ref:[159][160][161] Current broadcast hours for live coverage Channel Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Sky Sports (Main Event & Golf) 6.30am–9.00pm BST 6.30am–9.00pm BST 9.00am–8.00pm BST 8.00am–7.00pm BST Ref:[162]
The BBC first started to broadcast the Open in 1955,[159] with Peter Alliss involved since 1961, and having the role of lead commentator since 1978.[163] With the growth of pay television, and the increasing value of sporting rights, the BBC's golf portfolio began to reduce. The loss of the rights to the Scottish Open, and BMW PGA Championship in 2012 left the BBC's only golf coverage as the Open, and the final two days of the Masters (which it shared with Sky). With so little golf, the BBC was accused of neglecting investment in production and was criticised about its ‘quality of coverage and innovation’ compared to Sky which held the rights to most golf events. As the Open is not a category A event under the so-called "crown jewels of sport" UK law that stipulates certain events have to be shown in full on free to air television, it enabled Sky to bid for the rights for the 2017-2021 period.[164][159][165] Many were hoping that a deal similar to the Masters would be reached, where Sky had coverage of all four days, and the BBC also provided live weekend coverage, but Sky were not keen on this and won the full rights in 2015. Some were angered about the demise of golf on terrestrial television, and the impact that could have on the interest in golf in the U.K.,[166][167] whilst others were pleased about the perceived improved coverage that Sky would give.[168] Despite Peter Alliss promising on air that the BBC would cover the 2016 event, the BBC reached a deal for Sky to take the coverage. The BBC still covers the tournament, showing highlights from 8pm–10pm on tournament days and radio coverage on Radio 5 Live. The deal with Sky required the broadcaster to restrict its advertisement breaks to 4 minutes every hour, similar to the Masters.[168] Sky also offers complete coverage online through NOWtv to non subscribers, which is £7.99 for one day, or £12.99 for a weeks access.[169]
United States [ edit ]
Television rights history Broadcaster Broadcast Period Rights Fee Per Year ABC 1962–2009 Varies ESPN 2010–2015 $25.0m NBC 2016[a] $25.0m[a] 2017–2028 $50.0m a b ESPN sold the rights to NBC for an undisclosed fee Ref:[170] Current broadcast hours for live coverage (East Coast) Channel Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Golf Channel 1.30am–4.00pm ET 1.30am–4.00pm ET 4.30am–7.00am ET 4.30am–7.00am ET NBC 7.00am–3.00pm ET 7.00am–2.30pm ET Universo (Spanish Language) 1.00pm–3.00pm ET noon–2.00pm ET Ref:[171]
ABC began broadcasting the Open in 1962, with taped highlights on Wide World of Sports.[172] In the pre digital age the coverage had to be converted from the U.K.'s PAL colour encoding system, to the U.S.'s NTSC, which meant picture quality could be impacted, especially in the early years.[173] The coverage expanded over the years, and as is common in America, there was a different early round rights holder, which was ESPN until 2003 when TNT took over. ESPN won the rights to cover all four days of the championship between 2010 and 2016, showing the tournament exclusively on pay television for the first time, although extensive delayed coverage was shown on ESPN's partner network ABC. After losing the rights to the U.S. Open, NBC bid aggressively to win the rights to the Open, and become a broadcaster of a golf major again.[172] NBC also had a track record of broadcasting European sporting events successfully in the morning U.S. timezone with the Premier League, Formula One, and "Breakfast at Wimbledon", and were able to provide extensive and complete coverage with the use of subsidiary Golf Channel.[174][170] NBC won the rights from 2017 to 2028, and promised extensive multi platform coverage.[175][158] ESPN also sold them the rights for 2016.[176]
The Open provides limited coverage for free on its website including highlights, featured groups, featured holes, and radio coverage. The Open's local rights holders usually provide these feeds as part of their broadcast package.[177]
Rest of the World [ edit ]
The Open produces a 'world feed' for use by international broadcasters if they require.[155] The other large golf markets in a similar timezone as the U.K. are the rest of Europe (where Sky, the U.K. broadcast company often has a presence), and South Africa where it is covered by SuperSport.[178]
Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and increasingly China are markets with high media interest in golf and the Open, but the timezone means the prime coverage is shown in the early hours of the morning.
Channel Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Fox Sports 3.30pm–5.00am AEST 3.30pm–5.00am AEST 7.00pm–5.00am AEST 6.00pm–4.30am AEST
Ref:[179]Waha! Aren't I efficient? Already posted one pic and now here's another! Different from my first, since this is digital art, but it's all art nonetheless! ^o^And now, about the picture. I actually had the idea for the ponies as people WAY before the movie came out! Okay, I'll put my pride aside, as many other fans also had the idea... (but remember everypony, great minds think alike!) Anyway, I decided recently to go back and try and improve them, since I'm a much better artist now than I was during season 1, and while I was at it, practice with my drawing tablet. I'm still getting the hang of digitally drawing, coloring and all that jazz, but it's still very fun!So try and understand that I'm still a newbie in the computer art world, so don't be to to hard on me! But still, I hope everypony will still like what they see! (And P.S. While I do think "Dog Spike" is quite cute, I still prefer drawing him as a person, because I think he's more like Twilight's little brother rather than Twilight's "pet")Materials :Original drawing done in pencil and paper; lineart, coloring and etc done in Photoshop Elements.WEC - The 2017 FIA WEC season will get underway at Monza
In one week’s time the start of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship will be upon us as the teams and drivers gather in Monza the official pre-season test, The Prologue.
Taking place for the first time at Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy on Saturday 01 April and Sunday 02 April, this will be the first opportunity for the fans to see the WEC’s 2017 teams on track all together. Twenty seven of the full season entries will be present at Italy’s premier circuit, taking part in five sessions of testing over two days, including a night session on Saturday evening.
Apart from a small fee for parking their car, fans will receive free entry to the track for both days of The Prologue, including access to the Paddock. It will be the first opportunity for Italian fans to see their beloved Ferraris and also the super-sophisticated LMP1 prototypes, the upgraded LMP2 challengers and much more. They can even get up close and meet the drivers at an autograph session on Sunday 02 April.
In the limelight will be four of the 1000 bhp, hybrid-powered LMP1 race cars from Porsche and Toyota, with both manufacturers launching their 2017 challengers just ahead of The Prologue. Toyota, like Porsche, has carried out private testing in preparation for the season and the Japanese manufacturer will be keen to see how its revised TS050 HYBRID stacks up against the 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid. The Prologue also sees 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans winners Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber donning their Porsche race suits for a full season of racing for the first time and three times Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer will be swapping his red Audi colours for Porsche white.
Nine of the upgraded LMP2 entries will grace the high-speed Monza track, with just CEFC Manor TRS Racing fielding one car instead of two. The new ORECA 07 is the chassis of choice for Vaillante Rebellion, CEFC Manor TRS Racing, G-Drive Racing and TDS Racing and Jackie Chan DC Racing, with Signatech Alpine Matmut fielding two Alpine A470s. All LMP2 cars will be on Dunlop rubber and powered by Gibson engines.
In LMGTE Pro all eight entries will be present, including the newly launched 2017 Porsche 911 RSR, Aston Martin Racing’s Vantage, the Ford GT and of course Ferrari’s 488 GTE which will be run as always by Piacenza-based AF Corse. The competition in this category is expected to be closer than ever, with the four marques being represented by top driver line ups all challenging for the newly-sanctioned FIA World Endurance Championship for GTE Drivers and Manufacturers.
Joining the factory-led teams will be another five GTE entries from the equally competitive LMGTE Am class which includes Ferraris from the Swiss Spirit of Race team and full-season WEC debutant Clearwater Racing from Singapore and two Porsche 911 RSRs from Gulf Racing and Dempsey-Proton Racing. The fifth car will be the Aston Martin Vantage of the only unchanged driver line up in the class compared to 2016.
Click here to see the provisional entry list for The Prologue
The Prologue – FREE ENTRY FOR THE PUBLIC
The Prologue will take place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 01/02 April 2017, and entry to the track and access to the grandstands is free to members of the public following payment of 10€ per car for parking (motorcycles 5€, free entrance to pedestrians or those on bicycles). In addition, the paddock will be open to fans on both days.
Fans who attend will have the opportunity to see the cars on track during five open test sessions, plus they will be invited to take part in Sunday’s autograph session with all the drivers present.
More details on The Prologue, including ticket information, can be found on Autodromo Nazionale Monza’s website HERE
Provisional Timetable
Saturday 01 April
09:00 – 12:00 Session 1
14:00 - 17:00 Session 2
19:00 – 21:00 Session 3 (night testing)
Sunday 02 April
09:00 – 12:00 Session 4
13:15 – 13:45 Driver Autograph Session
14:00 – 17:00 Session 5The History Channel tweeted out a picture of George Washington to celebrate the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863:
Amazingly, the tweet still remains three hours later despite the historical inaccuracy.
“Illustration is George Washington taking command of American Army in Cambridge 1775. We must restore teaching American history in schools,” tweeted Michael K in response.
In contrast, Gettysburg was a turning point of the American Civil War nearly 90 years later.
George Washington did take command on July 3, which likely explains why the History Channel used the wrong image.
However, the timing of the tweet brings to mind the recent fake news promoted by the mainstream media, and what’s hilarious is that the History Channel is owned by Hearst Communications and Disney-ABC, both of whom own a large percentage of the mainstream media, including ABC News.
ABC recently took flak for pushing the since-debunked “Russian collusion” narrative alleging that the Russian government elected President Trump, a claim which of course is the very definition of fake history.
One Trump voter got so fed up that he paid for a billboard blasting ABC:
“ABC News was the only channel I watched as a child growing up in Texas but I think they have lost touch with America and forgotten the working man,” the voter, Kyle Courtney, said. “They don’t represent our voice anymore. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign was funded by the Clinton Foundation in close coordination with the media, and now we’re seeing them try to fix what they couldn’t fix during the election.”
At least the History Channel’s article linked in the tweet was fairly accurate:
“On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end.”How to Make a 2D Space Shooter in Unity - Part 1
Unity is a great framework to build 2D and 3D games. If you don't know why, you should check out my article called discover the power of Unity.
In this tutorial we will see how to make a simple 2D space shooter in Unity and Javascript (Unityscript). This is an introduction to Unity so you just need to have a basic understanding of programming.
Setup
Let’s start by setting up our project. If you don't already have Unity on your computer you can download it for free.
Open Unity and start a new project. Set your project's name and location, and make sure to select “2D” at the bottom.
Now you should see the interface for making 2D games. You can easily change the layout of the interface by moving/resizing the elements. Here’s what mine looks like.
Unity's interface is divided into 6 tabs:
Scene: a view of the game.
Game: the live preview of the game.
Hierarchy: list all the objects currently on the scene.
Project: shows all the assets of the game: images, sounds, etc.
Inspector: display information related to the selected object.
Console: show useful debugging messages.
To keep things organized we are going to create new folders in the project. So go on the project tab and do “Create -> Folder” to create these 4 folders:
Textures: where we will store all the images.
Scripts: with all our Javascript code.
Prefabs: that will contain all our game’s objects.
Scenes: to store the different scenes of the game.
Now, download this zip file containing all the images for our game. Then drag and drop the images into the Textures folder we just created.
And save your scene by doing "File -> Save Scene". Unity will ask you to name your scene, you can call it “MainScene”. Don’t forget to move the “MainScene” into the Scenes folder.
Add the Background
Drag the background image from the Textures folder to the hierarchy tab.
Select the background in the hierarchy tab. You can see that the inspector tab is now full of interesting information about the background. In this case there are 2 components: transform and sprite renderer.
This is key to Unity: each object has some components attached to it. You can add new components to objects and tweak their values. There are lots of components available, and here's the main ones:
Transform: to handle the position, rotation and scale of the object.
Renderer: that contains the sprite displayed.
Script: a script for this particular object.
Rigidbody: to add physics: gravity, velocity, etc.
Colliders: to make the object collide with others.
We'll use all of these in this tutorial.
Add the Spaceship
Drag the spaceship to the hierarchy tab. Since we want our spaceship to move around with the physics engine it needs a “rigidbody”. To do so, go to the inspector and do “Add component -> Physics 2D -> Rigidbody 2D”. Make sure to check “is Kinematic”, otherwise the spaceship would just fall due to gravity.
Change the y position of the spaceship to -4 to put it at the bottom of the screen.
Next, we want to be able to control the spaceship so we will need to write some code. Select the ship, and in the inspector do “Add Component -> New script”. Set the name to “spaceshipScript” and select “Javascript” in the dropdown (in the gif below I select "CSharpt", that's a mistake).
Find the “spaceshipScript” in the project tab and place it inside the Scripts folder. Then double click on the script to open MonoDvelop (Unity's code editor) and replace the default code by this.
// Function called about 60 times per second function Update() { // Get the rigidbody component var r2d = GetComponent("Rigidbody2D"); // Move the spaceship when an arrow key is pressed if (Input.GetKey("right")) r2d.velocity.x = 10; else if (Input.GetKey("left")) r2d.velocity.x = -10; else r2d.velocity.x = 0; }
Test the Game
Before we test the game you should first go to the game tab and set the aspect ratio to 5:4 to match the background image.
Now we can test the game, and with Unity it’s extremely simple. Just press the play button at the top of the screen and you should be able to move right and left with the arrow keys. Press the play button again to stop the game.
Create a Bullet
Being able to move the spaceship is nice, but it would be better if we could fire some bullets. Let’s do that.
Drag the bullet image from the Textures folder to the hierarchy tab, add a “rigidbody 2D” component to it, and make sure to check “is Kinematic”.
Then add a new script component to the bullet, like we did with the spaceship. Call the script “bulletScript” and put this code in it.
// Public variable public var speed : int = 6; // Function called once when the bullet is created function Start () { // Get the rigidbody component var r2d = GetComponent("Rigidbody2D"); // Make the bullet move upward r2d.velocity.y = speed; } // Function called when the object goes out of the screen function OnBecameInvisible() { // Destroy the bullet Destroy(gameObject); }
Since we set the ‘speed’ variable as public, it means that we can directly edit it from the inspector. That's really handy to quickly tweak the value of a variable without editing any script.
Our bullet is now finished and we need to save it to be able to reuse it. To do so, drag and drop the bullet from the hierarchy tab to the Prefabs folder and then delete the bullet from the scene. Prefabs are an important part of Unity to make your sprite easily reusable.
Fire Bullets
To make the spaceship fire the bullets we will need to make some changes to our “spaceshipScript”. So open it and edit it like this.
// A variable that will contain our bullet prefab public var bullet : GameObject; function Update() { // Move the spaceship horizontally (no changes) var r2d = GetComponent("Rigidbody2D"); if (Input.GetKey("right")) r2d.velocity.x = 10; else if (Input.GetKey("left")) r2d.velocity.x = -10; else r2d.velocity |
panel of judges to determine if the footage can be released.Jeff McLenaghan says still can’t believe he got a ticket for trying to be courteous to another driver.
On the night of Monday, Nov. 6, McLenaghan was driving on Centre Street in High River when he said he saw a car coming toward him with very bright headlights and thought the driver had their high beams turned on.
“As I got closer I flicked my high beams on myself, just to kind of give them a heads up — ‘Hey, you’ve got your high beams on, shut them off,'” he told Global News on Thursday.
“As I got closer, as we passed, I realized it was a sheriff.”
READ MORE: Alberta driver gets speeding ticket for going 1 km/h over limit
He said the sheriff turned around, pulled him over and gave him a ticket for failing to use low-beam headlinghts when an oncoming vehicle is within 300 metres.
The fine was issued under section 56(2)(a) of the Use of Highway and Rules of Road Regulation. Failing to use low beams when following a vehicle within 150 metres is also a punishable violation.
McLenaghan said Thursday he tried to explain the situation to the sheriff, but to no avail.
“You know, if I deserved a ticket truly, and I did something that really warranted some punishment, I’d take the pill, I’d stand up and take the punishment that was due. But this is, I think, a little excessive,” he said.
Charlie Pester, a traffic ticket specialist with Pointts, has been defending tickets for more than 30 years and said this one surprised him.
“I can’t even remember. Honestly, I haven’t seen one [in]… we gotta be talking more than a decade I think,” Pester said. “It’s a long time.”
READ MORE: Albertans drive home ‘double standard’ on speeding: AMA study
Pester said it wouldn’t be worth McLenaghan hiring a defense agency for a ticket like his, since the ticket doesn’t carry any demerits.
Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, which oversees the province’s sheriff service, said it couldn’t comment on McLenaghan’s particular case, but issued the following statement by email:
“As with tickets for other provincial or bylaw offences, recipients can choose to plead not guilty. If a recipient pleads not guilty, a trial date before a judge or justice of the peace will be set.
“The same standard of proof that applies in criminal cases applies in traffic cases – the Crown must prove the offence beyond a reasonable doubt.”
LISTEN: Jeff McLenaghan joins Newstalk 770’s Rob Breakenridge
McLenaghan said he asked the sheriff if his high beams were on and the officer replied, “No, they’re just that type of light.”
McLenaghan has a dash camera in his car which was filming as the sheriff’s car approached, which he plans to use as evidence to fight the ticket.Red Power Media shared with thanks
BISMARCK, N.D. Developers of a $3.8 billion, four-state oil pipeline halted construction Tuesday while law enforcement and tribal leaders in North Dakota met to discuss a resolution to a protest of the project.
800 Native Americans Halt Dakota Access Pipeline Work…for Now
Hundreds of protesters from three tribes and their allies stopped construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline for the second day in a row Wednesday, but law enforcement and private security are now preparing to amp up their presence.
The Standing Rock, Rosebud and Lower Brule Lakota tribes have been resisting the pipeline since it was approved by the U.S. Senate in January and by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July, building sacred camps on the pipeline’s proposed path to pray, hold ceremonies on horseback and push back workers and police protecting the construction…
Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier says he met with tribal leaders to “negotiate peace” to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
Dakota Access filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday against protesters. Dakota Access’ complaint alleges protesters are putting the safety of workers and law enforcement at risk.
The sheriff says 28 protesters have been arrested since last week for interfering with the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline that’s designed to carry North Dakota crude to Illinois.
“You give them an inch, they take a mile,” said Olowan Sara Martinez of the American Indian Movement in a Facebook video. Many of the protesters have broadcast their messages on social media in an open call to other tribes to join in. “It’s in our history. We don’t wanna give them an inch. We don’t wanna give them a mile.”
Morton County deployed police, highway patrol and G4S personnel to dispel the gathering, reportedly bringing tear gas because of rumors that the protests were violent. The Indigenous Environmental Network said that all actions were peaceful and that participants were trained in nonviolent direct action tactics.
Jennifer Baker, a lawyer for the Yankton Sioux tribe, told teleSUR in July that authorities are trying to break up the solidarity between tribes as a divide and conquer tactic.
Kirchmeier says the peace talks will be ongoing. He says construction is slated to resume Wednesday. Police have arrested 28 since last week, and a local resident wrote on Facebook that G4S is planning to provide backup security this weekend and that “it’s supposed to get bad this weekend.” G4S did not respond to requests from teleSUR for confirmation.
[SOURCE]LONDON (Reuters) - The Canadian, Australian and New Zealand dollars all fell solidly on Thursday, tracking a drop in oil prices as OPEC countries meeting in Vienna looked like they would go no further with production cuts than previously expected by markets.
Bank notes of different currencies, including Euro, U.S. Dollar, Turkish Lira or Brazilian Reais, are photographed in Frankfurt, Germany, in this illustration picture taken May 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/Illustration
The U.S. dollar, which has steadied after its worst week in more than a year, fell 0.1 percent against the index measuring its broader strength while gaining marginally to 111.75 yen and $1.1213 per euro respectively.
The Canadian equivalent earlier hit a one-month high of C$1.3385 after the Bank of Canada gave a more upbeat assessment of the Canadian economy than some investors expected.
But as oil prices struggled to get back into positive territory for the day on the sidelines of the OPEC meeting, it gave up its gains to trade 0.2 percent lower at C$1.3427.
The Norwegian crown, another oil-linked currency also fell initially, before recovering to stand 0.1 percent higher to 9.3320 crowns per euro.
“The talk in the last 24 hours was it going to be a 9 month extension (to oil production cuts) so you can make a reasonable enough argument that everybody was positioned for it,” said Simon Derrick, strategist at Bank of New York Mellon in London.
“That said, I think it (the move) is more to do with a short term dollar bounce.”
The dollar had begun Thursday on the defensive, following Federal Reserve minutes that dialled down some expectations of the central bank hiking interest rates soon.
“Some of those (hawkish) expectations were a bit disappointed following the minutes and we’ve seen the dollar ease off since. That’s also because it’s been quite vulnerable recently,” said Alexandra Russell-Oliver, currency analyst at Caxton FX in London.
The euro has enjoyed a bull run this month, driven by ebbing political concerns over France and upbeat batches of economic data that have strengthened expectations for a tightening of central bank monetary policy later this year.
After a steady climb in morning trade in Europe, the single currency lost steam and traded 0.1 percent lower on the day and around half a cent below Tuesday’s 6-1/2-month peak of $1.1268.
The Australian dollar was half a percent lower at $0.7466 after Wednesday’s fall to $0.7443 following rating agency Moody’s downgrade of China. The Australian dollar is often used as a liquid proxy for China-related trades but, like the Canadian dollar, tends closely to track moves in major commodities prices.CLOSE RIT first baseman Skip Flanagan has thrived on and off the diamond despite being born deaf. Video by Jim Mandelaro
Buy Photo RIT’s Skip Flanagan, left, talks with Greg Schworm, a volunteer assistant coach and two year teammate of Flanagan, from Churchville-Chili, prior to a game against Clarkson. (Photo: KRIS J. MURANTE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Buy Photo Story Highlights The junior from Massachusetts is the Tigers' dependable cleanup hitter
He has started all but two games in his career at RIT
The diehard Red Sox fan idolizes Ted Williams and David Ortiz
Skip Flanagan was 17 months old when doctors diagnosed him as deaf. His panic-stricken parents bought every book they could find on sign language, desperately hoping to connect with their son.
And then one day...
"We were sitting with him in his high chair rolling a ball across the table," his father, Sean, recounts. "He would catch it and giggle. We would point to the ball and sign 'ball,' which is putting your fingers together several times."
This went on and on. Sean and Sue Flanagan then hatched a plan.
"When he wanted the ball back, we wouldn't roll it until he signed 'ball' to us," Sean says. "He hesitated, then signed 'ball.' And we rolled it back to him with tears in our eyes."
It was truly a sign of the times — and love at first sign. Skip was playing baseball almost as soon as he was walking.
"I loved it," he says through RIT interpreter Meredith Ray. "I didn't think of it as a challenge. I just thought of it as fun."
He became not just a fan, but a history buff.
"His favorite player is Ted Williams," his dad says. "And his room is dedicated to Ted, almost like a stalker."
Positive presence
Skip is still playing these days, as the junior first baseman, cleanup hitter and sunshine spreader for Rochester Institute of Technology.
"He lights up any room he's in," Tigers coach Rob Grow said. "If you walk into a room, you're drawn to certain people. You're drawn to Skip. He's the best kid I've ever been around, attitude-wise."
Flanagan entered the weekend hitting.292 and leading the Tigers with five triples and 23 walks (against only four strikeouts). The 6-foot, 200-pound left-hander has started every game this season.
"We keep charts on the tendencies of hitters," University of Rochester senior infielder Nate Mulberg says. "But Skip is a hard hitter to scout, because he hits the ball everywhere. He's such a great hitter and one of the most respected players in the Liberty League."
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Because he can't hear, Flanagan must look back at the home-plate umpire to see if a ball or strike was called on each pitch. An interpreter is present at all games — RIT pitcher Brian Sheridan is hard of hearing — but Flanagan communicates with his teammates through reading lips, gesturing and mouthing words to each other.
"Hearing is definitely important," RIT third baseman Walt Roman says, "but he's done a great job. He's basically out there on his own. Popups, being on base... he has to use his vision."
Roman, a Spencerport High graduate, says he has watched Flanagan improve every year.
"He's a great ballplayer with a tremendous work ethic," Roman says. "He came here his freshman year and wasn't that big. But he had a desire to get better. He came back his sophomore year and blew it out of the water. You could tell he worked his butt off in the offseason."
The early years
He was born Sean Patrick Flanagan on Dec. 8, 1992, in Chicago. His middle name is in honor of his brother, Patrick Flanagan, who lived only one day. The family moved to Trumbull, Conn., when Skip was 2 — his dad is a sales manager for the Bayer Corp. (think aspirin), and was transferred. They soon settled in Framingham, Mass., about 20 miles west of Boston, so that Skip could attend the Learning Center for Deaf. He was there from ages 3 to 11, went to a public middle school for grades 6 through 8, then was the only deaf student for four years at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, Mass., where he had an interpreter.
Skip's deep faith drew him to a Catholic school, and he made his mark there. He started an American Sign Language club and was instrumental in the school adding it to their curriculum.
Skip's deafness was traced to a recessive gene as both his parents have cousins who are deaf. He has never used it as an excuse — "never played the deaf card," his dad says. Instead, he finds it to be an advantage in baseball.
"You can ignore all the trash talk that goes on, all the negative," says the diehard Boston Red Sox fan, who attends several games at Fenway Park each summer. "You can stay in the zone and play your game."
But what about never being able to hear cheers?
"I can see them," he says.
At a young age, a cousin who was deaf suggested that Skip read everything he could get his hands on — especially comic books.
"For one thing, they have pictures," Sean explains. "And they have slang words, like 'whatcha doin'.'You don't get that in a normal education."
Skip has devoured thousands of comic books in his 21 years. His favorites are superheroes like Batman, The Avengers and Superman.
Finding his place
When Skip was 5, he wanted to play Little League in Framingham. But league officials balked.
"That wouldn't be a good idea," one man told Sean. "We wouldn't know how to handle that."
So Sean and Sue tried the town of Marlborough, 10 miles northwest of Framingham. Officials there did know how to "handle" it.
"No problem," the Flanagans were told. Sean coached the team, which included five other deaf players.
He played two varsity seasons at Bishop Feehan and was named to the 2011 All-Scholastic baseball team by the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. In 2012, he became the first deaf player to compete in the annual Oldtimer Baseball Game in Cambridge, Mass. The game features college-age players from the New England area wearing flannel uniforms of legendary teams like the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Browns and New York Giants. Forty players who participated in the charity game have gone on to reach the major leagues.
Peter Frates, a former Boston College captain, made a symbolic one-pitch start at first base just six months after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Frates was wearing a No. 9 Ted Williams jersey when he was introduced, but Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington presented him with a No. 3 Jimmie Foxx jersey (Frates had worn No. 3 throughout his career). Cherington then handed Williams' No. 9 jersey to Flanagan. Inspired by his idol, Flanagan banged out three hits and was named Most Valuable Player.
"It was an amazing day," he says.
He started 31 of 33 games his freshman year and hit.247 as a pitcher-outfielder (he was 2-5 with a 10.15 earned-run average on the mound). Last year, he moved to first base, started all 39 games and hit.353 while leading the Tigers with 35 runs batted in. He set a single-season RIT record with 150 at-bats.
His parents are in daily contact, either through Skype, texting or email. Sean's job gives him travel flexibility, and Sue is a "volunteer extreme," her husband says, so they are at almost all of Skip's games.
"It's 376 miles and takes 5 hours, 45 minutes if you don't stop," Sean says with a laugh.
Skip is a psychology major with a solid 3.1 grade-point average. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT provides interpreters or note-takers for Skip and other deaf or hard-of-hearding students.
He still has one baseball season left at RIT and plans to be at the college for two more years, establishing a minor. He dreams of playing pro baseball, but if that doesn't work out he would like to run a baseball complex.
Flanagan says he wants to break "every record at RIT" before his career ends next spring. Well, every record but one. Roman has been hit by a pitch a whopping 68 times, the sixth-most in Division III history.
"I don't want that one," Flanagan says, laughing. "That's a painful record."
Looking forward
Deaf players at the major-league level are rare, but hardly unprecedented.
The most accomplished is William "Dummy" Hoy, a center fielder from 1888 to 1902. Hoy finished with a.288 batting average, 2,044 hits and 596 stolen bases. He is widely credited with being the driving force behind the establishment of signals for safe and out calls, which is documented in the 2008 award-winning film Signs of the Time produced by Fairport-based Crystal Pix.
In 1889, he set a big-league record (since tied) by throwing out three runners at home plate in one game. The catcher who recorded all three outs was Connie Mack, who went on to become the legendary owner and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.
"He should be in the Hall of Fame for what he contributed," says Skip, who has read extensively about Hoy.
The most recent major-league deaf player is Curtis Pride, an outfielder for six major-league teams (including the 2003 Yankees). He hit.250 with 20 home runs and 82 runs batted in over 11 seasons.
Pride is now the head baseball coach at Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington, D.C. He says there "weren't really any disadvantages" being a deaf player.
"The only thing that my teammates and coaches had to make an adjustment was to make sure they face me when talking to me since I read lips," Pride wrote in an email. "As far as on the field, another adjustment we made was anytime I call for the ball in the outfield, it's my ball all the way. If I feel that the other fielder is in a better position to catch the ball then I won't say anything and the fielder would just wave me off."
Pride said he never was made to feel different by other players.
"Everyone, including the fans, were very supportive." he says.
Pride recruited Flanagan and was sorry to lose out to RIT.
"He's a solid player and, more importantly, a great kid with a good head on his shoulders," Pride said. "He would have made a big impact on my program."
He already has made a big impact at RIT.
The statistics say that RIT's cleanup hitter has yet to hit a home run in college. But stats can be deceiving. Those who know him say Skip Flanagan has cleared the bases — and every hurdle — in his way.
"I just want to be judged on what I can do," he says. "Not what I can't do."
JMAND@DemocratandChronicle.com
Twitter.com/jmand1
Skip Flanagan
Name: Sean Patrick Flanagan, but you can call him "Skip."
Age: 21.
Major: Psychology.
Favorite players: Ted Williams, David Ortiz.
Hobbies: Watching Navy SEALS and Sole Survivor movies, reading about baseball history.The Barbados Olympic Association Inc. (BOA) hosted three US Embassy representatives at BOA Headquarters in Wildey on Thursday. It’s the second time in two weeks that international dignitaries paid courtesy visits to the BOA to discuss areas of collaboration, with a view of helping to improve Barbados’ sporting infrastructure.
Public Affairs Officer, James Rodriguez, Deputy Public Affairs Officer Jeff Barrus, and Cultural Affairs Assistant, Sophia Lewis, represented the US Embassy. They met with the BOA’s President, Steve Stoute, Secretary General, Erskine Simmons, Assistant Secretary General, Cameron Burke, and Manager of Olympic Operations, Glyne Clarke, to explore possible areas of collaboration and US support for the BOA.
Initiatives discussed included bringing US Olympians to Barbados to work with local athletes; promotion of Barbadian sports through US media channels; raising the profile of BOA events and Bajan athletes; support with US university sporting scholarships; US visa assistance for Barbadian athletes, various training programme options, and the potential for a year-long youth outreach program targeting local ‘at risk’ communities.
The US delegates were also interested to hear the local challenges of sporting officials, which included limited coaching options, funding, local partnerships, and depleting sporting facilities on the island. Public Affairs Officer, James Rodriguez, stressed that his department would assist the BOA in any way possible. “We are here to help the BOA. It is very encouraging to see such a strong sporting culture in Barbados, and if there is any way the US Embassy can assist to facilitate improving local sports here, we are more than happy to do our part,” he said.
President Steve Stoute said the BOA was extremely receptive to the potential partnerships discussed, and looked forward to further building the calibre of sports in Barbados through the assistance of the US Embassy.
“This has been a very productive meeting. The BOA is excited to see where this strengthened relationship with the US Embassy and their cultural department may take us. We are committed to driving our sports and athletes to the very top of their game, and a more established alliance with various foreign offices around the world will only help us to achieve this vision,” he said.
The US representatives toured the Olympic Museum and had a glimpse into Barbados’ Olympic history. Like the Japanese Ambassador a week earlier, Rodriguez was particularly impressed by the museum, especially the Champion’s Room containing a pin collection, displays, and Olympic mascots.
“These displays are very nice; wonderful,” he said.
As a welcoming gift, President Stoute presented each representative with a BOA tie.
In recent times, the BOA has hosted the Japanese Ambassador, Chinese Ambassador, Brazilian Ambassador, British High Commissioner, Canadian High Commissioner, and Australian High Commissioner, in a bid to strengthen ties with those respective embassies here in Barbados.News
Army officials condemn West Point grad for pro-Kaepernick tweets
The US Army has condemned the actions of a West Point grad and current infantry officer who has been posting pro-communism messages on social media as a show of support for Colin Kaepernick.
In one of his most recent posts, Second Lt. Spenser Rapone can be seen wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt under his military uniform.
In another, he holds up a fist and points his cap toward the camera — showing the words “Communism will win” scrawled on the inside.
“#VeteransForKaepernick,” Rapone wrote in the now-viral tweet, which was posted Sunday amid the NFL’s headline-grabbing national anthem protests.
The post prompted Army officials to open an investigation Tuesday after it sparked widespread outrage on social media.
“Hey @realDonaldTrump, can you pass this along to Secretary Mattis? He might want to know about open Communists in the ranks,” wrote one Twitter user.
“West Point cadets are under contract with the DoD,” another said in response. “This is a punishable offense under the UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice]. Making political statements while in uniform.”
Army officials issued a statement Tuesday condemning Rapone’s actions.
“The U.S. Military Academy strives to develop leaders who internalize the academy’s motto of Duty, Honor, Country, and who live the Army values. Second Lieutenant Rapone’s actions in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army,” the statement said.
“As figures of public trust, members of the military must exhibit exemplary conduct, and are
prohibited from engaging in certain expressions of political speech in uniform. Second Lieutenant Rapone’s chain of command is aware of his actions and is looking into the matter. The academy is prepared to assist the officer’s chain of command as required.”
After his photo supporting Kaepernick went viral, Rapone appeared to mock the ensuing outrage.
“In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre,” Rapone tweeted Monday, attaching the photo showing the Guevara shirt. The latter Spanish phrase translates as “Ever onward to victory” and was a favorite of Guevara’s. It was also the title of a 1997 movie about Guevara’s life.
In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre pic.twitter.com/0XrW38wcCk — Commie Bebop🌹 (@punkproletarian) September 25, 2017 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The infantry officer has never been one to shy away from his political views.
He has admitted being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and has even posted pictures showing his membership card — alongside his military name patch.
“Let there be no doubt that we have unequivocal solidarity with and pride in Spenser. He’s an exceptional soldier,” the Twitter account, @DSAVeterans, wrote Tuesday.
The DSA’s Veterans Working Group, of which Rapone is a member, also offered support to him in a statement.
“Spenser Rapone is our comrade and we fully support, defend, and encourage him to take whatever steps he sees necessary to express his political beliefs and continue to organize towards a socialist future,” the group said.
Rapone has displayed his pro-communism views in many different ways — posting selfies with “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and pictures of One World Trade Center with a red star on the top of its spire.
He has previously complained about the military reifying “capitalism/imperialism with a brutally hierarchical rank structure.”
“Was an 11B 2010-2012, and am an 11A now, and can say lifers, senior NCOs and field grades lust for war and conflict,” Rapone tweeted back in July. “They fetishize violence.”I am very pleased with the recent work on psychedelic replications by communities such as the wonderful Psychonaut Wiki and r/replications. There is a lot of great work in the area, a little too much to discuss at length in one post. Keep up the good work!
A recent source of marvelous psychedelic replication techniques has just come into the scene, and from an unlikely source. Of course, we are talking about inceptionism applied to deep belief networks.
First of all, who says these pictures are actually trippy? Is there evidence of that? I intend to fully operationalize the concept of trippiness for the classification of pictures; I believe the question is empirically approachable. In the meantime I will simply point out that a lot of people are talking about the peculiar trippiness of these pictures. To give an example, look at some of the comments on the Google blogpost:
Help! We’ve created AIs more powerful than us, and now we need to feed them hallucinogenic drugs to subdue them…. – Urs
Either somebody has been feeding hallucinogens to Google’s image-recognition neural networks, or computer comprehension is alien! Well, actually, I wonder how this compares to visualizations of how the human brain stores images for pattern-matching purposes. – Stephen
Computers are all on drugs. – Matt
And from the Vice article:
“Its incredible how close it looks to an LSD trip, that is normally so hard to describe.” – corners
There are ongoing discussions in a lot of forums about this right now. Somehow, it seems that these new pictures are hitting a particular component of the psychedelic experience that previous replications have missed or at least not fully captured. What is that?
For the purpose of this post I will use a particular classification of phenomenal effects caused by psychedelics. Specifically, the one proposed by Psychedelic Information Theory. In order to fully grasp the motivation for this classification I highly recommend reading the control interrupt model of psychedelic action. In summary, it seems that there are natural inhibitory processes that prevent features of our current experience to build up over time. Psychedelics are thought to chemically interrupt inhibitory control signals from the cortex, which in turn results in a non-linear interaction between the unmitigated characteristics of your conscious experience. I will explain in a bit how this model provides a good framework for explaining the way recent Google Inceptionist (GI) pictures fit into the broader world of visual psychedelic replication.
But now let’s start with the three classes of hallucinations discussed:
Entropic hallucinations describe the visual effects of gently pushing one’s eyes as well as the amazing interaction between LSD and strobes Eidetic hallucinations are the result of interpreting ambiguous stimuli using high-level concepts Erratic hallucinations result from the chaotic binding and over-saturation of sensory modalities, which affect the stability of the global perceptual frame (and probably disrupts the continuity field too)
Zooming into the phenomenology of eidetic hallucinations:
The most commonly reported eidetic hallucinations seen on psychedelics are of people, faces, animals, plants, flowers, spirits, aliens, insects, and other similar archetypes. Eidetic hallucinations can sometimes take the form of entire virtual worlds, spirit dimensions, invisible landscapes, and so on. Eidetics often emerge within a pre-existing entoptic interference pattern that grows in intensity over time to produce more photographic or 3D rendered objects. Eidetics under the influence of psychedelics are most often reported with eyes closed or while sitting motionless in meditative trance. On high doses of psychedelics eidetic hallucinations may materialize with eyes open on any surface, pattern, or texture that’s gazed at for more than a few seconds.*
If you surf the internet looking for replications of psychedelic experiences, you will notice that there are great examples of a wide range of effects, but compelling software-generated images of eidetic hallucinations are rare. The challenge here is the complexity of creating actionable tools that highlight high-level features in pre-existing pictures. Amazingly, people can make successful and stunning pictures with eidetic tones, but this requires a lot of dedication and artistic experience. The mighty human artistic effort is unstoppable, though:
Thanks to this 3-fold classification of psychedelic effects we can isolate the quality of experience that both Dali and the recent GI pics specifically enhance. Of course, the phenomenology of most psychedelic experiences incorporate elements of each of these classes, and the interaction between them is certainly non-trivial. In addition, specific substances may have a larger loading of each type, and signature proportions with peculiar results.
It is also worth mentioning the existence of other classification systems, within and beyond visual phenomenology. For example the subjective effect index of Psychonaut Wiki and even the various circuits proposed by ancient Leary and Dass writings have very worthwhile observations that may come useful in one context or another. For the level of resolution here discussed giving eidetic hallucinations their own class is particularly useful.
How the Inceptionist method and psychedelic experiences work similarly
Here is the core of the explanation for how the Google trippy pictures were made:
In this case we simply feed the network an arbitrary image or photo and let the network analyze the picture. We then pick a layer and ask the network to enhance whatever it detected. Each layer of the network deals with features at a different level of abstraction, so the complexity of features we generate depends on which layer we choose to enhance. For example, lower layers tend to produce strokes or simple ornament-like patterns, because those layers are sensitive to basic features such as edges and their orientations.
In some sense this is basically the same eidetic effect we find in psychedelic experiences. For one reason or another, there are moments during a psychedelic experience in which strong eidetic effects manifest. As if a specific layer (or hierarchy level) of one’s model of reality is chosen for being enhanced and fractally iterated in a scale-free manner. Referencing back the control interrupt model of psychedelic action, we can reason that what is going on involves a reduction in the amount of inhibition that highlighted high-level features receive. Again, this resembles the Inceptionist algorithm:
If we choose higher-level layers, which identify more sophisticated features in images, complex features or even whole objects tend to emerge. Again, we just start with an existing image and give it to our neural net. We ask the network: “Whatever you see there, I want more of it!” This creates a feedback loop: if a cloud looks a little bit like a bird, the network will make it look more like a bird. This in turn will make the network recognize the bird even more strongly on the next pass and so forth, until a highly detailed bird appears, seemingly out of nowhere.
Now, this only really shows a snapshot of a psychedelic experience with a heavy eidetic bent. In actual psychedelic experiences there are other common factors that come into play that influence the experience. First, not only are specific features highlighted, but, on the whole, we could say that there is an increase in the overall amount of sensations experienced together. The overall amplitude of your experience goes up, if that makes sense. In other words, although this is hard to imagine, the overall amount of experience increases relative to baseline. That is not evoked using external stimuli, of course, since the actual change in the intensity of your experience requires direct control interruption. The overall information content globally available in the field of awareness of a person tripping increases in a dose-dependent way.
The second hallmark characteristic of psychedelic experiences, which gives them a powerful edge over current digital techniques, is that the state highlights already salient stimuli. High-level psychedelic pattern recognition seems to be based on attention-modulated saliency enhancement. Let me explain:
Our visual system automatically recognizes salient features in our experience. This is not an exclusive property of visual consciousness, by the way. Here we must notice that awareness and attention are distinct but related aspects of our mind. Awareness happens effortlessly, and its visual variety arises as soon as we open our eyes (within 200 milliseconds therefrom). Even at the level of awareness we see a fast sorting of perceived features by their overall saliency, which is a function both of their intrinsic properties and those relative to every other feature in the awareness field. Attention, which is slower and builds on top of the awareness field, enables a variety of high level cognitive activities to interplay with the features highlighted by awareness. In turn, the overall state of consciousness of a person changes as attention moves the reference point for awareness to bring forth new salient features. Iteratively, these processes allow a mind to surf through states of consciousness.
In summary, awareness creates the marketplace of salient features that compete for attention. As attention is recentered on a new cluster of features, the field of awareness is modified and the new salient features again have a chance to change the focus of attention.
With psychedelic-induced control interruption, the intensity by which saliency of features in the field of awareness is highlighted goes up significantly. In turn, the attention-modulated perception of the intensely salient features highlights specific high-level features suggested by the field of awareness. And finally, this conceptual mental state highlighted via attention, results in an even higher saliency for conceptually-related features. And hence come the eye reality, fish realty, tree reality, abstract concept reality, divine reality, fractal reality, etc. people discover on LSD.
Although a difficult challenge, I predict that a well-trained, dedicated and mentally healthy psychonaut would be able to paint psychedelic experiences of her own that highlight similar high-level features as those highlighted on specific Inceptionist works of art. Probably a long meditative practice would help in the process, since the specific saliency of various features is attention-modulated, and thus requires inhibiting unrelated salient directions (e.g. deep philosophical questions, personal issues, etc.) and focus exclusively on, say, dogs.
Who chooses what is salient?
If you already know what class of features you want to highlight, then the inceptionist method will help you. But what about choosing what to highlight to begin with? This, I believe, is the crux of what makes psychedelic experiences (and minds in general) still unbeatable by neural networks. Once you know what to look for, your cortex and inceptionist methods (and their future incarnations) might be on the same playing field. But what enables you to decide what is worth looking for?
The key unresolved problem standing for a fully-digital psychedelic experience replication algorithm is what I call the saliency-attention mapping. This is: Given a particular conscious experience that is highlighting a set of features, how does attention ultimately find what to focus on? How are the subsequent relevant features to be highlighted? In many cases we choose to ignore all of the immediately salient features in a scene precisely to see more subtle patterns. And during a psychedelic experience, directing your attention to entirely unsuspecting places has the effect of switching off previously salient features and activating a new class of them (for example, choosing to focus on the music rather than the visual scene).
Is there any way of modeling the saliency-attention mapping without taking into account all of the information present in the field of awareness at the time? Indeed, an ongoing hypothesis here in Qualia Computing is that consciousness itself is required for this step. The very computational advantage of being conscious seems to be related to the unitary nature of experiences: Your choices are not only the result of parallel processing or implicit information integration. They stem from what you choose to pay attention to considering the entirety of your field of awareness. You do this at every point in time. Thus, a sort of instantaneous and ontological unity is required to account for a significant step of the information processing pipeline of the mind. And this may lead to a saliency-attention function whose runtime complexity is impossible to match with digital computers.
The conceivability horizon
Now, this unitary field of awareness step also has large down-stream effects. In particular, subsets of the phenomenology of experiences can be reinterpreted in very novel ways. Psychedelics are likewise famous for unlocking entirely new conceptual ontologies and points of view that remain with the person long after acute effects subside. We could call this, an extension of the horizon of conceivability. This comes about from considering many of the features of the particular conscious experience at once and identifying a new private referent (such as a concept) whose meaning is derived from the unique combination of those elements.
Without a unitary conscious experience this step would be impossible, and it |
. Graduating high school is the only way for me to get out of the malignant cycle of poverty endemic to my neighborhood and to many other impoverished neighborhoods throughout the United States. I can't afford to spend these vital few years of my cognitive development becoming a small thread in someone's inspirational narrative.
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But hey, how much can I really know, anyway? I haven't had an actual teacher in three years.Mayer Dubinsky went looking for twigs and found a helicopter.
"I saw this bright-colored object amongst the leaves," he said Friday.
In a small patch of woods behind his Hackettstown home on Helmsmill Road, he went searching for sticks to help grill his turkey on Thanksgiving.
As he crunched leaves and stomped sticks he came upon a hobbyist's remote controlled orange and black helicopter.
"Must have blown off course and must be remote controlled," he wrote on the community site, Hackettstownlife.com.
Dubinsky said the owner has yet to come forward.
The helicopter runs on a rechargeable battery and is "somewhere between the little ones you can buy at Kohl's and the gas-powered toys flown by the R/C club," he wrote.
"It has to be somebody really close by. It doesn't fly far," he added.
He doesn't think it belongs to the Top O' New Jersey R/C Club, which is on Kinny Road, because it's too far from their flying field.
His 9-year-old son, Ethan, fell in love with it.
"We want to get it flying again," Dubinsky said.
His son is "hoping we don't find the owner, but he hopes we do too," he said.No charges in Oakland intruder shootings OAKLAND
Prosecutors won't press charges against two Oakland men who shot and killed home intruders in unrelated cases, authorities said Wednesday.
In the most recent killing, a 57-year-old man shot and killed Tommy Nguyen, 20, of San Francisco at about 4:40 a.m. Monday. Police said Nguyen and two other men broke into the resident's duplex on the 300 block of Seventh Street where more than 100 marijuana plants were growing inside. Authorities said the pot was being grown legally under Oakland's medical marijuana ordinance.
In the other case, Ola Okuribido, 23, of Oakland was shot and killed about 2 a.m. Saturday by a resident of an apartment complex on the 2800 block of Summit Street.
The incident began when Okuribido followed a female resident into the complex and began bothering her, including slapping her rear end, said Oakland police Sgt. Mike Gantt.
The woman went to a neighbor's unit and asked for help. Okuribido then kicked in the door and got inside, prompting the resident to shoot and kill him, police said.
In both cases, authorities said that the killings were in self-defense and that the residents won't face criminal charges. Their names were withheld by police.A long time ago — in the summer of 2001 if I recall correctly — I ran into an intriguing page at http://chaos.yerbox.org/face/ (Chaosmachine’s more recent page can be found at blamcast.net). The original page, which sadly resides only in the web archives nowadays, was all about this hidden “demon face” in one of Aphex Twin‘s tracks, #2 (the long formula) on “Windowlicker”.
This face was supposed to be viewable with a spectrograph program, so I decided to try it myself. A spectrograph basically visualizes the sound spectrum.
First I needed to extract the track from the Windowlicker CD, which was easy with CDex. The extraction of the whole track was not really necessary because the “face” is situated at the very end of the track, starting from the 5:27 mark and lasting for about 10 seconds. There are other “audio images” on this particular track as well (and one at the end of the first track), but the face is certainly the most exciting of them all.
After I had the wav-file, I used a program called Spectrogram to visualize the file. To my amazement, it worked, and I was soon staring at the “demon” face:
I was, however, not content with this. Why would the good ol’ Twin have added a “demon” face into one of his tracks? I mean, the man does have a weird sense of humor, but I always thought demons were more up BoC‘s alley…
While examining the image, I came to the conclusion that something was not right. So I started messing around with the settings of the spectrograph program, and after a bit of knob twiddling the mystery revealed itself: the face was supposed to be watched with a logarithmic frequency scale, not with a linear scale.
A linear scale provided the “demon face”, but with a logarithmic scale the end results were quite different:
Why, it was none other than the Twin himself all the time, complete with his patented grin!
The settings which I used to get the above image were roughly the same as in the picture below (they aren’t the exact same settings since I’ve lost them somewhere, but if you try them yourself you’ll find that they are more than close enough):
After this “amazing” discovery, I contacted the guy at chaos.yerbox.org and informed him of the results. He seemed interested to add this new-found info to his pages, but I suppose he never got around to actually do it — which is the primary reason for the existence of this particular page.
Next, I decided to inform the good folks on the IDM mailinglist about The Face. It turned out that this “picture to audio” -thing was really not hard to do at all and there was a Windows program called Coagula that could transform any picture into soundwaves with minimum effort. Aphex Twin himself had used a Mac program called Metasynth to do his images.
I tested Coagula and found it easy enough to use. Now this new discovery raised a new question: Were there more examples of this audio imaging available?
Luckily the soundscapes that Coagula spits out are quite easy to notice in their aural form, so I didn’t have to look for long before I found another example: On Plaid‘s “Rest Proof Clockwork”, the track “3recurring” contains a continuous stream of “threes” (as seen on the cover art of their previous album, “Not For Threes”).
Besides the Plaid discovery I couldn’t find any more examples of audio imaging on any of the CD’s I own, but I didn’t bother to look that hard either. However it is clear that this audio/image stuff was “hip” at 1999, since both of the aforementioned records were released around that time.
After going public with my pages, I’ve had several people contact me to offer more information on the subject or wanting to get an interview. The most prominent one was the story run on Wired Magazine (a well-researched story, but they got my age wrong by 6 years).
As a nice finish, here are is a small gallery of some audio images from Aphex Twin and other artists:Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerBrady gun control group gets rebranding Brennan fires back at'selfish' Trump over Harry Reid criticism Trump rips Harry Reid for 'failed career' after ex-Dem leader slams him in interview MORE (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday ripped President Trump's revised travel executive order targeting six Muslim-majority countries, predicting that it will run into the same legal problems as Trump's original measure.
"Despite their best efforts, I fully expect this executive order to have the same uphill climb in the courts that the previous version had," Schumer said in a statement.
The new order removed Iraq from the countries affected by the temporary travel ban and halts all refugee admissions to the U.S. for four months. The previous ban contained that provision but also halted Syrian refugee resettlement indefinitely.
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Schumer added on Monday that while the new executive order is "watered down," it is still a "ban."
"Despite the Administration’s changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more, it is mean-spirited, and un-American. It must be repealed," he said.
The new policy includes clearer guidance on who is exempt from the ban, including legal permanent residents of the U.S. and dual nationals using a passport from a country not affected by the ban.
Trump was initially expected to roll out the ban last week, but reportedly delayed it after getting positive feedback from his first address before a joint session of Congress.
Schumer accused the administration on Monday of delaying the revised order "so the president could bask in the aftermath" of the speech.
"[It] is all the proof Americans need to know that this has absolutely nothing to do with national security," he said.Homemade edible holiday cupcake toppers!
Pretzel Christmas Tree Cupcake Toppers
This time of the year is my favorite time for baking. Not because I almost feel guilt-free for snacking on all of the goodies but because there are so many adorable and festive ideas out there.
These pretzel Christmas tree cupcake toppers are one of those and seriously so fast and easy to put together for any holiday event! They are so easy, even the kids can do them!
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How to Make Your Christmas Tree Cupcakes
If you are looking for the fastest way to make these treats, then I would recommend just picking up some generic cupcakes at your local grocery store and then adding your adorable Christmas tree toppers to them! That’s what I did and I have zero shame in this because it saved me a lot of time!
However, making your own cupcakes would be great too if you have time to make them. If you made your own, you can add to the cuteness by making chocolate cupcakes and using white frosting with coconut flakes to look like snow on your cupcakes! Really, the possibilities are endless.
These pretzel Christmas trees on generic store-bought cupcakes are super cute and festive on their own though too and that is how I like to do them personally.
Gather Your Supplies:
First things first, gather up your supplies! Here’s what you’ll need:
For these cupcake toppers, I prefer to use wax paper because it’s cheap and disposable. You could also use parchment paper or non-stick silicone mats though too.
Initial Preparation:
Line your baking sheet with your wax paper or whatever method you prefer to use to stop the candy melts from sticking to your baking sheets. Once you have your baking sheet lined, lay out your pretzel sticks making sure to leave some space between them so that when you drizzle the melted candy to form the trees they will not be touching each other.
Now melt your candy melts. I love using candy melts because this just speeds up the process even more for me. You can also melt white chocolate chips with food coloring and add them to a Ziploc bag or piping bag to do the drizzling.
If using the candy melt method, make sure to read the instructions on the package before starting. You do not want to overheat your candy melts because then the consistency of the candy will be wrong, it will get too hard and will not drizzle. To avoid this, heat them at 50% heat or on defrost in the microwave and knead the package every 30 seconds or so.
Assembling Your Pretzel Christmas Trees:
Once you have your candy melted or your chocolate chips in your piping bag, it’s time to assemble your pretzel Christmas trees! Cut your candy melt bag or use a drizzling tip for your piping bag and start drizzling the melted candy on top of your pretzel sticks in the shape of Christmas trees.
Note: You will want to be sure to start your tree about halfway up your pretzel stick that way there is room to push the cupcake topper into the cupcake!
Before your candy melts harden back up on the pretzel stick, add your sprinkles if you would like. I like to do half with sprinkles and half without just because some people, like me, do not enjoy the taste of sprinkles. You will want to be quick about this part because the candy hardens back up fairly quickly.
Top Your Christmas Tree Cupcakes:
Once you have let your pretzel Christmas trees cool and harden back up for 5-10 minutes, they are ready to top your cupcakes. You can speed up this process by cooling them in the refrigerator too.
How Easy Was That?
That is all there is to it! These have to be the easiest Christmas tree cupcakes ever. However, even though they’re easy they still impress people! Everyone will absolutely love how cute and adorable they are.
Hope you enjoy them and have a great holiday!
More Christmas Recipes:
Find all our Christmas recipes here!Peyton Manning is enjoying his first healthy, "normal" offseason since 2009. There are no surgeries to recover from this year. There is no new city and new team to learn. That has left the Denver Broncos quarterback with more time for other duties.
Manning threw passes to soldiers in the Persian Gulf, took 30 teammates to a Colorado Rockies game and shot a 77 last weekend at Augusta National Golf Club. Oh, and he hit a hole-in-one on a 166-yard par 3 during a round of golf in Denver, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.
Schein: Time is now for Peyton Adam Schein says the window is closing on Peyton
says the window is closing on Peyton Manning's chance to land a legacy-securing second Super Bowl title. More...
"What I've known about playing quarterback in a town, it's a routine," Manning said. "There's football, then it's going to play golf with your buddies, taking guys to a baseball game, speaking to schools, giving out money here in Colorado.
"Last year, I didn't do any of that. So that makes me more comfortable doing that. It's the hat a quarterback has to wear. Does it guarantee you're going to win games? Not necessarily. But I usually play better when I feel more comfortable."
Manning doesn't have usual "buddies." Compared to most players, he has a unique relationship with his bosses, often golfing with Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway. (Manning played at Augusta with Elway and coach John Fox. Let's just say Brock Osweiler doesn't get the same treatment.)
It's hard to say if Manning's comfort level will translate into greater success. It's not like he's going to ease off the gas with his preparation. But at 37 years old, Manning is all too aware that he only has so many offseasons left as a franchise quarterback.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.Daniel Striped Tiger
First MRN Appearance Episode 0001 Last MRN Appearance Episode 1763 Performed By Fred Rogers
Daniel Striped Tiger is a shy and meek resident of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. He lives in the clock located near the Platypus Mound on the west side[1] of the Neighborhood opposite the castle.
In his earliest days on the Children's Corner, Daniel was the president of the Tame Tiger Torganization, loved hamburger, and often hosted parties at his clock for seventeen of his closest tiger friends.
Daniel is very soft-spoken, is easily frightened, and tends to be quite a worrywart. He often finds comfort in playing with his truck -- his favorite toy -- and talking with his friend Lady Aberlin. She and Daniel show their affection for one another by rubbing their noses together and saying "ugga mugga." Once worried that he was a mistake, Daniel was reassured of his worth by Lady Aberlin.[2] Daniel is colorblind[3] and also somewhat naive. Bob Dog once convinced him that a plant could grow cans of soup.[4]
Although Daniel does not have a grandfather[5], he does have many friends throughout the Neighborhood of Make-Believe including his imaginary friend, Malcolm Apricot Dinko, and his schoolmates at Someplace Else -- Prince Tuesday and Ana Platypus.
Daniel shares his birthday with Purple Panda[6] who did not have a birthday of his own. He served as the ring bearer in the wedding of Betty Okonak Templeton and James Michael Jones[7], is a founding member of the Neighborhood's Reindeer-Tiger sports team[8], and is known to attend the occasional clock-lover's meeting.[9] Daniel was even able to communicate with Yo-Yo LaBelle -- the visitor from the stars -- when no one else was able to.[10]
Looking into Margaret Witch's crystal ball, it was revealed that Daniel Striped Tiger would one day marry Grandpere's granddaughter, Collette.[11]
Daniel's Name and Background
Daniel Striped Tiger is named after the first general manager of WQED in Pittsburgh -- Dorothy Daniel. In his interview for the Archive of American Television, Fred Rogers describes how Daniel Striped Tiger first came to be:
Before [The Children's Corner] went on the air on April 5 [1954]...Mrs. Daniel gave us a party -- all the people who were going to be on the air -- and she gave favors at the party. My favor was a little tiger puppet and I said to Josie [Carey], "Why don't we just make a slit in the set and I can poke this puppet through. Let's call it Daniel. We'll just use it once." The art department had painted this fanciful set and there happened to be a clock on it. So I just put the little slit in the clock and poked Daniel [through] and said, "Hello, Josie, it's 5:03 and Columbus discovered America in 1492." The people liked him so much...and that's how the puppetry began. We never expected to use puppets on the program.
Furthermore, the story behind Daniel's wristwatch is documented in the first issue of Around the Neighborhood from 1973:
The Daniel puppet seems to have a great fan following among the children who watch the program. When Daniel offered membership in his Tame Tiger Torganization (T.T.T.) on The Children's Corner, he was soon receiving 750 letters a day. Not long ago a very thoughtful present came for Daniel from a child who watched him often. The child explained in a letter that he had noticed Daniel's clock had no hands, so he was sending Daniel the most useful present he could think of -- a wristwatch.
Operas and Plays
Daniel Striped Tiger's experience with the Neighborhood operas and plays includes the following parts:
In the credits at the end of Episode 1608 and Episode 1609, Daniel S. Tiger is credited as a cast member of Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe.
Puppet Demonstration
Mister Rogers demonstrates the Daniel Striped Tiger puppet in Episode 1384, Episode 1530, and the Musical Stories VHS release.
Songs
Merchandise
Puppet Variations
The original Children's Corner version of Daniel Striped Tiger puppet had dark horizontal stripes while the version used for the duration of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood had much lighter, less noticeable stripes.
Notes
Daniel shares his first ugga-mugga with Lady Aberlin in Episode 0036.
It is often considered that Daniel's birthday is in April -- coinciding with the premiere of the Children's Corner. According to Our Small World, Daniel's birthday is actually July 9.
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
In Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Daniel Striped Tiger has grown up and married Mom Tiger. Together they live on Jungle Beach and have a son named Daniel Tiger.
Images
Appearances
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
The Children's Corner
MisteRogers' Neighborhood (EEN)
Books
CDs, Records, and Tapes
Home Video
Other Video
ReferencesBreitbart Editor Disciplined by Twitter Following Announcement of Book on Radical Islam
Breitbart London’s editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam recently was suspended from Twitter just days after announcing the forthcoming publication of a new book focusing on the topic of radical Islam.
The book, entitled “No Go Zones: How Sharia Law Is Coming to a Neighborhood Near You”, which will be published by Regnery, and already is making a lot of noise on social media platforms. Kassam’s book is already on a number of best seller lists on Amazon, including the coveted “movers and shakers” list.
A BAN. Best possible endorsement of @RaheemKassam book. RT and buy it. Well done the censors of Twatter, you just don’t learn do you. — Sheikh Anvakh (@Sheikh_Anvakh) July 26, 2017
Kassam took to Facebook to imply that Twitter’s sudden decision to suspend him is based on his revealing of the book’s controversial cover art just days prior. The fact that he was shut down while promoting a book on radical Islam is all too telling. Kassam noted that his account had yet to have been shut down at the time of suspension.
Kassam commented to Breitbart London on the topic, stating:
“It is incredibly conveniently timed for Twitter to suspend my account, after I just announced my book on No Go Zones. It’s almost as if there are people who don’t want the truth about what’s going on in America and Europe to come to light.”
@RaheemKassam was suspended from Twitter for exposing #NoGoZones… so Twitter suspended an ex Muslim for exposing radical Islam! HUH!! SMH. — Lescaart (@lescaart) July 26, 2017by Berkeley Copwatch
Xavier Christopher Moore died Feb. 12 during a situation we believe was instigated by the Berkeley Police Department, at her apartment on the fifth floor of 2116 Allston Way, the Gaia Building. Moore has been referred to as a man in police and media reports, but Moore lived her life as a woman, so out of respect we will refer to Moore as “she.”
The BPD’s press release of Feb. 13 says that they responded to “a disturbance call” at Moore’s apartment. Media reports have said this call was related to mental health. If she was going through a mental health crisis, was anyone present trained to respond to that kind of situation, to evaluate, and deescalate?
According to an article from Feb. 26 in the Oakland Tribune, “Berkeley: Man who died after struggle with police was severely mentally ill,” rather than take her to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation when they found out she had an outstanding warrant in San Francisco, they told her they were going to arrest her.
An article in the San Francisco Chronicle dated Feb. 13, “Man dies in struggle with Berkeley police,” mentions “a disturbance between roommates” as causing the police to arrive. The Daily Californian Feb. 14 article, “Man dies after being taken into police custody,” says that other residents heard a “commotion on the fifth floor of the building before the officers arrived on the scene.”
None of the witnesses we spoke to heard any sort of commotion or disturbance until after the police arrived. Why the consistent difference? In fact, the police were at Moore’s apartment twice that night. This isn’t mentioned at all by the police or media reports.
The police first showed up around 11 p.m. and left without incident. The incident resulting in Moore’s death was the second police visit, occurring around 11:50 p.m. According to witnesses, when they returned a second time, there was a sizable police presence. Why did they come back an hour later with so many officers? What were they preparing to do?
Perhaps the overriding issue here is that the Berkeley Police haven’t made any public statement except for their initial press release. The coroner, NOT the police department, released Moore’s name.
Can a person die during a contact with police – whatever the circumstances – and the police just don’t say anything? Is it because there is an ongoing investigation? Nonsense. When the police don’t release this basic information, something is very wrong. It greatly restricts the potential for accountability.
This gross situation is partly a result of a lack of police oversight in Berkeley. The effectiveness of the Police Review Commission has decreased, and police responses to situations have become increasingly violent. The situation for people of color, young people, houseless people and those on the margins has steadily deteriorated in recent years.
Likewise, our ability to bring issues to the attention of the Police Review Commission and to have cases heard fairly has decreased. New regulations that are completely biased against complainants make it almost impossible to sustain complaints against a police officer. We can expect more tragic incidents of this kind if nothing changes.
We believe that an unarmed, obese and schizophrenic woman in her own home should have been responded to by, if anything, mental health professionals, NOT armed police. According to the Feb. 26 article in the Oakland Tribune, the police “originally were going to take him to Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley for a psychiatric evaluation, but then they discovered an outstanding warrant for assault from San Francisco, and police told him they would have to arrest him. At that point he became combative, she (Elysse Paige-Moore, Xavier’s stepmother) said.”
Was it really more important to arrest her than to deal with a psychiatric episode that may have brought them there in the first place?
We believe there needs to be an open people’s investigation. We do not believe the police or the district attorney are concerned with conducting an impartial investigation. We will evaluate the circumstances of this case ourselves.
Berkeley Copwatch is calling immediately for the following:
Access to dispatch records to determine what the police who responded to the call were told before they arrived. A Public Records Act request has been filed regarding this, and we expect documents to be released in full and without delay. Access to all police reports, witness statements and information related to this case.
According to an article at Salon.com from Dec. 10 of last year, “Half of people shot by police are mentally ill, investigation finds,” not only are many people who are killed by the police mentally ill, but police aren’t properly trained in how to deal with mental illness. Another article, in Bloomberg.com Dec. 27 of last year, “Bullets are safety net as 64 mentally ill die at hands of police,” states that the number of mentally ill people killed by the police increased threefold from 2009-2012.
The police version of this entire story does not match reports of witnesses and is suspicious in and of itself. The silence around this incident is of great concern.
Berkeley’s is the original Copwatch, founded in 1990. The Northern California Society of Professional Journalists will award Berkeley Copwatch one of its James Madison Freedom of Information Awards on March 12. They can be reached at berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com.What happens when the fox builds the hen house?
The drilling industry helped get some of the most influential lawmakers elected with lavish donations to their campaigns. It paid millions to lobbyists to influence legislation, and it has hired many of the experienced regulators away from public service.
Now the industry will pay to train the people who set policy and enforce it.
ExxonMobil and GE will be investing $1 million each to establish new training programs at three universities, including Penn State, “to ensure that regulators and policymakers have access to the latest technological and operational expertise to assist in their oversight of shale development,” according to a Penn State press release issued Thursday.
The other schools are the University of Texas at Austin and the Colorado School of Mines.
With money from the drilling industry, Penn State’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research will offer a new “Shale Gas Regulators Training Program” to provide “best-practices training” to people who oversee the drilling industry.
The center’s co-director, Tom Murphy, said in a press release the program will “offer new regulators the chance to learn the latest science-based concepts related to geology, petroleum technology and environmental quality.”
Until now, Murphy had maintained that the Marcellus Center operated free and clear of industry funding.
Murphy did not return a message left on his cell phone Thursday afternoon.
Nor did the Penn State office of communications return a call seeking comment.
GE CEO Jeff Immelt said in the release he thought “smart regulation” was a key “to America leading the world in shale-gas development.”
According to the release, GE produces nearly 40 technologies for the shale-gas sector in areas such as mobile and fixed water filtration, flare-gas capture and reuse, cleaner on-site power generation, and “demand-side solutions that create liquefied or compressed natural gas for use in truck fleets and other areas.”
Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil, the world’s largest non-government-owned energy company, said, “Americans rightly want to know that these resources are being produced safely and responsibly.”
State regulators are skeptical.
Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Kevin Sunday said the agency would have to evaluate the proposed curriculum to determine “if enforcement personnel would benefit from the training.”
He said the DEP has “a very knowledgeable, well-trained staff, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t make the program stronger.”
Public Utility Commission spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher said that agency would also scrutinize whether or not the industry-sponsored training would be appropriate.
It would not, she said, replace the federally-mandated Oklahoma City safety training required of PUC regulators.
Tom Murphy, co-director of Penn State University’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, said Thursday evening that the center remains independent of industry funding.
The university press release said, “As part of the initiative, the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research has added the Shale Gas Regulators Training Program.”
Murphy acknowledged that program was sponsored with industry cash, but insisted the Marcellus Center “is definitely not funded by industry.”
He suggested there was simply confusion “because I helped broker the deal.”
When asked if the university press release was inaccurate, Murphy responded, “Yeah, I guess... Maybe I need to review that verbiage... Maybe there’s a tweaking on our side.”
The new program, he said, is a “stand alone” program.It’s been seven months since I wrote about the Regal Heights street mural, a community-driven art project painted by neighbours of all ages on Springmount Avenue.
Despite half a year of rain, traffic and salt, the mural is still looking pretty good, although the brightness of the colours has already begun to slowly fade. That’s the nature of street murals. Daily abuse ensures that they don’t last as long as their vertical cousins painted on walls. That’s part of the fun: re-painting the mural, with a new design, every few years! Luckily, this particular community art project has been immortalised on Street View. But while Google has given the Regal Heights street mural eternal digital life, it looks like City staff are trying to ensure that the project itself has no future at all.
In response to a supportive motion from Councillor Cesar Palacio, Transportation Services has written a stunning staff report, recommending that no street murals be allowed anywhere in Toronto. The same report acknowledges that painted street murals are currently allowed in Vancouver, Ottawa, Halifax and Kitchener.
City staff in Vancouver say that street murals “enhance public spaces and create opportunities for neighbours and diverse members to form relationships, elevate community pride, and participate in the process, including planning, meetings, workshops, work parties and painting.”
Ottawa staff claim that street murals provide “a way to connect and inspire students and community volunteers through creating art to beautify public space“.
In Halifax, “Municipal staff provide support to seek necessary approvals and works collaboratively with community members to design accessible, creative and successful project plans. If the project is a street mural, the municipality also provides staff support for project painting days.”
Meanwhile, in Toronto,“City staff have investigated these projects in other cities, reviewed potential requirements in the City of Toronto, and do not recommend pursuing a new Street Mural program at this time.”
Why does Toronto do this so often? How have we allowed such a risk-averse culture to consume our bureaucracy? While other cities innovate, we come up with excuses not to do something.
Don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of empathy for our City staff. They are often overworked and under-resourced. I understand their reluctance to take on large new projects, while council refuses to allocate and collect the funds required to build a great city. But this project is exactly the kind of proposal that staff should love. It’s small, volunteer-driven, and cheap. Neighbours have to create their own artwork, build local support, pay for the supplies, and coordinate the painting. Yes, the City will have to provide a “street closure” permit… but they already have a system in place for that. And yes, the City will have to approve the design… but they already do that as well, for wall murals. There are pre-existing processes for all of these details.
Ottawa staff have reported a reduction in car speeds, that there have been “no incidents or safety concerns” and that the murals are “very popular with the community and the media“. If other cities with MUCH smaller budgets have been able to do this, then why can’t we? It makes no sense at all.
The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee will be debating and voting on the staff report on Thursday January 21st. Here are two ways you can make a difference:
Send a short e-mail to the Committee. Let them know why you support street murals! Put the item number “PW10.1” in your subject line, and send to: pwic@toronto.ca, councillor_robinson@toronto.ca, councillor_holyday@toronto.ca, councillor_lee@toronto.ca, councillor_mcmahon@toronto.ca, councillor_moeser@toronto.ca, councillor_perruzza@toronto.ca Attend the meeting and make a short deputation to the Committee members. Any member of the public is allowed to speak to the Committee, for up to five minutes. It’s very powerful when members of the community take the time to attend a meeting and speak. The meeting is next Thursday, 9:30am, at City Hall. To register, send an e-mail to the clerk: pwic@toronto.ca
If enough people write, hopefully it will convince the Committee to reject the staff recommendation and allow more neighbourhoods to beautify their pavement.
The Regal Heights street mural will eventually fade away. Hopefully, by the time it does, there will be many new murals across the city, painted by neighbours who care enough about their community to contribute some time, energy and creativity towards a collective act of beautification.It's one ranking where the government won't complain about scoring less.The Economist's latest index of crony capitalism estimates crony wealth in India at 3% of GDP, against 18% in 2008, when cronyism was at its peak internationally. India, coming in at ninth place, now compares with Australia, instead of competing with Russia eight years ago.Whether its Xi Jiping's "crackdown against corruption" in China or PM Modi "trying to subject the economy to a blast of competition", governments are initiating a clean-up everywhere, says The Economist. It also cites pressure from the middle class, reflected in the election of Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.The fall in commodity prices, weak currency and stocks in emerging markets and the end of the property boom in Asia seem to have led to a global reduction in crony wealth, says The Economist.The magazine quotes the example of liquor baron Vijay Mallya's "fight against deportation to India" to the arrest of a construction company's executives in Brazil in a corruption scandal involving Petrobras, the state-owned oil company, to illustrate how pressure is mounting on those who benefited from the opaque ways in which the state functioned.Referring to India, the Economist said, "A slump in commodity prices has obliterated the balance sheets of its Wild West mining tycoons. The government has got tough on graft, and the central bank has prodded state-owned lenders to stop giving sweetheart deals to moguls. The pin-ups of Indian capitalism are no longer the pampered scions of its business dynasties, but the hungry founders of Flipkart, an e-commerce firm."While the Modi government has initiated several steps to bring about transparency, including auction of telecom spectrum and mining rights, the Economist warned that the gains could be tough to sustain. To begin with, the wealth of crony capitalists could rise as commodity prices rise.Globally, crony billionaire wealth was estimated at $1.75 trillion, 16% lower than the estimate in 2014. The fall is led by emerging markets, where its share in GDP has decreased from 7% to 4%. "The mix of wealth has been shifting away from crony industries and towards cleaner sectors, such as consumer goods," the magazine said.Germany was the cleanest in the world, with just a few of the country's billionaires deriving their wealth from crony sectors. Russia fared the worst, with wealth from crony sectors amounting to 18% of its GDP. Following Russia on the list were Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.KUWAIT/DUBAI (Reuters) - When a Saudi Arabian man flew to Kuwait in the early hours of Friday to carry out the country’s worst militant attack, a bomb vest, Kuwaiti-style Arab robes, a place to prepare, and a car and driver to take him to his target were all lined up for him.
Police cordon off the Imam Sadiq Mosque after a bomb explosion following Friday prayers, in the Al Sawaber area of Kuwait City June 26, 2015. REUTERS/Jassim Mohammed
The vest had been ferried across from Saudi Arabia a few days before in a complex operation suggesting Islamic State now commands a capable network of militants, propagandists and sympathizers on the Arabian peninsula, a security source said.Among those Fahd Suliman Abdul-Muhsen al-Qabaa contacted when his overnight flight via Bahrain landed, one had a family tie to Islamic State and another links to al Qaeda attacks in Kuwait a decade earlier, a security source and Kuwaiti media have reported.
Hours later, CCTV cameras recorded the young man entering Imam al-Sadeq mosque, his figure made portly by the bomb-laden vest concealed beneath his robe. He paused briefly to examine the 2,000 Shi’ite Muslim men prostrated in prayer, then detonated the device.
The timing of his entry, when few in the mosque were in a position to ask intrusive questions of a stranger, was another sign of the attention to detail of the cross-border team, which also appears to have coordinated propaganda around the attack.
The killing of 27 people was Kuwait’s deadliest militant attack, and the most lethal in any of the six hereditary-ruled Gulf Arab states since bombings in Riyadh killed 35 at the start of an al Qaeda campaign in Saudi Arabia in May 2003.
The assault has raised concerns about the number of young Saudi men willing to travel to attack |
According to the magazine, said game “originated about two years ago in southern California.” Of course, by 1963 the gesture was much older than that.
Thanks to David Levenson of Florida State University, Jesse Sheidlower of the Oxford English Dictionary, and Ben Zimmer of the Visual Thesaurus and Vocabulary.com.A small fleet of self-driving public buses has started running on the roads of China's tech district of Shenzhen, Guangdong.
The four buses are currently on trial, and will run over three stops on a public road about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) long.
But where typical self-driving bus projects involve smaller shuttle capsules, the four buses are nearly full-sized buses, able to carry up to 19 passengers.
SEE ALSO: Your next taxi driver might be a robot
Pretty roomy. Image: VCG via Getty Images
Other recent autonomous shuttles around the world have typically looked more like this:
A self-driving bus in Paris, produced by Easymile. Image: AFP/Getty Images
The first German autonomous public transport bus, from state-owned rail company Deutsche Bahn. Image: AFP/Getty Images
The Chinese buses will go up to about 40 km/h (24.8 mph), and are equipped with the typical sensing tech you'd find on other autonomous vehicles, such as Lidar, cameras and a GPS.
The fare is 1 yuan (15 cents USD), although it's free for the trial period.
Image: toutiao
Image: toutiao
The public trial of the Alphaba project comes after rounds of private tests, which have already seen the buses cover about 8,000 km prior to this, China Daily reports.
Tap to pay Image: VCG via Getty Images
The Shenzhen Bus Group, which runs Alphaba, has pledged to start similar autonomous trials in 10 more Chinese cities after this one wraps.
It intends to add more technologies to the buses too, including a way to analyse peak passenger traffic periods, so that buses can automatically adjust their dispatch schedules to match.
The city of Shenzhen opened the 1.2 km self-driving test route in September, together with another longer one stretching 3 km (1.86 mi), to cover 10 stops. We can expect another set of buses to hit that one.The Annuated, also known as The eldest of the Interior People and Their Progenitors are ancient Trill symbionts whose age ranges above 20,000 years old, living in the deepest part of the Caves of Mak'ala.
The Annuated look similar in shape to their younger descendants, but are approximately 30 meters long and 8 meters in circumference. They also spout a number of tentacular projections along their lengths which emit bioplasmic discharges. They are bottom feeders who subsist on nutrient rich hot springs at the base of the Mak'ala cave network.
The Annuated spawn eggs that eventually develop into the younger Symbionts which are released into the "shallows" of the Mak'ala caves, where they are tended by the Guardians. They also collect the memories of younger Trill Symbionts who return to the caves to die.
The Annuated Symbionts are serviced by smaller caretaker symbionts, who care for the Annuated as well as push the newly spawned eggs into the shallows. These caretakers are only between 2 and 5 thousand years old and measure a mere 2 meters in length, but also have immature tentacles growing along their breadth. Vah and Memh were some of the many such caretakers.
Ezri Dax once encountered the Annuated, after being directed to the bottom of the Caves of Mak'ala by a number of Symbionts and their Guardians. She spoke to the Annuated, who revealed the truth about the Symbionts, Bluegill parasites and Kurl links. The first time she met one, she assumed they were responsible for the myth of the Mak'relle Dur. (DS9 novel: Trill: Unjoined)Bitcoin’s value is directly proportional to its usefulness and acceptability. Angel Leon Blocked Unblock Follow Following Sep 16, 2014 The more you can buy, the more useful it becomes, the more valuable it becomes. Why OpenBazaar is the rocket that will take Bitcoin to the moon and why we need you to help build it.
http://youtu.be/J8LHpvEwesk The US dollar is the #1 fiat currency in circulation (and reserve currency) in the world, but it really has no value except the one we all give it. Everywhere in the world the US dollar is recognized and it’s “real” value I believe comes from this ubiquitous recognition and acceptance. As soon as its price starts to get too high more currency is issued, as soon as the value starts to go too low the fed will buy it back and burn it, therefore its value or strength is synthesized by the federal reserve banks. (the strength of the USD vs EUR is merely the result of interventionist design by bankers setting interest rates and controlling the supply of currencies) To put it in layman’s terms, if tomorrow you wanted to pay for a coffee, and the cashier would refuse to take your USD dollars, how valuable would it be? Since Overstock.com adopted Bitcoin it became clear to me that the most important factor towards making the value of Bitcoin higher and stable is usability. I’ve come to this realization not when I get to buy things there, but when I can’t buy things there and I’m forced to go to Amazon or eBay to get those things. The limited inventory in Overstock.com makes me feel my bitcoins are useless as they sit there on my wallet day after day (as ~3,600 new coins are “minted” every 24 hours), until I eventually find something that can be bought, or someone that will accept Bitcoin for payment somewhere else in the world (graphic designers, musicians, writers in Latin America have taken my bitcoins as form of payment during the last year, making Bitcoin useful in those latitudes even for a few) Bitcoin will only be as useful as the things/services it can get you. You can have all the Bitcoin you want in your wallet, but if nobody is willing to take it from you it’s worth nothing. can you go now and buy a coffee in the corner using the Bitcoin wallet in your cellphone? can you put gas on your car? can you pay your bills with Bitcoin? can you buy your lunch today? The answer is probably not for most of us in September 2014, and it will continue to be tht unless we get Bitcoin to be useful online first for everyone. Not just to buy, but also to sell things. How Bitcoin’s value grows through usability
Bitcoin’s value will grow (maybe non linearly) through this compound effect cycle: 1. The more things you can buy with Bitcoin, the more Bitcoin you will have to buy so you can spend it. 2. The more people spending Bitcoin, the more entrepreneurs and companies that won’t want to miss on accepting Bitcoin (with your help via the OpenBazaar network), therefore you will be able to spend Bitcoin on even more things. 3. The more Bitcoin that is being bought, the less Bitcoin available for everyone that becomes interested -as there’s a well established amount of Bitcoin being mined everyday, currently ~3,600 new bitcoins every 24 hours-, the more expensive a finite resource like Bitcoin becomes. #ToTheMoon “I’m starting with the man in the mirror” — Michael JacksonTesla Motors has revealed twin-engined, 691 HP, all-wheel-drive beast versions of its model S electric car.
The new Model S 85D and 60D were launched at an evening event in Los Angeles on Thursday by CEO Elon Musk, who explained that the rumoured "D" stands for "dual" as the cars has two electric motors: one at the front and another at the rear.
Musk told the event that the car's software “dynamically shifts power from front to rear at millisecond level.” This arrangement, he said, is better than conventional all-wheel-drive systems because it directs power to where it is needed, when it is needed, leaving the Model D “inherently able to do better road holding than cars with a single engine.”
“Acceleration is a bit faster”, he added, with zero to sixty miles an hour achievable in 3.2 seconds. The car's top speed is also higher. Musk also said the car can operate in three modes: "normal, sport and insane". The latter attempts to emulate the McLaren F1 sports car.
Musk asserted that despite the extra weight the second engine adds to the car, it is more efficient.
“Two drive units where we can shift the power and constantly be at the optimal efficiency for each motor means we can overcome the extra mass,” he said. “Everything improves about the car with dual motors. It is like having your own personal roller coaster you can use at any time.”
The D comes in two models, with either a 60 kWh or 85 kWh battery.
The new model is also a personal concierge of sorts, as Musk also revealed a new Autopilot autonomous driving system he said will allow Tesla owners to exit their cars and watch the vehicle park itself in their garage. If owners link their calendars to their cars, it will exit the garage as drivers leave their homes, switch on air conditioning and preferred music then await the driver's arrival. This will only happen on private roads: there'll be no KITT-style summoning of your car over long distances.
The Tesla Model D
At least for now: Musk said autopilot is “pushing the limits of what is allowed by regulations” and is “capable of being autonomous but it is not at the level where you could fall asleep and arrive safely at your destination.”
The company says "driverless cars... are still years away from becoming a reality." Tesla's says "Our system is called Autopilot because it’s similar to systems that pilots use to increase comfort and safety when conditions are clear."
For now, Tesla is working to use the forward radar, front-facing camera, 12 long range ultrasonic sensors and "high precision, digitally controlled electric assist braking system" to work on a range of "active safety features, using digital control of motors, brakes, and steering to avoid collisions from the front, sides, or from leaving the road."
Tesla says the D can be ordered now, with deliveries of the 85D to start in December for North American customers. The 60D will ship from February. Deliveries to Europe and Asia "will follow in the months afterwards." ®Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, this link I provided on my previous post deserves a second look. It is a exposition of the Illuminati’s new world order, and specifically concentrates on the role of foundations. The information it provides is excellent, primary and instructive. It is largely correct (except for the illuminati thing, although the elite do constantly, and boringly like a broken record, bang on about world governance.) This brings to mind Carrol Quigley’s comment in Tragedy and Hope that:
“This radical Right fairy tale, which is now an accepted folk myth in many groups in America, pictured the recent history of theUnited States, in regard to domestic reform and in foreign affairs, as a well-organized plot by extreme Left-wing elements … This myth, like all fables, does in fact have a modicum of truth. There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the Radical right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Groups, has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, or any other group, and frequently does so.”
So, separating the excellent legwork by the author from the faulty frame in which it is set, we have some excellent pieces of modern history. The first of which are the “The Cox and Reece Committees” (1952-55) that are available online. I have been unable to find any flaw or inaccuracy in the information gathered by the author. All the quotes appear genuine and culled from primary sources, such as:
“It has been said that the foundations are a power second only to that of the Federal Government itself … Perhaps the Congress should now admit that the foundations have become more powerful, in some areas, at least, than the legislative branch of the Government.”
and:
“Substantial evidence indicates there is more than a mere close working together among some foundations operating in the international field. There is here, as in the general realm of social sciences, a close interlock.
The Carnegie Corporation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Rockefeller Foundation and, recently, the Ford Foundation, joined by some others, have commonly cross-financed, to a tune of many millions … organizations concerned with internationalists, among them, the Institute of Pacific Relations, the Foreign Policy Association (which was “virtually a creature of the Carnegie Endowment”), the Council on Foreign Relations, the Royal Institute of International Affairs and others … and that it happened by sheer coincidence stretches credulity.”
The author’s identification of McGeorge Bundy as ushering in the civil right movement also appears correct, especially if we recall the Chicago Tribune article, in which it is reported:
“Led by the Ford Foundation under McGeorge Bundy, the white controlled philanthropic foundations have funded some direct action programs that a few years ago they would not consider”
and:
“Before Bundy, you couldn’t get in at the Ford Foundation to see the time of day,” says Jack Greenberg, head of the legal defence fund.”
and who was McGeorge Bundy? His wiki bio tells it all. Pure elite. Yale, Havard, Presidential adviser, CFR, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation…
The rest of the site provides great information on the foundations and the activities of the elite in sponsoring revolution, so a great deal of the research required for “the iron law of rebellious tools” has already been done, it just needs reinterpreting.
AdvertisementsRoughly two-thirds of seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income. In stark contrast, a new report we co-published last week with the Institute for Policy Studies found that the 100 largest CEO retirement accounts contain $4.9 billion—more than 41 percent of Americans families have saved for retirement, combined.
Last month Social Security officials announced that for only the third time since 1975, there will be no cost-of-living increase in retiree benefits. With the cost of housing, utilities and drug costs soaring, stagnant benefits could have a significant impact on seniors’ financial stability.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a bill to provide emergency relief to 70 million seniors, who depend on Social Security benefits. The Seniors and Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefits Act proposes a one-time payment of 3.9 percent—or roughly $580 for the average Social Security beneficiary, some veterans’ program beneficiaries, and select state, federal, and local retirees. For someone barely scraping by on a $1,250 Social Security check each month, $581 would cover almost three months of groceries, or a year’s worth of out-of-pocket costs for a Medicare beneficiary’s prescription drugs. According to some advocates, this small increase could lift more than 1 million Americans out of poverty.
Closing Corporate Pay Loophole to Give Seniors a Raise
To pay for this one-time infusion, the bill proposes closing a corporate loophole, which allows corporation to deduct from their taxes unlimited amounts of corporate executive compensation so long as that pay is “performance based.” Not only does this loophole reward corporations for offering CEO’s extravagant pay packages, advocates have suggested the loophole is one of many that contributes to growing income inequality in the United States.
In addition to paying for a one-time payment to retirees, closing this loophole will produce enough extra new funds to extend the life of the Social Security and Disability trust funds.
The bill would provide immediate relief to retirees who need it most, while correcting a discrepancy in the tax code that unnecessarily rewards CEOs. While the bill is only a small step towards fighting income inequality and inequalities, the bill is certainly an admirable step in the right direction.A new poll in North Carolina shows Donald Trump leads Republicans for the 2016 presidential election, and Hillary Clinton is the favorite among Democrats. But an unusually named candidate running as an Independent is making the race more interesting.
A new survey by Public Policy Polling among registered voters in N.C. finds "Deez Nuts" is gaining ground on Trump and Clinton.
According to CBS, Deez Nuts of Wallingford, Iowa, is among more than 500 people who have now filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission as of last month. Others making a bid for the White House include a woman named "Sara H. Paylin" and a cat named Limberbutt McCubbins.
PPP's latest findings show 6 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Nuts, while 13 percent view him as unfavorable and 81 percent are unsure. But when compared to the two main political parties' frontrunners, he's polling at 9 percent.
"If the candidates for President next year were Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, and independent Deez Nuts who would you vote for?" Thirty-eight percent chose Clinton, 40 percent chose Trump, and 9 percent picked Nuts.
According to PPP, Nuts is up slightly, polling at 8 percent two weeks ago in Minnesota and 7 percent in Iowa. And his campaign is only growing as "Deez Nuts" became a trending topic on Twitter Wednesday.
Huffington Post reports Nuts' identity has not been confirmed, as the FEC does not verify candidates' identities before posting them on its website. That would explain why a Buffalo student named George Boria was able to register "Sydneys Voluptuous Buttocks" for the 2016 race.
The new poll shows Trump continues to lead the GOP field in N.C. with 24 percent of votes, up from 16 in July. Ben Carson is in second place with 14 percent, followed by Jeb Bush at 13 percent, Ted Cruz at 10 percent and Marco Rubio at 9 percent.
Clinton still leads Democrats in the Tar Heel state at 55 percent, followed by Bernie Sanders at 19 percent.
The phone and online poll was conducted among 957 voters -- 477 were Democrats and 406 Republicans -- from August 12-16. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percent for the Democratic primary and 4.5 percent for the Republican primary.Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2013 December 9
Comet Lovejoy Over a Windmill
Image Credit & Copyright: Jens Hackmann
Explanation: Lovejoy continues to be an impressive camera comet. Pictured above, Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) was imaged above the windmill in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire in southern France with a six-second exposure. In the foreground is a field of lavender. Comet Lovejoy should remain available for photo opportunities for northern observers during much of December and during much of the night, although it will be fading as the month progresses and highest in the sky before sunrise. In person, the comet will be best viewed with binoculars. A giant dirty snowball, Comet Lovejoy last visited the inner Solar System about 7,000 years ago, around the time that humans developed the wheel.Internet providers would be forced to keep logs of their customers' activities for one year--in case police want to review them in the future--under legislation that a U.S. House of Representatives committee approved today.
The 19 to 10 vote represents a victory for conservative Republicans, who made data retention their first major technology initiative after last fall's elections, and the Justice Department officials who have quietly lobbied for the sweeping new requirements, a development first reported by CNET.
U.S. House of Representatives
A last-minute rewrite of the bill expands the information that commercial Internet providers are required to store to include customers' names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and temporarily-assigned IP addresses, some committee members suggested. By a 7-16 vote, the panel rejected an amendment that would have clarified that only IP addresses must be stored.
It represents "a data bank of every digital act by every American" that would "let us find out where every single American visited Web sites," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, who led Democratic opposition to the bill.
Lofgren said the data retention requirements are easily avoided because they only apply to "commercial" providers. Criminals would simply go to libraries or Starbucks coffeehouses and use the Web anonymously, she said, while law-abiding Americans would have their activities recorded.
To make it politically difficult to oppose, proponents of the data retention requirements dubbed the bill the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011, even though the mandatory logs would be accessible to police investigating any crime and perhaps attorneys litigating civil disputes in divorce, insurance fraud, and other cases as well.
"The bill is mislabeled," said Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the panel. "This is not protecting children from Internet pornography. It's creating a database for everybody in this country for a lot of other purposes."
Supporters of the measure characterized it as something that would aid law enforcement in investigating Internet crimes. Not enacting it "would keep our law enforcement officials in the dark ages," said its primary sponsor, House Judiciary chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas).
"Both Democratic and Republican administrations have called for data retention for over a decade," said Smith, who noted that groups including the National Sheriffs' Association, the Major County Sheriffs' Association, and the Fraternal Order of Police have endorsed the concept.
For a while, it seemed like opposition from a handful of conservative members of Congress, coupled with Democrats concerned about civil liberties, would derail the bill.
Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican and previous chairman of the House Judiciary committee, had criticized it at a hearing earlier this month, and again in the voting session that began yesterday and continued through this morning.
"I oppose this bill," said Sensenbrenner. "It can be amended, but I don't think it can be fixed... It poses numerous risks that well outweigh any benefits, and I'm not convinced it will contribute in a significant way to protecting children."
So did Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who has made privacy a signature issue and introduced a geolocation bill last month after trying to curb the use of airport body-scanners two years ago.
The original version of the bill, introduced in May, required Internet providers to "retain for a period of at least 18 months the temporarily assigned network addresses the service assigns to each account, unless that address is transmitted by radio communication." The wireless exemption appeared to be the result of lobbying from major carriers, but drew the ire of the Justice Department, which says it didn't go far enough, and was removed in a revised draft.
The mobile exemption represents a new twist in the debate over data retention requirements, which has been simmering since the Justice Department pushed the topic in 2005, a development that was first reported by CNET. Proposals publicly surfaced in the U.S. Congress the following year, and President Bush's attorney general, Alberto Gonzales said it's an issue that "must be addressed." So, eventually, did FBI director Robert Mueller.
In January 2011, CNET was the first to report that the Obama Justice Department was following suit. Jason Weinstein, the deputy assistant attorney general for the criminal division, warned that wireless providers must be included because "when this information is not stored, it may be impossible for law enforcement to collect essential evidence."
Smith introduced a broadly similar bill in 2007, without the wireless exemption, calling it a necessary anti-cybercrime measure. "The legislation introduced today will give law enforcement the tools it needs to find and prosecute criminals," he said in a statement at the time.
"Retention" vs. "preservation"
At the moment, Internet service providers typically discard any log file that's no longer required for business reasons such as network monitoring, fraud prevention, or billing disputes. Companies do, however, alter that general rule when contacted by police performing an investigation--a practice called data preservation.
A 1996 federal law called the Electronic Communication Transactional Records Act regulates data preservation. It requires Internet providers to retain any "record" in their possession for 90 days "upon the request of a governmental entity."
Because Internet addresses remain a relatively scarce commodity, ISPs tend to allocate them to customers from a pool based on whether a computer is in use at the time. (Two standard techniques used are the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet.)
In addition, an existing law called the Protect Our Children Act of 2008 requires any Internet provider who "obtains actual knowledge" of possible child pornography transmissions to "make a report of such facts or circumstances." Companies that knowingly fail to comply can be fined up to $150,000 for the first offense and up to $300,000 for each subsequent offense.Other than human casting choices and the introduction of an Autobot Ferrari as the first non-GM Transformer vehicle, information on Michael Bay’s Transformers 3 has been hard to come by. We’ve heard nothing about who the new villain will be or even a vague idea of what the plot will revolve around.
Earlier today, USA Today ran an article where Michael Bay and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura both acknowledged Revenge of the Fallen was an imperfect film, with the director then promising the third (and final?) film will make up for the Fallen’s shortcomings.
“I’ll take some of the criticism,” said Bay about Revenge of the Fallen. “It was very hard to put (the sequel) together that quickly after the writers’ strike (of 2007-08).” Lorenzo added, “We tried to do too many things in the second movie, which didn’t give enough time in any one of them. We were constantly jumping to the next piece of information, the next place.”
One of the biggest criticisms from everyone who saw Revenge of the Fallen where the antics of the Autobot Twins Skids and Mudflap, characters Bay says won’t be a factor in the third film. “One thing we’re getting rid of is what I call the dorky comedy,” Bay explains. “They’re basically gone,” he continues in reference to the Twins, though does confirm former Sector 7 agent John Turturro is back to offer comic relief. I think you can infer from “basically gone” that the Twins will leave Earth or be killed in the film’s opening action sequence.
The article states the plot of Transformers 3 will be tied into the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, following the previous film’s themes of looking to the past for Transformer meddling in human history. “The movie is more of a mystery,” Bay says. “It ties in what we know as history growing up as kids with what really happened.”
With the Fallen down and out, old school Decepticon Shockwave will enter the scene as the new villain. Although Optimus Prime, Megatron and Sam all died and were resurrected in the previous films, death in Transformers 3 will be a permanent condition. “As a trilogy, it really ends,” Bay concludes. “It could be rebooted again, but I think it has a really killer ending.”A flock of commuters lost in transit for more than a decade will once again grace the walls of Silver Spring’s Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center with the return of the Penguin Rush Hour mural. Depicting dozens of the black-and-white birds streaming through the Metro station and boarding Metro cars—briefcases and fare cards in hand—the artwork is slated to be re-installed within a month or so after an 11-year absence.
And this time around, the upgrading of the 100-foot-long mural from plywood to aluminum panels guarantees the flightless birds will stay put.
Photo Courtesy of Sally Callmer Thompson
“The mural is returning in a more durable, permanent configuration, most likely in late March. Stay tuned, as there’s a desire to have some sort of event to celebrate its return,” said Don Scheuerman of the Montgomery County Department of General Services.
Sally Callmer Thompson, the artist who created the mural in 1990 for the newly opened Silver Spring Metro station, said she’ll travel from her Virginia Eastern Shore home to reconnect with her friends at the event—those with wings and otherwise. “I just found out last month about the aluminum panels and cannot wait to see them,” Thompson, 62, said.
Because the artwork was meant to be temporary when first installed by the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) along Colesville Road and on a station wall, Thompson used exterior house paint to paint the 25 four- by eight-foot plywood panels.
“It became an unofficial mascot of Silver Spring—an exceptional reaction,” said Laurent Odde, WMATA’s Art in Transit Program Manager. He added that Metro artworks are intended to capture a sense of the community and life around a station. Currently, about one in three of the 91 Metro stations feature artwork.
“Art not only makes a station more beautiful, it makes it feel safer. It shows that the station is not just a place to grab a bus or train,” he said.
Photo Courtesy of Sally Callmer Thompson
Over the years, the penguins appeared on coffee mugs and T-shirts in Silver Spring shops, and even on the signage used as the Metro Station evolved into a Transit Center decades later.
“I think the design gained popularity because it’s easy to imagine penguins as people during the rush hour at a Metro station, the way they walk upright and flock together,” Thompson said. “My personal favorites are the penguins shown reading The Washington Post and doing the crossword in the train car.”
But time and the elements were not kind to the beloved penguins. “In sections exposed to the weather, it was peeling into nothingness,” Thompson said.
Removed in 2004, Thompson cleaned and restored the mural over two years, supported in part by fundraisers such as the $30,000 raised by the Pennies for Penguins campaign run by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) and the Silver Spring Regional Services Center. The restored panels were stored during construction of the Transit Center.
“I honestly did not want them to be put back up, as I knew that with time, the wood panels would deteriorate again,” Thompson said.
Apparently, AHCMC shared that concern. Working with WMATA, they funded to a project to digitally copy the restored mural images to aluminum panels. The scanning process replicated the images exactly, and used special exterior inks to ensure the graphic design will not fade in outdoor conditions, Scheuerman said.
Photo Courtesy of Sally Callmer Thompson
“The penguins are the mascots of Silver Spring, but a lot of our newer residents may not know the genesis of that,” he said. “With the return of the mural, they’ll understand, and the people that remember it from before will see the return of an old friend.”
A protective coating and perforations to allow air flow will ensure the aluminum panels bear up, said Amina Cooper, AHCMC’s public art manager.
Under an agreement being worked out with WMATA, ownership of both the wooden and aluminum murals will transfer to Montgomery County, Cooper said. The county will then loan the aluminum mural back to the Transit Center. A new home—most likely indoors—will be found for the for the restored wooden panels which are currently in storage.
“Our main goal was to make sure the original images were transferred to a durable format, and with that accomplished, we have to time to figure out what to do with the wooden panels that were so painstakingly restored,” Cooper said.Nate Silver was right. His ideological antagonists were wrong. And that's just the beginning of the right's self-created information disadvantage.
Reuters
Before rank-and-file conservatives ask, "What went wrong?", they should ask themselves a question every bit as important: "Why were we the last to realize that things were going wrong for us?"
Barack Obama just trounced a Republican opponent for the second time. But unlike four years ago, when most conservatives saw it coming, Tuesday's result was, for them, an unpleasant surprise. So many on the right had predicted a Mitt Romney victory, or even a blowout -- Dick Morris, George Will, and Michael Barone all predicted the GOP would break 300 electoral votes. Joe Scarborough scoffed at the notion that the election was anything other than a toss-up. Peggy Noonan insisted that those predicting an Obama victory were ignoring the world around them. Even Karl Rove, supposed political genius, missed the bulls-eye. These voices drove the coverage on Fox News, talk radio, the Drudge Report, and conservative blogs.
Those audiences were misinformed.
Outside the conservative media, the narrative was completely different. Its driving force was Nate Silver, whose performance forecasting Election '08 gave him credibility as he daily explained why his model showed that President Obama enjoyed a very good chance of being reelected. Other experts echoed his findings. Readers of The New York Times, The Atlantic, and other "mainstream media" sites besides knew the expert predictions, which have been largely borne out. The conclusions of experts are not sacrosanct. But Silver's expertise was always a better bet than relying on ideological hacks like Morris or the anecdotal impressions of Noonan.
Conservatives should be familiar with its contours. For years, they've been arguing that liberal control of media and academia confers one advantage: Folks on the right can't help but be familiar with the thinking of liberals, whereas leftists can operate entirely within a liberal cocoon. This analysis was offered to explain why liberal ideas were growing weaker and would be defeated.
Today?
It is easy to close oneself off inside a conservative echo chamber. And right-leaning outlets like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh's show are far more intellectually closed than CNN or public radio. If you're a rank-and-file conservative, you're probably ready to acknowledge that ideologically friendly media didn't accurately inform you about Election 2012. Some pundits engaged in wishful thinking; others feigned confidence in hopes that it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy; still others decided it was smart to keep telling right-leaning audiences what they wanted to hear.
But guess what?
You haven't just been misinformed about the horse race. Since the very beginning of the election cycle, conservative media has been failing you. With a few exceptions, they haven't tried to rigorously tell you the truth, or even to bring you intellectually honest opinion. What they've done instead helps to explain why the right failed to triumph in a very winnable election.
Why do you keep putting up with it?
Conservatives were at a disadvantage because Romney supporters like Jennifer Rubin and Hugh Hewitt saw it as their duty to spin constantly for their favored candidate rather than being frank about his strengths and weaknesses. What conservative Washington Post readers got, when they traded in Dave Weigel for Rubin, was a lot more hackery and a lot less informed about the presidential election.
Conservatives were at an information disadvantage because so many right-leaning outlets wasted time on stories the rest of America dismissed as nonsense. WorldNetDaily brought you birtherism. Forbes brought you Kenyan anti-colonialism. National Review obsessed about an imaginary rejection of American exceptionalism,
Conservatives were at a disadvantage because their information elites pandered in the most cynical, self-defeating ways, treating would-be candidates like Sarah Palin and Herman Cain as if they were plausible presidents rather than national jokes who'd lose worse than George McGovern.
How many months were wasted on them?
How many hours of Glenn Beck conspiracy theories did Fox News broadcast to its viewers? How many hours of transparently mindless Sean Hannity content is still broadcast daily? Why don't Americans trust Republicans on foreign policy as they once did? In part because conservatism hasn't grappled with the foreign-policy failures of George W. Bush. A conspiracy of silence surrounds the subject. Romney could neither run on the man's record nor repudiate it. The most damaging Romney gaffe of the campaign, where he talked about how the 47 percent of Americans who pay no income taxes are a lost cause for Republicans? Either he was unaware that many of those people are Republican voters, or was pandering to GOP donors who are misinformed. Either way, bad information within the conservative movement was to blame.
In conservative fantasy-land, Richard Nixon was
On the biggest political story of the year, the conservative media just got its ass handed to it by the mainstream media. And movement conservatives, who believe the MSM is more biased and less rigorous than their alternatives, have no way to explain how their trusted outlets got it wrong, while the New York Times got it right. Hint: The Times hired the most rigorous forecaster it could find.
It ought to be an eye-opening moment.
But I expect that it'll be quickly forgotten, that none of the conservatives who touted a polling conspiracy will be discredited, and that the right will continue to operate at an information disadvantage. After all, it's not like they'll trust the analysis of a non-conservative like me more than the numerous fellow conservatives who constantly tell them things that turn out not to be true.
For more on this subject, see here.
Sure, Silver could've wound up wrong. But people who rejected the possibility of his being right? They were operating at a self-imposed information disadvantage.Conservatives should be familiar with its contours. For years, they've been arguing that liberal control of media and academia confers one advantage: Folks on the right can't help but be familiar with the thinking of liberals, whereas leftists can operate entirely within a liberal cocoon. This analysis was offered to explain why liberal ideas were growing weaker and would be defeated.Today?It is easy to close oneself off inside a conservative echo chamber. And right-leaning outlets like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh's show are far more intellectually closed than CNN or public radio. If you're a rank-and-file conservative, you're probably ready to acknowledge that ideologically friendly media didn't accurately inform you about Election 2012. Some pundits engaged in wishful thinking; others feigned confidence in hopes that it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy; still others decided it was smart to keep telling right-leaning audiences what they wanted to hear.But guess what?You haven't just been misinformed about the horse race. Since the very beginning of the election cycle, conservative media has been failing you. With a few exceptions, they haven't tried to rigorously tell you the truth, or even to bring you intellectually honest opinion. What they've done instead helps to explain why the right failed to triumph in a very winnable election.Why do you keep putting up with it?Conservatives were at a disadvantage because Romney supporters like Jennifer Rubin and Hugh Hewitt saw it as their duty to spin constantly for their favored candidate rather than being frank about his strengths and weaknesses. What conservativereaders got |
Adams.
Mr. Margolis said his library had spoken with both Google and Microsoft, and had not shut the door entirely on the idea of working with them. And several libraries are working with both Google and the Open Content Alliance.
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Adam Smith, project management director of Google Book Search, noted that the company’s deals with libraries were not exclusive. “We’re excited that the O.C.A. has signed more libraries, and we hope they sign many more,” Mr. Smith said.
“The powerful motivation is that we’re bringing more offline information online,” he said. “As a commercial company, we have the resources to do this, and we’re doing it in a way that benefits users, publishers, authors and libraries. And it benefits us because we provide an improved user experience, which then means users will come back to Google.”
The Library of Congress has a pilot program with Google to digitize some books. But in January, it announced a project with a more inclusive approach. With $2 million from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the library’s first mass digitization effort will make 136,000 books accessible to any search engine through the Open Content Alliance. The library declined to comment on its future digitization plans.
Photo
The Open Content Alliance is the brainchild of Brewster Kahle, the founder and director of the Internet Archive, which was created in 1996 with the aim of preserving copies of Web sites and other material. The group includes more than 80 libraries and research institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution.
Although Google is making public-domain books readily available to individuals who wish to download them, Mr. Kahle and others worry about the possible implications of having one company store and distribute so much public-domain content.
“Scanning the great libraries is a wonderful idea, but if only one corporation controls access to this digital collection, we’ll have handed too much control to a private entity,” Mr. Kahle said.
Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters.
The Open Content Alliance, he said, “is fundamentally different, coming from a community project to build joint collections that can be used by everyone in different ways.”
Mr. Kahle’s group focuses on out-of-copyright books, mostly those published in 1922 or earlier. Google scans copyrighted works as well, but it does not allow users to read the full text of those books online, and it allows publishers to opt out of the program.
Microsoft joined the Open Content Alliance at its start in 2005, as did Yahoo, which also has a book search project. Google also spoke with Mr. Kahle about joining the group, but they did not reach an agreement.
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A year after joining, Microsoft added a restriction that prohibits a book it has digitized from being included in commercial search engines other than Microsoft’s.
“Unlike Google, there are no restrictions on the distribution of these copies for academic purposes across institutions,” said Jay Girotto, group program manager for Live Book Search from Microsoft. Institutions working with Microsoft, he said, include the University of California and the New York Public Library.
Some in the research field view the issue as a matter of principle.
Doron Weber, a program director at the Sloan Foundation, which has made several grants to libraries for digital conversion of books, said that several institutions approached by Google have spoken to his organization about their reservations. “Many are hedging their bets,” he said, “taking Google money for now while realizing this is, at best, a short-term bridge to a truly open universal library of the future.”
The University of Michigan, a Google partner since 2004, does not seem to share this view. “We have not felt particularly restricted by our agreement with Google,” said Jack Bernard, a lawyer at the university.
The University of California, which started scanning books with the Open Content Alliance, Microsoft and Yahoo in 2005, has added Google. Robin Chandler, director of data acquisitions at the University of California’s digital library project, said working with everyone helps increase the volume of the scanning.
Some have found Google to be inflexible in its terms. Tom Garnett, director of the Biodiversity Heritage Library, a group of 10 prominent natural history and botanical libraries that have agreed to digitize their collections, said he had had discussions with various people at both Google and Microsoft.
“Google had a very restrictive agreement, and in all our discussions they were unwilling to yield,” he said. Among the terms was a requirement that libraries put their own technology in place to block commercial search services other than Google, he said.
Libraries that sign with the Open Content Alliance are obligated to pay the cost of scanning the books. Several have received grants from organizations like the Sloan Foundation.
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The Boston Library Consortium’s project is self-funded, with $845,000 for the next two years. The consortium pays 10 cents a page to the Internet Archive, which has installed 10 scanners at the Boston Public Library. Other members include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University.
The scans are stored at the Internet Archive in San Francisco and are available through its Web site. Search companies including Google are free to point users to the material.
On Wednesday the Internet Archive announced, together with the Boston Public Library and the library of the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, that it would start scanning out-of-print but in-copyright works to be distributed through a digital interlibrary loan system.Story highlights Cinque and Trump have known each other for years
Trump's transition team didn't deny the two men have known each other
Washington (CNN) A new video raises questions about President-elect Donald Trump's relationship with Joseph "Joey No Socks" Cinque, who once reportedly survived a mob hit and was associated with the infamous mob boss John Gotti.
The video shows Trump ringing in the new year on stage with Cinque at his Mar-a-Lago hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. The Secret Service told CNN everyone who attended the party was subject to screening via a metal detector.
Cinque was convicted in 1989 of criminal possession of stolen art, a felony. He was sentenced to "conditional discharge" in 1990, according to records provided by a New York Supreme Court clerk. CNN was told the actual indictment was destroyed in a fire.
Cinque did not serve jail time. While there is no record of how long the conditional discharge sentence lasted, a lack of further court records in the case indicates that he did not violate the discharge, the clerk told CNN.
In a 1995 profile in New York magazine, Cinque noted his former friendship with Gotti. The article also reported Cinque was "shot three times and left for dead" in a 1980 incident he called a "robbery," while "officials" described as "more likely a hit." The article also detailed Gotti's criminal record.
Read MoreFinal Friday – June 2012 Posted by OTR Matters on June 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Another Final Friday is upon OTR. Here are a couple things going on tonight in the neighborhood:
Reser Bicycle Outfitters at 1419 Vine Street is hosting a grand opening reception with food, fun and drinks! Stop by tonight and enjoy the new shop and its nice back alley patio.
Nearby at 1409 Vine is the grand opening of the PetWants Kitchen. There will be food (for the pets) and wine tasting (for the people) and live music by the Wild Mountain Berries. Don’t forget to bring a furry friend with you!
Substance, a women’s clothing store with another location in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, is having a grand opening tonight at its new location at 1435 Main Street – next door to everybody’s favorite small batch gourmet pops, Streetpops. Here’s a photo of Streetpops at 1437 Main:
Down the street at the corner of 13th and Main, Smartfish Studio & Sustainable Supply is hosting the opening of Edged, a collection of current work by local artist Dylan Tennison. Find out more at the facebook event page here.
Those are just a few of the events happening tonight in addition to all the galleries, shops, theatres, restaurants, etc. that will be open late to accommodate the crowds of visitors.
Next week, the World Choir Games kickoff on Wednesday and Washington Park opens on Friday, July 6 at 1oam! Get excited…
fountain photos by Cheriese Lindsey
The following two photos were taken by Jake Mecklenborg:Laugh for Life at 9.30pm on Friday 1st November when the No Laughing Matter Comedy Gala is broadcast exclusively on The Comedy Channel.
Hosted by the irreverent SAMMY J AND RANDY, the gala boasts an awesome line-up of top Aussie talent including TOM BALLARD, CLARIE HOOPER, PETER BERNER, MIKEY ROBINS, FIONA O’LOUGHLIN, TOMMY LITTLE, HEATH FRANKLIN, LUKE HEGGIE, TOMMY DEAN, JOEL CREASEY, KEVIN KROPINYERI, CIEL, NEEL KOLHATKAR AND SMART CASUAL + more.
“Making people laugh is all well and good, but raising money and awareness for suicide prevention is even better. Thankfully we get to do both at this event. We can’t wait to be part of it and share the stage with some of our favourite comics all for a hugely important cause.” Sammy J & Randy
Suicide Prevention Australia is working to create an Australia community that knows how to give help and how to get help. Join us in helping make suicide prevention everybody’s business. Learn more at www.suicidepreventionaust.org.To recap Week 10 in just a few words, the Vikings and Saints remain solid, Adrian Clayborn is the best Defensive End ever (at least to new fans that started watching football in Week 10) and the Browns once again control their own destiny to once again claim the first pick in the next NFL Draft.
With Week 11 we may see the return of Danny Woodhead, Corey Coleman and Dede Westbrook. Devonta Freeman is out with a concussion, Ty Montgomery with another rib injury and Aaron Jones with an MCL injury. After reviewing the Week 11 match-ups, I think this will be a great week for receivers, but I struggled to find running backs with great match-ups. There are few. My picks for Week 11 Start ‘Em are below…
(Bye Week: Jets, Colts, Panthers and 49’ers)
Wide Receivers
Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona @ Houston (Draft Kings $6,900 / Fan Duel $6,900) – The Houston defense can’t stop the pass. The Blaine Gabbert to Larry Fitzgerald connection is the stuff of legend. Well, maybe I’m overstating the connection just a tad, but Fitzgerald is in for another good receiving week, and I’m guessing Blaine Gabbert will get the start even though Drew Stanton is practicing with a sprained knee.
DeVante Parker – Miami vs Tampa Bay (Draft Kings $6,500 / Fan Duel $6,200) – In previous weeks that I’ve picked Parker he hasn’t come through as I’ve expected. He did have an okay game against Carolina on Monday night and was open in the end zone on the last touchdown that went Jarvis Landry’s way, but this week shouldn’t be a blowout on either side. Neither defense is really shutting down opponents which should lead to more offensive plays and more opportunity for Parker. Tampa also lacks a strong pass rush which should give Cutler the time to step into his downfield passes, rather than constantly throwing off of his back foot, and improve his accuracy.
Sterling Shepard – NY Giants vs Kansas City (Draft Kings $6,300 / Fan Duel $6,500) – Shepard is now the target hog for the Giants offense and the Giants should find ways to line him up on the left side of the field, away from Marcus Peters. I expect another strong fantasy performance from Shepard this week.
Michael Crabtree – Oakland vs New England (Draft Kings $5,900 / Fan Duel $7,500) – The Patriots are winning, but their defense isn’t stopping the pass or the run. Both Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree should excel this week at home versus the Patriots.
Paul Richardson – Seattle vs Atlanta (Draft Kings $4,700 / Fan Duel $5,900) – Richardson should be in line for another nice fantasy performance this week after taking a back seat to Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham in Week 10. I’d expect Richardson’s targets to be up this week as Baldwin deals with the Falcons best corner, Desmond Trufant. The Atlanta defense’s athletic linebackers and safety Keanu Neal are also pretty good at taking away the tight end.
Running Backs
Kenyan Drake – Miami vs Tampa Bay (Draft Kings $4,800 / Fan Duel $5,600) – Tampa Bay actually ranks 14th against the run which isn’t bad, but it’s still about 109 yards per game. Drake showed this last game he is capable of making the big play, and should be able to pull off at least a couple of long runs this week and also be active in the passing game.
Kareem Hunt – Kansas City @ NY Giants (Draft Kings $8,000 / Fan Duel $8,600) – Hunt hasn’t made the list since early this year because he’s been too good. However of late he hasn’t had the same type of performances as he had during the first six games of the season. I think this is a perfect bounce back week for Hunt who should once again be well over 100 yards from scrimmage.
Leonard Fournette – Jacksonville @ Cleveland (Draft Kings $8,200 / Fan Duel $9,300) – Fournette has also been too good for this category but after a one game team suspension and struggling against the Chargers in Week 10 I also think he will bounce back this week. Cleveland is ranked 4th against the run but Jacksonville has made a habit of overcoming other teams tendencies on their way to a 6-3 record, and Fournette may be bottled up on a lot of carries, but I think he will also break a few downfield to get back in fantasy owners’ good graces this week.
Rex Burkhead – New England @ Oakland (Draft Kings $3,600 / Fan Duel $5,700) – Mike Gillislee was inactive (coach’s decison) in Week 10, and I think this will continue going forward as long as Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead are healthy. Lewis has led the team in carries of late, but Burkhead has made the most of his recent opportunities in the running and passing game. This week both teams could score a lot of points and this would bode well for Burkhead’s usage.
Running Back Tandem
Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara – New Orleans vs Washington (Draft Kings $8,100, $7,500 / Fan Duel $8,200, $7,500)
At this point how can I not pick Ingram and Kamara, the best running back tandem in the NFL? Washington comes in 13th against the run, but this is Ingram and Kamara so obviously this does not matter, until they run into a bad week at least. Washington doesn’t have the firepower to grab a big lead against the Saints, so this will be another game where the Saints lead with the run and pass when necessary, so both Ingram and Kamara will once again come through with nice fantasy outputs.
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WhatsAppThe campaign bus of Hillary Clinton is being investigated for illegally dumping human waste. Yup, you read that correctly. On Tuesday, police in Lawrenceville, Georgia, received multiple reports of Hillary’s “Forward Together” tour bus dumping human waste into a storm drain.
A local businessman took photos of the illegal activity, prompting police to launch a full investigation. The photos showed off-colored liquid oozing out of the bus. The bus was stationed at Grayson highway. Hillary Clinton was not at the scene as the bus was in-between campaign stops.
When police arrived at the scene, they were greeted with a foul odor and remnants of used toilet paper scattered across the ground. What the campaign dumped at the scene was so disgusting that a HAZMAT team was called to come in to clean up the mess.
In addition to the local police, the Gwinnett County Stormwater Management and the State Environment Protection Department are participating in the investigation.
Local CBS affiliate CBS46 asked the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the party organization working in tandem with the campaign to get Hillary elected, prompting an apology by the DNC.
“This was an honest mistake and we apologize to the Lawrenceville community for any harm we may have caused,” read the apology. “We were unaware of any possible violations and have already taken corrective action with the charter bus company to prevent this from happening again. Furthermore, the DNC will work with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, as well as local and state officials to determine the best course of corrective action.”
We knew Hillary Clinton and her comrades were dirty, but we didn't know they were this dirty.John Wall Over Kyrie Irving as the Best Point Guard in the Eastern Conference
See what numbers make it undoubtable that John Wall is the best point guard in the Eastern Conference
Charles Harrison Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 16, 2017
image via wallpapersdc
The time is now for John Wall to be defined as one of the best point guards in the league and the best in his conference. At one point in time, this wouldn’t even be a discussion; but after these past two years I started to take notice of each individual game. No more of Wall being underrated and in the shadow of others. Kyrie Irving doesn’t do enough for his team compared to Wall and here’s why:
Numbers Don’t Lie
This season, John Wall is averaging 23 points per game, 4 rebounds per game, and 10 assists per game. Kyrie Irving is averaging 24 points per game, 3 rebounds per game and 6 assists per game. As you can see the glaring issue from Irving’s game is his passing. As the starting point guard of a team with two other superstars on the roster, his assist numbers should be at least in the double digits. Just imagine if both players switched teams, Wall’s assists number would most likely be higher than what it is now. Sad to say, but even Russell Westbrook is averaging more assists than Irving, with 10.2 per game and less talent around him.
Wall Makes Teammates Better
In his sixth year in the league, he has finally made adjustments to facilitate and score at will at different moments of the game. This skill takes time to build because you must have trust in your teammates’ ability to get it done on the court. The things he’s doing this season are great because the talent on this roster is a downgrade compared to a few years ago, and because this is a transitional period for the team with a new head coach Scott Brooks. This team went from being the ninth-place team in the conference at the start of the season to number three at the halfway mark.
Captain Versus Sidekick
Lastly, there’s no question that the number one player on the Washington Wizards’ roster is John Wall. When he goes down from injury or doesn’t play because of the coach’s decision to rest him, they lose games. The Cleveland Cavaliers can still win games without Kyrie Irving because the number one guy on the team is Lebron James. He’s their all-around player and, at the age of 32, he still leads the team in minutes per game at 37 minutes. Before James’ return to the Cavs they weren’t even close to being in playoff contention. Since his return in the 2014–15 season, the team is just 4–18 without him playing and this season they’re 0–3. Just last month Lebron said, “We need a playmaker”. Well, Irving is supposed to be that guy to take some of the load off. Instead of going into his ‘Uncle Drew’ persona in the fourth quarter, he needs to play that way in the first three quarters and become known as more than just the closer.Recently I wanted to set up a remote desktop sharing session from home pc to my laptop. While going through the set up guide I came across ssh tunneling. Even though there are many articles on the subject still it took me a considerable amount of googling, some experimenting and couple of Wireshark sessions to grasp what’s going under the hood. Most of the guides were incomplete in terms of explaining the concept which left me desiring for a good article on the subject with some explanatory illustrations. So I decided to write it my self. So here goes…
Introduction
A SSH tunnel consists of an encrypted tunnel created through a SSH protocol
connection. A SSH tunnel can be used to transfer unencrypted traffic over a
network through an encrypted channel. For example we can use a ssh tunnel to
securely transfer files between a FTP server and a client even though the FTP
protocol itself is not encrypted. SSH tunnels also provide a means to bypass firewalls that prohibits or filter certain internet services. For example an organization will block certain sites using their proxy filter. But users may not wish to have their web traffic
monitored or blocked by the organization proxy filter. If users can connect to
an external SSH server, they can create a SSH tunnel to forward a given port on
their local machine to port 80 on remote web-server via the external SSH
server. I will describe this scenario in detail in a little while.
To set up a SSH tunnel a given port of one machine needs to be forwarded (of
which I am going to talk about in a little while) to a port in the other
machine which will be the other end of the tunnel. Once the SSH tunnel has been
established, the user can connect to earlier specified port at first machine to
access the network service.
Port Forwarding
SSH tunnels can be created in several ways using different kinds of port forwarding
mechanisms. Ports can be forwarded in three ways.
Local port forwarding Remote port forwarding Dynamic port forwarding
I didn’t explain what port forwarding is. I found Wikipedia’s definition more explanatory.
Port forwarding or port mapping is a name given to the combined technique of translating the address and/or port number of a packet to a new destination possibly accepting such packet(s) in a packet filter(firewall) forwarding the packet according to the routing table.
Here the first technique will be used in creating an SSH tunnel. When a client application connects to the local port (local endpoint) of the SSH tunnel and transfer data these data will be forwarded to the remote end by translating the host and port values to that of the remote end of the channel.
So with that let’s see how SSH tunnels can be created using forwarded ports with an examples.
Tunnelling with Local port forwarding
Let’s say that yahoo.com is being blocked using a proxy filter in the University.
(For the sake of this example. :). Cannot think any valid reason why yahoo would be blocked). A SSH tunnel can be used to bypass this restriction. Let’s name my machine at the university as ‘work’ and my home machine as ‘home’. ‘home’ needs to have a public IP for this to work. And I am running a SSH server on my home machine. Following diagram illustrates the scenario.
To create the SSH tunnel execute following from ‘work’ machine.
ssh -L 9001:yahoo.com:80 home
The ‘L’ switch indicates that a local port forward is need to be created. The switch syntax is as follows.
-L <local-port-to-listen>:<remote-host>:<remote-port>
Now the SSH client at ‘work’ will connect to SSH server running at ‘home’ (usually running at port 22) binding port 9001 of ‘work’ to listen for local requests thus creating a SSH tunnel between ‘home’ and ‘work’. At the ‘home’ end it will create a connection to ‘yahoo.com’ at port 80. So ‘work’ doesn’t need to know how to connect to yahoo.com. Only ‘home’ needs to worry about that. The channel between ‘work’ and ‘home’ will be encrypted while the connection between ‘home’ and ‘yahoo.com’ will be unencrypted.
Now it is possible to browse yahoo.com by visiting http://localhost:9001 in the web browser at ‘work’ computer. The ‘home’ computer will act as a gateway which would accept requests from ‘work’ machine and fetch data and tunnelling it back. So the syntax of the full command would be as follows.
ssh -L <local-port-to-listen>:<remote-host>:<remote-port> <gateway>
The image below describes the scenario.
Here the ‘host’ to ‘yahoo.com’ connection is only made when browser makes the
request not at the tunnel setup time.
It is also possible to specify a port in the ‘home’ computer itself instead of
connecting to an external host. This is useful if I were to set up a VNC session
between ‘work’ and ‘home’. Then the command line would be as follows.
ssh -L 5900:localhost:5900 home (Executed from 'work')
So here what does localhost refer to? Is it the ‘work’ since the command line is executed from ‘work’? Turns out that it is not. As explained earlier is relative to the gateway (‘home’ in this case), not the machine from where the tunnel is initiated. So this will make a connection to port 5900 of the ‘home’ computer where the VNC client would be listening in.
The created tunnel can be used to transfer all kinds of data not limited to web browsing sessions. We can also tunnel SSH sessions from this as well. Let’s assume there is another computer (‘banned’) to which we need to SSH from within University but the SSH access is being blocked. It is possible to tunnel a SSH session to this host using a local port forward. The setup would look like this.
As can be seen now the transferred data between ‘work’ and ‘banned’ are encrypted end to end. For this we need to create a local port forward as follows.
ssh -L 9001:banned:22 home
Now we need to create a SSH session to local port 9001 from where the session
will get tunneled to ‘banned’ via ‘home’ computer.
ssh -p 9001 localhost
With that let’s move on to next type of SSH tunnelling method, reverse tunnelling.
Reverse Tunnelling with remote port forwarding
Let’s say it is required to connect to an internal university website from home.
The university firewall is blocking all incoming traffic. How can we connect from ‘home’ to internal network so that we can browse the internal site? A VPN setup is a good candidate here. However for this example let’s assume we don’t have this facility. Enter SSH reverse tunnelling..
As in the earlier case we will initiate the tunnel from ‘work’ computer behind the firewall. This is possible since only incoming traffic is blocking and outgoing traffic is allowed. However instead of the earlier case the client will now be at the ‘home’ computer. Instead of -L option we now define -R which specifies
a reverse tunnel need to be created.
ssh -R 9001:intra-site.com:80 home (Executed from 'work')
Once executed the SSH client at ‘work’ will connect to SSH server running at home creating a SSH channel. Then the server will bind port 9001 on ‘home’ machine to listen for incoming requests which would subsequently be routed through the created SSH channel between ‘home’ and ‘work’. Now it’s possible to browse the internal site
by visiting http://localhost:9001 in ‘home’ web browser. The ‘work’ will then create a connection to intra-site and relay back the response to ‘home’ via the created SSH channel.
As nice all of these would be still you need to create another tunnel if you need to connect to another site in both cases. Wouldn’t it be nice if it is possible to proxy traffic to any site using the SSH channel created? That’s what dynamic port forwarding is all about.
Dynamic Port Forwarding
Dynamic port forwarding allows to configure one local port for tunnelling data to all remote destinations. However to utilize this the client application connecting to local port should send their traffic using the SOCKS protocol. At the client side of the tunnel a SOCKS proxy would be created and the application (eg. browser) uses the SOCKS protocol to specify where the traffic should be sent when it leaves the other end of the ssh tunnel.
ssh -D 9001 home (Executed from 'work')
Here SSH will create a SOCKS proxy listening in for connections at local port
9001 and upon receiving a request would route the traffic via SSH channel
created between ‘work’ and ‘home’. For this it is required to configure the
browser to point to the SOCKS proxy at port 9001 at localhost.In the wild, wild west of cryptocurrency, anything goes and volatility prevails. It is what makes things so thrilling. Yet even the most venturesome of cowboys crave stability from time to time. Without some semblance of it, any initial excitement quickly turns into a lurking fear, a constant looking over the shoulders.
Enter stablecoins, or coins that have value stable in fiat or other real-world assets. One attempt is Tether, which is pegged to the U.S. dollar, but it was compromised recently. DAI, an asset backed by a basket of digital currencies, is another try but it is not yet ready for public utility due to its complex structure -- even though it has been under development for three years.
As regulation struggles to keep up in the blockchain space, state-issued stablecoins have become an increasingly important means of curbing some of this volatility.
Curbing the volatility
A state-issued stablecoin is an encrypted digital asset whose value is pegged 1:1 to a country’s fiat currency. Such an asset would be able to withstand the unrestrained volatility of cryptocurrencies today. Bitcoin, whose value has been on the inexorable rise, is still subject to large price fluctuations and this unpredictability makes it an unreliable store of value. Tokenizing local currency on the blockchain will fill this gap and restore market confidence, all while providing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies time to mature and stabilize. A stablecoin will also expedite the process of blockchain adoption, since it allows traders, merchants and consumers to complete transactions using a currency that is strong, steady and familiar to them.
A national stablecoin will also enable a government to monitor transactions, thereby curbing tax evasion and money laundering activities.
More on Forbes: Why Blockchain Is Real And Bitcoin Is A Mirage
Is this antithetical to the initial ideals of cryptocurrency and trustless decentralization? Perhaps. But it is one thing to have small, private payments using virtual currencies, and another to eliminate central-bank-issued money altogether and have corporation-scale transactions that are fully anonymous. The social costs of financial crimes would be too high and the global economy as we know it might go into meltdown.
Moreover, even if those issues can be addressed, full decentralization takes time; it is probably naïve to expect a fiat world to transform into a crypto one overnight. State-issued digital dollars would serve as the bridge for the fiat and crypto world, allowing for harmonious co-existence and mutual infrastructural support in the interim. Whether we can transition fully to a new world economy with just cryptocurrency remains to be seen. Whether that is desirable, remains to be fought over.
State efforts to issue digital dollars are already underway: Russia is hoping to launch its very own CryptoRuble; Kyrgyzstan plans to create its own cryptocurrency backed with gold; the Swedish central bank has proposed an e-Krona; and China is arguably ahead of the pack with its tests to build a domestic cryptocurrency that will exist alongside the yuan.
Singapore might have the most to gain
Singapore is also in the race. In 2016, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced the launch of Project Ubin, a payment system prototype on the Ethereum platform aimed at enabling local inter-bank transactions using a tokenized Singaporean dollar. Major financial institutions including DBS Bank, UOB Bank, OCBC Bank and technology companies participated in the project. Project Ubin has since concluded two successful phases and launched software prototypes that transfer funds efficiently, protect transaction privacy, and mitigate the risks of a single point of failure. The insights gained from these two phases will pave the way for further development of the digital SGD (e.g. scaling and cross-border payments).
More on Forbes: Putting Singapore's Dollar On Blockchain May Prove It's The Most Crypto Friendly Place On Earth
One can only speculate where Singapore currently stands relative to other countries in the scramble to launch a national stablecoin, but the larger point is this: It must emerge as the victor in this race to become the smart financial center it wants to be.
It must channel more resources into creating a roaring blockchain hub, one that will deliver economies of scale and attract even more developer talent, creating a positive feedback loop of growth. Successfully launching its own stablecoin will allow the nation-state to sustain its first-mover advantage, enhance financial security, and develop the infrastructure for a thriving blockchain ecosystem, all of which will lead to greater adoption, fintech dominance and economic prosperity.The Mouse Guard RPG is by Luke Crane and David Petersen, and is based upon the award-winning comic book and graphic novel series of the same name. Released originally in 2008 as a hard cover version (a PDF version is also available), it promptly won several design awards and received almost universally positive reviews. Based on that success, Archaia Studio Press decided to release a deluxe box set which contains updates the rules and repackages the game to be even more friendly for those new to RPGs. While the box set was a long time in the making, and suffered a number of production delays, it finally reached stores this summer and within just a couple of months the first printing sold out. Why? To put it simply, the game, which was already beautifully illustrated and written, now is fantastic - the added features, rules, and accessories included with the box are well worth the price (which at $69.95 MSRP is very pricey). Let's take a look inside.
Let's begin by seeing how the publisher describes the game:
Join the Mouse Guard and defend the Mouse Territories against predators and dangers, in this roleplaying game for the acclaimed Mouse Guard comic book series! Players form their own Mouse Guard patrol and attempt to complete missions while the Game Master takes on the roles of the weather, animals and the wilderness all trying to thwart the fearless mice.
What's Inside
Before opening up the box, let me talk about the box itself. It's a hefty, square shaped box (23cm x 23cm x 9.5cm thick), lavishly illustrated and of high quality construction. Lifting it, one immediately notices how heavy it is, largely because it's packed with material. Opening it, one finds:
a 320-page, full color, softcover rules book, a 44-page supplement with new missions and rules
3 action decks (1 for the GM, 2 for players) for scripting conflicts
a set of Condition cards used for tracking adverse conditions affecting characters
a set of cards detailing weapon stats
a pad of characters sheets
a pad of GM record sheets
a set of 10 custom dice
a GM's reference screen
5 colorful, plastic mouse tokens (which resemble those shown in the comic)
a map of the Mouse Territories
I'll discuss the extra materials first and it can be summed up in one word: awesome. All of the cards are printed on quality card stock and bear original artwork from David Petersen - the action cards are a great addition to the game and make scripting conflicts quick to do and easy to learn. The dice have a really nice feel to them and are solid - these aren't cheap, super light plastic - landing with a solid "thunk" when they hit the table. The mouse pawns, which I initially thought were going to be kind of dumb, are very nice and bring about a certain amount of immersion to the game for anyone who is a fan of the comic because they closely resemble the tokens Gwendolyn pushes around her map of the territories. The character sheets are incredibly well designed and include all of the critical rules players need to know right on the sheet. They're also square, matching the rest of the box set's trade dress as well as the comic's format. It also has to be pointed out that you get a thick pad of these sheets - not simply a couple to get you started. Simply put, all the accessories really do make the box set "deluxe" and are well-worth the additional cost.
Turning to the rule book, it too clearly is both a labor of love and attention to detail. It is easily the most beautiful RPG I have ever laid eyes on - like the original hardback version of the book, the Mouse Guard rulebook outdoes even the largest RPG publisher's books. That's fact, not opinion. The book is printed on heavy, glossy paper and filled from start to finish with lavish, full-color illustrations. The layout, the fonts, and the cover all convey a powerful sense of aesthetics. Incidentally, the book's dimensions are square which makes it a bit unusual to place on a shelf, but it's done for a specific reason: the book exactly matches the comic and graphic novels' dimensions, fitting perfectly next to them on a shelf.
The Game Itself
Okay, so the box and book are beautiful. How is the game? At the risk of jumping straight to the punchline: wow, is the game good. The book is very well-written and manages to explain how to play the game, in very simple terms so that those new to roleplaying games can understand and yet, as someone who owns dozens of RPGs, I never felt that things were being over-simplified and it was an easy and enjoyable read from start to finish. The book starts with a basic explanation of what roleplaying is and the basic mechanics of the game before jumping right into character creation and the resolution system. Next is an explanation of the structure of sessions, followed by a description of the Territories and their Denizens. The book then finishes up by detailing abilities, skills, traits, and how to create missions and your own characters.
So what makes this game special? Let's start with the basic mechanics. Mouse Guard (MG) is built on the same basic, well-tested mechanics as those used in Burning Wheel and Burning Empires, but is a |
agittarius – Sagittarius, the Zodiac archer, was first used as a shell company by Merlyn in “Year’s End”.
Ray and Jean – Ollie and Laurel’s college friends are a reference to a well-known superhero and his ex-wife. Ray Palmer is the size-changing hero known as the Atom, who was once married to Jean Loring, his longtime romantic counterpart. Ray was a scientist who became the Atom after discovering the size-changing abilities of a “dwarf star”. After some solo superheroics, he soon became a longtime member of the Justice League and became close friends with Hawkman. Loring was his attorney girlfriend, and often played a supporting role in Palmer’s superheroics. During an adventure with his longtime friend Hawkman, Loring was driven insane by an alien race.
While Loring recovered and eventually married (and divorced) Ray, her mental issues were thrown into the spotlight during the 2004 miniseries Identity Crisis. In the miniseries, Loring is eventually revealed to be behind the deaths of Sue Dibny, the wife of the Elongated Man, and Jack Drake, the father of Tim Drake, who was Batman’s sidekick Robin at the time, in a bid to rekindle her relationship with Ray. Loring later becomes possessed by the supervillain Eclipso and eventually is killed when her powers abandon her over the Pacific Ocean. In the rebooted DC continuity, Ray works for the S.H.A.D.E. organization, while Rhonda Pindea, an Ivy Town student, is now the Atom.
Bludhaven – We briefly get a glimpse of Bludhaven this episode, the onetime home of Nightwing.
V - Ollie passes by some graffiti that says "V for" while rescuing Walter. This might be a mention to Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, which also featurings a vigilante going after a corrupt establishment. Of course, V's an anarchist and a bit of a lunatic, so there's not a whole lot of similarities between him and Ollie.
And here's one I missed last week:
Question Mark - There was a yellow question mark graffiti prominently featured in a scene with Thea and Roy, which may reference the Question, another DC superhero. The Question has often been tossed around as a hero that could easily fit into Arrow's universe.We offer a hypothesis that if solar geoengineering (SG) were deployed to offset half of the increase in global‐mean temperature from the date of deployment using a technology and deployment method chosen to approximate a reduction in the solar constant then, over the 21st century, it would (a) substantially reduce the global aggregate risks of climate change, (b) without making any country worse off, and (c) with the aggregate risks from side‐effects being small in comparison to the reduction in climate risks. We do not set out to demonstrate this hypothesis; rather we propose it with the goal of stimulating a strategic engagement of the SG research community with policy‐relevant questions. We elaborate seven sub‐hypotheses on the effects of our scenario for key risks of climate change that could be assessed in future modeling work. As an example, we provide a defence of one of our sub‐hypotheses, that our scenario of SG would reduce the risk of drought in dry regions, but also identify issues that may undermine this sub‐hypothesis and how future work could resolve this question. SG cannot substitute for emissions mitigation but it may be a useful supplement. It is our hope that scientific and technical research over the next decade focuses more closely on well‐articulated variants of the key policy‐relevant question: could SG be designed and deployed in such a way that it could substantially and equitably reduce climate risks?
1 Introduction Crutzen's [2006] comment effectively broke the taboo on discussing solar geoengineering (SG), accelerating research on its central scientific question: to what extent could SG reduce the impacts of rising greenhouse gas concentrations? A decade later, a substantial body of research permits some conclusions about the efficacy and potential consequences of SG. However, the questions policymakers may ask about the utility (or lack thereof) of SG remain largely unanswered. We argue that emerging research efforts on SG might be more effective if research were organized around scenarios that were more directly relevant to choices policymakers would face; and, if research focused on testing a limited set of clearly articulated hypotheses that were relevant to policymakers. As an example, we propose the following hypothesis: if SG were deployed to offset half of the increase in global‐mean temperature from the date of deployment using a technology and deployment method chosen to approximate a reduction in the solar constant then, over the 21st Century, it would (a) substantially reduce the global aggregate risks of climate change, (b) without making any country worse off, and (c) with the aggregate risks from side‐effects being small in comparison to the reduction in climate risks. We argue that hypotheses such as these are useful in directing research. We provide some basis to suggest that this hypothesis is plausible, but we do not claim that it is true. Rather, we argue that this hypothesis could be a useful tool to organize future research. Our evaluation is focused primarily on physical sciences and human impacts. We ignore questions of how SG might be governed, and ignore the deep question about whether a world in which SG was deployed would have a different (perhaps larger) emissions profile the world with no SG. The remainder of this essay is organized as follows: first, we review the history of SG research, stressing the importance of scenario choice and framing, and arguing that research has, in part, been less effective than it might have been because too much effort has been expended assessing scenarios that do not directly illuminate the choices policymakers face. In Section 3, we elaborate the hypothesis, laying out some of the assumptions that lie behind it and providing a rationale for choices made in constructing it. In Section 4, we offer seven plausible sub‐hypotheses that serve as an example of the kind of quantitative hypotheses that might guide future research. In Section 5, we provide a defence of our sub‐hypothesis that our scenario of SG would generally reduce the risk of drought, as an example, while also identifying limitations to the ability to quantitatively evaluate this sub‐hypothesis given existing research. And finally, in Section 6, we look forward and speculate about the kinds of research that could test our hypothesis over the next decade.
2 Context: What Questions Should Research Address? Research in the last decade has done much to illuminate SG's benefits and risks. The Web of Science citation database now has more than 800 papers mentioning geoengineering, more than 10 times the cumulative total from 2006 and before. Tens of climate model studies have been published, including at least 25 from the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) [Kravitz et al., 2011], an effort to evaluate standard SG experiments that has seen over 15 climate modeling groups participate. Scientific and technical evaluations of the stratospheric aerosol geoengineering proposal that Crutzen discussed have been made and continue to support the view that a substantial negative radiative forcing could be achieved [Boucher et al., 2013] and at a cost of tens of billions of dollars per year [Robock et al., 2009; McClellan et al., 2012; Arino et al., 2016]. Studies have explored the side‐effects on stratospheric ozone [e.g., Tilmes et al., 2008; Pitari et al., 2014], on the quality of light [Kravitz et al., 2012], and on the deposition of released aerosols [Kravitz et al., 2009; Eastham, 2015]. The decade's new research extended well beyond stratospheric aerosol geoengineering, the focus of Crutzien's paper, to other methods such as increasing the albedo of low marine clouds [Latham, 1990] or suppressing the formation of upper‐tropospheric cirrus clouds [Mitchell and Finnegan, 2009]. In addition to these scientific studies, a host of articles addressing the legal, governance, ethical, and other issues of SG have been published, see Schäfer et al. [2015] for a review. Research in the last decade has provided far more information on SG—counting climate model runs or published papers—than all work prior to Crutzen's publication. Unfortunately, it has provided little clarity on the efficacy and risk of plausible SG deployment, in part, because research has not yet focused on the most policy‐relevant scenarios. Scenario analysis is a tool to aid decision making, in this case to inform climate policy. While field research on cirrus or marine cloud modification along with some other SG research may yield novel scientific insights, we would find it hard to justify funding research for climate model analysis of geoengineering scenarios, or even a broad SG research program, based on purely scientific goals. We think the central justification—and goal—of research on SG should be to inform policy choices about climate policy and the further development of the technology. Scenario used for evaluating SG should therefore be as policy relevant as is feasible while meeting other criteria such as simplicity. Over the last decade, most studies have compared a low‐GHG reference scenario with a high‐GHG scenario that used sufficient SG to return global‐average temperatures (or radiative forcing) to match the low‐GHG baseline. If scenario analysis is seen as testing a hypothesis, this scenario choice seems most suited to testing some variant of the following hypothesis: SG can perfectly compensate for the climate impacts of elevated GHG concentrations. The last decade's examination has resoundingly disproved this hypothesis [Kravitz et al., 2013; Niemeier et al., 2013]. SG cannot replace emissions cuts. In the long run, a stable climate requires near‐zero net emissions. This is an important fact that bears repeating but in our view, this fact was clear long before Crutzen's comment [National Academy of Sciences, 1992]. It is useful to compare a high‐GHG scenario with SG deployed to fully offset the warming from GHGs against a low‐GHG baseline to learn about patterns of climatic response to SG (much of the fruitful work of GeoMIP has been done in this way). However, these results should not be used directly to make policy‐relevant inferences about SG in general. First, to have policy relevance the cases compared should relate to practical policy options, e.g., the choice to deploy SG to offset the warming from GHGs or not. Second, the consequences of SG deployed in different ways would be very different and so it is necessary to consider this range of options. Policymakers may (and in our view should) adopt policies that would rapidly eliminate GHG emissions, but past emissions mean that GHG concentrations are already elevated, so policymakers do not have the choice to simply return concentrations to pre‐industrial levels. If scenario analysis is to inform policy choices, then it is not appropriate to draw conclusions about the risks or efficacy of SG directly from a comparison of a case with high‐GHG and SG against a baseline with low‐GHG concentration that are below what could be achieved by a rapid elimination of emissions. While SG cannot substitute for emissions cuts, it may substantially reduce the risks of any given GHG emissions pathway. So, what scenarios can address policy‐relevant questions about SG? Evaluating the risks and benefits of SG deployment requires comparing a specific deployment scenario against a scenario in which SG is not deployed. Depending on the policy maker for whom the analysis is being performed, it may or may not make sense to use the same emissions scenario for the case with SG deployment as is used for the case without. If the goal is to evaluate the physical consequences of SG where other policy choices are held constant then the impacts of SG should be compared against the impacts of not deploying SG in a reference GHG scenario. If, on the other hand, the goal is a more integrated assessment then it would be necessary to consider the way other policies and behaviors may change if SG is implemented. One obvious and credible concern is that less effort will be expended on emissions mitigation in a world with SG implementation, though this effect is by no means certain [Burns et al., 2016]. A world with SG implementation might be different in all sorts of ways, yielding either higher or lower emission scenarios along with changes in adaptation measures. All these possible social responses make the challenge of a full “general equilibrium” integrated assessment extraordinarily difficult. Our view is that analysis that focuses directly on the physical benefits and costs that come from the direct decision to employ SG—holding other decisions constant—is highly relevant, but must be interpreted with caution because all such large‐scale decisions are inevitably interconnected. In addition to the choice of baseline, the choice of SG deployment scenario matters. Using SG to restore pre‐industrial temperatures (a common implicit assumption) would significantly reduce the hydrological cycle [Schmidt et al., 2012]. On the other hand, using SG to restore pre‐industrial global‐mean precipitation would only partially restore temperatures. Unfortunately, some studies report these scenario‐dependent effects as universal effects of SG deployment [Robock et al., 2008; Crook et al., 2015]. SG‐as‐substitute clearly has substantial imperfections but it would be a mistake to interpret these as risks of deploying SG as some early studies did [Robock et al., 2008]. Beyond the choice of scenario, any evaluation of SG will be subject to deep uncertainty. One can't—of course—say a priori that the risks of a world with some moderate amount of SG would be less simply if the radiative forcing were reduced because of the many ways that SG is not “anti‐CO 2 ”, but nor should one claim that SG increases risk simply because it introduces some new risks. We don't presume to prescribe universal decision criteria; but we believe understanding which state of the world is likely to carry more risk will be important to informing policy on solar geoengineering. Thus we argue that research should focus on evaluating comparative hypotheses like the one we outline here.
3 Elaborating the Hypothesis: Assumptions and Scope First and perhaps most importantly, note the limited scope of our hypothesis. We do not address governance. Our hypothesis applies to a case where SG is implemented by rational—but not omniscient—decision makers with well‐specified goals. One can imagine horrific outcomes of SG if it were implemented maliciously. This is not a minor omission. Disputes about implementation of SG could trigger military conflict, and these concerns have been voiced for at least a quarter century [Keith and Dowlatabadi, 1992]. The governance of SG is a hard problem, but we are not convinced by claims that the technology is inherently ungovernable [Hulme, 2014], because many of the claims about the impossibility of governing it would apply with equal force to other large‐scale technologies for which there is some form of effective albeit imperfect global governance (e.g., management of infectious diseases, the internet, or central banking.). Second, we assume that the decisions about implementation of SG are independent of decisions about emissions reductions. One of the central concerns about SG is that it will sap efforts to cut emissions. The concern is entirely legitimate, but early evidence is mixed [Burns et al., 2016], with some studies suggesting an effect [Corner and Pidgeon, 2014], whereas others suggest the opposite, that learning about SG increases interest in emissions reductions [Kahan et al., 2015; Merk et al., 2016]. We believe it is important to understand the efficacy and risks of SG used independently as a means to reduce climate risks, while separately studying behavioral and political links between emissions mitigation and SG. Now returning to the hypothesis, which we restate below with italicization of key phrases which we elaborate in the remainder of this section: if SG were deployed to offset half of the increase in global‐mean temperature from the date of deployment using a technology and deployment method chosen to approximate a reduction in the solar constant then, over the 21st Century, it would (a) substantially reduce the global aggregate risks of climate change, (b) without making any country worse off, and (c) with the aggregate risks from side‐effects being small in comparison to the reduction in climate risks. 3.1 Half of the Increase in Global‐Mean Temperature Following Keith and MacMartin [2015], we choose a “moderate” scenario in which the amount of SG is chosen to halve the increase in global‐mean temperature. We make no claim of optimality, but note that such a scenario is likely to yield a more favorable ratio of benefits to harms than a scenario that offsets the full increase in global‐mean temperature. A halving of the increase in global‐mean temperature means that the intensity of the global hydrological cycle would change little rather than rising substantially as in the no‐SG scenario or falling substantially as in a scenario where SG fully offsets the increase in temperature [Irvine et al., 2010; Tilmes et al., 2013], though there will nevertheless be changes in regional hydrology. 3.2 Technology and Deployment Method Chosen to Approximate a Reduction in the Solar Constant At one extreme, one might choose an arbitrary technology and deployment scenario and assume that it is representative of what is possible with SG in general. This would include ineffective methods and high‐risk deployment scenarios. The other extreme would be to choose an SG technology that optimized for some specific climatological objective and assume that it would evolve rapidly with new technological variants being continuously introduced to correct any problems. Neither extreme is credible. We assume that a technology is chosen and deployed to approximate a spatially and temporally uniform reduction in solar constant. Taking stratospheric aerosols as an example, this would mean choosing a distribution of aerosol injection that was continuously adjusted with feedback from observations to approximate a uniform change in solar constant. It would also mean examining choices of stratospheric aerosols that might reduce side‐effects such as forward scattering, warming of the lower stratosphere, or ozone loss [Dykema et al., 2016]. While stratospheric aerosols may be the easiest way to produce such uniform forcing it might be that a combination of stratospheric aerosols and other methods could do a better job of approximating a uniform adjustment of the solar constant. Any approach chosen will fall short of perfectly reproducing the effects of a solar constant reduction, but it is a straightforward goal and we provide reasons to believe that it would satisfy our hypothesis. There is evidence that climate risks might be more effectively reduced on a region‐by‐region basis by using methods that deliberately introduced non‐uniform radiative forcing [Ban‐Weiss and Caldeira, 2010; Kravitz et al., 2016], but our choice of hypothesis ignores that potential benefit in favor of the simplicity of approximating a change in solar constant. This allows the analysis problem to be roughly broken into two halves. First, choose methods for approximating the radiative forcing from a uniform reduction in solar constant, analyze how well they can do so, and evaluate the non‐climatic risks associated with these methods. Second, examine the climate changes resulting from deployments of these methods and, with caution, draw insights from simulations of the climate changes resulting from a uniform change in solar constant. 3.3 The 21st Century We restrict the time horizon to the current century. SG cannot be simply discontinued at century's end without large impacts. A policy for the 22nd century might entail carbon removal to draw down concentrations coupled with a gradual phase out of SG [Smith and Rasch, 2012]. We nevertheless choose a single century because a shorter time horizon reduces uncertainties. We note that much climate policy analysis (e.g., global warming potentials) has focused on a one‐century time horizon. 3.4 Country The choice of spatial scale at which to aggregate risks is both important and arbitrary. We choose the country scale because benefits and harms are more readily re‐distributed inside state boundaries than between them, and because states are a central locus of policymaking. 3.5 Aggregate Risks of Climate Change As with choice of spatial scale, the choice of risks to evaluate and of the means to aggregate them is both important and arbitrary. As a starting point we suggest using the key risks of climate change identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and using a weighting based on an endpoint such as morbidity and mortality or monetized impacts as a fraction of income. 3.6 Side‐Effects Any SG technology will have non‐climatic side‐effects, such as reduction in stratospheric ozone or increase in surface air pollution, and the harms of these need to be evaluated using the same metrics as are used for climate risks. Where appropriate, changes to mortality and morbidity due to side‐effects of SG should be compared to changes in mortality and morbidity due to the benefits of SG. Aggregate risks are—of course—not all that matters; the unequal distribution of risks between impacted groups demands particular attention.
4 Elaborating the Hypothesis: Sub‐Hypotheses An SG research effort organized around testing policy‐relevant hypotheses, such as the one we advance here, would need to articulate subsidiary hypotheses that were more narrowly and quantitatively defined. We propose a set of plausible sub‐hypotheses, as a worked example which we hope might serve as a basis for helping the research community think about narrowly drawn questions which could be resolved by SG research. We propose one sub‐hypothesis for all‐but‐one of the “key risks of climate change” identified by the IPCC in the technical summary of working group 2's contribution to the fifth assessment report and listed there in Table TS.3 [Field et al., 2014]. Our sub‐hypotheses describe quantifiable effects of SG on the physical hazards that drive each key risk of climate change. We exclude risk iii: “Novel hazards yielding systemic risks,” as unlike the other risks, this one has no straightforward physical hazard that can be assessed directly. Each of the sub‐hypotheses makes a claim about the impact of a scenario of SG deployment which halves the increase in global‐mean temperature, as defined above. All changes described are relative to a scenario with the same GHG concentration pathway but without SG unless otherwise stated. In each case, we include in italics the corresponding row number in Table TS.3 [Field et al., 2014]. Our specific quantitative choices in the scenarios are purely illustrative. Some of these might well be disproved by careful hypothesis testing which showed realistic cases that violated them. Following each sub‐hypothesis, we provide very brief notes on the reasoning behind our specific choices, but this reasoning is not intended to be a rigorous argument that the hypothesis is true. In fact, we encourage readers to review the literature we cite and consider possible alternative sub‐hypotheses. Sea‐level rise and coastal flooding including storm surges (i): The increase in global sea‐levels would be reduced by at least 20% and the increase in the average height of storm surges would be reduced by at least 30% compared to the no‐SG scenario. Coastal flood risks along more than 90% of coasts would be reduced. Notes: Irvine et al. [2012] evaluate an SG scenario approximately matching our description and find that global sea‐level rise is reduced by around a quarter. Theoretical considerations suggest that storm intensity, like precipitation intensity, will scale with temperature rise and a study of SG, which applied an empirical model of historical storm surge height to ocean temperature also suggests a reduction of storm surge intensity [Moore et al., 2015]. Extreme precipitation and inland flooding (ii): The intensity of precipitation would be reduced over more than 75% of the land surface area and increased over more than 5%. The projected global‐average increase in the intensity of 5‐day maximum precipitation in the no‐SG scenario would be reduced by more than 50%. Notes: There is robust model evidence that SG would reduce mean precipitation in most but not all regions [Tilmes et al., 2013], and strong theoretical and modeling evidence that extreme precipitation would be reduced most strongly [Curry et al., 2014]. Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat (iv): The intensity of extreme high temperature events would be reduced over more than 95% of the land area of the world. The land area average increase in the temperature of the warmest day in the no‐SG scenario would be reduced by 50% or more. Notes: Evidence from GeoMIP shows that temperature is one of the variables for which SG most uniformly and effectively offsets the effects of GHG forcing [Kravitz et al., 2013, 2014]. In addition, SG cools most during summer and during the day, which suggests that it would reduce peak temperatures more strongly than the mean, a result that is borne out in model simulations [Curry et al., 2014]. Agricultural impacts (driven by warming, drought and precipitation variability, v): Agricultural yields would increase over more than 70% of current agricultural areas and decrease over more than 5%. Notes: Simulations suggest SG would reduce warming, drought (see below and Section 5) and precipitation variability in most regions [Curry et al., 2014], which should reduce the risk of crop failure. Crop model simulations of the effects of SG predict increased yields of most crops in most regions, though cold regions are a notable exception [Pongratz et al., 2012; Xia et al., 2014]. Drought and water scarcity (vi): There would be an increase in runoff in more than 75% of the driest quartile of the non‐ice covered land area in the low‐GHG baseline. There would also be a decrease in runoff in more than 85% of the wettest quartile of the land area. The length of dry spells would be reduced over 75% or more of sub‐tropical land areas. Notes: A more complete justification for this sub‐hypothesis is given in the following section. Ocean ecosystem impacts (driven by rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and loss of arctic sea ice (vii): Ocean ecosystem impacts would be reduced over more than 95% of the surface ocean area. Notes: SG would reduce surface air and ocean temperatures and offset some of the losses in Arctic sea ice [Kravitz et al., 2013]. Simulations suggest that SG may have a small positive effect on ocean acidification, primarily due to an enhanced terrestrial carbon sink and reduced permafrost emissions, though this is uncertain [Matthews et al., 2009]. Simulations of the effects of SG on coral reefs suggest that it could help to preserve these ecosystems [Couce et al., 2013; Kwiatkowski et al., 2015]. Terrestrial ecosystem impacts (driven by rising land temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat (viii): Terrestrial ecosystem impacts would be reduced over more than 80% of the land surface. Notes: SG would reduce changes in mean and extreme temperature but would have a mixed effect on precipitation, offsetting changes in many places and worsening them in some places [Kravitz et al., 2014]. Theoretical considerations suggest that with less change to the climate there would be less pressure for species to migrate or adapt and so that SG would generally reduce terrestrial ecosystem impacts.
5 Evaluating Evidence for the Sub‐Hypothesis on Drought and Water Scarcity The sub‐hypotheses outlined in the previous section were illustrative and the reasoning presented was not intended to demonstrate them but rather to show that these hypotheses were plausible. As a worked example of the way that the specific sub‐hypothesis might be defended, challenged, and evaluated we examine the drought and water scarcity sub‐hypothesis. We focus on the drought and water scarcity sub‐hypothesis as it has been widely reported that SG poses a substantial risk of drought, particularly for monsoon regions, and we believe that this is not necessarily the case. Thus, there is a danger that if we simply stated our sub‐hypothesis we could be thought to be overly optimistic and even wilfully blind of a widely understood risk of SG. The reason that the effects of SG on drought and water availability are often misunderstood is that a number of factors must be considered together. In the following paragraphs, we address the three most significant factors that shape the effect of SG on drought and water availability: the magnitude of cooling, the spatial distribution of hydrological change, and the temporal distribution of precipitation change. SG to halve the temperature response to rising GHG concentrations would produce smaller changes in regional precipitation than SG to fully offset temperature change. Tilmes et al. [2013] assess the hydrological response of the GeoMIP ensemble in a pre‐industrial control (piControl), a scenario with instantly quadrupled CO 2 concentrations (4 × CO 2 ), and a scenario with instantly quadrupled CO 2 concentrations and a reduction in solar constant sufficient to restore pre‐industrial radiative forcing and temperature (G1). They report an ensemble‐mean +6.9% increase in global‐mean precipitation for 4 × CO 2 ‐piControl and −4.5% reduction for G1‐piControl, suggesting a small net increase for our scenario which halves the warming from elevated GHG concentrations. Tilmes et al. [2013] report a similar pattern of response in most monsoon regions with, for example, an ensemble‐mean +10.2% and +8.1% increase in Indian and West‐African precipitation for 4 × CO 2 ‐piControl and a −2.5% and −3.0% decreased for G1‐piControl (see their figure 14b). This suggests that a scenario of SG deployment which halved the increase in temperature would reduce the projected increase in precipitation in these monsoon regions rather than producing a net reduction in precipitation, which would occur in a full deployment scenario. Whilst this general pattern holds over most of the monsoon regions Tilmes et al. [2013] studied, it should be noted that SG does exacerbate GHG precipitation trends in some regions [Kravitz et al., 2014]. SG generally dries wet regions and makes dry regions less dry. Global warming will increase the intensity of the hydrological cycle and also amplify the disparities in water availability with wet regions tending to get wetter and dry regions tending to get drier, the “rich‐get‐richer” pattern of change [Held and Soden, 2006]. Kravitz et al. [2013] assessed the distribution of the precipitation‐evaporation (P‐E) response, a simple proxy for water availability, in the GeoMIP ensemble. They reported that for 4 × CO 2 ‐piControl reductions in P‐E of more than 20% were found in 13% of land grid‐cells, whereas for G1‐piControl only 5% of grid‐cells reported a reduction of this magnitude (values are approximate and were extracted using a plot digitizer tool from their figure 6). Similarly, 49% of land grid‐cells reported an increase in P‐E for 4 × CO 2 ‐piControl of 20% or more compared to only 11% for G1‐piControl. Thus, we expect our moderate scenario of SG to generally increase runoff in regions projected to get drier under global warming and to reduce the projected increase in runoff in wet regions. Simulations suggest SG reduces precipitation variability and shortens dry spells. Global warming has produced an observed increase in mean rainfall but the increase in extreme rainfall is rising at a much greater rate [Berg et al., 2013]. This intensification of precipitation events, means that even in regions which are projected to see no change in mean rainfall, there is still projected to be greater flood risks in the future; it also means that dry periods will tend to be more intense and longer lasting [Held and Soden, 2006]. Curry et al. [2014], evaluating the GeoMIP ensemble, report a substantial increase in the length of dry periods across sub‐tropical regions for 4 × CO 2 ‐piControl, which is not seen in G1‐piControl. Thus, we expect our moderate scenario of SG to reduce the length of dry periods in sub‐tropical regions. The evidence presented above is far from a conclusive demonstration that our sub‐hypothesis is true. The following is a list of caveats or reasons that existing evidence is insufficient to make conclusive statements about this sub‐hypothesis: Non‐linearity of model response. The arguments above assume linear scaling of climate response to radiative forcing, while there is evidence for this [ Irvine et al., 2010 MacMartin et al., 2013
. The arguments above assume linear scaling of climate response to radiative forcing, while there is evidence for this [.,., Non‐equilibrium response. The evidence presented above is drawn from the quasi‐equilibrium responses to instantaneous changes in forcing, which cannot capture the transient response of the scenario we propose.
. The evidence presented above is drawn from the quasi‐equilibrium responses to instantaneous changes in forcing, which cannot capture the transient response of the scenario we propose. SG is not equivalent to a reduction in solar constant. Our scenario assumes SG is deployed to most closely replicate the effects of a solar insolation reduction, but the model results we drew on above simply applied an adjustment to the solar constant. The absorption of radiation by stratospheric aerosols, which could be diminished but not eliminated through optimal choice of aerosol particles, will warm the stratosphere altering atmospheric dynamics and producing a greater reduction in the intensity of the hydrological cycle than an equivalent forcing from a solar insolation reduction [ Niemeier et al., 2013 Aquila et al., 2014
. Our scenario assumes SG is deployed to most closely replicate the effects of a solar insolation reduction, but the model results we drew on above simply applied an adjustment to the solar constant. The absorption of radiation by stratospheric aerosols, which could be diminished but not eliminated through optimal choice of aerosol particles, will warm the stratosphere altering atmospheric dynamics and producing a greater reduction in the intensity of the hydrological cycle than an equivalent forcing from a solar insolation reduction [.,., Shifts in atmospheric circulation. Shifts in atmospheric circulation and in modes of climate variability, which affect regional hydrology may occur. The location of the critically important peak precipitation band of the inter‐tropical convergence zone may be affected by SG [ Haywood et al., 2013
. Shifts in atmospheric circulation and in modes of climate variability, which affect regional hydrology may occur. The location of the critically important peak precipitation band of the inter‐tropical convergence zone may be affected by SG [., Climate risks depend on more than simply changes in physical hazards. We have only considered the physical aspects of water availability and a more complete evaluation of this risk must consider human demands for water. Water stress in many regions is increasing due to growing demand from growing populations and economies. In some regions, this anthropogenic increase in water stress is being offset to some extent by increasing water availability due to climate change [Arnell et al., 2013
6 The Next Decade SG is a technology not a natural phenomenon, it is the application of scientific knowledge and technological capability to achieve some set of goals [Kravitz et al., 2016]. Just as one cannot assess infrastructure proposals, or any other applications of technology, without reference to the goals that they are designed to achieve, the assessment of SG cannot be usefully abstracted from the goals it might be designed to achieve. If it is to inform decisions about deployment of SG—including decisions to not deploy—then assessment of the efficacy and risks of SG needs to be coupled with further development of the technology such as the investigation of alternative options in hopes of finding ways to reduce risks or improve efficacy. Furthermore, evaluating the specifics of the deployment scenarios such as the type, amount, and location of aerosol injection, should be coupled with the means of monitoring and modifying any such deployment in response to new information. For example, if some specific deployment of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering is found to shift the location of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, then researchers should explore ways to modify the deployment to counter this shift, such as by adjusting the north–south asymmetry in stratospheric aerosol radiative forcing [Haywood et al., 2013; Kravitz et al., 2016]. Our hope is that both the technology and the tools for assessment, particularly tools for assessing human and ecological impacts, will improve substantially over the next decade. Progress will require a structured, policy‐relevant, and iterative approach. We propose that the articulation of well posed policy‐relevant hypotheses that can be examined by multiple research groups using a diversity of methods may help to coordinate research so that it can better inform policy. We proposed a (moderately) specific testable hypothesis of direct policy relevance to SG. We expect that it will be useful to agree on shared hypotheses and quantitative sub‐hypotheses that more narrowly specify the objectives (e.g., reduce sea ice loss or reduce deviation of annual precipitation from pre‐industrial), and the kinds of SG technology (e.g, stratospheric aerosols or marine cloud brightening) to be evaluated. Improved assessments of SG, particularly the testing of policy‐relevant hypotheses, will require features that have been notably absent from most previous studies. Such features include: An explicit choice of the baseline for comparison that is suited to addressing the hypothesis under investigation, for example, in our case this was the same GHG emissions scenario as for the SG scenario but without SG deployment.
The use of reasonable heuristics for climate risks or else direct use of impacts model results, rather than, for example, using mean precipitation change as a guide to water availability, ignoring factors such as evaporation and transpiration.
An approach which addresses the full range of impacts, rather than, for example, identifying a single harm or benefit that may increase or decrease in a specific region.
The use of transparent and reasonable choices about the technology and its deployment strategy, rather than, for example, simulating injection of SO 2 to offset all future increase in GHG forcing. More generally, the evaluation of any such hypothesis depends on the choice of climate impacts over which the efficacy of SG is to be evaluated and on the method for aggregating benefits and harms across space, time, and climate impact. There will always be particular choices of impact metrics, such as the “precipitation guardrails” proposed by Stankoweit et al. [2015], under which many (or all) SG proposals are not acceptable. A fair policy‐relevant test of hypotheses about the impacts of SG, should however, use a choice of impact metrics and aggregation consistent with choices made for evaluation of other climate policies. Or, in more colloquial language, “no cherry picking.” We expect that a central challenge will be balancing the breadth of approaches to be studied against the depth with which individual technologies and deployment scenarios are to be examined. While the GeoMIP G1 scenario is, for example, a poor proxy for policy‐relevant deployment of SG, it has the advantage of being thoroughly |
Toa Aito (Iron Warriors) defending the island's honour on the pitch. Used separately, the words 'toa' and 'aito' also refer to a type of tree, more popularly known as the 'filao'. Extremely common throughout French Polynesia, the wood of this tree is used to build 'tiki', carved sculptures designed to bring luck – and the nickname of Tahiti's beach soccer team (Tiki Toa).
Spain steer clear of any references to warriors, but La Furia Roja (Red Fury) hope to intimidate their rivals all the same. Studies carried out by psychologists specialising in sport have shown that the colour red communicates strength, aggression, confidence and balance – all qualities that La Roja will be looking to employ as they chase the one title missing from their list of honours. They have a long way to go if they are to depose Brazil, however, as A Seleção reign supreme with a trio of FIFA Confederations Cup triumphs – another record for the kings of the football nickname!FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Former University of Kentucky basketball star Richie Farmer wants to delay his report date to federal prison by a week.
Farmer's attorney asked a federal judge to bump the reporting date until March 25. He's currently due to report March 18 to the federal prison in Hazelton, W.Va. to serve his 27-month prison term.
The former Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner says he wants to see his son play in the Kentucky State High School Basketball Tournament. The earlier report date would make that impossible.
Farmer pleaded guilty in September to using state resources for his personal benefit.
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Farmer gained basketball fame as part of "The Unforgettables" - a group of Wildcats who stayed with the program through NCAA sanctions and led Kentucky back to the NCAA tournament in 1992.Stateside's conversation with Gary McRay, a manager of the Michigan International Investments EB-5 Regional Center.
The city of Ypsilanti is inching forward with a proposal to sell city-owned land to developers who want to build a more than $300 million housing and retail development on the polluted site.
After a meeting that lasted more than six hours, the council voted 4-3 to agree to a non-binding land purchase agreement with International Village LLC, the development company headed by Troy-based Amy Foster. Two city council members abstained from voting and one voted no.
Most of the details of the development plan are yet to be determined at this early stage, which frustrated and concerned some city council members and Ypsilanti residents attending the meeting.
“Is it going to be a perfect project? Probably not. The perfect project does not exist,” said city councilwoman Beth Bashert. “The question is, is this a project that will meet the needs of Ypsilanti, be a good endeavor for the developer, and enhance our community? I believe it is.”
Bashert was one of the four yes votes.
Dozens of Ypsilanti residents spent hours making public comments to the council about the development proposal. Many worried the influence of foreign investment could change the city’s culture and feel, and could lead to gentrification through the displacement of low-income renters in the city.
You can read more about the details of the proposed development and the approved land purchase agreement, here.
Wayne Hoffman, a representative of the International Village development team, pitched the project as a major economic development for the city, and says it would create an estimated 2,600 jobs. Forty percent of the funding for the endeavor is slated to come from Chinese investors applying for U.S. visas through the federal EB-5 investment program.
“I take the statement from the developers that global capital will eventually come for [Ypsilanti] as being a threat,” said Ypsilanti resident Finn Bell. “Ypsi becoming like all those other gentrified cities is not progress.”
Despite the concerns of residents who attended the meeting, Ypsilanti council member Daniel Vogt said that during his more than six years serving on the city council, people in the community have repeatedly asked the city to do something about the burden of the Water Street property, a roughly 36-acre parcel east of the city’s downtown. The property is polluted from previous industrial use. Ypsilanti's finance director Marilou Uy says the city owes $9.9 million in municipal bonds on a property that is mostly undeveloped.
“Anybody in this council who does not vote for a viable project for Water Street is going to have hundreds of people actively fighting against them in the next election,” Vogt said.
During his presentation to council and the pubic, Hoffmann made no mention of affordable housing, which at this point has not been included in the plan. Ypsilanti Director of Economic Development Beth Ernat has previously said that including affordable housing in the project would put the financial viability of the deal in question for the International Village Development team.
Hoffmann did address a relatively common criticism of the EB-5 investment program — that it creates a path to U.S. residency that favors wealthy investors from overseas.
“This is not a fast-track visa,” Hoffmann said. “People who invest in the EB-5 program, especially a project this big, are at risk for four to five years. They could lose all their money.”
Hoffmann presented slides of conceptual designs for the proposed development, which would include student housing as well as condominiums and single-family rental units. But the entire development is still in the nascent stages. Even after the approval of the land purchase agreement by the council at Tuesday’s meeting, both the developer and the city can walk away from the deal, and the final terms of the development would require city council approval.
The EB-5 investment program requires each foreign investor to put down $500,000 on a project that ultimately “create(s) or preserve(s) 10 permanent full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.”
City council and the International Village Development team has until year’s end to create a development agreement.
Representatives from the development team and the city of Ypsilanti are planning to travel to China to, in part, court more foreign investors early in October.The United States Air Force's X-37B space plane has now been in orbit for nearly three months on its fourth mystery mission.
The X-37B spacecraft launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 20, kicking off a mission dubbed OTV-4 (short for Orbital Test Vehicle-4). During its nearly 100-day trek in orbit, the X-37B has been spotted by amateur astronomers on Earth as it carries out is secret mission.
OTV-4 is the second flight of the second X-37B vehicle built for the Air Force by Boeing. To date, only two reusable X-37B vehicles have been confirmed as constituting the fleet. [The X-37B Military Space Plane Explained (Infographic)]
The reusable X-37B space plane looks like a miniature version of NASA’s now-retired space shuttle orbiter. The military space plane is 29 feet (8.8 meters) long and 9.5 feet (2.9 m) tall, and has a wingspan of nearly 15 feet (4.6 m). The spacecraft sports a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed.
Some payloads revealed
The U.S. Air Force's robotic X-37B space plane is a miniature space shuttle capable of long, classified missions in orbit. See how the X-37B space plane works in this Space.com infographic (Image: © By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)
The X-37B's payloads and specific activities are classified as a general rule. But, for the first time in the program's history, the Air Force revealed a partial manifest of the gear carried by the craft shortly before OTV-4's launch.
The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO), which runs the X-37B program, said it collaborated with several partners to test new experiments on the current mission. For example, a NASA advanced materials investigation launched on OTV-4, as did an experimental propulsion system developed by the Air Force.
"With the demonstrated success of the first three missions, we’re able to shift our focus from initial checkouts of the vehicle to testing of experimental payloads," AFRCO director Randy Walden said prior to OTV-4's launch.
Furthermore, on July 1, California-based company Aerojet Rocketdyne announced that its XR-5A Hall Thruster had completed initial on-orbit validation testing onboard the X-37B space plane.
The XR-5A Hall Thruster is an enhanced version of Aerojet Rocketdyne's XR-5 Hall Thruster. The 5-kilowatt XR-5A incorporates modifications that improve performance and operating range, according to company representatives.
A Hall Thruster is a type of electric-propulsion device that produces thrust by ionizing and accelerating a noble gas, usually xenon. This type of propulsion is extremely efficient, requiring very little fuel, so spacecraft that use Hall thrusters instead of traditional rocket engines can carry larger payloads and/or perform a greater number of on-orbit maneuvers, Aerojet Rocketdyne representatives have said. [X-37B Space Plane's 4th Mystery Mission in Photos]
Florida bound?
The X-37B program completed its third mission (OTV-3) on Oct. 17, 2014, with a landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after 674 days on orbit. OTV-3 extended the collective time spent in orbit by X-37B vehicles to 1,367 days.
Onboard the X-37B is Aerojet Rocketdyne’s upgraded XR-5A Hall Thruster, which demonstrated successful on-orbit operations. (Image: © Aerojet Rocketdyne)
How many days the current OTV-4 mission will chalk up in space is unknown. And, though OTV-1, OTV-2 and OTV-3 all touched down at Vandenberg, it's unclear where OTV-4 will return to Earth.
In 2014, it was announced that Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems had consolidated its space plane operations by making use of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida as a landing site for the X-37B.
Under the Boeing plan, a former KSC space-shuttle facility known as Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF-1) is being converted into a structure that will enable the Air Force "to efficiently land, recover, refurbish and relaunch the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV)," according to Boeing.
Work has been ongoing to get KSC ready as a landing site for the X-37B, but Vandenberg is still being maintained as a landing location, with Edwards Air Force Base in California serving as a backup site.
At the end of last month, the Internet was aflutter about a possible landing of OTV-4 at KSC. The KSC Public Weather Channel on July 31 posted an X-37B operations landing forecast and landing commit criteria.
But it turns out that the July 31 activities were just part of a practice session.
"The U.S. Air Force continues to work to stand up Florida and KSC as a potential landing site for the X-37B, potentially by mid- to late 2016," said Air Force Capt. Annmarie Annicelli at the Pentagon’s Air Force press desk.
"The exercise was one of a number of rehearsals that the program is conducting in coordination with the 45th Space Wing and Kennedy Space Center to safely land the X-37B," Annicelli told Space.com.
Vital role
In an online fact sheet, the Air Force says the effort is an experimental test program "to demonstrate technologies for a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the U.S. Air Force. The primary objectives of the X-37B are twofold: reusable spacecraft technologies for America’s future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to, and examined, on Earth."
A newly issued Air Force Tech Report video about the X-37B characterizes the space plane as an "unmanned solar-powered spacecraft," but its on-orbit jobs are tagged as "top secret."
Does the X-37B conduct reconnaissance missions, the video's narrator asks, or tamper with enemy satellites? Is it a space bomber? Or do all of the above apply?
"We don’t know exactly what it does, but it’s safe to surmise that the X-37B will have a vital role in the future of Air Force warfare," the narrator concludes.
Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is former director of research for the National Commission on Space and is co-author of Buzz Aldrin's 2013 book "Mission to Mars – My Vision for Space Exploration" published by National Geographic with a new updated paperback version released in May 2015. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.(Image source: New York Times)
By Beth Eggleston and Kate Sutton; Humanitarian Advisory Group
Trump and humanitarianism. Oxymoronic to say the least. The effects of Trump becoming President-elect of the United States of America will ripple across time zones and sectors. The humanitarian world is not immune. We can expect to see some substantial changes in the way the United States engages globally through foreign policy and aid commitments. So what can we expect Donald Trump’s impact on the humanitarian world to be? Here is our analysis.
Expect a fall in global humanitarian funding. At a personal level Donald Trump has been described as the ‘least charitable billionaire in the world’. Any charitable interests are most certainly domestic and throughout the election campaign he has pledged to focus internally on ‘making America great’. This suggests a shift in funding priorities away from international aid, including to humanitarian assistance. In practical terms this means reduced funding available to USAID and Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. USAID is currently the largest humanitarian donor globally, in 2015 it allocated $USD6.42 billion to humanitarian assistance, more than double the assistance provided by the next largest donor government. The impact of a reduction in funding being channelled through USAID will be highly impactful on the capacity of humanitarian actors to deliver in critical contexts such as Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine. It’s likely that USAID’s budget would focus more on trade and as Trump aims to hugely increase defence spending humanitarian funding will likely take a hit. It is also likely that the support, financial and political, to the United Nations will decline undermining the authority and capacity of critical UN bodies such as the UNHCR, UNOCHA and OHCHR.
Expect less engagement in critical humanitarian challenges such as the current migration and displacement situation. Trump’s approach to immigration will mean more people in detention, to restrict refugee intakes into the US, and a move away from welcoming people from the Middle East. ‘Extreme vetting’ will hinge on racial profiling and will put the most vulnerable at risk as they seek safety.
Expect an erosion of respect for humanitarian principles, international human rights and humanitarian law. There has always been a rub between the achievement of humanitarian outcomes and political outcomes. Political actors need to have a strong understanding and respect for humanitarian principles and relevant areas of law in order to achieve that balance. Donald Trump has consistently demonstrated a lack of understanding and respect for the relevant bodies of law. Trump’s strategy to defeat the terrorist group ISIS included ‘bombing the s**t out of them’ and using the US military to threaten death to the families of ISIS terrorists as part of the approach to combatting terrorism. Such an approach involves the targeting of civilians and undermines basic principles of human rights and international humanitarian law, apparently misunderstood or disregarded by the President-elect. Trump has also consistently endorsed tactics that are widely regarded as torture including the use of water boarding and has referred to the necessity of ‘doing the unthinkable’. There is also the concern about Trump’s views on using nuclear weapons. The current United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. al-Hussein, has reflected recently that “If Donald Trump is elected, on the basis of what he has said already, and unless that changes, I think it’s without any doubt that he would be dangerous from an international point of view,”
Expect the US to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement as a part of Trump’s first 100 Day Action plan. Considering the established links between climate change and the frequency and severity of natural disasters this will set back disaster risk reduction efforts and affect millions of the most vulnerable. As one of the world’s biggest emitters, this is a dangerous example to set.
Expect progress on women’s leadership in humanitarian action to take a stumble. Let’s face it, it’s already stumbling and Trump is not going to be a pioneer for women’s leadership in any sector. As of January 2016, there are 29 UN Humanitarian Coordinators globally and only 9 of these are women. The recent appointment of the United Nations Secretary-General has also been analysed in terms of the challenges for women to reach high profile positions, with Antonio Guterres being appointed as the new UN Secretary General ahead of several credible women. The backroom political deals “among the old boy’s establishment prevailed”, and these backroom political deals will only be exacerbated by the presence of Trump as a representative in the Security Council and in international politics.
So what next? Hillary Clinton asked for Donald Trump to be given a chance – what does that mean for the humanitarian sector? How can we navigate these uncharted waters in the context of the greatest humanitarian need in a generation? This will be yet another challenge as we aspire to assistance the more than 96 million people in need and promote the necessity of respecting international humanitarian law in conflicts across the world.
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https://news.vice.com/article/trump-wall-has-mexico-pissed-off-immigrants-keep-crossing-borderYesterday I came home to a failed delivery slip, as I was working when they tried to deliver. So, I gave DHL a call, paid the insane $20 customs brokerage fee (When shipping over borders, NEVER use DHL, FedEx, or UPS, as they always charge these fees) and had them leave it with my landlord.
So TODAY I came home to find this package waiting for me. Contained within was a Dalek keychain flashlight, and a Tardis memory stick! The Tardis will be going on my keychain along with my various other accoutrements, but the Dalek is a bit big to go in my pocket with everything else. SO it's going on my phone instead. :) It shall join the various other phone straps I have accumulated, which dangle outside my pocket. XDLast week, The Movie Sleuth had a chance to sit down and talk with Lin Shaye, an actress whose resume is decades long and full of dynamic roles and choices.
We had a few minutes to discuss her new release Abattoir and the upcoming Insidious 4 which is being helmed by our good friend, Adam Robitel. Check out the interview here and look for Abattoir on demand and in limited theatrical release.
TMS: I want to get this out of the way. You're a star. I'm not going to lie. You're an absolute talent. You can change characters at the flip of a switch. You make wise acting choices and always rise to the top in every movie you star in. Even when you've just got a bit part or a cameo, you're the high point of the movie. Where would you say that drive and ambition comes from? And how do you adapt to so many genres?
LS: First of all, thank you for the compliment. I don't really know that answer one hundred percent. I think I have a very strong, cynical sense about life and the world which has probably gotten deeper and richer as I've gotten older. I love walking into other people's personalities and trying to see the world through their eyes rather than just my own. That sort of broadens my view about life. I think I do have a gift that I'm able to do that. It gives back to me so much.
TMS: What can you tell us about acting and how you prepare for a role?
LS: Acting involves so many more elements than people think. It's storytelling in a unique way that makes you think about life and yourself in a different way. When I get a new character, I have to go back to some of my acting roots. There's a lot of psychological questions that I try to answer myself. It's all rooted in the details of the story that's written. It's an extraordinary process. Sometimes you'll go, 'there's the key'. You'll find something that opens up information about the character and story.
TMS: What's a key scene from the Insidious movies that sticks with you?
LS: There was a scene in Insidious 3 where I'm supposed to be eating at the table. My husband is supposed to be dead. And I said 'you've got to set a place for Jack' even though he's not there. There was something really wonderful about that, whether the audience received it or not, the idea is very emotional. It was very magical. And very wonderful. And very cerebral. I'm so full of gratitude to have all these opportunities that I do.
TMS: You've been doing this for decades now.
LS: Nobody is more surprised than me. Swear to god!
TMS: Your ability to adapt to horror, to comedy, to drama, and to do all these different things is a prize. It's something you can be proud of. A lot of actors and actresses get in a rut and they do the same thing over and over again repeatedly. With the diversity of all the movies you've been in, do you have a favorite project?
LS: Wow. (laughter) Kingpin was a turning point for me. (laughter) They've all been unspeakably great gifts to me. Kingpin was a turning point for me in my life because of the Farrelly Brothers. I had done a little part in Dumber and that's a long story. We could be on the phone for an hour. Bottom line is, they had the script and the character was described as the angriest, ugliest woman that god had ever let loose on the planet. I read that and thought 'I gotta do that' because of those extremes, I've got to be able to find that somewhere. I started working on the character in my bedroom and they wouldn't see me. They said 'we love your work...but we don't see you as that character'. And I thought, 'I'm not done'.
Working....and.....working......For six weeks I sat on my floor in front of my mirror. I put stuff like eyelashes coming out of my nostrils for nose hairs. I put egg on my face. I was insanely obsessed. You have to be. Meanwhile, they weren't going to see me. Finally, I called one of the producers. I got him on the phone and he said 'I'll bring you in on Thursday'. So I went in dressed as Mrs. Dumars. I auditioned. I poured my heart out. And I got the job. It's probably the biggest departure from my physical self and the fact that I worked like a demon for all those weeks without knowing for sure that anything was going to happen. Those elements made it my favorite movie. Plus, it's a fabulous character.
TMS: And that cast? Seriously. Legends.
LS: Woody Harrelson. You just want to take him home with you forever and do scenes with him until the end of the day. He's such a great team player and so welcoming. I was so scared of him. I had never met a big star like that. All those elements.
TMS: Beginning with Nightmare on Elm Street, you've done tons of horror. What would you say draws you to that genre?
LS: I think it's the stories. Mostly for me, it's a good story and a good character. The horror community is so tight. I have friends there now who trust me. They offer me things. If it's not a good story and I'm not interested, they're okay with that. Fortunately, I've been invited into some beautiful films, Abattoir being one. I'm drawn to the people involved and the story telling.
TMS: You probably don't know this, but I'm a Michigan native. So are you. How do you think Michigan shaped your career?
LS: Well, you draw from your childhood no matter where you're from. I did go to the University of Michigan which was a fabulous experience for me. I did a lot of theater when I was there and was an art history major.
TMS: Darren did some of the Saw movies and he did Repo: The Genetic Opera. He's got a great visual style. What would you say is unique about working with him?
LS: He's a hot potato! Meaning that like he's always cooking when he's on set! He's totally open to your suggestions and has a very strong spine for what he's creating. I think he's a visual artist. He's really into music also. He's a true storyteller. He's a great collaborator.
TMS: You're currently working on Insidious 4. How will Adam Robitel's vision differ from what we've seen before? And will it revitalize that property for its fans?
LS: Believe it or not, there is a formula with a franchise. You have to fulfill certain elements. Your fanbase kind of requires that. There's a real corporate philosophy about doing a franchise in general.
TMS: I had a chance to interview Adam back when he was doing The Taking of Deborah Logan. I adore that movie. Tell us what a great director he is.
LS: He did a phenomenal job. He's a great listener,,,,a better listener than I am. He's a great collaborator and a creative force. It was his vision but he was also aware of the franchise rules. He brought new energy. Deborah Logan was one of the scariest films ever for me as well. I think he's a brilliant filmmaker and this was a great opportunity for him to work on something that was already successful.
TMS: We've had a couple discussions in the past via social channels and he's always positive. It's a nice change from what we usually see on FB and other platforms.
LS: He's tireless. He doesn't complain. Ours were 16 hour days. His were 20 hour days. The guy is cooking on all burners, nothing but a phenomenal team player, and a beautiful independent spirit with a creative vision. The film is going to be amazing.
TMS: Where can people see your latest, Abattoir?
LS: It's going to be on all the VOD formats.
-CGIf I told you a provocative burlesque show at Northwestern University was being restructured in response to student complaints, you would probably assume a handful of whiny, sex-averse conservatives had complained. But no—the event has infuriated left-leaning students who insist that it isn’t going to be inclusive enough.
Since perpetrators of non-inclusivity on college campuses are all but tried at the Hague for war crimes these days, the burlesque show’s student-organizers are desperately trying to switch up the performance roster. In doing so, they hope to “reestablish a safe space” for students who felt marginalized by the first round of casting choices.
In other words, not getting a part in a school production—a fairly typical life experience—now counts as a microaggression.
NU Burlesque will host its fourth annual show in April. Previous incarnations of the production have unfolded during Northwestern’s transgressive “sex week,” alongside such events as “Reclaiming Pornography One Orgasm at a Time” and “Bad Ass MCs and Big Booty Beauties: A Panel on Women, Sexuality, and Hip Hop,” according to Campus Reform.
It’s entertaining. It’s educational! But it’s also highly triggering for students who didn’t get a solo.
That’s right: This year, burlesque show directors invited students to audition for individual, duet, and trio performances. All students are guaranteed a role in the production, but not all students are guaranteed their very own musical number. That’s just life.
But when the casting decisions were shared with the would-be performers, they revolted. Apparently, they didn’t think the directors’ choices were diverse enough—“marginalized experiences were not sufficiently represented in the selected acts,” reported The Daily Northwestern.
“It was brought to our attention that there are people in our community who feel that those solos and duets and trios are not best representing what the Burlesque community is,” [NU Burlesque co-director Avril] Dominguez said. “We do have a very inclusive and representative cast at large (and) we’re taking that criticism into account and really trying to reestablish a safe space.”
But Dominguez may be too late—several performers have already quit the show. Others, like student Genesis Garcia, decided to stay on in order to “make sure people are being held accountable.”
It’s not exactly clear which diversity boxes the directors’ failed to check off, though the Northwestern’s story suggests to me that at least some students merely read the names of the chosen solo performers and assumed they weren’t diverse. There’s something mildly, ahem, problematic, about such assumptions—names don’t always give away a person’s ethnicity, for instance, and they have nothing to do with a person’s orientation.
In any case, the directors are working tirelessly to un-hurt everybody’s feelings, and have restructured the show to make room for more solo acts. But the irate performers demand more:
“Even though this is something new that we’re being confronted with, that doesn’t make it any less valid,” said one student told the Northwestern. “It’s very important that we are always consciously thinking of deliberate ways to uplift people that are not uplifted in society.”
Another student said burlesque show rehearsals will strive to be more “intentionally inclusive” from now on. The group is apparently drafting some kind of constitution, which will presumably enshrine their right to unimaginable levels of inclusivity.
Look, American burlesque has a long, celebrated history of advancing social progress by empowering people—of all genders, orientations, colors, shapes, and sizes—to celebrate their bodies while provoking the censors. This form of expression has played an important role in subverting society’s expectations of conformity and morality. There’s never been anything particularly “safe” about burlesque. It’s edgy! It’s radical self-expression! It inspires people to think and behave differently! It provokes! It challenges!
But for some reason, a whole bunch of today’s college students don’t merely run from challenges—they demand repayment, a formal inquiry, and federal legislation to remedy any instance of provocation. All too often, these are the liberal kids—the ones who are supposedly tolerant and open-minded. Recall what happened last semester at Colorado College, when the screening of a pro-gay film was protested, not by social conservatives, but by the campus’s LGBT+ group, because it didn’t feature a sufficient number of transgender characters. For these students, perfect is truly the enemy of good.
Of course, it seems like there’s also something a tad ordinary going on here: Some students are experiencing a brush with disappointment—possibly their first—at having lost out on a juicier role in the production. It might be better for these students if the directors didn’t erect a safe space to shelter them from reality. As The College Fix’s Dave Huber wrote, “A Broadway director, or better yet, an employer isn’t going to care one whit about some snowflake’s feelings of ‘exclusion.’” Meanwhile, the show must go on—but only if everybody is 100 percent comfortable with it at all times.Former Pakistani military officers voice irritation with the Americans daily on television, part of a mounting grievance in Pakistan that the alliance with the United States is too costly to bear.
“It is really beginning to irk and anger us,” said a security official familiar with the deliberations at the senior levels of the Pakistani leadership.
The core reason for Pakistan’s imperviousness is its scant faith in the Obama troop surge, and what Pakistan sees as the need to position itself for a regional realignment in Afghanistan once American forces begin to leave.
It considers Mr. Haqqani and his control of large areas of Afghan territory vital to Pakistan in the jostling for influence that will pit Pakistan, India, Russia, China and Iran against one another in the post-American Afghan arena, the Pakistani officials said.
Pakistan is particularly eager to counter the growing influence of its archenemy, India, which is pouring $1.2 billion in aid into Afghanistan. “If America walks away, Pakistan is very worried that it will have India on its eastern border and India on its western border in Afghanistan,” said Tariq Fatemi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States who is pro-American in his views.
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For that reason, Mr. Fatemi said, the Pakistani Army is “very reluctant” to jettison Mr. Haqqani, Pakistan’s strong card in Afghanistan. Moreover, the Pakistanis do not want to alienate Mr. Haqqani because they consider him an important player in reconciliation efforts that they would like to see get under way in Afghanistan immediately, the officials said.
Because Mr. Haqqani shelters Qaeda leaders and operatives in North Waziristan, Washington is opposed to including Mr. Haqqani among the possible reconcilable Taliban, at least for the moment, a Western diplomat said.
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In his reply to the Americans, General Kayani stressed a short-term argument, according to two Pakistani officials familiar with the response.
Pakistan currently has its hands full fighting the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan and other places, and it is beyond its capacity to open another front against the Afghan Taliban, the officials said of General Kayani’s response. The offensive has had the secondary effect of constraining the Haqqani network in North Waziristan and driving some of its commanders and fighters across the border to Afghanistan, senior American military officials in Afghanistan said.
But implicit in General Kayani’s reply was the fact that the homegrown Pakistani Taliban represent the real threat to Pakistan. General Kayani argued that they are the ones carrying out attacks against security installations and civilian markets in Pakistan’s cities and must be the army’s top priority, the officials said.
For his part, Mr. Haqqani fights in Afghanistan, and is considered more of an asset than a threat by the Pakistanis. But he is the most potent force fighting the United States, American and Pakistani officials agree.
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He has subcommanders threaded throughout eastern and southern Afghanistan. His fighters control Paktika, Paktia and Khost Provinces in Afghanistan, which lie close to North Waziristan. His men are also strong in Ghazni, Logar and Wardak Provinces, the officials said.
Because Mr. Haqqani now spends so much time in Afghanistan — about three weeks of every month, according to a Pakistani security official — if the Americans want to eliminate him, their troops should have ample opportunity to capture him, Pakistani security officials argue.
As a son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a leading mujahedeen fighter against the Soviets who is now aged and apparently confined to bed, Siraj Haqqani is keeper of a formidable lineage and history.
In the early 1970s, the father attended a well-known madrasa, Dar-ul-Uloom Haqqaniya in the Pakistani town of Akora Khattack in North-West Frontier Province.
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In the 1980s, Jalaluddin Haqqani received money and arms from the C.I.A. routed through Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, to fight the Soviets, according to Ahmed Rashid, an expert on the Afghan Taliban and the author of “Descent Into Chaos.”
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In the 1990s, when the Taliban ran Afghanistan, Jalaluddin Haqqani served as governor of Paktia Province.
The relationship between the Haqqanis and Osama bin Laden dates back to the war against the Soviets in the 1980s, according to Kamran Bokhari, the South Asia director for Stratfor, a geopolitical risk analysis company.
When the Taliban government collapsed at the end of 2001 and Qaeda operatives fled from Tora Bora to Pakistan, the Haqqanis relocated their command structure to North Waziristan and welcomed Al Qaeda, Mr. Bokhari said.
The biggest gift of the Pakistanis to the Haqqanis was the use of North Waziristan as their fief, he said.
The Pakistani Army did not appear to be assisting the Haqqanis with training or equipment, he said. More than 20 members of the Haqqani family were killed in a drone attack in North Waziristan last year, showing the limits of how far the Pakistanis could protect them, Mr. Bokhari said.
Today, Siraj Haqqani has anywhere from 4,000 to 12,000 Taliban under his command. He is technically a member of the Afghan Taliban leadership based in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province.
That leadership is headed by Mullah Omar, the former leader of the Taliban regime. But Mr. Haqqani operates fairly independently of them inside Afghanistan.
He funds his operations in part through kidnappings and other illicit activities. The Haqqani network held David Rohde, a correspondent for The New York Times, for seven months, seeking ransom until he escaped in June.
Siraj Haqqani maintains an uneasy relationship with the Pakistani Taliban, said Maulana Yousaf Shah, the administrator of the madrasa at Akora Khattack.
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Mr. Haqqani believed the chief jihadi objective should be forcing the foreigners out of Afghanistan, and he had tried but failed to redirect the Pakistani Taliban to fight in Afghanistan as well, he said.Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders promised in a joint statement to pass a package of bills that “will help ensure Californians won’t have to pay an arm and a leg to have a roof over their head.”
But the measures now contemplated to alleviate the state’s affordability crisis will not make |
's market, and Full Tilt soon[when?] followed suit, but both sites continued to provide services to players in the other 49 U.S. states.
This case was preceded by a 2009 seizure of $34 million worth of winnings in transit U.S. poker players (q.v. Southern District of New York action against online poker players).
Basis for the case [ edit ]
Since Federal law says nothing specifically about online poker, or any gambling other than sports betting,[12][17] Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, bases his case on a New York law that makes it a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison, to run a game of chance where bets are placed within the state.[12] Although none of the sites are actually run out of New York (PokerStars is based on the Isle of Man, Full Tilt Poker is in Ireland and Absolute Poker is from Costa Rica),[1] he was able to obtain a felony indictment for UIGEA violations.[18] In addition to the 2006 UIGEA, the defendants were charged with violating the Illegal Gambling Business Act (18 USC 1955).[19][20]
Additionally, in April 2010, the former head of Intabill, a defunct payment processor in Australia, Daniel Tzvetkoff,[21] was arrested in Las Vegas by the FBI.[22] He was charged with money laundering, bank fraud, and wire fraud.[23] PokerStars and Full Tilt had previously claimed that Tzvetkoff cheated them out of at least 100 million dollars.[24] However, he was quietly let go a few months later in August 2010.[25] He reportedly turned state's evidence after being threatened with a 75-year prison sentence for alleged UIGEA violations.[21][22]
The indictment also alleged that the executive officers of the sites had sought investment in SunFirst Bank in Utah, which they were using to obtain and pay out player funds by allegedly mis-coding transactions.[18] Although no one was actually being defrauded per se, and money from an otherwise legal operation can not be "laundered",[17] these actions form the basis for the fraud and money laundering charges.[18] This case marks only the second time that the Department of Justice has alleged violations of the 2006 UIGEA,[26] (after the indictment of Daniel Tzvetkoff).
A secret grand jury handed down a sealed indictment on March 10, 2011.
Domain name seizure [ edit ]
On April 15, the Department of Justice seized the.com internet addresses of the three online gambling sites,[5] a total of five URLs:[6] Pokerstars.com, Fulltiltpoker.com, Absolutepoker.com, Ultimatebet.com and UB.com.[1]
On April 20, 2011, use of two of the domain names were returned to PokerStars and Full Tilt by the U.S. Attorney's office, "to facilitate the withdrawal of U.S. players' funds held in account with the companies"; in exchange the companies agreed to continue prohibiting United States residents from playing until the case was resolved.[1][4] Ultimate control of the domains remains in the hands of US Attorney's office.[27]
Because the charges against Absolute Poker and UltimateBet represent a much larger percentage of its revenues, their survival is in jeopardy.[4] However, Cereus did eventually reach an agreement by which funds could be returned to United States players.[citation needed]
On July 31, 2012, US government dismissed "with prejudice" all civil complaints against all PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker companies after coming to a settlement with PokerStars which includes PokerStars purchasing Full Tilt.[10] PokerStars and Full Tilt admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which ends all litigation between the government and the companies. The criminal indictments remain in place for the named individuals.
Accounts seized [ edit ]
About 76 bank accounts in 14 countries were then frozen, preventing players from accessing balances held by the companies, according to the FBI's New York office.[28] That Full Tilt and Pokerstars accepted a total of $500 million in total player deposits is a conservative estimate.[4]
Persons indicted [ edit ]
The indictment named eleven individuals who were each charged with four crimes.[19] The persons named in the indictment are:[3]
The prosecutors are seeking jail sentences for the indicted executives and $3 billion from the poker companies.[29] When the U.S. Department of Justice pursued Party Poker in 2006, it led to a $300 million plea agreement by PartyGaming co-founder Anurag Dikshit and a $105 million settlement with the company itself in 2009.[13] In the criminal case, "The maximum penalty for violation of the UIGEA and operating a gambling business is 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss for each charge, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud is 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss, and for money laundering conspiracy is 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered."[19]
Government position [ edit ]
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, expressed his view when the indictment was unsealed:[3]
As charged, these defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits. Moreover, as we allege, in their zeal to circumvent the gambling laws, the defendants also engaged in massive money laundering and bank fraud. Foreign firms that choose to operate in the United States are not free to flout the laws they don't like simply because they can't bear to be parted from their profits.
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk added:
These defendants, knowing full well that their business with U.S. customers and U.S. banks was illegal, tried to stack the deck. They lied to banks about the true nature of their business. Then, some of the defendants found banks willing to flout the law for a fee. The defendants bet the house that they could continue their scheme, and they lost.[3]
In the amended complaint the government alleged that "Full Tilt Poker did not maintain funds sufficient to repay all players, and in addition, the company used player funds to pay board members and other owners more than $440 million since April 2007."[7][8][30][31] Furthermore, the amended complaint uses the term ponzi scheme prominently, including in its title.[30]
A lawyer for Ferguson has denied the allegations, suggesting that the issues may have been the result of mismanagement not malice.[32][33] A lawyer for some of the defendants issued a press release stating that the phrase ponzi scheme was inaccurate, unfair and disingenuous and that its use was counterproductive.[34]
The parties reached a settlement on July 31, 2012, ending all litigation between the government and the PokerStars/Full Tilt companies.[35][36][37]
Player response [ edit ]
"Along with everyone else in the poker world, I'm shocked," said Brandon Adams, a poker professional who has appeared in televised tournaments on NBC and ESPN. "The expectation was that there would be warning signs. These sites went from multibillion-dollar enterprises to on the ropes overnight." He added: "Some players have literally millions of dollars in their online poker accounts."[38]
The Poker Players Alliance called upon poker players affected by the shutdown to contact their Congressional representatives.
Poker player and then-current U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, in an interview with The Hill, lamented that the Justice Department is more focused on prosecuting online poker sites than those responsible for the mortgage crisis and financial meltdown.[39]
In an editorial in the Washington Post, poker player and former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato, a long-time favorite of industry lobbyists[citation needed], wrote: "This is an attack on Internet poker and American poker players like me. Through these strong-arm tactics, prosecutors think they can ban Internet poker. Instead, they are making millions of Americans victims in an attempt to make online poker illegal without the support of legislators or the public." He called on President Barack Obama to rein in the prosecuting attorneys in the Southern District of New York.[40]
International response [ edit ]
Antigua and Barbuda officials considered action in the World Trade Organization (WTO) saying that the United States violated global trade law by shutting down Internet gambling sites.[41] Antigua and Barbuda have previously brought suit against the United States successfully with the WTO when it awarded monetary damages for violating international agreements on trade in services by prosecuting the operators of offshore internet gambling sites.[42] Online poker is the second largest industry in Antigua's economy.[41] Mark Mendel, the Caribbean government's legal adviser, told Reuters: "I don't think there's another country in the world that puts people in jail for engaging in trade that's lawful under international law. It's as if Antigua would put Americans in jail for selling pineapples."[41]
On June 29, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) suspended Full Tilt's license as a result of an investigation that arose after earlier federal indictments in New York, accusing company executives and associates of bank fraud, money laundering and other crimes. The license is suspended pending a July 26 hearing in London. Immediately following the suspension, the companies real money completely ceased operations.[43][44] The actions by the AGCC mandated the cessation of the following:[45]
Registering new customers
Accepting deposits from existing customers;
Allowing existing customers to withdraw funds that are held in their accounts; and
Permitting customers to participate in any form of poker game play or gambling transaction.
Various sources report that this opened the way for Jack Binion to buy Full Tilt and ensure all Full Tilt Poker players get refunded in the process.[46][47][48] On June 30, European investors agreed to provide capital to repay Full Tilt Players in exchange for a majority stake in the company.[49][50] On July 26, the hearing revealed that Full Tilt owed GB£250,000 (US$410,000) in overdue licensing fees to the AGCC, which Full Tilt paid within seven days as promised clearing the way for approval of a refinancing deal. The hearing was suspended until no later than September 15 as a result of the revelation.[51][52] The delay until September 15 offers Full Tilt a chance to complete its negotiated settlement.[53] On September 29, the AGCC stripped Full Tilt of its license. The AGCC's statement said that Full Tilt had misrepresented its financial situation, while Full Tilt said the action would jeopardize its ability to repay its customers.[54]
Economic impact [ edit ]
Prior to the indictments, the United States accounted for 25 to 40% the poker business for these companies.[6] For PokerStars the International business share was 70 to 75% and for Full Tilt it was 50 to 60%, according to one source.[4] Darren Rovell cites a source that says the three companies had a 95% market share in online poker in the United States.[15] Following the shut down of play in the United States, traffic was down 24%, 49%, and 45% at PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute, respectively. Meanwhile, companies not affected by the indictment saw traffic spike.[55]
The companies combined for an estimated US$200 million in advertising and marketing in the United States and their withdrawal from the U.S. market left network shows such as Poker After Dark and The Big Game without advertising sponsors.[15] On cable television, ESPN's contract with PokerStars was for $22 million.[15] ESPN withdrew its Pokerstars advertising.[4] On Sunday April 17, ESPN2 cancelled its scheduled broadcast of 2011 North American Poker Tour presented by PokerStars.net.[56] On Game Show Network, prepaid episodes of High Stakes Poker continued to air for several months after the event, but the show was in danger of not returning.[57]
The companies accounted for a large proportion of World Series of Poker qualifiers via online satellites.[15] Additionally, other players lost access to the funds they could use to play in the events.[55] As a result, the 2011 World Series of Poker main event had the highest percentage of foreign players (and lowest percentage of American players) in history with 2,265 foreign players.[58]
Wynn Resorts allied with PokerStars on March 25 to seek the legalization of Internet gambling in the U.S., but terminated the accord on April 15.[1]
U.S. citizens who play online poker for a living effectively lost their livelihoods due to the DOJ action.[55][59][60] Pokernews pointed out a thread on the Two Plus Two forums where the PPA asked players to share their stories.[59][61] Among the poker networks seen as potential destinations for U.S. Poker players looking for a new online home are Carbon Poker and DoylesRoom.[14]
According to Brandon Adams, live poker gambling at casinos might be a short-term beneficiary of the crackdown, but often online and live poker are not competitive but complementary, with players honing their skills in cheap, fast games online before gaining the nerve to play for higher stakes at a casino.[38]
According to Time, the opposition to legalized domestic online gambling is depriving the United States economy from a huge potential source of tax revenues.[62] One political action committee that received approximately $300,000 from PokerStars returned the money.[19]
On April 26, PokerStars began processing cashouts.[63] On May 4, Blanca Gaming of Antigua, the parent company to UB and Absolute Poker who had already laid off 95% of its employees, decided that it would have to pursue bankruptcy.[64][65] On May 6, Pokerstars augmented their cashout policies to allow players to cashout frequent player points and pro-rata portions of partially earned VIP rewards bonuses.[66]
On May 27, the Department of Justice unfroze an Irish account containing more than one-third of the more than $100 million that was owed to players. The account belonged to Full Tilt and its co-founder, Raymond Bitar. This was one of nine frozen Irish accounts.[67] As of 11 August 2011 Full Tilt Poker had failed to uphold its promise to return U.S. Poker players by May 15, following the April 15 events. As a result, Full Tilt Pro Phil Ivey announced he would not be playing the 2011 World Series of Poker and suing Full Tilt.[68] Ivey voluntarily withdrew the suit on June 30.[49][69]
Arrests [ edit ]
John Campos and Chad Elie were arrested on Black Friday. Campos is part-owner and vice chairman of the board of directors for SunFirst Bank. On Monday, April 18, Campos, of St. George, Utah, appeared in a Utah court, but did not enter a plea. He was released on $25,000 bond, ordered to surrender his passport and to appear in a New York court for his next appearance. Chad Elie, of Las Vegas, made his first court appearance in Manhattan on Tuesday April 19. He was released on $250,000 bail.[70]
Bradley Franzen made a court appearance in Manhattan on Monday April 18, entering a plea of 'not guilty' to the nine counts listed on his indictment, including bank fraud and money laundering charges. Franzen's bail was set at $200,000, for which his parents' house was used as collateral.[70] Franzen pleaded guilty in a New York court on May 23, 2011. It is not known when he will be sentenced, however, it appears that Franzen struck a plea agreement with prosecutors, in which he agreed to cooperate in the probe, in return for which prosecutors would recommend leniency.[71][72] Most of the other named defendants were out of the country.[19] Ira Rubin, indicted on illegal gambling, fraud, and money laundering charges was arrested on Monday, April 25, 2011, in Guatemala. He made his initial court appearance in Miami on April 27, and was remanded in custody to his next appearance on April 29.[73]
Ray Bitar surrendered to authorities on July 2, 2012.[74]
Convictions [ edit ]
On December 20, 2011, Absolute Poker co-founder Brent Buckley pleaded guilty to misleading banks. The plea deal calls for him to receive a sentence between a year and a year and a half in prison. Sentencing was set for April 19, 2012.[75] Buckley was sentenced to 14 months.[76]
On January 17, 2012, Ira Rubin entered a plea agreement in a Manhattan federal court in front of US Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein. Rubin agreed to plead guilty to three of the nine counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud he faced and was expected to be sentenced to 18–24 months of prison.[77] He received a three-year sentence, Judge Kaplan said, "You are an unreformed con man and fraudster," and calling his actions a "brazen" defiance of US law. "A significant sentence is necessary to protect the community."[76]
John Campos pleaded guilty in March 2012 to a single misdemeanor bank gambling charge. He was sentenced in June to three months in prison. During his plea, Campos said his processing of the gambling proceeds for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker was not in return for a $10 million investment in the bank.[78]Analysis The close relationship between Google and the US government has long been a concern.
Aside from the fact it is persistently one of the biggest lobbyists in DC, there has also been: the last-minute change made to net neutrality rules solely because of a letter received from Google; the unusual dropping of anti-trust investigations into the search giant; the curious "non prosecution agreement" it reached with the FBI over drug ads; and the fact that a review of logs showed that Google execs meet with White House officials on average once a week.
In the latest release of emails from Hillary Clinton's private email server – ostensibly over the sacking of the US embassy in Benghazi – it's clear that Google also has its fingers in the US government's foreign policy department.
At the center of this particular wheel of influence is Jared Cohen, a former State department official who was tapped to become the director of Google Ideas.
Far from what you may think that job entails however – 3D mapping or next generation email – Cohen's job appears to be a private sector extension of the State department's goals.
Wikileaks take
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange wrote a long treatise against Cohen and his boss Google chairman Eric Schmidt in which he warned "Google Is Not What It Seems."
In that post, Assange highlighted the very government-like activities that Cohen was undertaking, including visits to Egypt during the uprising, planned trips to Palestine and Turkey, a trip to Azerbaijan to "engage the Iranian communities closer to the border," a trip to Afghanistan to persuade the mobile phone companies there to move their antennas onto US military bases, a trip to Lebanon reportedly to set up a rival to Hezbollah, and a meeting with Bollywood execs in London where he allegedly offered funds and connections to Hollywood if they inserted anti-extremist content into their films.
When emails from private intelligence firm Stratfor were leaked, they included reference to Google's – and Cohen's – efforts. One note read:
Google is getting WH [White House] and State Dept support and air cover. In reality they are doing things the CIA cannot do... [Cohen] is going to get himself kidnapped or killed. Might be the best thing to happen to expose Google's covert role in forming up-risings, to be blunt.
While Julian Assange has a well-known tendency to draw weak connections and extrapolate coincidences into full-blown conspiracies, two recent Clinton emails suggest he may not be far from the truth.
In one, Jared Cohen emails deputy secretary of state William Burns as well as Clinton's deputy chief of staff Jake Sullivan and her senior advisor Alec Ross to tell them about a new tool Google was developing to track defections from the Syrian government.
"Deputy Secretary Burns, Jake, Alec, Please keep close hold," it began. "My team is planning to launch a tool on Sunday that will publicly track and map the defections in Syria and which parts of the government they are coming from. Our logic behind this is that while many people are tracking the atrocities, nobody is visually representing and mapping the defections, which we believe are important in encouraging more to defect and giving confidence to the opposition."
Odd
Why such a tool would even occur to a company like Google is beyond us, but such was the interest that the email was forwarded to Hillary Clinton and she responded with a request for it to be printed out.
And that is why this particular email is now visible – because Clinton directly responded to it. It is a virtual certainty that there have been many, many other emails sent between Cohen and the top of the State department that we have not seen.
In a different but also worrying exchange, a second email appears to show high-level discussions and agreement between the State Department and Google/YouTube over the controversial short film Innocence of Muslims, which was posted on YouTube and caused an outcry for its purposefully insulting messages about Allah and was initially blamed for causing the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi.
The White House and Google were very careful to stress at the time that they were not seeking to influence one another, but the email string – which came complete with the personal mobile phone numbers of both Google CEO Larry Page and YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar – suggests otherwise.
While it is understandable and to a degree acceptable that a large corporation would seek to influence the government in its favor, these emails and the degree of quid pro quo they clearly imply puts yet one more red flag on the relationship between Google and the Obama Administration. ®California has adopted expanded background checks and a ban on high-capacity magazines as part of a sweeping package of gun control laws that advocates hope will pave the way for stronger firearm restrictions across the country.
Governor Jerry Brown signed into law six measures on Friday that include a wide range of new limits on the purchase and possession of rifles in the Golden State at a time when federal lawmakers have remained in a deadlock over any potential gun reforms.
How 'White Lives Matter' protests over a police shooting were misunderstood Read more
The successful passage of the bills, signed two weeks after the deadliest US shooting in modern history in Orlando, Florida, offers a sharp contrast to the theatrical and unproductive fights in Washington DC over proposed gun control measures that some progressive activists don’t even support.
“California has taken a giant step forward in sensible gun safety regulations,” said state senator Loni Hancock, who sponsored one of the new bills, which bans the possession of magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. “Taken together, they really will make our neighborhoods safer.”
Brown, a Democrat, also vetoed five gun control proposals on Friday, which pundits expected given his mixed record on firearms. Recently, however, the governor has been outspoken in criticizing neighboring states’ loose laws that he said create a “gigantic back door through which any terrorist can walk”.
In addition to the magazine ban, Brown signed into law legislation that outlaws assault rifles with a so-called “bullet button” that allows shooters to quickly eject and reload ammunition magazines.
Another approved measure mandates background checks when a gun is loaned to someone other than a close family member.
Brown further signed a bill that enhances penalties for filing false reports of stolen guns. That measure is aimed at reducing the flow of guns into the black market through “straw purchasers” who legally buy guns and then give or sell them to those prohibited from making purchases.
Additionally, a new set of ammunition regulations establishes background checks for purchasers, required licenses to sell ammunition and a system for collecting sale information.
Brown said in a statement that the new laws would “enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner, while protecting the rights of law-abiding owners”.
The governor, however, vetoed a proposal to require the reporting of lost or stolen firearms, writing that he did not believe the measure would help identify gun traffickers or enable law enforcement to disarm people prohibited from having guns.
“I continue to believe that responsible people report the loss or theft of a firearm and irresponsible people do not; it is not likely that this bill would change that.”
He vetoed another bill that he said duplicated a gun control measure that will be on the ballot in November as part of a package sponsored by Democratic lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom. Brown also vetoed bills that would expand who can seek restraining orders related to gun violence; restrict all firearm purchases to one per month; and require registration of homemade firearms.
House Democrats end gun control sit-in after 26 hours Read more
Democrats in California, which already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, have been pushing for new laws since a December mass shooting in San Bernardino left 14 people dead.
Pro-gun advocates in California said the bills were “turning tragedy into political gain” and transforming “law-abiding gun owners into criminals”. The California Rifle and Pistol Association said the legislature was “stripping citizens of their right to protect themselves” with its “draconian anti-firearm bills”.
Hancock said her bill – which also requires that people who own high-capacity magazines turn them in – builds on local bans in cities like San Francisco and Oakland, which have been upheld by the courts.
“We know that high-capacity magazines have been used in virtually every mass shooting in the United States in the last 20 years,” she said. “We know they were designed by the military to kill as many people as possible in as short of a time as possible.”
Hancock, a Democrat, said she expects legislators outside of California may model their reform efforts on the new bills.
“It shows what can be done and what should be done, and I hope other states will look at this.”Trigger Warning and Spoiler Alert.
..it’s rape. The most recent episode of Girls was slightly spoiled for me as I had glanced at Amanda Hess’s piece on it before I watched it, but I stopped myself from reading the whole thing. Still, I found myself watching with clenched teeth, waiting for the inevitable and uncomfortable, triggering and uncensored moment when I would be watching rape on screen. And then it happened. After they had sex once, the second time Adam raped his new girlfriend Natalia.
I was shocked, but not shocked, to return to Amanda and find that some have argued this scene was a moment of “uncomfortable sex.”
In their Slate review of the episode, David Haglund describes the scene as “exceedingly uncomfortable sex.” It leaves Natalia “feeling debased, even borderline assaulted,” Jeffrey Bloomer writes. That phrasing is indicative of the way we talk about sexual abuse and domestic violence in this century. There is rape—a crime reported to the authorities, investigated by the police, and prosecuted in the courts. And then there is everything else that is not consensual, but not easily prosecutable, either: “gray rape,” “bad sex,” “they were both drunk,” the “feeling” of being “borderline assaulted.” It’s what happens when a person you want to have sex with “has sex with you” in a way that you do not want them to. And though we have a new, problematic vocabulary for these incidents now, they’re nothing new; this episode recalled Season 3 of Mad Men, when Pete Campbell pressured his neighbor’s German au pair into his apartment and sparked a debate as to whether or not he raped her.
As a viewer, it is indeed uncomfortable to watch, even frightening because of the build-up (when he follows her while she is crawling, it actually feels like a horror flick). While it is staged as slightly unclear as to whether what was happening was consensual, the apparent ambiguity only speaks to a collective difficulty in naming rape. There is no question left in the viewer’s mind that Natalie didn’t want to have sex like that. She says “no” multiple times and at the end she says, “That was not OK” and “I really didn’t like that.” And Adam seems confused afterwards as well saying, “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
Adam is a very creepy character, but he’s always engendered some amount of sympathy. I’m not sure why they took the character in this direction, because it puts the nail in the coffin of “deeply troubled” as opposed to “tortured artist.” And looking back, many of the scenes with Adam are terrifying–he stalks Hannah for a while (she even calls the police but pretends she didn’t) and he’s impetuous in a way that makes his presence on-screen uncomfortable. And while his character gets a lot of depth and compassion–from being in AA to that intense conversation he has with Ray on their way to Staten Island–Adam is a strain to watch and try to understand.
It’s not surprising, however, that they chose to push the story in this direction. Girls from the jump has been about showcasing the “in-between” uncomfortableness and ugly realness of sexual interactions. I’d like to think this could be an opportunity to talk about rape and its normalcy and push us, as Amanda writes, to “raise our standards of what is acceptable sexual behavior.”
Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in, and there is a good chance that the majority of the viewing public will see this scene and be horrified but without the vocabulary to express or understand what happened. Since, ultimately, for it to really be rape, she would have had to reject the assault more seriously in the moment and she would have had to call the police. Otherwise, people have the audacity to suggest it was just weird, awkward or uncomfortable.This page describes the X server's current coding style. While the server was recently reformatted to fit this style, most modules have varied and disparate coding styles. Above all, the cardinal rule is to fit in: make sure your changes reflect the coding style of the surrounding code.
We use the indent command line in this script here: http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/util/modular/tree/x-indent.sh with manual editing afterwards to fix the cases where indent gets hopelessly confused.
Four-space indents (no tabs, not even if your editor wants to collapse eight consecutive spaces down to a single tab)
78-column limit
Function return type (and any modifiers, eg static ) on a line by itself
) on a line by itself Opening curly brace on the same line as the control construct: if (foo) { Closing braces aligned with the keyword that opened them (K&R not GNU) else on a new line from the closing } of the preceding if (i.e. not cuddling)
Opening curly brace for functions in column 0
Keywords punctuated like if (x >= 0)
Functions punctuated like doSomethingClever(a, b, c);
case aligned in the same column as the switch
aligned in the same column as the If wrapping is required, function arguments to be aligned to the opening parenthesis of that column
Wrap structs in typedefs
C-style foo comments, rather than C++/C99-style // foo
comments, rather than C++/C99-style C89 + some extensions, see http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/tree/doc/c-extensions
Notable objectionable things in the current coding style:The World Health Organization declared Nigeria free of Ebola on Monday, a containment victory in an outbreak that has stymied other countries’ response efforts.
The milestone came at about 11 a.m. local time, or 6 a.m., E.T. The outbreak has killed more than 4,500 in West Africa is remains unchecked in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, so Nigeria is by no means immune to another outbreak.
“It’s possible to control Ebola. It’s possible to defeat Ebola. We’ve seen it here in Nigeria,” Nigerian Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu told TIME. “If any cases emerge in the future, it will be considered—by international standards—a separate outbreak. If that happens, Nigeria will be ready and able to confront it exactly as we have done with this outbreak.”
For the WHO to declare Nigeria as Ebola-free, the country had to make it 42 days with no new cases (double the incubation period), verify that it actively sought out all possible contacts, and show negative test results for any suspected cases.
Nigeria had 20 cases of Ebola after a Liberian-American man named Patrick Sawyer flew into Lagos and collapsed at the airport. Health care workers treating Sawyer were infected, and as it spread it ultimately killed eight people, a low number next to the thousands of cases and deaths in other countries. Nigeria’s health system is considered more robust, but there was significant concern from experts that a case would pop up in one of the country’s dense-populated slums and catch fire.
So what did Nigeria do right? Chukwu and Dr. Faisal Shuaib of the country’s Ebola Emergency Operation Center, broke it down for TIME.
Preparing early. Nigeria knew it was possible a case of Ebola would make it into the country, so officials got to work early by training health care workers on how to manage the disease, and disseminating information so the country knew what to expect.
Declaring an emergency—right away. When Nigeria had its first confirmed case of Ebola, the government declared a national public health emergency immediately. This allowed the Ministry of Health to form its Ebola Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is an assembly of public health experts within Nigeria as well as the WHO, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and groups like Doctors Without Borders. “[We] used a war-room approach to coordinate the outbreak response,” Shuaib said. “So you have a situation whereby government and staff of international development agencies are co-located in a designated facility where they are able to agree on strategies, develop one plan and implement this plan together.”
The EOC was in charge of contact tracing (the process of identifying and monitoring people who may have had direct or indirect contact with Ebola patients), implementing strict procedures for handling and treating patients, screening all individuals arriving or departing the country by land, air and sea, and communicating with the community. Some workers went door-to-door to offer Ebola-related education, and others involved religious and professional leaders. Social media was a central part of the education response.
Training local doctors. Nigerian doctors were trained by Doctors Without Borders and WHO, and treated patients in shifts with their oversight.
Managing fear. “Expectedly, people were scared of contracting the disease,” Shuaib said. “In the beginning, there was also some misinformation about available cures, so fear and inaccurate rumors had to be actively managed.” Nigeria used social media to to ramp up awareness efforts, and publicized patients who were successfully treated and discharged. “People began to realize that contracting Ebola was not necessarily a death sentence,” Shuai said. “Emphasizing that reporting early to the hospital boosts survival gave comfort that [a person] has some level of control over the disease prognosis.”
Keeping borders open. Nigeria has not closed its borders to travelers from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, saying the move would be counterproductive. “Closing borders tends to reinforce panic and the notion of helplessness,” Shuaib said. “When you close the legal points of entry, then you potentially drive people to use illegal passages, thus compounding the problem.” Shuaib said that if public health strategies are implemented, outbreaks can be controlled, and that closing borders would only stifle commercial activities in the countries whose economies are already struggling due to Ebola.
Remaining prepared for more patients. Even though this outbreak was contained, Nigeria is not slowing down its training and preparations for the possibility of more cases. “Outbreak response preparedness is a continuous process that requires constant review of the level of the response mechanisms in place to ensure that the health system is ready to jump into action at all levels,” Shuaib said. “There is no alternative to preparedness.”
Advocating for more international response. “The global community needs to consistently come together, act as one in any public health emergency, whether it is Ebola or a natural disaster.” Shuaib said. “While a lot has been done, it still falls short of what is necessary to get ahead of the curve. We must act now, not tomorrow, not next week.”
Read next: Dozens Who Had Contact With the First U.S. Ebola Patient Are in the Clear
Contact us at editors@time.com.Evolution has taken another step away from being dismissed as "a theory" in the classroom, thanks to a new article in PLoS Biology. The research article, by Brian Paegel and Gerald Joyce of The Scripps Research Institute, California, documents the automation of evolution: they have produced a computer-controlled system that can drive the evolution of improved RNA enzymes--biological catalysts--without human input. In the future, this "evolution-machine" could feature in the classroom as well as the lab, allowing students to watch evolution happen in their biology lessons.
The evolution of molecules via scientific experiment is not new. The first RNA enzymes to be "evolved" in the lab were generated in the 1990s. But what is exciting about this work is that the process has been made automatic. Thus evolution is directed by a machine without requiring human intervention-other then providing the initial ingredients and switching the machine on.
As all students of Darwin know, evolution occurs when there is variation in a population; where some variants confer a survival or reproductive advantage to the individual, and where the basis for this advantage can be inherited. Finally, there must be a selection pressure--a reason that not all animals can survive or reproduce--such as a limited supply of food or a predator that must be avoided.
These are the principles that the Paegel/Joyce system uses. The system begins with a population of RNA enzymes, which are the individuals that will evolve, and these enzymes vary slightly from each other. The enzymes are challenged to catalyse a reaction, and those that do catalyse it bind a "promoter" sequence to themselves in the process. Other enzymes in the machine (which act like part of the machine, rather than part of the experiment) cause any RNA enzyme bound to a promoter to be reproduced; therefore, enzymes that are good at reacting with the substrate become more numerous. This is analogous to those animals that are most successful being able to reproduce, both of which lead to the advantageous variation becoming more common.
In their system, Paegel and Joyce establish selection by having the evolution-machine reduce the availability of the reactants as time progresses. Therefore, the only enzymes to be reproduced are those that can bind a promoter when promoters are scarce. Any random mutation that allows an enzyme to bind a promoter more effectively is beneficial and will come to dominate the final population of enzymes. Throughout the process, the evolution-machine can propagate the reaction itself, because whenever the enzyme population size reaches a predetermined level, the machine removes a fraction of the population and replaces the starting chemicals needed for the reaction to |
to why a move "didn't work out."[20] In the summer of 1995 he was linked with a move to Manchester United, but said: "No thanks I want to stay with Ajax for two more seasons."[21]
In December 1995, Overmars injured himself during Ajax's match against De Graafschap.[22] Close examination showed the player had torn ligaments on his left knee, which was "completely severed".[23] He therefore missed the remainder of the 1995–96 season and advised Ajax to purchase a new striker to make up their loss.[24] The club however signed left winger Peter Hoekstra in January 1996.[25] Ajax played a second consecutive Champions League final in May 1996, but lost to Juventus by a penalty shoot-out.[26] They did however retain the league for a third season.
The introduction of the Bosman ruling in 1995 had negative consequences for Ajax in the 1996–97 season.[27] The club lost several players, and reinvested poorly according to Winner.[27] Injuries also affected their challenge for honours; many players were exhausted as a result of UEFA Euro 1996 and the short summer break that came with it.[27] Chairman Michael van Praag was determined to keep the club's players and said that Overmars had signed a four-year contract in 1996.[27] He added, "We are not going to allow them to break their contracts so they are not leaving."[27] On the pitch, Overmars made his return from injury against AZ on 28 August 1996.[28] He had his least productive season for Ajax, scoring two goals. The club finished the season in fourth position.[29]
Arsenal [ edit ]
Overmars signed for Arsenal in June 1997.[30] The fee was reported to be between £5 million and £7 million,[a] with the player on a five-year contract, paid £18,000 per week.[32] Overmars relished the challenge of playing in England: "I like English football because there is more pace. With my speed and quality I think it will be good for me here."[33] Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger believed Overmars had his "best years ahead of him" and met his criteria of a player "used to the pressures of playing for a big club and everything that goes with it".[30] He opined that Arsenal lost the Premier League at home the previous season – "we were maybe the best away team," and commented on their inability to play expansive football.[34] Wenger felt the signing of Overmars would rectify that problem.[34]
Overmars made his competitive debut for Arsenal against Leeds United in a 1–1 draw on 9 August 1997.[35] Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club, away to Southampton.[36] Arsenal went to the top of the league table on goal difference in September 1997, after a 4–0 win against West Ham United.[37] Overmars, who scored two goals in the match, had now "run into devastating form" according to Brian Glanville.[37] His impact however waned in the subsequent months and so did Arsenal's form; a 3–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on 13 December 1997 meant the club dropped to fifth place.[38] The turn of the year saw improvement to Overmars' game, which coincided with "the more general rejuvenation of the whole team".[31] He scored both of Arsenal's goals in their win over Leeds United on 11 January 1998.[39] Overmars up until this point was subject to criticism from commentators and fans. Wenger emphasised that this was his first year in England and there was more to come from him.[31] He said Overmars was a "positive buy" and pointed out that his goalscoring record was "not bad for a winger".[31]
Arsenal caught up with league leaders Manchester United by the time both clubs played each other at Old Trafford in March 1998.[40] Overmars was a constant threat in the match and scored in the 80th minute. He received the ball from Nicolas Anelka and ran with it, before managing to flick it beyond the goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel.[41] Arsenal went on to win, which put them six points behind Manchester United, with three games in hand.[42] Overmars afterwards said, "This was a great result for us. But you don't win the Premier League against Manchester United; you have to beat the other clubs."[42] Arsenal overtook Manchester United in April 1998, and won the league after beating Everton on 3 May 1998; Overmars scored two goals in the match.[43] The team later faced Newcastle United in the 1998 FA Cup Final and it was Overmars who scored the opening goal, in the 23rd minute.[44] Anelka's goal in the second half ensured victory and completed a league and cup double for Arsenal.[44] Wenger praised Overmars after the final:
All Europe thought Overmars was dead because of his damaged knee, but in every important game we have had this season, he has scored. He has got great mental strength. He is a world-class player.[44]
Overmars began the 1998–99 season for Arsenal in good form; scoring the opening goal in a 3–0 win against Manchester United, thus being named as the man of the match of the 1998 FA Charity Shield.[45] He also found himself on the scoresheet at home to Nottingham Forest in the opening game of the league campaign.[46] Arsenal participated in the Champions League, but their time in the competition was brief. The team did not make it past the group stage, and in the decisive game against Dynamo Kyiv which they lost, Overmars was ruled out with an abdominal injury.[47][48] In February 1999, he scored a "controversial" winning goal against Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round.[49] Nwankwo Kanu failed to return the ball to the opposition, in order to allow one of their players to receive treatment for an injury.[49] Due to the controversial circumstances in which the game was won, Wenger immediately offered a replay.[49] His proposal was accepted by The Football Association (FA) and Arsenal went on to win the replayed match 2–1, where the opening goal was scored by Overmars.[50] Arsenal exited the competition in the semi-final stage against Manchester United, who went on to win the league.[51][52]
In November 1999, Overmars scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal, at home to Middlesbrough.[53] His performance was lauded by journalist Lynne Truss, who wrote in The Times, "Overmars was in top Jack Russell form, bounding after the ball and prepared to savage anybody who tried to take it away from him."[54] He twisted his ankle in action for Arsenal against Sheffield Wednesday in January 2000 and was out of action for six weeks.[55][56] Unlike the previous two seasons, Arsenal never did pose a serious threat to Manchester United, who went on to retain the league in 1999–2000.[57] Overmars had suggested before the campaign that Arsenal were as strong as their rivals, "especially in attack where we now have so many more options".[58] Arsenal ended the league season strongly, winning eight games in a row between March and May to move from fifth to second place.[59] In April 2000, Overmars scored the winning goal against Everton and was the standout performer in the game.[60] His final game for Arsenal was the 2000 UEFA Cup Final against Galatasaray, which they lost 4–1 on penalties after a goalless draw.[61]
In 2008, Overmars was voted as the 12th-greatest player in Arsenal's history by the club's supporters.[62]
Barcelona [ edit ]
After the Netherlands' exit at Euro 2000, Lazio and Barcelona were reportedly interested in signing Overmars; the latter club hastened their efforts once Joan Gaspart was elected as president.[63] Overmars was "flattered" by Barcelona's interest and said moving to such a club would "excite any player".[64] Gaspart travelled to London to open negotiations with Arsenal and eventually reached an agreement to sign Overmars and his teammate Emmanuel Petit for a combined fee of around £32 million in July 2000.[65] Overmars cost £25 million, making him the most expensive player in Dutch football history.[62][65] The announcement of his transfer was unconventional; he publicised it on his personal website before informing the media.[66] His site garnered 250,000 hits in one day, highlighting the internet's "potential for exponential growth" in regards to football.[67] Overmars was delighted with the move, saying, "I can't wait to pull on the famous shirt and play my first game."[65]
Overmars made his debut for Barcelona against Arsenal in the Amsterdam Tournament in August 2000.[68] He lasted 45 minutes and was substituted after sustaining an ankle injury.[68] His first competitive start came at home to Málaga on 8 September 2000.[69] His performance in the match started off well, then faded before coming back in the second half, opined Andrés Astruells in El Mundo Deportivo.[69] He scored his first goal for the club at home to Racing de Santander on 23 September 2000; it involved him dribbling the ball around the goalkeeper.[70] Barcelona made an indifferent start to the 2000–01 season and by February 2001, journalist Sid Lowe commented it looked improbable that Lorenzo Serra Ferrer would remain as manager of the club.[71] Wenger was touted as his replacement after reportedly meeting with Gaspart.[72] Overmars believed his former manager was going to leave Arsenal and revealed that, "Barcelona have asked for lots of information about Wenger. I think something could happen soon."[73] In La Liga, Overmars scored the team's seventh goal in their 7–0 win against Athletic Bilbao in March 2001; his performance was rated four stars out of five by El Mundo Deportivo.[74]
Barcelona exited the semi-final stage of the UEFA Cup to Liverpool in April 2001.[75] Serra Ferrer was sacked a week later and replaced by Carles Rexach.[76] As the season drew to a close, Overmars turned into an influential player for Barcelona. Lowe labelled him as "Barça's only decent player in recent weeks" and was surprised he started on the bench against Real Valladolid in June 2001.[77] When Overmars came on, he scored the equaliser to earn Barcelona a 2–2 draw.[77] The team ended the campaign in fourth place after a dramatic 3–2 win against Valencia.[78]
In the 2001–02 season, Barcelona once more finished fourth in the league. Petit left the club to join Chelsea before the season commenced, as he had found his first team opportunities limited.[79] While on international duty with the Netherlands in September 2001, Overmars suffered a bruised knee and as a result did not play for Barcelona for a month.[80] In November 2001, he scored Barcelona's third goal against Liverpool in the Champions League, which came after 29 uninterrupted passes.[81] It was described by the Daily Mirror as "arguably the greatest team goal ever scored".[81] Compared to the previous season, Overmars was used more sparingly in matches. Rexach had changed the team's formation to accommodate new signing Javier Saviola and promoted Xavi as a first-team regular.[82] Overmars made an impact as a substitute against Galatasaray in December 2001; he set up Saviola twice to earn Barcelona a 2–2 draw.[83] Mircea Lucescu, the manager of Galatasaray, complimented Overmars afterwards: "When we were 2–0 up I told my players at half-time to maintain the result, but Overmars is a great player. We did not have a solution to him and it threw our game off balance."[84]
Overmars was subject to transfer speculation in early 2002 because of his limited role in the first team,[85][86] but he revealed he was happy to stay at Barcelona: "My priority now is that the team wins. Personal issues are not important. I'm here for whatever you need me."[87] In the Champions League, he started in the semi-final first leg against Real Madrid; the team lost 2–0 and were defeated 3–1 on aggregate.[88][89] In May 2002, Rexach was dismissed and replaced by Louis van Gaal, who was managing the club for a second time.[90] Overmars was wary of the appointment beforehand, saying, "Van Gaal is a good manager, but I do not know if his return would be good for Barcelona."[91] He underwent surgery on his right knee at the end of the season and was out of action for six months.[92]
The 2002–03 season saw Barcelona make their worst ever start to a league season; the club was two points off a relegation spot after defeat to Sevilla in December 2002.[93] Van Gaal departed the club in January 2003 and following a board meeting, Gaspart resigned as president a month later.[94] Radomir Antić presided as manager for the remainder of the season.[95] He encouraged the team to play with more width and made minimal changes; for instance, he switched Overmars from a left winger to a right one.[96] Overmars tore a muscle in his thigh during a Copa del Rey match against Terrassa in May 2003 and was sidelined for a month.[97] In his final season for Barcelona, the club appointed Frank Rijkaard as manager and elected Joan Laporta as president.[98] The club finished second in La Liga and were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Celtic in the fourth round.[99][100] Overmars made 29 appearances in the first team, three fewer than in the previous campaign. He was prolific in the Copa del Rey, a competition he scored twice in three matches. His performance against Ciudad de Murcia earnt him recognition in El Mundo Deportivo, who wrote "frequent injuries have prevented him from consolidating his [position] as indisputable".[101] Due to a persistent knee injury, he announced his retirement from football in July 2004 and left Barcelona without compensation.[102]
Go Ahead Eagles [ edit ]
In July 2008, Overmars played in Jaap Stam's testimonial match in a team of "former Stam-mates" against Ajax.[103] His performance, which saw him trouble defender George Ogăraru, earned him invitations from Dutch and German clubs to make his professional comeback.[104] He declined the offers at first, but in August 2008 announced he was to come out of retirement to play again for Go Ahead Eagles.[105] Overmars' comeback lasted only one season as his knee continued to give him discomfort.[106]
International career [ edit ]
Overmars' first call-up to the Netherlands senior national squad came in February 1993 for a 1994 World Cup qualifier against Turkey. He scored five minutes into his debut, after good play from Wim Jonk.[107] The team went on to win 3–1 and Overmars said the goal was good for his confidence.[108] Dick Advocaat, the manager of the Netherlands, was complimentary of the debutant's performance.[107] In April 1993, Overmars earnt the national team a penalty against England after Des Walker fouled him.[109] Peter van Vossen converted the spot kick to complete a comeback for the Netherlands, who had been 2–0 down after 24 minutes.[109]
The national team qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in November 1993.[110] Advocaat selected Overmars for the tournament and he featured in all of the Netherlands' five matches.[111] Against the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16, he took advantage of Terry Phelan's header intended for goalkeeper Packie Bonner and sprinted away to set up Dennis Bergkamp to score.[112] The Netherlands were eliminated in the quarter-finals against Brazil; Advocaat deployed Overmars as an extra attacker, but for much of the match he played as one of five in midfield.[113] His corner in the 76th minute was met by Aron Winter and levelled the scores at 2–2 for a brief period – a goal from Branco resolved the match in favour of Brazil.[113] Overmars' performances in the competition led him to be named the best young player of the 1994 World Cup.[114]
Overmars' Netherlands shirt, second from left on display
In October 1995, he scored a hat-trick for the Netherlands in their Euro 1996 qualifier away to Malta.[115] He was pleased with his performance – "things are getting better," and felt he needed to practise his shooting and inward running technique.[116] Overmars did not participate in the tournament finals as he was recuperating from his knee ligament injury.[117] Sports writer Rob Hughes said the Netherlands draw against Scotland showed why "they sorely miss the speed and balance of Marc Overmars".[118] The player returned to international action for the 1998 World Cup qualifier against Wales in November 1996.[119] He believed his best position for the national team was up front, but manager Guus Hiddink wanted him to remain as a winger.[120]
Overmars was selected in the squad for the 1998 World Cup, staged in France.[121] Before the tournament began, he scored two goals in a friendly against Paraguay.[122] He was on the scoresheet in the national team's 5–0 win against South Korea in the group stage.[123] As the tournament progressed, Overmars felt the Netherlands were "getting better and better" and believed they could win the World Cup: "Believe me, we can do it. In the past, there has been so much talk about our side and a lot of pressure with people calling us favourites. This time, nobody seemed to expect anything. In fact, people would come up to me in the street and say we were only dark horses to win."[124] While training before the quarter-final match against Argentina, he sustained an injury which seemingly ruled him out of contention.[125][126] He did feature late into the game as a substitute, but aggravated his injury. He was subsequently forced to sit out the entire semi-final against Brazil, which the Netherlands lost on penalties.[127][128]
Overmars suffered a minor setback prior to Euro 2000 with a sore thigh muscle.[129] However, he resumed training and was declared fit for the Netherlands opening match against Czech Republic, where he started on the bench. His introduction brought about the only goal of the match – a penalty scored the 89th minute.[130] Ronald de Boer was adjudged to have had his shirt pulled whilst jumping to meet Overmars' cross.[130] In the quarter-finals, he scored twice in the team's 6–1 win against Yugoslavia.[131] The Netherlands went on to lose their semi-final to Italy on penalties.[132] Overmars played in eight of the national team's ten 2002 World Cup qualifiers, but it was an unsuccessful campaign as they failed to qualify for the finals.[133]
After a year's absence from international football due to injury, Overmars was recalled to the Netherlands squad for their friendly against Portugal in April 2003.[134] Two months later, he came on as a substitute against Belarus in a Euro 2004 qualifier and scored the opening goal of the game.[135] He was selected for the tournament held in Portugal, and was advised by Advocaat not to train more than once a day, so that his body would resist burn out.[136] Overmars only started three matches in Euro 2004, his final game was the Netherlands loss to Portugal in the semi-final.[111] In all, he played in 86 games for his national side, scoring 17 goals.
Style of play [ edit ]
He was a good dribbler who could beat people one-on-one and that was important for a winger in our system. But he also had a very good assist record and he could score goals. — Louis van Gaal on Overmars, June 2004[137]
A diminutive footballer, Overmars in his prime was described as "the archetypal winger", whose speed, vision, two-footedness and dribbling ability meant he was able to get the better of most defenders and either score or assist goals.[62][138][139] Indeed, pace and acceleration was an important part of his game and reflective of his nicknames "TGV" and "Roadrunner".[140][141] Former teammate Petit said his strength lay "... in pushing the ball beyond his marker and darting past him into space to deliver crosses".[142] Former defender Gary Neville opined that Overmars was the best winger he came up against in his time at Manchester United, not least because of his versatility,[143] which was exemplified by Overmars's ability to play on both the left and the right wing, despite being naturally right footed.[62][96]
Football pundit Alan Hansen believed Overmars benefited from a "strange feature of the modern English game" – defenders backing off and allowing him to run until he was in a shooting position.[144] Despite his talent, Overmars was also known to be injury-prone throughout his career.[139]
In February 2005, Overmars became a shareholder of Go Ahead Eagles.[145] Two months later, he joined the club's supervisory board to deal with technical matters. Hans de Vroome, chairman of Go Ahead Eagles, said he was "more than satisfied" with Overmars' arrival, adding, "The board needs someone with a solid football background."[145]
In 2011, Overmars took up a position as youth coach of Ajax for one day per week.[146] At the end of the 2011–12 season, Overmars left his post at Go Ahead Eagles. He said, "I have been active on a voluntary basis at the club for seven years. That's a big time in my life."[147] The club's disappointing league form "accelerated" his decision.[147]
Overmars became director of football at Ajax in June 2012.[148]
Personal life [ edit ]
Overmars married his long-term partner Chantal van Woensel in May 2013.[149] Prior to the wedding, the couple had two sons, Frenkie and Nick, both of whom are footballers.[150] He is a co-owner of a restaurant in Epe, in the province of Gelderland, where he resides.[151] The family business, Overmars Vastgoed bv, was founded in the 1990s and continues to invest in, amongst other things, commercial and residential buildings.[152] With his father Ben and brother Edwin, he also runs a car restoration service named Overmars Classic Cars.[153] In 2002, Overmars appeared in the Quote 500 richest Dutch people list for the first time, at number 441.[152]
Career statistics [ edit ]
Club [ edit ]
1 Includes cup competitions: the KNVB Cup, Football League Cup, FA Cup, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España. The Dutch Supercup, FA Community Shield and Copa Catalunya are excluded.
International [ edit ]
Netherlands national team Year Apps Goals 1993 7 1 1994 14 1 1995 8 4 1996 2 0 1997 4 0 1998 14 4 1999 3 0 2000 10 4 2001 8 1 2002 2 0 2003 8 1 2004 6 1 Total 86 17
Source: [111]
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first.
International goals [ edit ]
Honours [ edit ]
Ajax
Arsenal
Individual
Notes [ edit ]
^ [31] The Times for instance cited £7 million at the time of his signing.[30] Although Wenger insisted Overmars' transfer to Arsenal cost the club £5 million, the figure is reputed to have been more.for instance cited £7 million at the time of his signing.SCP-527
SCP-527.
Item #: SCP-527
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-527 is to be contained within a standard humanoid domicile at Site-19. No other containment procedures are necessary.
Description: SCP-527 is a male humanoid, 1.67m in height, which is biologically non-anomalous, with the exception of its head, which is that of a Puntius semifasciolatus, or gold barb fish.
SCP-527 displays no other anomalous qualities. The head of SCP-527 functions the same as the head of any other non-anomalous human. SCP-527 is capable of typical human speech. A tattoo reading "Mr. Fish, from Little Misters ® by Dr. Wondertainment" appears on the bottom of its left foot.
Discovery: SCP-527 was discovered in Boston by Foundation agents in 2002, and was moved to Site-19 in 2004.
Addendum 527.1: Initial Interview
[BEGIN LOG] Dr. Baker: Thank you for your cooperation thus far, SCP-527. We're just using this interview as a way to gauge any potential anomalous behaviour we might not expect. SCP-527: Alright. Dr. Baker: To begin, are you capable of breathing underwater? SCP-527: No. Dr. Baker: Are you capable of communicating with other fish, or with other sea-based lifeforms? SCP-527: No. Dr. Baker: I see. When did you first discover your condition? Were you by any chance attacked or bitten by a fish you did not recognize, or experience an encounter with a sea-based deity of some kind? SCP-527: No. Dr. Baker: Uh… well, then you've been like this since birth? SCP-527: Yep. Dr. Baker: I… alright. Do you know of any other anomalous traits you might exhibit? SCP-527: Sure don't. Like I told the other guy, this is all it is. You're looking at it. Lie, Stripes, Hot, Sweetie, they got all the good stuff. I'm just the guy with a fish head. Dr. Baker: Do you… have any idea why your creator might have fashioned you in this… way? SCP-527: Fuck if I know. [END LOG]
Addendum 527.2: Recovered Document
Note: When asked, SCP-527 was able to produce the following document.In Britain, since we are surrounded by the sea, it seems hardly necessary to tell people about the role of the oceans in our lives, but the European Union thinks we need more education. The idea is to get all European citizens to realise that oceans are changing because of our activities and that this is having an affect on our health and food supply, as well as climate.
Considering how long it has taken to convince people that climate change is real it is a big ambition to get the same level of understanding about oceans.
To those Europeans living closest to the Atlantic the most obvious effect of the ocean is the Gulf Stream keeping our west coast 5C warmer in the winter than it would otherwise be. If you live in Newcastle, where a cold current comes from the north, you will know about the more local effect of warm air over cold water that gives the coast the sea fret that can, at any season, keep the sun blocked out for days.
Deep sea creatures 'will not escape climate change' Read more
However, the first fact that the EU-backed Sea Change campaign offers is a stunner – that half the oxygen we breathe comes from the oceans – and if the plankton that produces it died off so would we.
But like all environmental campaigns, aimed at getting us to change our ways, the trick is not to be too depressing. So prizes are being offered to anyone coming up with a fun video less than two minutes long which outlines a plan “to increase people’s awareness and appreciation of the ocean.” The winning idea will get financial backing and promotion.When I was at Rice University, so many decades ago, I played a lot of bridge. I was only mediocre, but enjoyed it. We had a professor, Dr. Culbertson, who was a bridge Life Master at an early age. He was single and lived in our college, playing bridge with us almost every night. He was a master of the "end game." He had an uncanny ability to seemingly force his opponents into no-win situations, understanding where the cards had to lie and taking advantage.
Traveling to London and on into Europe, I have some time to think away from the tyranny of the computer. Over the last year, and especially the last few months, I have written in depth about the problems we face all across the developed world. We have no good choices left, so making the correct unpleasant choice is now our most hopeful option.
As I wrote in my 2010 forecast, this year is a waiting game. There are so many choices we must make, and the paths we will take from those choices vary wildly. But make no mistake, we are coming close to the end game. Some countries and economies are closer to that point than others, but the entire developed world is lurching, in almost drunken fashion, towards our economic denouement.
Over the next several months, we are going to start to explore various aspects of the end game. Whither Japan? Are they actually, as I think, a bug in search of a windshield? What does that mean for the world? How safe is the euro? Everyone over here seems to think Germany will bail out Greece. A breakup seems unthinkable to the people I've been talking to (so far). But what about Spain? Italy? Can you spell moral hazard?
The Fed has said it will exit quantitative easing (QE) at the end of March. But what if mortgage rates rise? Where do we find $1 trillion (plus!!!) in US savings to fund the deficit, assuming foreigners buy about $400 billion? By definition, savings and foreign investment and the federal deficit must add up to zero. (We will go into that later - just take it as gospel for now.) How can we run 10% of GDP deficits if the Fed does not print money (as they did by buying Fannie and Freddie paper, which became treasuries, as I outlined last week)? That would require almost a 10% savings rate - with it all ending up in treasuries. How can that happen? Really?
But before we get into that, a few housekeeping items. First, more than a few of you have written to say you are not getting the letter as usual. There are some problems when your distribution list is 1.5 million closest friends. We try to fix them, working with the various ISPs to stay "white-listed." It is actually a lot of work for Doug and my publisher. If for whatever reason your letter does not get into your inbox, just go to www.2000wave.com and find the letter there. And we are working on other mechanisms as well to insure you get this letter. And thanks for letting us know of problems. Rest assured, we do not randomly drop any of my closest friends from this list.
Second, the invitations are starting to go out for our annual Strategic Investment Conference (co-sponsored by my partners Altegris Investments) which will be April 22-24 in La Jolla. In addition to David Rosenberg, Dr. Lacy Hunt, your humble analyst, Niall Ferguson, and George Friedman, my good friend Dr. Gary Shilling has agreed to come. There are several more rather exciting announcements I will be making in a few weeks. This conference will sell out. Unfortunately, for regulatory reasons, it is limited to accredited investors. If you have not already received an invitation, contact your Altegris Investments professional, drop a note to me, or register at www.accreditedinvestor.ws and you will get a call and an invitation.
This year we are going to focus on "The End Game." I can guarantee you lively debate, fun times, and over-the-top wines - plus, you will be with people who are simply the coolest ever. The speakers are all friends who "get it." They called the crisis well in advance. These are the guys who sit and think every day about how this will all end up. The panels are going to be fun. Do not procrastinate. Register now.
This Time is Different
"But highly leveraged economies, particularly those in which continual rollover of short-term debt is sustained only by confidence in relatively illiquid underlying assets, seldom survive forever, particularly if leverage continues to grow unchecked." - Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff from their new book, This Time is Different.
I am reading (on my new Kindle as I travel through Europe) a very important book, which I will be referring to a lot in the future. Reinhart and Rogoff have catalogued over 250 financial crises in 66 countries over 800 years and then analyzed them for differences and similarities. This is a VERY sobering book. It does not augur well for the developed world to blithely exit from our woes. The book gives evidence to my adamant statement that we have a lot of pain to experience because of the bad choices we have made. This is the entire developed world, and the emerging world will suffer, too, as we go through it. It is not a matter of pain or no pain. There is no way to avoid it. It is simply a matter of when and over how long a period.
In fact, Reinhart and Rogoff's research suggests that the longer we try to put off the pain, the worse the total pain will be. We have simply overleveraged ourselves, and the deleveraging process is not fun, whether on a personal or a country basis.
Let's look at part of their conclusion, which I think eloquently sums up the problems we face:
"The lesson of history, then, is that even as institutions and policy makers improve, there will always be a temptation to stretch the limits. Just as an individual can go bankrupt no matter how rich she starts out, a financial system can collapse under the pressure of greed, politics, and profits no matter how well regulated it seems to be. Technology has changed, the height of humans has changed, and fashions have changed.
"Yet the ability of governments and investors to delude themselves, giving rise to periodic bouts of euphoria that usually end in tears, seems to have remained a constant. No careful reader of Friedman and Schwartz will be surprised by this lesson about the ability of governments to mismanage financial markets, a key theme of their analysis.
"As for financial markets, we have come full circle to the concept of financial fragility in economies with massive indebtedness. All too often, periods of heavy borrowing can take place in a bubble and last for a surprisingly long time. But highly leveraged economies, particularly those in which continual rollover of short-term debt is sustained only by confidence in relatively illiquid underlying assets, seldom survive forever, particularly if leverage continues to grow unchecked.
"This time may seem different, but all too often a deeper look shows it is not. Encouragingly, history does point to warning signs that policy makers can look at to assess risk - if only they do not become too drunk with their credit bubble - fueled success and say, as their predecessors have for centuries, "This time is different."
A small confession. I am in a London hotel, it is late on a Friday, and my mind is slowing down. So rather than ramble, I am going to hand you off to Van Hoisington and Dr. Lacy Hunt, two of the brightest economists I know (Lacy will be at my conference). The following is their latest quarterly letter. I have already read it five times. It is THAT important, and chock full of intriguing concepts.
They also reference Reinhart and Rogoff, and offer up a very contrarian view about deflation. Open your minds, and let's jump in.
Quarterly Review and Outlook - Fourth Quarter 2009
Hard Road Ahead
The U.S. is facing a long and difficult road as it attempts to correct the over-indebtedness and wasteful expenditures of the past two decades. Both current and historical research help us to understand where we are in the continuing economic crisis, and to put it in perspective.
The brilliant U.S. economist Irving Fisher first highlighted the fact that an economy's debt level could have a deleterious impact on economic growth if it is, in fact, excessive. At $3.70 of debt for every dollar of GDP, U.S. debt is excessive (Chart 1). Fisher pointed out that the unwinding of debt levels results in prolonged economic distress, and we certainly agree. In 2009, the book This Time is Different - Eight Centuries of Financial Folly, by Reinhart and Rogoff, shed new light on the role of debt by compiling a database that looked at financial crises in 66 countries over a period of 800 years. The main standard in explaining more than 250 crises studied is whether debt is excessive relative to national income, even though idiosyncrasies apply in each case. They reiterate that this old rule (excessive debt) continues to apply, and this time is not different.
Research and the Deflation Risk
We glean five important factors from this work that pertain to our present situation. First, financial imbalances occur when aggregate domestic debt is excessive relative to income, regardless of whether the government or private sector is accumulating the debt. Once debt becomes excessive, countries do not grow their way out of the problem; they must go through the time consuming and often painful processes of debt repayment and increased saving.
Second, whether the domestic debt is externally or internally owed is not as critical as the excessiveness of the debt.
Third, government actions, even involving sizeable sums of money, are far less helpful than they appear. As the book states, "Infusions of cash can make a government look like it is providing greater growth to its economy than it really is."
Fourth, Reinhart and Rogoff cover countries in debt crisis with a host of different conditions, such as growth and age of population, political regimes, technology status, education, and other idiosyncratic features. Nevertheless, economic damage as a result of extreme over-leverage has remarkably similar results, whether the barometer of performance is economic output, the labor markets, or asset prices.
Fifth, further increasing leverage to solve the problem only leads to greater systemic risk and general economic underperformance.
The real question for financial participants is whether all these influences result in inflation or def |
multiple occasions this week, from various speeches and rallies to an interview with Anderson Cooper on Thursday night, suggesting that Clinton sees African-American and other minorities only as votes to be gained.
“That’s what people do who don’t have anything to talk about,” Carson said, referring to both candidates trading accusations of racism and bigotry.
But the brash Manhattan businessman has shown little sign of backing down from that line of attack, releasing two videos Friday hitting Clinton for her past race-based controversies.
"How quickly people forget that Crooked Hillary called African-American youth 'SUPER PREDATORS' - Has she apologized?" Trump tweeted Friday afternoon, referring to one such episode from the 1990s.Sony had introduced several smartphones this year, including two flagship ones. The Sony Xperia X Performance was announced during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona back in February, along with the Xperia X and Xperia XA. The Sony Xperia XZ, on the other hand, landed last month as the company’s new flagship, and in a way, a successor to the Xperia X Performance. Now, these two phones are quite similar, both in terms of specs, display size, design and software. The Xperia XZ is a somewhat more compelling smartphone though, and Sony has released this handset a couple of days ago worldwide (including Europe), so if you’re interested in picking one up, you can read more about that here.
Now, the company had initially released the Xperia XZ in a couple of color variants, including Mineral Black, Platinum and Forest Blue options. Well, Sony has just introduced yet another color option, Deep Pink. Now, if you’re interested in purchasing this color variant of the Xperia XZ, don’t get all too excited if you don’t live in the UK, as the Deep Pink color variant is exclusive to O2, a UK-based carrier. Those of you who do live in the UK and are looking to purchase the Deep Pink Xperia XZ model, can do so already, as the device is already on sale, follow the source link down below for more options. If you live in the US, you’re out of luck, though you can get the Xperia XZ in a number of other color options, click here for more information. It’s also worth mentioning that the Xperia XZ comes with a fingerprint scanner, but if you live in the US, you won’t exactly get that functionality out of the box, as the fingerprint scanner is disabled, even though the company has included it. That being said, you will get the fingerprint scanning functionality when you update your device to a new firmware, as Sony has activated it through the software..
The Sony Xperia XZ features a 5.2-inch fullHD (1920 x 1080) display, 3GB of RAM and 32GB / 64GB of expandable internal storage. This smartphone is fueled by the Snapdragon 820 64-bit quad-core processor, along with the Adreno 530 GPU. The 23-megapixel snapper can be found on the back of the Xperia XZ, and a 13-megapixel shooter is placed on the phone’s front side. Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow comes pre-installed on this smartphone, and on top of it, you’ll be able to find Sony’s custom UI.What if Turkey spied on the Germans? Perhaps there is nothing abnormal in one country’s intelligence agency spying on the top executives of another country to gather sensitive economic, political and, of course, military data that might be used in an economic, political or - God forbid - military confrontation. Why else do countries have external intelligence agencies, counter-intelligence agencies, and spend millions of dollars on them every year?
When Americans spy on their allies, for example the Germans, they cannot definitely cite “domestic threat” or something of that sort, even if there is quite a high number of German Americans. Obviously, Germany would consider such a scandal by its ally the United States as a “hostile and unacceptable act incompatible with allied relations between the two countries.”
Worse, such a scandal could only be revealed by a fugitive former spy who might have sought refuge in Moscow. Because of the “Patriot Act,” no American would dare to reveal such sensitive information. Perhaps that was why, back in the 1950s, the late Adnan Menderes was trying to convert Turkey into a “little America.” With gigantic shopping malls on every corner, the increased number of Turkish greenback millionaires, the consolidation of a consumption economy, and negligible industrial production other than a robust assembling industry, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has perhaps nearly achieved that goal over the past decade. A fictitious and perceptional wealth has been created; even though the worsened income distribution means that the vast majority of the country has received almost no share from that inflated wealth perception, a wealth balloon is currently up in the air. Just for the sake of the stability required to prevent the explosion of this wealth balloon, every sacrifice has become welcome in society and, sorry to say, the media.
The “little America” awoke one day to news that not only the “parallel state” - but also its ally, the Germans - was eavesdropping massively on Turks in all key executives, from the president and the absolutely-powerful prime minister down. How was this learned? Did a former spy, like in the American case, expose the sham? No. It was the German media that – of course, after intentional leaks from some deep throats in the intelligence network – discovered and exposed it.
Since the spying incident was exposed, the media is digging further into it, trying to find more details, while the opposition parties are bitterly criticizing the chancellor and her government of ineptitude, to say the least. The opposition is demanding that the Bundestag launches a probe into the affair. Democracy in Germany is trying to “clean its intestines” and the government has not been trying to cover up the sham.
Just close your eyes and assume for one second what would have happened if the newspaper that wrote first about the spying was a Turkish outlet and the agency that was caught red handed spying on an allied country was Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT). What would have happened?
First of all, the prime minister and president-elect would come up with anger pouring out of his wide-open eyes, yelling that it was “treacherous” to reveal the operations of the MİT. Everyone responsible would be severely punished. The newspaper and journalists involved in the preparation of the article would be punished, branded with being involved in “parallel state” activity. Worse, it would be claimed that the accusations were all fabricated by foreign countries irritated at Turkey’s fast growth and the gigantic projects in the pipeline.
Obviously, the issue would be prevented from being discussed in Parliament. A court would clamp down to censor such news, and the government would create another scandal to cover up the spying scandal…
Anything else?
Yes, everyone involved in the scandal would be promoted.Project.json all the things
One of the less known features of Visual Studio 2015 is that it is possible to use project.json with any project type, not just “modern PCL’s,” UWP projects, or xproj projects. Read on to learn why you want to switch and how you can update your existing solution.
Background
Since the beginning of NuGet, installed packages were tracked in a file named packages.config placed alongside the project file. The package installation process goes something like this:
Determine the full list of packages to install, walking the tree of all dependent packages Download all of those packages to a \packages directory alongside your solution file Update your project file with correct libraries from the package (looking at \lib\TFM If the package contains a build directory, add any appropriate props or targets files found Create or update a packages.config file along the project that lists each package along with the current target framework
Terms
TFM – Target Framework Moniker. The name that represents a specific Platform (platforms being.NET Framework 4.6, MonoTouch, UWP, etc.)
– Target Framework Moniker. The name that represents a specific Platform (platforms being.NET Framework 4.6, MonoTouch, UWP, etc.) Short Moniker – a short way of referring to a TFM in a NuGet file (e.g., net46). Full list is here.
– a short way of referring to a in a NuGet file (e.g., net46). Full list is here. Full Moniker – a longer way of specifying the TFM (e.g.,.NETPortable,Version=v4.5,Profile=Profile111). Easiest way to determine this is to compile and let the NuGet error message tell you what to add (see below).
Limitations
The above steps are roughly the same for NuGet up to and including the 2.x series. While it works for basic projects, larger, more complex projects quickly ran into issues. I do not consider the raw number of packages that a project has to be an issue by itself – that is merely showing oodles of reuse and componentization of packages into small functional units. What does become an issue are the UI and the time it takes to update everything.
As mentioned, because NuGet modifies the project file with the relative location of the references, every time you update, it has to edit the project file. This is slow and can lead to merge conflicts across branches.
Furthermore, the system is unable to pivot on different compile-time needs. With many projects needing to provide some native support, NuGet v2.0 had no way of providing different dependencies based on build configuration.
One more issue surfaces with the use of “bait and switch” PCLs. Some packages provide a PCL for reference purpose (the bait), and then also provide platform-specific implementations that have the same external surface area (the switch). This enables libraries to take advantage of platform specific functionality that’s not available in a portable class library alone. The catch with these packages is that to function correctly in a multi-project solution containing a PCL and an application, the application must also add a NuGet reference to all of the packages its PCL libraries use to ensure that the platform-specific version winds up in the output directory. If you forget, you’ll likely get a runtime error due to an incomplete reference assembly being used.
NuGet v3 and Project.json to the rescue
NuGet 3.x introduces a number of new features aimed at addressing the above limitations:
Project files are no longer modified to contain the library location. Instead, an MSBuild task and target gets auto-included by the build system. This task creates references and content-file items at build time enabling the meta-data values to be calculated and not baked into a project file. Per-platform files can exist by using the runtimes directories. See the native light-up section in the docs for the details.
Packages are now stored in a per-user cache instead of alongside the solution. This means that common packages do not have to be re-downloaded since they’ll already be present on your machine. Very handy for those packages you use in many different solutions. The MSBuild task enables this as the location is no longer baked into the project file.
Reference assemblies are now more formalized with a new ref top-level directory. This would be the “bait” assembly, one that could target a wide range of frameworks via either a portable- or dotnet or netstandard TFM. The implementation library would then reside in \lib\TFM. The version in the ref directory would be used as the compile-time reference while the version in the lib directory is placed in the output location.
top-level directory. This would be the “bait” assembly, one that could target a wide range of frameworks via either a or or TFM. The implementation library would then reside in. The version in the directory would be used as the compile-time reference while the version in the directory is placed in the output location. Transitive references. This is a biggie. Now only the top-level packages you require are listed. The full chain of packages is still downloaded (to the shared per-user cache), but it’s hidden in the tooling and doesn’t get in your way. You can continue to focus on the packages you care about. This also works with project-to-project references. If I have a bait-and-switch package reference in my portable project, and I have an application that references that portable library, the full package list will be evaluated for output in the application and the per-architecture, per-platform assemblies will get put in the output directories. You no longer have to reference each package again in the application.
It is important to note that these features only work when a project is using the new project.json format of package management. Having NuGet v3 alone isn’t enough. The good news is that we can use project.json in any project type with a few manual steps.
Using project.json in your current solution
You can use project.json in your current solution. There are a couple of small caveats here:
Only Visual Studio 2015 with Update 1 currently supports project.json. Xamarin Studio does not yet support it but it is planned. That said, Xamarin projects in Visual Studio do support project.json. If you’re using TFS Team Build, you need TFS 2015 Update 1 on the build agent in addition to VS 2015 Update 1. Some packages that rely on content files being placed into the project may not work correctly. project.json has a different mechanism for this, so the package would need to be updated. The workaround would be to manually copy the content into your project file. All projects in your solution would need to be updated for the transitive references to resolve correctly. That’s to say that an application using NuGet v2/ packages.config won’t pull in the correct transitive references of a portable project reference that’s using project.json.
With that out of the way, lets get started. If you’d like to skip this and see some examples, please look at the following projects that have been converted over. These are all libraries that have a combination of reference assemblies, platform specific implementations, test applications and unit tests, so the spectrum of scenarios should be covered there. They have everything you need in them:
One last note before diving deep: make sure your.gitignore file contains the following entries:
*.lock.json
*.nuget.props
*.nuget.targets
These files should not generally be checked in. In particular, the.nuget.props/targets files will contain a per-user path to the NuGet cache. These files are created by calling NuGet restore on your solution file.
Diving deep
As you start, have the following blank project.json handy as you’ll need it later:
This represents an empty project.json for a project targeting.NET 4.5.2. I’m using the short moniker here, but you can also use the full one. The string to use here is the thing you’ll likely hit the most trouble with. Fortunately, when you’re wrong and try to build, you’ll get what’s probably the most helpful error message of all time:
Your project is not referencing the “.NETPortable,Version=v4.5,Profile=Profile111” framework. Add a reference to “.NETPortable,Version=v4.5,Profile=Profile111” in the “frameworks” section of your project.json, and then re-run NuGet restore.
The error literally tells you how to fix it. Awesome! The fix is to put.NETPortable,Version=v4.5,Profile=Profile111 in your frameworks section to wind up with something like:
The eagle-eyed reader will notice that the first example had a runtimes section with win in it. This is required for a desktop.NET Framework projects and for projects where CopyNuGetImplementations is set to true like your application (we’ll come back that in a bit), but is not required for other library project types. If you have the runtimes section, then there’s rarely, if ever, a reason to have both the supports section too.
The easiest way to think about this:
For library projects, use supports and not runtimes
and not For your application project, (.exe,.apk,.appx,.ipa, website) use runtimes and not supports
and not If it’s a desktop.NET Framework project, use runtimes for both class libraries and your application
for both class libraries and your application If it’s a unit test library executing in-place and you need references copied to its output directory, use runtimes and not supports
Now, take note of any packages with the versions that you already have installed. You might want to copy/paste your packages.config file into a temporary editor window.
The next step is to remove all of your existing packages from your project. There are two ways to do this: via the NuGet package manager console or by hand.
Using the NuGet Package Manager Console
Pull up the NuGet Package Manager Console and ensure the drop-down is set to the project you’re working on. For each package in the project, uninstall each package with the following command:
Uninstall-Package <package name> -Force -RemoveDependencies
Repeat this for each package until they’re all gone.
By Hand
Delete your packages.config file, save the project file then right-click the project and choose “Unload project”. Now right-click the project and select Edit. We need to clean up a few things in the project file.
At the top of the project file, remove any.props files that were added by NuGet (look for the ones going to a \packages directory.
files that were added by NuGet (look for the ones going to a directory. Find any <Reference> element where the HintPath points to a NuGet package library. Remove all of them.
element where the points to a NuGet package library. Remove all of them. At the bottom of the file, remove any.targets files that NuGet added. Also remove any NuGet targets or Tasks that NuGet added (might be a target that starts with the following line <Target Name="EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports" BeforeTargets="PrepareForBuild"> ).
files that NuGet added. Also remove any NuGet targets or Tasks that NuGet added (might be a target that starts with the following line ). If you have any packages that contain Roslyn Analyzers, make sure to remove any analyzer items that come from them.
Save your changes, right click the project in the solution explorer and reload the project.
Adding the project.json
In your project, add a new blank project.json file using one of the templates above. Ensure that the Build Action is set to None (should be the default). Once present, you might need to unload your project and reload it for NuGet to recognize it, so save your project, right-click your project and unload it and reload it.
Now you can either use the Manage NuGet Packages UI to re-add your packages or add them to the project.json by hand. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to re-add every package, only the top-level ones. For example, if you use Reactive Extensions, you only need Rx-Main, not the four other packages that it pulls in.
Build your project. If there are any errors related to NuGet, the error messages should guide you to the answer. Your project should build.
What you’ll notice for projects other than desktop.NET executables or UWP appx’s, is that the output directory will no longer contain every referenced library. This saves disk space and helps the build be faster by eliminating extra file copying. If you want the files to be in the output directory, like for unit test libraries that need to execute in-place, or for an application itself, there’s two extra steps to take:
Unload the project once more and edit it to add the following to the first <PropertyGroup> at the top of the project file: <CopyNuGetImplementations>true</CopyNuGetImplementations>. This tells NuGet to copy all required implementation files to the output directory. Save and reload the project file. You’ll next need to add that runtimes section from above. The exact contents will depend on your project type. Rather than list them all out here, please see the Zeroconf or xUnit for Devices for the full examples. For an AnyCPU Desktop.NET project win is sufficient
is sufficient For Windows Store projects, you’ll need more
Once you repeat this for all of your projects, you’ll hopefully still have a working build(!) but now one where the projects are using the rich NuGet v3 capabilities. If you have a CI build system, you need to ensure that you’re using the latest nuget.exe to call restore on your solution prior to build. My preference is to always download the latest stable version from the dist link here: https://dist.nuget.org/win-x86-commandline/latest/nuget.exe.
Edge Cases
There may be some edge cases you hit when it comes to the transitive references. If you need to prevent any of the automatic project-to-project propagation of dependencies, the NuGet Docs can help.
In some rare cases, if you start getting compile errors due to missing System references, you may be hitting this bug, currently scheduled to be fixed in the upcoming 3.4 release. This happens if a NuGet package contains a <frameworkAssembly /> dependency that contains a System.* assembly. The workaround for now is to add <IncludeFrameworkReferencesFromNuGet>false</IncludeFrameworkReferencesFromNuGet> to your project file.
What this doesn’t do
There is often confusion between the use of project.json and its relation to the DNX/CLI project tooling that enables cross-compilation to different sets of targets. Visual Studio 2015 uses a new project type (.xproj ) as a wrapper for these. This post isn’t about enabling an existing.csproj or.vbproj project type (the one most people have been using on “regular”) projects to start cross-compiling. Converting an existing project to use.xproj is a topic for another day and not all project types are supported by.xproj.
What this does do is enable the NuGet v3 features to be used by the existing project types today. If you have a.NET 4.6 desktop project, this will not change that. Likewise if your project is using the Xamarin Android 6 SDK, this won’t alter that either. It’ll simply make package management easier.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Andrew Arnott for his persistence in figuring out how to make this all work. He explained it to me as he was figuring it out and then recently helped to review this post. Thanks Andrew! A shout out is also due to Scott Dorman and Jason Malinowski for their valuable feedback reviewing this post.A massive fireball soared through the sky over Argentina, triggering a wave of social media posts. The mesmerizing show, which lasted just a few seconds, colored the sky green.
The bright object could be clearly seen from Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires. Other reports of the dazzling display came in from Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as neighboring Uruguay.
Most of the observers said the spectacle lasted for some 10 seconds, as the massive fireball burnt up in the atmosphere. Witnesses said no sound was heard.
Social media was subsequently bombarded with pictures, videos and GIFs of the event under the hashtag #CieloVerde.
Hundreds of internet jokes about the origin of the phenomenon immediately followed, with the most viral suggesting that the celestial object was none other than the ball Argentinian striker Gonzalo Higuaín infamously kicked high above Chili’s goalposts at the recent finals of the Copa América football championship.City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young is taking the first legal step to strip a popular county-operated park of its Confederate ties.
Young says he will file a bill Monday to change the name of Robert E. Lee Park, which is owned by the city, to Lake Roland Park. But some say a woman who died 100 years ago could be standing in his way.
Elizabeth B. Garrett White, a wealthy Baltimorean, required when she died in 1917 that the proceeds from the sale of her Mount Vernon Place estate be used to erect a monument for Lee, a Confederate general who spent time in the city during White's lifetime.
"If it were me, and my will, I would haunt them so terribly that they would change their minds after a week," said Carolyn Billups, Maryland division president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Young said he's prepared to take on the challenge. He said "racially divisive" Confederate symbols have no place in the city.
"We're doing it," Young said. "We've changed names of schools. We'll defend changing the name. You can go around the city of Baltimore, and all around the country — names of prominent people have disappeared, have come off buildings."
The name of the 450-acre park, just north of the city line off Falls Road, came into question after last month's massacre of nine black church members in Charleston, S.C., by an alleged white supremacist.
The killings sparked a renewed debate nationally about whether Confederate icons are symbols of hate that should be removed from public spaces or reminders that carry historical significance. Lawmakers in South Carolina responded to the mass shooting by bringing down the battle flag that long flew on the State House grounds there.
Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz called on the city to change the park's name, preferring one more sensitive to the diverse population that uses the space. The county has made $6 million in upgrades to the park since taking over operations in 2009.
"The park is centered around historic Lake Roland, and the name Lake Roland Park better reflects this open space treasure," Kamenetz said in a statement Friday. "We look forward to making a joint announcement with the city about the name change in the near future."
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake supports changing the park's name. Her spokesman, Kevin Harris, said she has not settled on a new name she'd prefer, but she's "not going to stand in the way" of the council's legislation. Harris said Rawlings-Blake would sign a bill renaming the space Lake Roland Park if the legislation makes it to her desk.
Rawlings-Blake has convened a commission of historians, community organizations and art experts to evaluate the merits of removing Confederate monuments in Baltimore or allowing them to stay. The commission, which has not met, is expected to make recommendations by the end of the year, officials have said.
Personally, the mayor believes Confederate symbols have caused a lot of pain and in many cases are more appropriate in a museum setting, Harris said. "But she also believes we should be thoughtful about how we go about this, and that we make sure we understand the history of each of those symbols," he said.
Gov. Larry Hogan has initiated steps to get rid of license plates carrying an image of the Confederate battle flag that are registered to about 175 vehicles and motorcycles in the state. This week, he asked the attorney general to take action to dissolve a 1997 injunction that required the state to issue the controversial plates.
People visiting Robert E. Lee Park on Friday had mixed feelings about changing its name.
Isaiah Millings II said people need to learn about the history of Confederate symbols, especially the battle flag. But the 31-year-old Essex man, who was born and raised in Baltimore, didn't think the city should jump to make the change.
"I honestly don't think the name should be changed. Even though it's an ugly scar... it's still a part of our history," Millings said. "Whether it's good or bad, it's America. It's what makes America, America."
To Sarawak Fultze, changing the name shouldn't be a matter of debate.
"All of the old stuff in the past should go. Just go ahead and change it," said Fultze, a 66, West Baltimore native. "They took the flag down in South Carolina, so that's a steppingstone."
The park got its name in 1945 when Robert Garrett — a great-nephew of White, the heiress, and executor of her will — successfully petitioned the Circuit Court to have the money from his aunt's bequest used for city recreation at Lake Roland. Garrett was chairman of the city's recreation commission at the time. (The Garrett family were then part- owners of The Baltimore Sun.)
White's will had instructed that the proceeds from the sale of her property go to the erection of a statue of Lee in Druid Hill Park.
Lee moved to Baltimore in 1848 when the War Department assigned him to oversee the construction of the still-unfinished Fort Carroll. He was a distinguished veteran of the Mexican-American War, and went on to become popular in Baltimore society.
He left the city about four years later to become superintendent of West Point, but he visited many times after the Civil War. He died in 1870, five years after the Civil War ended.
City Solicitor George Nilson said the council has the legal standing to change the park's name, despite the wishes in White's will.
Thirty years passed between White's death and the court ruling allowing the money to establish open space around Lake Roland.
Nilson said as executor of the will, Garrett essentially said, "Let's go out and buy some property and we'll make a deal with the city where we'll call it Robert E. Lee Park." But that "deal can be changed," Nilson said. "That doesn't bind us forever.
"It was named by the council, and it can be renamed by the council," Nilson said.
Billups, of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, said if the city changes the name of the park it ought to give the money back to White's family — at today's value. She said her comments reflect her personal opinion, not an official position of the group.BEIJING (Reuters) - Police in China’s northwestern city of Xian briefly detained nine gay activists, saying the city did not welcome gay people, after they tried to organise a gay rights conference there, one of the activists told Reuters on Wednesday.
The move came as China’s gay community has been celebrating Taiwan’s recent decision giving same-sex couples the right to marry, a first for Asia, and amid a broader clampdown on civil society and rights activism under President Xi Jinping.
The event organised by the Chinese group Speak Out was to have started on Sunday, but police took away nine of the organisers early that morning and questioned them for several hours before letting them go, an organiser who gave his name only as Matthew told Reuters.
“They were very clear in telling us we couldn’t organise activities in Xian again, and that they didn’t welcome gays,” Matthew added.
However, he said that police had not given a specific reason why the event could not be held in Xian. According to the group’s WeChat account, 400 people were expected to attend.
Police in Xian referred questions to their information department, which did not answer telephone calls to seek comment.
Matthew said he did not think there was a connection between the Xian event being shut down and Taiwan’s decision.
“Some people around me have said this to me, but I think the effect of Taiwan on the Chinese mainland is very limited,” he said.
Xian is a major tourist destination, best known as the home of the Terracotta Army and one of the cradles of Chinese civilisation.
The event had already run into problems as venues the group had booked cancelled on them, prompting the group to decide on Saturday evening to cancel the conference, titled “the Xian Spirit,” Speak Out said in a separate statement.
The cancellation and the detentions generated hundreds of postings on China’s Twitter-like Weibo site, with many people expressing anger at the city of Xian for setting a poor, intolerant example for the rest of the country.
“Look at Taiwan, and then go look at Xian,” wrote one Weibo user.
It is not illegal to be gay in China, although until 2001 the country regarded homosexuality as a mental disorder. Many large cities have thriving gay scenes, but gay individuals still face a lot of family pressure to get married and have children.
Gay activists say deeply conservative attitudes towards homosexuality in some parts of society have led to occasional government clampdowns.
Last week, popular Chinese lesbian dating app Rela was shut down, though it is not yet clear why.As we speak with Chinese factory managers, one question comes back again and again: How to do automation right? And, in particular, they are confused about the manufacturing automation timeline to follow.
Let’s first take an example that everybody can understand easily, and then let’s look at the approach that usually makes the most sense.
1. Example: automation in the airport security inspection process
You are certainly familiar with security inspections at airports. You have probably placed objects in a plastic bin. And then you left it on the other side of the security station.
And all these bins accumulate on one end of the conveyor, and they need to be brought back to their starting point.
Source: CNBC.com / Joe Raedle | Getty Images | Passengers wait to clear security at Miami International Airport.
Let’s look at several ways to handle that process.
It seems like most airports pile them up and then push them manually on a trolley. That’s a fully manual process, with a bit of help from the trolley (see photo above).
You might decide to fully automate the process – have the bins automatically get under the main conveyor (on another conveyor) and re-appear at the start. That’s what Dubai airport has done. It is impressive and, no doubt, was not cheap.
Or you might want to use your brain and come up with a much simpler solution that achieves the same result at a much lower cost… and that doesn’t require any advanced maintenance system. It is sometimes possible to reduce most of the waste and, this way, to avoid the need for automation.
This is a photo I took recently. The passengers place the bins in a side conveyor, and the bins roll down to the starting point.
This is the best solution I have seen so far.
In this case, there is no need to automate that process!
2. What to do before starting to automate
The logical first steps are:
Eliminate the waste in the process. Look for ways to use simple tools and low-tech solutions. If it still makes sense, automate that process with higher-tech solutions.
Here is an example. Years ago, an automotive factory had an overly complex process for installing seats. It had to be done by 2 to 3 people.
They decided to use a big and expensive robot to lift the seat and install it. That robot had repeated breakdown problems (a very common challenge with manufacturing robots ). When the robot was down, several people had to come on the line and install those seats. Automation was NOT a source of cost savings.
In contrast, other car plants use a mechanical assist arm that is easily operated by 1 person (see photo below). It is simple, inexpensive, and is never down. That’s the best solution at this stage of technological progress.
Image source
Putting automation in place might help a lot with safety, quality, and/or costs. But, to reiterate my point: make sure to improve the process in a low-tech and inexpensive manner first. Once that is done, maybe the business case for investing in new machines or tools no longer shows a positive ROI.
3. What manufacturing automation timeline makes sense (if you still need automation)
I like this table from the excellent book Creating Continuous Flow. It breaks down the 5 typical stages a company can follow.
In many cases, a process is at level 2 and necessitates a few operators, and the managers are thinking of jumping to level 5. It is often hard to convince them to take a step back and rethink their approach.
It makes sense to add automatic unloading first. This way, operators load the machine and have time to go and do other things (on other machines, for example). If issues come up, add the right type of sensor and link it to an alarm system (or have it stop the machine) – don’t pay an operator to keep watching!
This is smart, step-by-step automation. At the same time, the maintenance personnel learn how to work with complex equipment and can put in place the right preventive and/or predictive maintenance plan. This takes time.
In the chart above, you can see the jump from level 3 to level 4 is separated by “the great divide”. In many cases it is best not to cross that divide. Why?
There are four reasons for this.
The ability to load a part requires great precision and much more complex automation (which tends to be much more expensive) than the ability to unload
The flexibility to respond to demand goes down. You no longer have operators working on that process. What if demand grows to 120% of that equipment’s capacity?
The more complex automated system has many more points of failure. It will probably be down from time to time. If there are no longer operators and if machines are down, production is not happening!
More complex automated systems require much more expensive parts which need replacing and are sometimes not in stock in China. (In contrast, lower-tech equipment can usually all be made locally.)
Robotic components including the reducer, servo motor, actuator and controller account for approximately 70 per cent of the total cost for an articulated industrial robot. Currently, a large number of parts such as precision reducers, servo motors and actuators necessary for the production/integration of industrial robots in China have to be imported. This is especially the case for precision reducers and precision sensors with reliable performance, as few Chinese enterprises are capable of large-scale production of this product. In 2015, approximately 75 per cent of all precision reducers were imported from Japan while over 80 per cent of servo motors and actuators were imported from either Japan, the United States (US) or Europe. Though some enterprises have successfully sought comparable local products, performance, stability, quality and reliability are yet to be generally seen during mass production. This problem, if it remains not dealt with, will prevent improvement in quality and performance of Chinese robots.
Here are more details about this:
Source: Choosing the Right Robots written by Xinhua Zhao and published in the Eurobiz magazine.
I hope we provided a clear, step-by-step approach that is applicable for most processes. I would add that a manufacturing automation strategy should be developed within the context of a wider study on the way to save costs, maintain flexibility, and make materials ‘flow’ as much as possible.
We are happy to respond to questions or comments you may have about manufacturing automation timelines or other aspects of manufacturing in general! You can leave a comment below.The 'Entourage Effect': whole plant medicine explained.
If you want to make an experienced budtender cringe, ask “Which strain has the highest THC?”
It’s one of the most commonly asked questions at dispensaries because most cannabis consumers still heavily rely on THC percentage to make informed decisions about their “buzz”.
However, the highest THC percentage does not necessarily equal the strongest effect.
“While there is some truth to this correlation as THC is responsible for cannabis's psychoactivity, it only tells a fraction of the story," said Emma Chasen, one of Portland’s brightest budtenders.
Chasen, who has a degree in Medical Plant Research from Brown University, explained there are hundreds of compounds in cannabis working synergistically to produce a very complex effect.
" |
2015.
The owner of the gaming resort, Great Canadian Casinos, denied any wrongdoing.
READ MORE: B.C. Attorney General calls for review on money laundering at casinos following report
In a statement, Great Canadian Casinos said it “strictly adheres to all regulatory requirements and maintains the highest standards of reporting” irregularities.
Meanwhile, CKNW found a post on MNP’s own website that says it’s “acted as financial advisor and assisted in raising $6-million” for River Rock rival Edgewater Casino.
B.C. Attorney General David Eby said he doesn’t know what process the previous government went through when selecting MNP to write the report.
“What I do know is that the report landed on my desk, it was full of recommendations that had never been made public and I thought that it was critically important that the public understand that this discussion was going on behind closed doors.”
READ MORE: Red tape obscuring money laundering in B.C. casinos: financial crime expert
Following the report, Eby announced he would be bringing in an independent reviewer to look into the allegations of money laundering in casinos.
But he reassured the focus of the reviewer will not be on only one company.
WATCH: B.C. government to relaunch illegal gaming task force
“The issues that I’m concerned about that need to be addressed is something ‘is this a serious issue or something that our existing rules are dealing with? Are related to the Lower Mainland?’ And not any one operator.”
Requests for comment from MNP have yet to be returned.tony wood
COLLAPSE AS CRUCIBLE
The Reforging of Russian Society
The winter of 2011–12 produced a paradoxical combination of the inevitable and the unexpected in Russia. The return of Vladimir Putin to the presidency was never in doubt; his crushing margin of victory in the March 2012 elections—officially, he scored 64 per cent, almost 50 percentage points more than the second-placed Communist Party candidate, Gennadii Zyuganov—gained him a third term in the Kremlin without the need for a further round of voting. However, the months prior to this democratic coronation brought a series of demonstrations of a scale not seen in these lands since the last days of perestroika. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in dozens of cities, from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad—the largest gathering, on 24 December, drawing as many as 100,000 people to Moscow’s Sakharov Avenue—to protest first against the fraudulent results of the December 2011 parliamentary elections, and then against the impending reinstallation of Putin as president. On the one hand, then, seeming confirmation of the ruling elite’s unhindered control over the political system; on the other, signs of a growing rejection of that system by a substantial part of the population.
The recent wave of protests has been seen, both in Russia and in the West, as evidence of a new awakening of Russian ‘civil society’, roused from its long post-Soviet slumber by the corruption of Putin and his associates, and their brazen contempt for the popular will. The mobilizations displayed a striking ideological breadth, running the gamut from Orthodox chauvinists to neoliberals, socialists to environmental activists, anti-corruption campaigners to anarchists; attendance also spanned the generations, from pensioners to teenagers. But, as the Western press noted approvingly, the most vocal and visible component of the oppositional marches was ‘a sophisticated urban middle class’, with consumption habits and expectations not unlike those of their Western counterparts. During the years of oil-fuelled economic growth after 2000, this layer had apparently ‘grown in size and become sufficiently affluent to assert its yearning for more accountability and less corruption’. Despite its failure to prevent Putin from garnering a majority of the vote, the arrival of this seemingly new actor on Russia’s political stage marked the start of a period of uncertainty; indeed, in some quarters its assertiveness was taken to portend the ‘beginning of the end of the Putin era’.
Such auguries rely, of course, on a Whig history refurbished for neoliberal times, in which the advance of Western consumption patterns and rising gdp per capita are the measures of progress towards the liberal-democratic norm; if needed, further proof can be found in increases in car-ownership, internet usage, foreign travel, or perhaps the quantity of ikea stores in a given country. Crass metrics of this kind have become a staple of the mainstream Western press, especially when discussing states outside the advanced capitalist core. With regard to Russia, as elsewhere, they reveal a generalized absence of knowledge about the society in question: how is it actually structured in class terms, what is the balance of forces between its components, how are class interests articulated and advanced in both the material and ideological realms? The social historian Moshe Lewin famously described the ussr of the 1920s and 30s as ‘the quicksand society’; given the depth of ignorance about what lies beneath the country’s unchanging political surface, contemporary Russia might be described as ‘the iceberg society’.
Indeed, the social landscape of post-Soviet Russia is in many ways more opaque to outsiders than was that of the ussr. In the West, this is partly due to a general shift in research patterns after the Cold War, which had generated an enormous need for knowledge about the opposing system that, after 1991, seemed surplus to requirements. Wider changes in the discipline of sociology itself also played a role—away from synthetic overviews of a society, towards questions of ethnic, religious or subcultural identity, for example, or in favour of closer, anthropological investigations of everyday experience. A third factor applies across much of the world: with the weakening of previous forms of class identification has come a diminishing sense that society itself can be grasped by the categories of class analysis. Moreover, the convulsive character of events in Russia itself after 1991 made it difficult for analysts fully to comprehend the effects of the upheaval on society as a whole.
What follows is a preliminary attempt to map the changing shape of Russian society in the last two decades, the better to understand its present condition, and its likely future trajectories. One of the fundamental enigmas this essay will seek to explain is why a society that has suffered so dramatic a series of reversals has nonetheless remained relatively stable. It will be argued that, although the fall of the ussr brought profound dislocations, many aspects of the country’s previous social structures are still in place, resulting in a form of ‘uneven development’ in which two social orders co-exist. Moreover, contrary to the conventional wisdom of liberal ‘transitology’, which blames Soviet legacies for the deformities of Russian capitalism today, it is precisely the persistence of the old that has underwritten the stability of the new. In order to obtain a clearer picture of the ways in which Russia has been remade since 1991, however, we will need to begin by sketching out the main lines of its development in the Soviet era.
I. SOVIET TRANSFORMATIONS
Three interrelated processes dominated the twentieth century in what became the Soviet Union: urbanization, the shift from an agrarian to an industrial base, and the system-wide installation of non-capitalist socio-economic relations. These processes unfolded very rapidly, bringing the creation of new social groups, the destruction of old ones and the expansion or metamorphosis of existing categories. Looking over a 70-year span—see Figure 1, below—we can see in broad outline what the main social outcomes in the ussr were, according to the official view (on which more shortly). Firstly, and most strikingly, there is the long, steady dwindling of the peasantry—for centuries the unmoving foundation of the Tsarist social order. In the Soviet period the peasant world was dismantled not only by urbanization and industrialization, but also by the heavy hand of repression, with the collectivization programme of 1929–32. Despite the return of some private plots thereafter, what was left of the peasantry had by mid-century been transformed into a rural proletariat. To be sure, alongside these pressures came a system of positive incentives: education, more rights for women, improved housing, sanitation, health care, and so on. But the main impact of the Soviet order on the peasantry was to destroy, for good and for ill, the traditions and life-world of this rural class—an outcome at stark variance with, for example, the fate of China’s peasant masses.
Second, there is the obviously more rapid disappearance of the propertied class after 1917. The aristocracy and landed elite was erased from the social landscape by the Revolution and Civil War; thereafter, apart from an outburst of entrepreneurialism under the New Economic Policy in the 1920s, there was nothing one could designate a bourgeoisie or even a mercantile class. Third, the rise of the category of ‘workers’. Although the October Revolution had been carried out in the name of the proletariat, industrial workers formed a relatively small proportion of the population in 1917, and shrank still further during the devastating Civil War that followed. The launching of forced-pace industrialization in 1928 brought a dramatic shift, however: between 1928 and 1937, industrial workers more than doubled in number, from 3.8 to 10.1 million; thereafter, their numbers continued to rise to the point where they dominated the ussr demographically. This was not merely a process of quantitative growth—it was a qualitative transformation too: the Party actively sponsored the ‘making’ of an industrial working class, in the way it organized and incorporated labour, in everyday life and culture, in the realm of language and iconography. Finally, we can also see the emergence of a layer of white-collar workers—‘sluzhashchie’ is the official term, essentially designating administrative personnel. This category also expanded rapidly after the advent of the fully planned economy, and eventually formed more than a quarter of the population.
On top of breakneck industrialization and the collectivization of agriculture, this population would face the full force of the Wehrmacht. War, famine and, to a lesser extent, political repression brought catastrophic population losses, with long-term demographic consequences. Between 25 and 30 million Soviet citizens died in World War Two, including 40 per cent of men aged 20–49, and 15 per cent of women of the same age group. The drop in the birth-rate that ensued would have its ‘demographic echo’ in the late 60s, as the missing children of the war years were not able to make their reproductive contribution as adults. The echo would appear again in the 90s, this time reinforced by the hardships of the post-Soviet period, which would also see sharp falls in life expectancy. The mid-century scything was probably broadly proportional across classes, though falling disproportionately on the west of the country; but it should be taken into account as a concomitant social factor in the discussion that follows.
Social differentiations
The Party line was that, with the triumph of the Revolution and the construction of socialism, class antagonisms as such had disappeared. In the well-known phrase Stalin used in 1936, Soviet society consisted of ‘two friendly classes and a layer’—workers, peasants and the intelligentsia respectively. Yet these did not constitute cohesive groups to which such labels could be applied. Within the broad commonalities in their relation to the means of production, Soviet citizens were differentiated according to a number of criteria: income, skill-level, education, sex, ethnicity, economic sector, access to political power, position within the informal ‘economy of favours’ known as blat. The existence of these gradations, and the insufficiency of the official ‘2 + 1’ formula to describe them, encouraged Soviet sociologists to turn increasingly to stratification-based approaches as of the 1960s. This methodological preference strongly inflected the empirical data that were gathered in the late Soviet era, and is still visible today. It may therefore be of heuristic value to adopt the classificatory schemas used in the ussr and post-Soviet Russia, to track the development of these categories over time; with the proviso that this does not constitute an endorsement of their theoretical foundations.
Social differentiation unfolded very unevenly not only between but also within distinct segments of the population. A further factor in the subdivision of the population, beyond those enumerated above, was the cellular organization of Soviet society. For as Simon Clarke has observed, its ‘primary unit’ was the enterprise, which not only incorporated workers into the labour force, but was also the source of housing, welfare, healthcare, education and other benefits. There were gradations within each enterprise, of course; there was also a great deal of variation between enterprises, both according to economic sector and by region. The combined effects of cellular organization and other social distinctions generated patterns that are difficult to summarize; here we will examine the general picture, taking the main forms of differentiation noted above in turn—but bearing in mind at all times the range of particularities lurking beneath it.
After the Revolution, there was an initial period of social levelling: large estates were redistributed to the peasantry, housing in cities was reallocated according to class criteria, and so on. Incomes also evened out, as the technical and administrative personnel of the old regime saw their salaries reduced and underwent a process of déclassement. But these tendencies were subsequently reversed: the nep period brought a certain degree of inequality in income and wealth, and in the 1930s wage differentiation became a matter of policy, amid official campaigns against uravnilovka—‘equality-mongering’—which was seen as a leftist deviation. Workers were now provided with material incentives to boost productivity; by the mid-1950s, the average wages of the top decile of earners were just over 8 times higher than those of the bottom decile. Under Khrushchev, wage differentials narrowed again—the ratio of top to bottom deciles by wages dropped to 5.1 by 1968, and to 4.1 by 1975. Wages varied significantly by economic sector. Thus coal miners earned twice as much as textile workers, and significantly more than engineering-technical personnel in a wide range of sectors. Table 1, below, showing data from machine-building plants in Leningrad in 1965, indicates a typical spread of wages earned by different socio-occupational groups.
These data also allow us to see several other important features of the Soviet social structure, notably with regard to skill-level and education. Though many scholars felt that the Soviet bloc and the West were converging within a paradigm common to all industrial societies, there were important distinctions. Firstly, in the ordering of the occupational strata: in the ussr, the status and incomes of skilled manual workers were in many cases higher than those of unskilled non-manual ones. Thus, as can be seen in Table 1, the positions of skilled manual workers and unskilled non-manual workers (both italicized) are reversed relative to their usual positions in the West. This will have important consequences further down the line.
A second feature is the weights of the different strata within the population—and in particular of unskilled workers. Historically, these had been dominant within the workforce, accounting for as much as 65 per cent of it in 1940; Moshe Lewin used the neologism rabsila (from rabochaia sila, ‘work force’) to designate these workers, many of them recently emerged from the ranks of the peasantry. They were ‘cheap and formless’ labour, ‘a crude labour force, rather than a working class’, which could be thrown en masse from one gargantuan industrial or infrastructural project to another; the lurching, collective demiurge of the Great Breakthrough. The processes of urbanization and expanding education reduced the unskilled component in the post-war era, but even in the 1980s, Lewin estimated the unskilled labour force at 35 per cent of the population. The bulk of this late-Soviet rabsila came from the southern tier of the Union, from Central Asia and the Caucasus, where rural worlds had fractured yet not given way to industrial urbanism; Georgi Derluguian, borrowing terminology Pierre Bourdieu developed with regard to Algeria, has designated this ‘inchoate, residual’ group a ‘subproletariat’. In the late Soviet era this population took part in massive, regular labour migrations known as the shabashka; after the fall of the ussr, many of these people suddenly ceased being internal migrants and became ‘foreigners’, to whom the term Gastarbeiter began to be applied.
Looking at the second column of figures in Table 1, we can see that highly skilled workers earned more than technical specialists, despite having less education. This is a third distinctive feature of the ussr: neither skill-level nor education had the determining effect on either income or position in the status hierarchy. This emerges clearly from the data in the upper panel of Table 2, below: the proportions of Soviet men in the various wage brackets, while certainly not equal, were nonetheless not dramatically uneven across most of the different educational levels. However, as the data in the lower panel show, the same was emphatically not true of women. Soviet women were clearly clustered towards the lower end of the wage hierarchy, at all levels of education with the partial exception of those with higher qualifications. The degree of women’s participation in the labour force was a very striking characteristic of Soviet society: at 84 per cent in 1989, one of the highest in the world; much higher than, say, the uk (43 per cent) or West Germany (35 per cent); and this is not including another 7 per cent in full-time education. By the 1970s, they outnumbered men in the workforce, 52 per cent to 48. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that Soviet women still had to bear the main burden of housework and child-rearing. Women also tended to be clustered in particular occupations or sectors. As of the 1950s, they formed the majority of workers in a number of white-collar posts; according to the 1970 census, women constituted 75 per cent of teachers, doctors and dentists, 95 per cent of librarians, 63 per cent of staff in governmental and economic administration. What Gail Lapidus described as a ‘polarization’ between ‘male-dominated and female-dominated sectors’ formed the basis on which the new unevennesses of the gender landscape in post-Soviet Russia were built.
New class or category?
Returning to Table 1 once more, we can see one variable that does correlate with place in the status and income hierarchy: Party membership. The Party–state elite notably did not feature in Stalin’s ‘two classes plus a layer’ formula; yet for some critics of the Soviet system the nomenklatura constituted a class in itself—as in the title of Milovan Djilas’s 1957 book The New Class. But what kind of class could this be? According to Olga Kryshtanovskaia, the leading contemporary Russian sociologist of the elite, the highest echelons in the ussr numbered between 800 and 1,800 people, but if one includes the various Party committees and subcommittees at republic, region and local levels, the full size of the nomenklatura was 400,000 people. This nomenklatura was of course only a fraction of the much larger Party membership, which in the mid-60s stood at around 12 million, and by the mid-80s reached almost 20 million. These members were in turn drawn from across society: in 1968, for example, 39 per cent of cpsu members were manual workers, 45 per cent non-manual workers and 16 per cent collective-farm peasants; by 1981, the share of manual workers had risen to 44 per cent, that of non-manual workers slid to 44 and collective-farm peasants dropped to 13 per cent. Thus while the Party membership did not accurately reflect Soviet society as a whole—non-manual workers were over- and the peasantry under-represented—it was not a closed, elite organization either. Pace Djilas, the nomenklatura was correspondingly not a separate ruling caste that floated above the cpsu membership, since its cadres were recruited from the Party’s mass base.
Rather than seeing the Party as a separate ‘new class’, then, it may make more sense to deploy other concepts. Nicos Poulantzas put forward the term ‘social category’ to describe ‘an ensemble of agents’, drawn from various classes, ‘whose principal role is its functioning in the state apparatuses and in ideology’; he gives the administrative bureaucracy and the intelligentsia as examples. Such categories ‘do not in themselves constitute classes’. Yet they can ‘present a unity of their own’, and ‘in their political functioning, they can present a relative autonomy vis-à-vis the classes to which their members belong.’ In the case of the cpsu, the Party as social category was not only able to gain a degree of autonomy from its base; its monopoly on political representation enabled it to prevent the articulation of interests separate from its own. With its combination of social heterogeneity and domination of the political sphere, the Party was in a sense a powerful antibody against the formulation of distinct class interests in Soviet society.
But while the cpsu as a ‘category’ drew its members from various classes, it did not do so equally. If we examine the degree of Party ‘saturation’ at various levels of the organizational ladder, for example, we see that in the late 1960s, 99 per cent of factory directors were Party members, as were 51 per cent of sub-directors, 38 per cent of foremen and junior supervisors, compared to only 18 per cent of workers. The hierarchies in the realm of production were thus interwoven with—both reinforcing and reinforced by—differentiations rooted in the political sphere. As we have seen, in the ussr hierarchies of income, skill, education and so on were relatively flat compared with Western states. In the absence of a possessing class that would be distinguished by its ownership of the means of production, proximity to the Party–state apparatus became a key criterion of differentiation. Varying degrees of political pull sharply marked out Soviet citizens from one another: membership in or connections with the Party shaped the life-chances of parents and children, giving some of them access to scarce goods and opportunities, as well as affording them an extensive network of formal and informal privileges. Borrowing from Bourdieu, we might term this ‘political capital’, possessed in different volumes by distinct groups of social actors. The relatively higher prestige of manual workers in Soviet society was, in a sense, a form of congealed political capital, a legacy of the ideological preferences of the October Revolution. The political capital of the nomenklatura was to prove crucial in the post-Soviet period, as the foundation for a powerful new wave of social differentiation.
II. CONSEQUENCES
Tatiana Tolstaya’s 2000 novel The Slynx unfolds in a post-apocalyptic Russia that has somehow returned to a medieval condition in the aftermath of an unspecified disaster known simply as The Blast. The mysterious catastrophe has not only wiped away nearly all traces of the preceding civilization, it has inflicted strange mutations on everyone, known in the book as Consequences. Not all Consequences are the same: one person has gills, another has a tail, a third has the ability to breathe fire; each is alone in their deformity or new capability. This is a powerful metaphor for the post-Soviet experience, capturing the world-historical bewilderment and dislocation that followed the collapse of the ussr—the proliferation of unfamiliar figures in the social landscape, from millionaires to vagrants, as well as the atomization of collective identities into disparate, individual destinies. But in one crucial sense it is misleading: the new, post-Soviet Russia was not built on a tabula rasa, it emerged from within the carapace of the ussr—inheriting many of the preceding order’s peculiarities, transforming them or exaggerating them into new shapes. This prolonged reforging of Russian society could be divided into three phases, the first running from 1991 to the rouble crisis of 1998; the second from 1998 to 2009; and the third setting in when the effects of the global economic and financial crisis began to be felt in Russia.
Birth of an elite
Within the tumult of the 1990s, an unambiguous process of class formation was taking place, from the top down. The principal mechanism that drove it was the programme of privatization carried out by the Yeltsin government, under tutelage from imf officials and us advisors, which effected a massive transfer of state assets into private hands. As of 1987, a ‘latent’ privatization had been taking place in the ussr, centred in the realm of finance and led by the Party’s youth wing, the Komsomol. But the private fortunes that began to be amassed during perestroika were still eminently dependent on political connections—a provisional wealth accorded by the state, rather than a form of patrimony that could be guaranteed beyond any individual’s life-span. The transition to capitalism offered the Soviet elite the opportunity to convert power into property—and so to become a bona fide possessing class.
The emergence and consolidation of this elite could not have taken place without the decisive intervention of the state. Yeltsin’s project of capitalist transformation was initially based on legislation passed by the elected parliament; but when the legislature offered resistance, Yeltsin brought tanks onto the streets to resolve the deadlock, bombing the Supreme Soviet into submission in October 1993. Two months later, he rammed through a hyper-presidentialist constitution, approved by a referendum marked by widespread electoral fraud; United Russia’s recent efforts pale by comparison with this rigging of the entire juridical basis for the Russian state. Constitutional and democratic norms were evidently secondary considerations for the Yeltsin administration; the primary one was the creation of a stratum of private property-owners.
The initial stage in this project was the mass privatization drive of December 1992 to June 1994, in which some 16,500 enterprises, employing two-thirds of the industrial workforce, were sold off through ‘voucher auctions’. The majority of these nominally transferred half the shares to the workers, but the dominant position of industrial directors meant that in practice, the auctions ‘allowed factory managers to privatize their enterprises without losing control over them’. In agriculture, supply and procurement were privatized, but farm directors obstructed Yeltsin’s plans for full privatization of land—announced three weeks after the shelling of parliament—since these would generally involve breaking up large farms into smaller ones. Though achieved by opposite means, the outcome in agriculture was similar to that in industry: managerial control was strengthened, and turned into de facto or even de jure ownership of the land. Privatization of the retail sector also proceeded apace as of 1992, creating tens of thousands of small business owners; but it moved more slowly in housing, since it was not the federal centre, but regional governments or enterprises that held title to buildings. Here the pace depended largely on the fate of local industry and the configuration of local politics, leaving the housing market as a whole fragmented and poorly developed for many years.
Despite its seemingly broad scale, the privatization wave of 1992–94 ‘specifically left most of the valuable property in the country to be privatized through channels that could be closed to most Russians’. Notably, the enterprises formerly run by the Soviet fuel and energy ministries—including such behemoths as Gazprom—were sold off or turned into ‘joint-stock companies’ by presidential decree as of mid-1992. These opaque transactions made the fortunes of a handful of oligarchs in the energy sector; a pool of magnates effectively created by state fiat, away from democratic scrutiny. Something similar was taking place, more unevenly and on a smaller scale, at the regional level, as local governors—appointed by Yeltsin until elections were introduced in 1996—disposed of state assets under their purview. The picture across the 80-plus federal components of Russia was highly complex, embracing a range of scenarios from enthusiastic free-market reform to the installation of personalized patrimonialism. But here too, there was a top-down process of elite creation: ‘the governor in effect “formed the elite” by overseeing the privatization process, serving as a midwife to the creation of financial-industrial groups, selecting new owners and managers’.
Further state assets were put on the block in 1994–97; but perhaps the dominant features of this second stage were an intensifying struggle over already privatized assets, and the creation of private enterprises by state functionaries in the realms for which they were responsible—pod sebia, ‘under oneself’. At the regional level, second-tier industrial groups with close ties to local governments—often of a nepotistic kind—began to consolidate themselves into conglomerates. On the national plane, the oligarchs who had emerged in the preceding years extended their reach—notably through the infamous ‘loans-for-shares’ deals of November–December 1995, in which the Yeltsin government held rigged auctions for stakes in several oil and metals companies: yukos, Sibneft, lukoil, Surgutneftegaz, Norilsk Nickel, Mechel. These were acquired for a fraction of their value by figures such as Vladimir Potanin, Boris Berezovsky, Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Mikhail Prokhorov; the first two entered the cabinet after Yeltsin won re-election in 1996, suggesting the government too had been partly privatized.
By the mid-1990s, then, Russia visibly possessed an elite marked by fabulous extremes of wealth, which had acquired not only prized sections of the Soviet industrial base, but also assets in banking, transport, construction, as well as developing media empires that would forward their interests in the realm of ideology. The richest of the Yeltsin-era oligarchs were relatively heterogeneous in their social origins—the sons of engineers, academics and teachers as well as of Party functionaries. Mostly not Muscovites, many of them laid the bases for their fortunes through cooperatives formed in the late 80s, while others made use of Komsomol connections. Looking beyond the oligarchs to the new class of post-Soviet owners as a whole, however, the continuities with the Soviet-era political and managerial elite were far stronger—as with the post-Communist political class, the bulk of which was drawn from the ranks of the cpsu. Kryshtanovskaia distinguishes between a political elite and what she terms a biznes-elite; in 2001, 77 per cent of the former, and 41 per cent of the latter, came from the nomenklatura. It is worth noting that these two groups combined are considerably smaller than the old nomenklatura. Kryshtanovskaia numbers the upper echelons of Party and state at the close of the Soviet era at 2,500 people, whereas the 1993 Yeltsin cohort numbered only 778 people; that is, the ranks of the political and economic elite, already far from inclusive, narrowed considerably after 1991, while their material advantages over the rest of the population rose vertiginously.
The Centrifuge
Alongside the creation of a new elite, a process of mass pauperization unfolded—as if the country’s population were being separated out by centrifuge. The context in which Yeltsin’s privatization programme was conducted was one of economic catastrophe and social crisis for the vast majority of the population: gdp contracted by 34 per cent from 1991 to 1995—a greater decline than in the us during the Great Depression—while over the same period, average real wages dropped by more than half and employment was significantly reduced, in some sectors by as much as 20 per cent. The crime and murder rates doubled in the early 90s, and public health deteriorated with incredible speed: male life expectancy, for example, shortened by five years between 1991 and 1994. The poverty rate, already rising as the ussr neared collapse, soared after the freeing of prices in January 1992: an ilo study from that year claimed that as much as 85 per cent of Russia’s population now found themselves below the poverty line. The answer to this problem was not, of course, to change the policies responsible, but to alter the measure of poverty. Once a new definition was devised, the poverty rate was immediately reduced to around 36 per cent.
The depth of the social crisis was amplified by the dissolution of the Soviet system of provision. Some benefits—housing, childcare—continued to be provided through the workplace, though this depended greatly on the fate of the enterprise itself, and on the inclinations of the new managers and owners. But the central government effectively abdicated responsibility for the welfare, education and health-care systems, increasingly delegating their provision to the local level; by the mid-90s, ‘85 per cent of social spending came from regional and local budgets’. The result was to consolidate and deepen existing disparities between regions, adding a marked geographical component to the process of socio-economic separation of the population. Moscow and St Petersburg, along with regions possessing resource endowments or access to export markets, could afford to maintain a semblance of social provision that was beyond the reach of depressed industrial regions or the poor, non-ethnic Russian fringes of the country—for example the North Caucasus, or the republics of Tuva and Buryatia on Siberia’s southern edge.
It is against this backdrop of social crisis and accelerating spatial differentiation that huge inequalities in income rapidly emerged. According to World Bank data, in 1988 Russia had a Gini coefficient of 0.24, which would place it in the company of, say, Sweden; by 1993, the figure stood at 0.48, putting it on a par with Peru or the Philippines. These numbers are for officially declared income, and so surely understate the reality by some distance. The existing wage gap between socio-occupational groups widened: by 1994, top managers on average earned five times as much as skilled urban workers, and ten times as much as unskilled rural ones. This socio-occupational dispersion, however, leaves aside the dramatic differentiation taking place ‘not between but within occupations’, according to economic sector. Relative to the average wage in the economy as a whole, workers in the oil and gas sectors made significant gains between 1991 and 1994, whereas those in agriculture, education, culture and above all science lost out (see Table 3).
The process of ‘transition’ also amplified existing gender imbalances. This was in part because those sectors and occupational strata dominated by women were among the worst affected by cuts in employment, drops in real wages or serial non-payment of wages. Moreover, while women had been under-represented in the upper echelons of the Party and industrial management, the elimination of Soviet-era quotas sharply reduced their presence—from 30 per cent to 8 per cent, for example, in the case of the legislative apparatus. The new world of biznes was even more strongly male than the Soviet nomenklatura. But perhaps most striking was the mass withdrawal of Russian women from the labour force: two million women left employment between 1991 and 1995, accounting for an estimated 50 per cent of the labour ‘shed’ in this short period. Though some opted to retire, on the whole the choice was not freely made, but was rather ‘a reflection of declining economic opportunities and available child-care services’. Moreover many women, already bearing the main burden in the home, were now pushed into becoming the main breadwinners by engaging in petty trade.
Indeed, petty traders were among the most visible of the new social categories that emerged in the 1990s. There was a sudden proliferation of street-vendors, from roadside kiosks to pensioners standing in sub-zero temperatures to sell cigarettes or their veteran’s medals; and there were shuttle-traders or chelnoki, who would travel long distances to buy goods and then resell them locally. Petty trade was a crucial source of income for many people—not only due to widespread unemployment, but also because so many went unpaid in their ‘main’ job, as the Yeltsin government implemented an imf-decreed tight monetary policy that starved the economy of cash. By the autumn of 1996, according to one measurement, some 60 per cent of employees were owed back wages; with payment arrears sometimes reaching six months, many people were obliged to hold two or more ‘jobs’. Yet most ‘second’ jobs did not provide sufficient income or security to justify abandoning one’s primary employment; thus many of the new categories overlapped with existing ones.
However, one expanding category that was clearly demarcated from the old ones was that of the ‘dispossessed’, which included the unemployed, ethnic Russian refugees from other ex-Soviet republics, demobbed soldiers, the disabled, vagrants, the homeless, among others. Pensioners were perhaps the most visible, and piteous, of the new poor in Russia: veterans of war and industry reduced to penury by the combination of spiralling prices and tight state spending produced by ‘shock therapy’. By the end of 1992, 40 per cent of pensioners were receiving monthly payments less than half the declared subsistence level. In addition to the differentiations noted above, a chronological fractioning of the population was taking place, as the elderly generations were written off by the country’s new rulers. It is hard not to feel the chill emanating from the words of Boris Nemtsov, then first deputy prime minister, who stated in the spring of 1997 that ‘Russia must enter the twenty-first century only with young people’.
The creation of new social groups unfolded in parallel with a sweeping process of ‘unmaking’ of the Soviet world. This applied especially to the industrial workforce, who experienced a speeded-up version of the deindustrialization that has engulfed rustbelt areas across much of the globe. The Soviet variant of this process was distinguished not only by its speed, however, but by the specific character of the Soviet system, in which, as noted earlier, the enterprise was the ‘primary unit’ of society. The loss of work thus not only involved a loss of income, but also of the whole web of connections that bound one to a community and, equally or more importantly, secured one’s housing and access to social services.
The quiescence of Russian labour has long puzzled outside observers: why this relative passivity from workers who had only a short time before—notably the coal miners in 1989–91—played such a prominent and active role? The dissolution of the material bases of their collective existence clearly played a decisive role—unemployment and atrophying industry undoing the web of the old relations of production. The world-historical disorientation occasion |
face photos.
The team publish their discovery that bees can learn to recognise the arrangement of human facial features on 29 January 2010 in the Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org.
Teaming up with Aurore Avargues-Weber, the team first tested whether the bees could learn to distinguish between simple face-like images. Using faces that were made up of two dots for eyes, a short vertical dash for a nose and a longer horizontal line for a mouth, Avargues-Weber trained individual bees to distinguish between a face where the features were cramped together and another where the features were set apart. Having trained the bee to visit one of the two faces by rewarding it with a weak sugar solution, she tested whether it recognised the pattern by taking away the sugar reward and waiting to see if the bee returned to the correct face. It did.
So the bees could learn to distinguish patterns that were organised like faces, but could they learn to "categorize" faces? Could the insects be trained to classify patterns as face-like versus non-face like, and could they decide that an image that they had not seen before belonged to one class or the other?
To answer these questions, Avargues-Weber trained the bees by showing them five pairs of different images, where one image was always a face and the other a pattern of dots and dashes. Bees were always rewarded with sugar when they visited the face while nothing was offered by the non-face pattern. Having trained the bees that 'face-like' images gave them a reward, she showed the bees a completely fresh pair of images that they had not seen before to see if the bees could pick out the face-like picture. Remarkably they did. The bees were able to learn the face images, not because they know what a face is but because they had learned the relative arrangement and order of the features.
But how robust was the bees' ability to process the "face's" visual information? How would the bees cope with more complex faces? This time the team embedded the stick and dot faces in face-shaped photographs. Would the bees be able to learn the arrangements of the features against the backgrounds yet recognise the same stick and dot face when the face photo was removed? Amazingly the insects did, and when the team tried scrambling real faces by moving the relative positions of the eyes, nose and mouth, the bees no longer recognised the images as faces and treated them like unknown patterns.
So bees do seem to be able to recognise face-like patterns, but this does not mean that they can learn to recognise individual humans. They learn the relative arrangements of features that happen to make up a face-like pattern and they may use this strategy to learn about and recognize different objects in their environment.
What is really amazing is that an insect with a microdot-sized brain can handle this type of image analysis when we have entire regions of brain dedicated to the problem. Giurfa explains that if we want to design automatic facial recognition systems, we could learn a lot by using the bees' approach to face recognition.Afghanistan 187 for 7 (Ghani 42, Naib 37, Cremer 3-17) beat Zimbabwe 182 for 7 (Waller 49*, Dawlat 3-32) by five runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mohammad Shahzad's 63-run opening stand with Usman Ghani set the base for Afghanistan's imposing 187 © Chris Whiteoak
Both sides were far from their best on the field. While that didn't translate into a high standard of cricket, it made for an entertaining clash nonetheless. The end result was a last-ball finish, with two metres and a fine low catch by Gulbadin Naib separating both sides as Afghanistan held their nerve to outclass Zimbabwe by five runs in the first T20I in Sharjah.
But the catch wasn't Naib's only contribution in the match. His cameo of 37 and a 52-run stand for the fifth wicket with Mohammad Nabi gave Afghanistan the impetus they needed after a middle order slump orchestrated by Graeme Cremer, who picked up three wickets. Afghanistan blasted 66 off the last five overs to finish with 187 for 7. It nearly didn't prove enough.
With 60 needed off the last five overs, Zimbabwe were in with a slim chance. Malcolm Waller swung his way to more runs in this innings alone than he had done in the preceding ODI series, while Elton Chigumbura found his hitting range to bring it down to 21 off the last over. Asghar Stanikzai's decision to keep his premier pacer Dawlat Zadran worked, but by only just. His end figures of 3 for 32 were far more flattering in the overall context, but the scorecard wouldn't reveal how he nearly finished second-best on the night.
He was lucky to get away with two high full tosses that were called no-ball, to give Zimbabwe two free-hits, which they couldn't take full toll of. One of them even accounted for Chigumbura's run-out as he was scampering back for the second. What followed was total pandemonium. But with 16 needed off four, Luke Jongwe muscled a six and a four to bring it down to six off two. Then came a close call, with Dawlat flirting with the wide line.
With six needed off the final ball, Jongwe carved one over the infield only for Naib to, quite fittingly, take the catch at the deep-cover boundary to end the heart-stopping thriller. In the end, Zimbabwe were left wondering what could have been had they held their chances that would have ensured they didn't have to chase these many.
Mohammad Shahzad was dropped by Chamu Chibhabha at deep midwicket off the third ball to deny debutant Donald Tiripano a wicket Shortly after, Masakadza was caught in a brain freeze as his decision to run towards the stumps instead of lobbing a throw to the wicketkeeper resulted in Usman Ghani a reprieve. The result of the two misses cost Zimbabwe 33 and 42 respectively, which set them a solid base for a blaze at the end.
But Cremer wasn't giving up. The classical legspinner used his height and clever use of angles to generate bounce and beat the batsmen with his dip. The end result was magical figures of 4-0-17-3 that briefly caused a few flutters in the Afghanistan camp as they slipped from 62 without loss to 105 for 4. But Tendai Chisoro, the left-arm spinner, and Raza, the part-time offspinner, failed to create the same impact Cremer had.
While Chisoro kept firing them in, only for Nabi and Naib to get underneath the ball and hit them cleanly, Raza fed them with long hops that were dispatched. When their partnership, that gave the innings a power-boost ended with Chisoro sending back Nabi, the mood in the Zimbabwe camp spelt relief.
There wasn't an iota of doubt that this would be a difficult chase. The loss of two early wickets, both to Dawlat, gave Afghanistan an early advantage. But Hamilton Masakadza and Richmond Mutumbami then came out swinging as Afghanistan's bowlers repeatedly missed their lengths. The result was Zimbabwe wiping out 95 runs in 11 overs.
But the pressure of the asking rate and some tight bowling by the spinners following Masakadza's downfall to a reverse sweep for 33 allowed Afghanistan a foot in the door. Sikandar Raza and Waller then continued to keep the fight going. Aiding them along the way was some heavy dew and some poor death bowling as Zimbabwe managed to find the boundaries with regularity.
Waller cashed in on Rashid Khan's inexperience by targeting the short midwicket boundaries. Yet there was a lingering feeling that Zimbabwe were just a wicket away from being squeezed out of the contest. But they did well to hang in till the very end courtesy Jongwe's two blows that could have been decisive, but Afghanistan did remarkably well to hold their own under pressure to eke out a win that could have a galvanising effect on them.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.The Dorothy Collective has released “Stamp Albums“, two beautiful lithographs that reimagine the most seminal albums of the post-punk and post-rock eras as colorful postage stamps. Included on the post-punk version of the print are such bands as DEVO, Joy Division, Talking Heads, The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode. Included on the post-rock version are such bands as Stereolab, Talk Talk, Radiohead, The Antidotes and Mogwai. Both prints are available for purchase through the Dorothy Collective website.
A new print celebrating our 40 year-long love affair with post-punk bands. We’ve reimagined 48 seminal post-punk albums … and post-rock albums… as a series of postage stamps beginning in 1977 with Television’s massively influential album Marquee Moon …and with Talk Talk’s 1988 album Spirit of Eden which has been hailed by many (and hated by a few) as the beginning of post-rock. …Each stamp features a graphic inspired by the album (or tracks on the album), the date of release, the label it was released on and its running time.Twenty diabetic patients participated in a study to assess if multiple use of needles for insulin injection systems (Pens) is safe under normal daily conditions. The previous mean duration of Pen therapy was 16.3 months. During this time, the 20 patients carried out altogether more than 33 000 injections without any sign of local infection despite needle reuse. Patients were told to use needles if possible for 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 injections before bacteriological assessment. Bacteriological investigation of these needles showed no contamination, except with one needle used three times, which was colonized with coagulase negative Staphylococcus. In contrast, half of the needles' plastic ground points which touched the skin were contaminated. No signs of infection were observed at the injection sites throughout the study. We conclude that, based on the bacteriostatic effects of commercially formulated insulin and on the siliconisation of needles' surfaces, bacterial growth is sufficiently prevented. Therefore, we can recommend the reuse of pen needles as a simple, safe and cost-beneficial procedure.It has been 21 years since Friends was first introduced to the world. All 10 seasons are streamed on Netflix and are constantly being rerun on TBS, but what would they be doing today? Rachel, the youngest of the group, would be 43; while Ross and Phoebe would be 46. Let’s speculate what they’ve been up to since that famous, tear-jerking 2004 finale.
1. Rachel Green.
Obviously Ross and Rachel are divorced. Their split started out amicably enough, with promises about always staying friends and being good co-parents for Emma’s sake, but things went downhill pretty quickly after Rachel accepted another job in Paris and Ross accused her of resenting him for begging her to stay the last time she’d tried to move overseas. Sick of Ross’ unending sob circus, Rachel bluntly told him that yes, she did resent him, not just for Paris but for all the other times he held her back career-wise. Rachel then asked Ross to give her some space, but he continued to send her a barrage of texts and messages until she finally blocked his number and email address. They now only communicate through their lawyers.
After returning to New York in 2011, Rachel started her business as a “sartorial curator” (her term). She specializes in revamping the wardrobes of recently divorced women, and has gained a strong reputation as the It Girl of that niche market. She’s absolutely merciless when it comes to throwing out old pieces that are either outdated or the wrong size or have bad memories associated with them, and is a genius at filling in the gaps with new items perfectly suited to her clients. Socialite Tinsley Mortimer recently said that she has no idea how she would have made it intact through her split from Topper without Rachel’s help.
Two years ago Ross’ son Ben, then in his late teens, reached out to Rachel, saying that he wanted to get to know his half sister. Since then, Rachel has become very close with Carol and Susan, and they’ve been a huge help in raising Emma. Saturday night often finds Carol, Susan and Rachel drinking wine and laughing about how terrible Ross is. Sometimes Emily skypes in from England (she and Rachel reconnected while Rachel was living in Paris). It seems funny to them that such an amazing friendship was born out of the ashes of three terrible relationships (“like beautiful flowers growing out of a pile of manure,” Carol said once), but they can’t help being grateful for the strange circumstances that brought them all together.
Rachel can quote most of Sex and the City from memory.If your ideal form of erotic punishment is a painstaking Windows 10 installation, then do we have a 50 Shades of Grey parody for you.
The Twitter account @50NerdsOfGrey gives the wildly popular and fairly awkward series the nerdy twist we didn't know it needed.
Beware, this content is NFSW — at least for algebra enthusiasts.
Here are a few selections from your new fave Twitter. Rest assured they're all as sexy as the new Google logo.
'It's just so long,' she cried, 'I don't think I can take it all in.' 'I'm sorry,' he said, 'but I did tell you it was the director's cut.' — 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) September 5, 2015
'I've been a very naughty girl,' she said, licking her lips, 'I need to be punished.' So he made her watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy. — 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) September 6, 2015
'You're so hot!' she cried. 'Actually I'm 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is well within the normal body temperature parameters,' he replied. — 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) September 5, 2015
'I just can't get enough of your curves,' he said, licking his lips and squirming with excitement. Kevin really liked the new Google logo. — 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) September 5, 2015
'Harder!' she screamed, 'Harder!' 'Alright,' he said. 'What's the square root of nine times twelve divided by six point three recurring?' — 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) September 6, 2015The Segregation Of Girl-Meets-Girl
An LGBT author's journey to publication.
By Julia Diana Robertson
I remember the year it all began. The twin towers still stood proud. Manhattan still seemed indestructible. My faith in the general goodness of people wasn’t yet marred. And although I was suffering my first real heartbreak (the kind that has you trying everything to win back the girl—everything from candle magic, to palm readers, to therapy), I still held a certain innocence.
It began after leaving the college bubble. The urgent idealism of campus life followed me wherever I went, but something new followed me—looks and discouraging reactions, powerful enough to make me feel unwanted. Caught somewhere between the comforting teenage fluff of my stuffed animal collection and the harsh screeching sound of the 6 train coming to a halt on 24th, those awful stares began to push me into seclusion. I call it the alien-head look. As soon as people found out “who” I “really” was…it was like this one thing began to define me and invalidated all the rest. “Lesbian” became a dirty word. It made everything else about me disappear.
At the time, my desire to read books was insatiable. I loved the feeling of curling up on the subway with a good paperback. I loved everything about it: the cover, the feel of the pages, the cup of scalding-hot tea warming my right hand. I read constantly, but quickly ran out of books that were really well-written pieces of fiction with lesbian protagonists—there were only a handful. However, I never ever ran out of really well-written literature with straight protagonists. This really bothered me, so I decided to write a nice piece of fiction, hop the barb-wired fence, and sneak it into mainstream publishing. After all, it was the new millennium, why shouldn’t someone like me write a fiction novel and attempt to integrate it into standard genres? A question came to mind and just sort of stuck: Is it detrimental to readers and society to segregate literature because of a character’s sexuality? We live in a society where we’re constantly fed media images, T.V. shows and movies, with straight protagonists and straight love stories. It’s confusing. It’s a strange feeling to second-guess the most mundane everyday actions: Can I take my wife’s hand as I cross this street? After a while you start to wonder if this world really is a place where you belong.
I didn't want to feel like such an anomaly—so I decided to write a book about someone like me and publish it through a mainstream publisher, because a book like this would help normalize a life that seemed so abnormal to society at large. Millions of people around the world were getting the alien-head look and so much worse.
I rode the 6 train and walked to work on 24th with the confidence of a girl who’d been fed widely used platitudes her whole life: absurd things we love to tell our youth, like, “you can do anything you want to do, if you work hard enough.” If my black and white department had a lull, instead of sitting in the dark, waiting for the next custom order, I’d take out my laptop and type.
A book that crossed barriers could help young people who were struggling to feel like they belonged, and maybe even help the older generations who’d grown up with such cruel stigma, that they often found themselves fading into the shadows. I’d only just begun to fade and it was a terrible feeling. The book wouldn’t end like other well-written lesbian novels. My protagonists wouldn’t die or be robbed of all hope. The characters might often have harsh realities, but their sexualities wouldn’t take center stage. Instead, the girl-meets-girl love story would be somewhat cradled in a tight-knit town with a sort of unspoken acceptance. It’d be craftily woven into a bigger story, about a haunted county in the 1950's with lots of secrets. It would read like any other good piece of mainstream literature and there’d be no need to pigeonhole.
Those platitudes we tell our youth were still so fresh in mind: “What the mind can conceive, it can achieve.” Access to a wider audience was essential—reaching the bullies and the people who sat by and said nothing, parents who disowned their children and leaders of the free world, so that we, the rainbow people, wouldn’t seem so strange to outsiders. I embarked on this challenging path with the unwavering faith of a child in the confession booth, kneeling upon a pew.
In 2006, I met my wife—the kind of girl I’d been writing about for so many years, the kind you don’t think really exists till you meet her. It was time to get my stories out there. The submission process was disenchanting. In the years to come, asked to rewrite the characters straight more than once, I stubbornly clung to my principles. In 2007 my dance company was hailed by Curve magazine as “the sexiest dyke-dance troupe on the planet.” I was making my mark and using all things girl-cliché to do it: high heels, lipstick, push-up bras, fishnets. But at the same time, I went against all things girl-cliché and put andro-chicks into the spotlight. The old bait-and-switch. If a ‘straight’ venue had a problem with it, I wouldn’t bend. There was a mission in this too. There was always an underlying mission to push the boundaries with the hope of normalizing what was seen as so abnormal to the outside. By 2008, when I said things like “This is my wife,” people gave me a new kind of look. The kind that assumed we’d snagged a California marriage certificate during the brief window of marriage equality. It seemed like the perfect time for a book like mine, so the rejections felt as nonsensical as the “Yes on 8” signs littering lawns all over L.A.
As those rejections kept coming in I was faced with one awful conclusion: The work was too gay to be mainstream and “not gay enough” to be pigeonholed. The mainstream didn’t seem to have a place for me. I realized something else: I’d been pitching to the very mainstream publishing world that lead the matriarchs of lesbian publishing to start up their own small presses.
I hadn’t even considered that courting the mainstream could put off the matriarchs of my own community. They’d carved out a safe-haven for the next generation. A cozy rainbow-quilted pigeonhole so we could have a voice and a place to go when the outside rejected us. Carving that corner took a great deal of courage when they did it. My generation was trying to push too. We sang along to the semi-melodic feminist rantings of Ani DiFranco and snickered at the half-joking, wrist-slapping, homophobia of modern media. The me of Y2K was trying to push. It was never my intention to turn my back on the rainbow flag; on the contrary, the idea was to wave it as far and wide as possible.
Over the years, as I typed and typed, the whole world changed around me. The beloved skyline of Manhattan, Starbucks popping up on every corner, MySpace and then Facebook. Soon we were Snapchatting and Instagramming. Somewhere in there, I left Saint Theresa Avenue, the Bronx and the 6 train where I dreamed all those lofty dreams. Somewhere in there, I went to California, started a dance company, met the love of my life and became a better writer. Somewhere in there, I came back to the land where Lady Liberty still watches over the towering hopes and dreams of the city.
In the summer of 2015, a small LGBT press wrote to me. They wanted to publish my novel.
So: Is it detrimental to readers and society to segregate literature? Is there no place for a fiction book about someone like me amongst the standard genres? Can’t I be standard? I’m an anomaly, but I think most writers are. I’m an anomaly, but not in the way society might think I am. In all actuality, my love life might just be the most normal thing about me.
My sister recently did a post on my behalf. She put it into very plain and perfect words: “[Segregating literature] perpetuates the thought that people who read mainstream ‘straight’ love stories need to be somehow ‘protected’ from gay or lesbian characters that would make them feel uncomfortable.” No one tried to protect me from the plethora of straight love stories. No one gave a second thought to my comfort. I didn’t need protection; I just needed to see myself reflected in the landscape. To know I existed and that that existence had a place outside the bubble. As far as we’ve come, it’s not yet enough. I still get those stares and still think twice before taking my wife’s hand to cross the street. If we go into a barbershop the barber will likely insult my wife and I’ll have to watch her crumble. If we go to the market someone is sure to intentionally call her ‘sir.’ So we stay home a lot more than we should and we do our best with a pair of clippers. I still often have that feeling that I just don’t belong here.
I end this with my new favorite quote because these words need to land themselves in as many places as possible: "There's plenty of room in the world for mediocre men, but there is no room for mediocre women."—Madeline Albright. This quote applies to writing fiction in "my" genre. I grew up in a world that told me I was limited—on television, in magazines and in my own backyard. I don’t have the luxury of being mediocre, not as a woman and certainly not as a “lesbian writer.” I have to push to be the best at everything I do. I feel this responsibility. Women like Hillary and Madeline and Shonda Rhimes feel it too. Doing your best simply isn’t good enough. We have to claw and fight and push.
Part of me still resides somewhere on the 6 train, full of big dreams, riding to and from reality, flipping through pages, lost in the gentle comfort of a great paperback. The other part of me finds herself exhausted and grateful, falling back onto the rainbow quilt in the cozy corner that was carved out for people “like me.” But make no mistake, I, along with so many others, will fight from that corner until the words “people like me” are as antiquated as the glimmering platitudes of childhood.Denver's "downtown environment," especially on the 16th Street Mall, is the No. 1 complaint about Denver among convention and meeting planners — and it's causing the city to lose business.
So says a report by Visit Denver that was reportedly presented to the Denver City Council at a retreat on homelessness issues on Dec. 11 last year.
The scathing assessment ( download here) includes personal letters written by event planners, some of whom say they'll never again book a convention in Denver again.
"I'm sorry but I would never consider putting attendees in danger by holding a convention in your city," wrote one respondent in an Aug. 15, 2015 email quoted in the report. "We were staying at Embassy Suites downtown on 16th and last night witnessed a group of about 30 teenagers attack a man walking along 16th Street.
"The homeless situation is very sad, and public streets reek of weed," the comment added. "The Denver police should be more alert to large groups of minors congregating on city streets attacking tourists...I have felt much safer in downtown NYC, Philly, Seattle and Chicago."
Read more at the Denver Business Journal: http://bit.ly/29Gck14
Copyright 2016 Denver Business JournalMozilla Firefox is by far the best feature-rich and fastest browser out there, but with the passage of time it slows down considerably. It will take a lot of time to load during startup, the overall speed will be effected, and browsing Histories will be too slow. This is very common problem and it occurs largely because of fragmentation of databases.
SpeedyFox is a brand new small utility that fixes this problem with a single click! It seems unbelievable but after you optimize your Firefox with this tool, you will get a fresh newly-installed feel because the speed indeed gets considerably faster. You will get up 3 times faster startup speed, browsing history will become faster, and performing operations with cookies will be quicker than before.
How does it work?
Firefox uses SQLITE databases to store lots of its settings. By the time the databases grow and Firefox starts working slowly. SpeedyFox compacts those databases without loosing any data.
How often should I run SpeedyFox?
Depending on your browsing activity we recommend optimizing your profile once in 1-2 weeks.
Tutorial
Once installed, SpeedyFox automatically detects your Firefox’s default profile. If you have more than one profile, you can select the one you want to optimize from the drop-down menu. If you have portable version of Firefox, choose your profile path manually by selecting "Custom..." profile. All you have to do is hit the Speed Up Firefox button.
The optimization process can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour depending on how large your databases are. The whole optimization process is safe as it does not effect your history, bookmarks, passwords, etc.Hillary Clinton met with Flint, Michigan, leaders last week, including Flint Mayor Karen Weaver (right). | AP Photo Clinton captures Flint endorsements
Last week, with just hours to go before the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton popped out of the state to visit Flint, Michigan, a largely African-American city in crisis because of lead-contaminated water that has affected at least 8,000 children under the age of 6.
That break from the campaign trail is now paying off as Clinton focuses on shoring up the African-American vote ahead of the South Carolina primary. The Revs. Hubert Miller and Al Harris, and Bishop Rogers L. Jones Sr., three black religious leaders in Flint, endorsed Clinton on Sunday, citing the fact that she is the only presidential candidate to visit the ailing city and the first to bring national attention to the crisis that has been raging for two years.
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“Secretary Clinton has certainly aided us in bringing added political attention to our plight in the city of Flint,” Miller said in a statement released by the campaign, “causing other politicians to move legislation on this subject, and vowing to do everything within her power to assist Flint in recovering from this sinful social experiment we call the Flint Water Crisis.”
Harris added that Clinton did not use the water crisis as a “platform to further her political agenda,” but rather brought her own spotlight to shine light on the problem. “Her voice was more than that of a politician,” he said, “it was the voice of a humanitarian.”
During her visit to Flint last week, speaking at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church, Clinton called on Congress to pass an emergency funding bill to replace and rebuild the water pipes in Flint. “This has to be a national priority,” she said there. “What happened in Flint is immoral.”
In announcing the endorsements, the campaign also said Clinton is asking campaign volunteers to join the Red Cross and United Way to distribute water to residents of Flint, rather than canvass for votes. Clinton is also calling on President Barack Obama to issue a Medicaid waiver to Michigan so that Flint residents under the age of 21 will receive universal Medicaid coverage.England wants to legalize marijuana through drug reform. According to the Guardian, an influential cross-party group of MPs has concluded that, after a year scrutinizing UK drugs policy, it is clear to us that many aspects of it are simply not working. They urge David Cameron to immediately set up a royal commission to consider all the alternatives to Britain’s failing drug laws, including pot decriminalization and legalization, and be required to report by 2015.
Pressure to tackle the subject comes from big names like Virgin founder Richard Branson and comedian Russell Brand, who considers drug use “more of [a] health matter than a criminal or judicial matter.” They call for a less punitive approach to cannabis and ecstasy. They also believe that Home Office and health ministers should examine the long term results of marijuana being legal in other nations like Portugal and Columbia but also want to look at the recent changes to United States law.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, both Colorado and Washington State recently decided to partially legalize marijuana. This decision resulted in parties in both states, with the most famous taking place underneath the Space Needle tower in Seattle. Unfortunately, the laws are a little bit fragmented now as one homeowner found out after defending himself against burglars when police found pots of marijuana plants growing in his attic. Despite the states making these changes, the Federal government is threatening legal action over recreational marijuana.
Unfortunately for any English wishing for legal pot, British government sources so far have been dismissive of the move to form a royal commission.
“Our current laws draw on the best available evidence and as such we have no intention of downgrading or declassifying cannabis,” said one government source. “A royal commission on drugs is simply not necessary. Our cross-government approach is working … We will respond more fully to the report in due course.”
Martin Barnes of Drugscope, the leading independent information center on drugs, said that the debate had been too often clouded by polarized positions, partial evidence, and anecdote.
“This is a situation that has not been helped when policy-makers and politicians are fearful of being accused of being ‘soft’ on drugs or their views and intentions distorted,” said Barnes. “A royal commission, with a clear timetable, would help break this impasse – but it will require robust terms of reference and a credible membership. There is already a substantial body of argument and evidence on reforming drug policy – including the recent report by the UK Drug Policy Commission – so any commission will need authority and momentum behind it to achieve change.”
Do you think that England should reform its drug enforcement laws and legalize, or least reduce the penalties for, the usage of marijuana and ecstasy?Home equity lines of credit are making Canadians more vulnerable to financial catastrophe such as a job loss, a housing market correction or interest rate rise, Canada’s consumer protection agency warned Wednesday. Canadians owed $211 billion on 3 million home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) last year, but 40 per cent don’t make regular payments on those loans and 25 per cent make only minimum payments or pay the interest on the credit lines, says a report by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.
Consumers in hot housing markets like Toronto’s could be at even greater financial risk if they aren’t paying down their credit lines, Canada's consumer protection agency warned on Wednesday. ( Graeme Roy / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO )
It notes that the reliance on HELOCs has grown as Canadians have moved to alarming household debt levels. Their use skyrocketed 500 per cent from $35 billion to $186 billion between 2000 and 2010. During the same period household debt levels rose from $1.07 on every disposable dollar to $1.60. The average debt on a HELOC last year was $70,000. The use of the credit lines increased substantially thanks to what the agency calls “readvanceable mortgages” from the big banks. Those products attach a home equity line of credit and sometimes other features such as credit cards, to a term mortgage.
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But many consumers don’t understand the complexities of those bank products, said Brigitte Goulard, deputy commissioner of the consumer agency. “The more you pay down your mortgage, the more space you get on your HELOC. You may have the impression you’re paying down your mortgage, but if you continue going back to the HELOC to get some money you’re actually starting to use your house as an ATM,” she said.
Many consumers use HELOCs to consolidate other debts at a lower interest rate in order to increase their cash flow. But it’s important to amortize the consolidated payment to ensure the line of credit is repaid, says the agency. Consumers in hot housing markets like Toronto’s could be at even greater financial risk if they aren’t paying down their credit lines. “If there is a housing correction in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada and HELOCs have not been used properly, consumers could find themselves underwater,” said Goulard, although she stressed that the agency does not predict such an event or make economic forecasts.
The report notes, however, that credit lines played a role in many Americans losing their homes in the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008. Despite the dire warnings, HELOCs and related mortgage products aren’t inherently bad, she said.
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“They actually are very innovative products that can have some benefits if you need to renovate or if you want to go back to school and increase your chances of having a higher revenue down the line. Those are appropriate uses. What is not appropriate is going to the grocery store and paying your daily requirements (with the line of credit). You need to budget for those,” said Goulard. The consumer agency has prepared an education campaign to better inform borrowers about what they may be buying with readvanceable mortgages. It is also telling banks and lenders to provide appropriate disclosures on mortgages attached to HELOCs so that there is a combined disclosure rather than the current potentially confusing separate disclosures on the mortgage and the line of credit. “The majority of Canadians don’t pay back their HELOC until they sell their home,” said Goulard. “It would be preferable if they had a good (repayment) plan.”Pan-Arab satellite network al-Jazeera is fighting a large-scale cyber-attack but remained fully operational, a company source said on Thursday.
“There were attempts made on the cybersecurity of al-Jazeera but we are combatting them,” said a senior employee who declined to be named.
Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) BREAKING: Al Jazeera Media Network under cyber attack on all systems, websites & social media platforms. More soon: https://t.co/9o3ihGGVjD pic.twitter.com/ZlBBEpTDf6
Hours later, Qatar’s state-run television also announced that it had shut down its website temporarily “for security reasons” after hacking attempts, it said on its Twitter feed.
The network is the major broadcaster for Qatar, which is in a standoff with fellow Arab states over alleged ties to terrorism. The row is endangering stability in the region.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain launched an unprecedented campaign to isolate Qatar diplomatically and economically over links to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Iran, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis in the region for 30 years.
All four countries withdrew their ambassadors and launched an economic blockade, including denial of airspace, leading to panic-buying in the Qatari capital, Doha. They have isolated the country by land, sea and air. On Thursday, the UAE took a further step of refusing to send on mail to Qatar.
An investigation by the FBI concluded on Thursday that Russian hackers were responsible for sending out fake messages from the Qatari government, sparking the current crisis.
It is believed that the Russian government was not involved in the hacks; instead, freelance hackers were paid to carry out the work on behalf of some other state or individual. Some observers have claimed privately that Saudi Arabia or the UAE may have commissioned the hackers.
The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said he had no knowledge of the results of the FBI inquiry. The Russian government has denied any involvement in the hacking.
Qatar is a critical player in the Middle East as the largest exporter of liquid gas, the host to the largest US military base in the region and the venue for the 2022 World Cup.COMEDY:Raucous and irreverant, a few “hardy bucks” from Co Mayo have become a comedy phenomenon via a string of internet webisodes. Can they make it this season in the more straight-laced world of television, asks EOIN BUTLER
THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS are crude and derivative. They are written and performed by rank amateurs, a fact glaringly apparent in almost every scene. The editing is shoddy. Plot structure is sometimes nonexistent. And the picture presented of life in rural Irish towns |
sure you’re always looking at server tuning and/or JVM configuration. I don’t care what language you work with, you can’t treat the JVM as a black box.What about the operating system? Personally, I hate Windows, so I don’t do anything on it. But up until version including 2.1, there was a good technical reason to avoid it as well because one of the two cache layers was off-heap in Linux but on-heap on Windows systems. That meant there was no way to cache a large graph on a Windows system in a proper way.With the current version, that’s vanished so now, but I do have anecdotal evidence that Windows memory management is much worse than Linux. I have a couple of cases where a customer comes and says, “Well, I’m creating a POC on that graph, and the query takes 25 seconds.” They give me the graph DB folder. I spin up the version myself, no tuning and the query count goes down (on my crappy three-year-old laptop) to 12 seconds. So, we can already gain 50 percent by just switching OS. I’ve no idea why that happens. Maybe someone can explain why, but I think it’s just Windows.It’s critical that you understand the concept of clustering. Just because the Neo4j team has spent years implementing it doesn’t leave you off the hook.Also, when you run a cluster over subnet boundaries – especially if you cross multiple regions – it makes it easy for the NSA because the network traffic in the cluster is not encrypted, so everyone can read your data.And don’t forget that your Garbage Collection (GC) pauses should never take longer than the cluster timeout. What results is the lovely* (*sarcasm) effect of a round-robin master switch.Additionally, if you useyou will have branching data, and that is a nightmare. That point is made very clear in the documentation, so don’t complain about if branching happens to your data – it should be expected.Finally – and most importantly – one of the worst things you can do is to become an isolated node as a Neo4j developer. But you don’t have to live on the dark side of the community.Join one of our in-person meetup groups ; discuss your challenges on our (very active) Google Group ; or ask your questions on Stack Overflow and use thetag.If you don’t do any of these things, then you might make it into my “Neo4j Worst Practices” presentation next year!Gigi Hadid and boyfriend Zayn Malik appeared to have celebrated the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha on Thursday and Friday with two very special ladies by their side.
The couple, who first started dating in late 2015, were joined by Gigi’s mom Yolanda Hadid and Zayn’s mom Trisha Malik — all posing together for a sweet smiling snap that both proud mothers later shared to Instagram.
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Yolanda Hadid/Instagram
“Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating….” Yolanda captioned the shot, using the phrase of “blessed celebration” often associate with Eid al-Adha (the holiest of Muslim holidays) and adding a heart emoji.
Trisha had a similar message in her caption, adding the hashtag “#BlessedDay.”
Gigi’s father, Mohamed Hadid, also wished “health joy and God’s blessings to all” on social media. He was born in Palestine and immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was 14.
Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating 💛 pic.twitter.com/CNnFxss7q7 — Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) June 26, 2017
This isn’t the first time Gigi has helped wish her fellow Muslims a “Eid Mubarak.”
In June she shared a photo of her Arab roots on Twitter to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a holiday marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The shot showed Gigi, 22, as a young child — smiling with her family members, who are all dressed in traditional clothing.
RELATED: 15 of Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik’s Candid Relationship Confessions
Meanwhile, Gigi and Zayn continue to have close relationships with their family.
On Wednesday, Yolanda posted a photo of the couple embracing to her Instagram page, captioning it, “Summer Loving……. #Family.” Trisha has shared shots of her son and his girlfriend too, and even gave Yolanda a shot-out recently on the publication of her “gorgeous” new book Believe Me — adding that she “can’t wait to read it.”
RELATED VIDEO: Yolanda Hadid Reveals How Lyme Disease Devastated Her Life & Marriage in New Memoir
In an interview with the Evening Standard in June, Zayn opened up about growing up in the Islamic faith as the son of a British Pakistani man.
“I take a great sense of pride — and responsibility — in knowing that I am the first of my kind, from my background,” he told the outlet. “I’m not currently practicing but I was raised in the Islamic faith, so it will always be with me, and I identify a lot with the culture. But I’m just me. I don’t want to be defined by my religion or my cultural background.”Enforced out With fighting down in the NHL, some of the game's toughest players are finding it difficult to remain at hockey's highest levels
Five years after he last played in the American Hockey League, Paul Bissonnette is back in a familiar place, riding the bus between cities on nobody’s bucket list and staying in budget hotels. However, the similarities end there.
Hockey is evolving and transitioning away from physicality and toward skill and skating. Bissonnette is one of several players whose forte is fighting and who are trying to prove they still have a place in the game.
When training camps opened in September, Bissonnette, a veteran of six NHL seasons, found himself on the outside looking in. He was without a guaranteed contract and in a bind.
Bissonnette, 29, looks the part of an enforcer, standing a hulking 6-foot-2 and 219 pounds, with a crooked nose and a sleeve of tattoos on his left arm. Despite playing a traditionally unheralded role as a grinder and fighter, he became one of the most popular NHL players on Twitter, with more than 600,000 followers thanks to his easy wit and occasionally biting opinions. Like many celebrities, Bissonnette this summer made a video of himself taking the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and funds for the ALS Association; unlike most celebrities, Bissonnette’s took place in a Speedo, on a mountaintop, with glacier water dropped by a helicopter. “Don’t get stuck on the bench like Bissonnette,” the message warned as it encouraged viewers to join the fight against ALS.
He found his way to St. Louis Blues camp on a tryout but was released just over two weeks later. Three weeks passed, and with the phone not ringing, a real concern began to set in.
“I will say this, it was very stressful,” said Bissonnette, who has seven goals and 340 penalty minutes in 202 games spent primarily with the Arizona Coyotes. “I don’t know what I want to do after hockey.”
He admits his time with the Blues was an eye-opening experience. While at camp, he was battling with veterans Colin Fraser and Joakim Lindstrom for a roster spot. Fraser, who is listed at 6-foot-1, played a role on three clubs that won the Stanley Cup. Lindstrom, the smallest of the three at 6-feet, appeared in 97 NHL games over five seasons before playing in Sweden for three years. But at the end of camp, Lindstrom wound up on the Blues’ third line, while Fraser landed with St. Louis’ AHL affiliate.
“I was surprised,“ admitted Bissonnette. “I didn’t really realize that when he got to camp that a guy that’s won three Stanley cups and played a lot of good hockey in his day couldn’t even find a one-way (contract) for this season, so it just goes to show how tough times are in the NHL.”
* * *
Ken Holland doesn’t have anything against enforcers. He just doesn’t employ any.
Holland has guided the Red Wings to 17 straight playoff appearances since taking over as the club’s general manager in July 1997. Detroit has won three Stanley Cups under Holland’s leadership. The Red Wings have also finished with the fewest fighting majors in the league in eight of the past nine seasons, according to HockeyFights.com.
“It appears those, what I call them, one dimensional players that all they can really do is fight, those types of players now are … becoming past-tense,” Holland recently said.
Spurred by changes to rules, culture and tactics after the NHL’s two most recent lockouts, fighting has been on the decline over the past decade. The league saw 789 bouts in 1,230 games during the 2003-04 season, a rate of 0.64 per game, according to the HockeyFights.com database. Forty-one percent of games had more than one fight.
After a lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season, the league’s fighting rate nearly halved in 2005-06 — 466 in 1,230 games, or 0.38 per game — before rising back to 734 fights during the 2008-09 season (0.6 per game). But the numbers have again declined since, and there were 469 bouts last season, a rate of 0.38 per game. Those numbers have slightly decreased this season, as fights happened every 0.34 games through play Tuesday. There was more than one fight in 30 percent of games.
“'It appears those, what I call them, one dimensional players that all they can really do is fight, those types of players now are... becoming past-tense,' says Ken Holland”
In part, these changes are stylistic; teams have begun to value puck possession more than physicality, and whereas a team might carry an enforcer on its fourth line five or 10 years ago, now, general managers like Holland are more inclined to keep a more skilled player.
“You’ve got to play,” Holland said. “The game is fast. Nobody wants to take penalties. It’s a hard league to score in. You hope to get a few goals out of your fourth line. You hope they can eat some minutes off your top forwards just to rest them.”
Holland, 59, played junior hockey in an era when fights were commonplace.
“I’m not against fighting. We prioritize that on our fourth line, we wanted hockey players versus one-dimensional players,” Holland said. “Fighting is in the game. I grew up in an era as a minor league goaltender where, in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers, where there was lots of fighting. I don’t have anything against fighting, I just want the guys that fight on my team, to be able to play. If you can fight, and you can’t play, we don’t have room for you.”
Paul Bissonnette (AP Photo)
After he was cut by the Blues, Bissonnette was in the process of packing up and heading overseas to play in Cardiff, Wales –where he spent part of the 2012-13 lockout playing.
During a trip to Phoenix to collect some of his belongings, he reconnected with Coyotes general manager Don Maloney. Bissonnette was able to secure a professional tryout with the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in Portland, Maine. Even there, however, he was caught up in the push toward a new paradigm.
“It’s developed quite a bit especially with a few of the rule changes,” Bissonnette said. “Structure-wise, it’s a lot better than when I played last. The game is very, very coached now and a lot of video is used so it’s definitely a bit different and a lot harder to score goals.”
Bissonnette, who hadn’t played in the AHL since the 2008-09 season, was released on Dec. 8 after eight games in which he failed to register a point or a fight. He was carrying a minus-1 rating.
He quickly found work, signing another professional tryout this time with the Manchester Monarchs, the minor-league affiliate of the L.A. Kings, on Dec. 9. The deal came about mainly because of the organization’s familiarity with Bissonnette. Michael Futa, the Kings’ vice president of hockey operations and director of player personnel, and Mike Stothers, the Monarchs’ head coach, knew Bissonnette from his junior days. Stothers was Bissonnette’s head coach for 35 games with the Owen Sound Attack in 2004-05.
Futa told LA Kings Insider that the organization was looking for a player who was “going to accept his role as a fourth-line grinder, who has played in the National Hockey League who’s going to be a real positive role model.”
“He’s a guy that provides great leadership,” Futa said. He added: “Biz is a really fit guy. He’s a really fun guy in the dressing room.”
Futa did not mention Bissonnette’s fighting skill.
The deal was not without its restrictions. Bissonnette, at the request of Kings GM Dean Lombardi, was to stay off social media. The only tweets Bissonnette sent so far in December were a series thanking the fire department in Welland, Ontario, after his parents’ house caught on fire.
“Tweet-free, just go down and be a role model,” Futa said. “Biz is a special kid. He’s excited about (the chance to play) and hopefully, he can turn it into more than that.”
Bissonnette is not alone in his struggles to find work as a professional hockey player in North America. Many of the game’s tough guys have been forced from NHL rosters as the game has evolved where players are able to stick up for themselves. Enforcers who stick in the league can play significant minutes and contribute on the scoresheet.
Krys Barch, Rich Clune and Zenon Konopka are without NHL jobs. All three finished in the Top 10 in fighting majors last season. In Toronto, the Leafs waived enforcers Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren in October and assigned both to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Orr, 32, has 116 career NHL fighting majors and 12 goals in 231 games. McLaren, meanwhile, fought 21 times in 62 games. Due to injuries and the AHL veteran rule, which limits the number of players who have played over 260 professional games, Orr and McLaren have 12 combined AHL appearances this season. Add to that the fact that both players are currently on expiring contracts, and their future in the game is in serious jeopardy.
“When you look at the number of fights and the kind of guys that are looked to do that, numbers are down dramatically. That’s just the way the game has evolved and everyone kind of adjusts accordingly,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. “There’s definitely been some change. I think teams just want to make sure that if fighting is down … they might need something else.”
Renowned heavyweight George Parros announced his retirement in early December after he failed to catch on with a club. At 6-foot-5, 205-pounds, Parros was one of the toughest players of his time, but also the definition of a one-dimensional player. In 474 NHL games over nine seasons, he scored 18 goals and collected 158 fighting majors.
Parros, who was an economics major at Princeton, missed a month during his final NHL season when he suffered a concussion while falling face-first to the ice at the end of a bout with Orr.
“I’ve had a long career, and to stretch it out and go down to the minors, and kind of take that step backwards, I wasn’t prepared to do that, especially with young kids,” Parros told Yahoo! Sports after his retirement. “I’d rather just kind of get on with the rest of my life. I feel like I’ve got a future in hockey, and I’m excited to start that chapter and turn that page”
* * *
While the number of fights per game is also on the decline, the type of player who fights is also changing. Instead of one player carrying the load as a fighter, teams have spread the responsibilities.
The Boston Bruins call themselves team-tough following the departures of Shawn Thornton and Johnny Boychuk. While the team lost a good deal of toughness, head coach Claude Julien said the team would not be bullied.
“We go out there and play the game and if it’s needed, it’s needed, but you’ve got to realize that we’ve lost a lot of those guys that were doing it before whether it’s the Thorntons and so on and so forth,” Julien said. “I think it’s just a matter of just playing the game. I can tell you one thing, if the opportunity happens, for whatever reason, we’re not going to back down from that stuff and that’s the way the game should be played.”
Bruins forward Milan Lucic, 26, is one of the game’s toughest players. He had 52 career fighting majors entering this season. Lucic, who carries a permanent scowl, is in his eighth season. Despite racking up more than 700 penalty minutes, he has the skill to log heavy minutes for the Bruins and in his career has scored 126 goals and 312 points in 514 games.
“I think that’s what’s gotten me to this point in my career is that I’ve been able to play the game, as well, and play a big role on the team,” said Lucic. “I think that’s the most important part, obviously you want to still continue that part of the game. Being a guy that’s helping the team win and contributing to their success is, I think, the most important thing.”
Lucic recognizes the game has changed since he entered the league during the 2007-08 season. In his rookie campaign he had 13 fighting majors – his highest single-season total to date.
“When you look at a lineup now … it’s not like what it used to be,” he said. “It is going in a bit of a different direction, but I still think that fighting has a place in the game because it allows the players to police themselves. It’s in the back of guys’ minds, if you’re going to cheap shot a guy, that there can still be consequence to that. I think that’s a good thing to have.”
Milan Lucic (Getty Images)
Bissonnette, not surprisingly, doesn’t believe the team-tough concept is ideal.
“You’ve seen it so far this year especially with people getting under (Lucic’s) skin,” Bissonnette said. “Where before maybe Shawn Thornton would deal with that for him, he wouldn’t have to worry about that, he could just focus on playing. Now, he’s got to kind of worry about protecting the guys as well as doing the rest of it.”
Even enforcers who still have NHL jobs are finding it hard to get on the ice.
Vancouver Canucks winger Tom Sestito led the league with 19 fighting majors last season. He missed the first 10 games of the season as a healthy scratch, played in two games before being sidelined for 14 due to injury. Following a conditioning assignment in the AHL, he’s looking for his first game since Nov.2. In his absence Derek Dorsett has turned into a nice surprise.
Dorsett was 16th in the league with 10 fighting majors last season. He already has six this season but has four goals and 10 points in 27 games. He has surpassed the eight points he had in 51 games with the Rangers last season and is on pace to pass his career-best 12-goal, 20-point campaign he put together during the 2011-12 season while with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 27-year-old has seen a change in the enforcer role since he broke into the league with 12 fighting majors during the 2008-09 season.
“The game is changing. You don’t see as many staged fights and you don’t see many guys where (fighting) is just their role on the team,” he said. “Obviously, you’ve got to pick your spots, especially now the way things have evolved and the way penalties are being called and whatnot. You’ve always got to make sure you do it at the right times and you don’t want to put your team down.
“It’s a little bit more strategic now than when I first broke into the league.”
* * *
Originally a fourth-round selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003, Bissonnette bristles at the suggestion that he’s only good for fighting.
“I don’t think I’m one-dimensional. I believe I can play,” he said. “Last year my statistics weren’t horrible and I played at a high level most of my life, but saying that, I always knew I was a borderline guy.”
Bissonnette’s tryout contract allows him to play a maximum of 25 games. The minimum salary in the AHL is slightly more than $42,000, which is less than one-tenth of the NHL minimum of $550,000. He made $725,000 last season and has career earnings of more than $5 million, according to CapGeek.
His goal is to earn a contract for the season at the AHL level and try and work his way back to the NHL, but, if it doesn’t work out, he’s just as happy to return to Cardiff.
“Could I have signed a deal in the East Coast Hockey League? I’m sure, somewhere,” he said. “I’d rather go over (to Cardiff), play half the games and (go) to a place where I really enjoy myself. I love the game of hockey and I love trying to get better, but the last time I remember having fun playing hockey … it’s been a while.”
“'I always knew I was a borderline guy,' says Paul Bissonnette”
He had six goals and 19 points in 10 games while playing overseas in 2012-13.
Bissonnette admits while in North America, he’s playing just to not make mistakes.
“It’s a stressful job where you’re getting yelled at a lot. The money is great, there’s no denying that, but in Cardiff, if I made a mistake, I got to play the next shift and go out there,” he said. “That’s when hockey is fun. For me, a guy who is a fourth line guy, you’re basically playing not to make a mistake. I was playing 5-6 minutes a game in Phoenix. I loved my teammates, I loved playing hockey, and I loved my coaches, too, but that was my role. When you’re going out there playing just to … make sure you don’t get scored on and playing not to make mistakes, it’s not really fun.”
Many of Bissonnette’s colleagues are already looking for work after hockey. He said he was approached to do some television work while waiting for a contract this season.
“I got some phone calls on maybe doing some media, on the hockey side of things, but I don’t know if I want to be bashing guys on television who I played with or against, who were better than me,” said Bissonnette. “I don’t know if that’s me. I was really close with the guys that I played with; I don’t want to be on (television) critiquing their game.
“I don’t really want to walk that fine line of being a sellout.”
If the AHL route doesn’t work out for Bissonnette this season, it appears he’ll head back overseas. He’s not ready to give up hockey.
“It’s hard when you’ve invested your whole life into one thing. I didn’t go to school so I don’t have an education to fall back on,” he said. “Do I think the connections I’ve made and me being a people person has helped me? Of course.
“But saying that, it’s a short life, you want to do something that you’re passionate about. Other than hockey, I don’t really know what that is right now.”Casey Harper
The Daily Caller News Foundation analyzed 195 cases where gun owners used their firearms to successfully defend themselves from criminals, and we found a surprising number of kids defended themselves by pulling the trigger.
In light of President Barack Obama’s executive action on gun control Tuesday, TheDCNF looked at incidents in a period between July 2014 and July 2015. From our analysis, we’ve compiled five of the most incredible times kids protected themselves and their families from criminals by pulling out a gun.
1: A 17-year-old girl was home with her mother in Vicksburg, Miss. when a gunman broke into their home around 5 a.m. The intruder held the women at gunpoint, tied them up, and robbed them. When the robber left the room, the women untied themselves and the 17-year-old ran for a gun they had in the house and shot at the intruder. The criminal exchanged gunfire with the girl. Finally, the intruder fled and no one was harmed.
“It will be a long time before we don’t think about it constantly,” the girl’s mother told MSNewsNow.
2: A 14-year-old boy in North Carolina protected himself and his grandmother when an intruder broke into their home in December 2014. The boy’s father had been killed in 2008 by a robbery homicide, but when a man tried to break into the house this time, the boy grabbed his grandparents’ shotgun and fatally shot the home invader three times.
“I said who is it and he wouldn’t stop,” the teen can be heard saying on the 9-1-1 call. ““He broke my grandma’s window so I shot three times.”
The house had been robbed twice in the previous month.
“What would have happened if he wasn’t there?” the boy’s grandmother told WBTV.
3: An 11-year-old girl in Lapeer County, Mich. was home alone in January of last year when two intruders broke into her home. The girl hid in the closet and took her shotgun with her, MLive reports. When the criminals opened the closet door, all she had to do was point the shotgun straight ahead. The suspects fled and the girl was unharmed. Police arrested a man and a woman later that day.
“I pointed it in his face and they ran off as soon as I did,” the girl told WEYI.
4: A 15-year-old boy in Butler County, Ohio used his firearm to help stop a criminal on the loose in October 2014. Police had arrested a burglar, but the criminal escaped and broke into the house of the 15-year-old boy, who was home alone. The boy noticed the intruder had a knife on him, but he grabbed a gun, pointed it at the criminal, and ordered him to leave. The man fled only to caught by police just outside the home.
“I feel pretty good about it that I could have saved other people’s houses and their property,” the teen told 14News.
5: In September 2014, an 11-year-old Oklahoma girl awoke around 4 a.m. to find that a man had broken into her home and stabbed her mother. The girl grabbed a handgun and shot the man twice, saving her mother’s life. The mother said she had just taught the daughter how to use the gun for self-defense the week before.
She “did the right thing, I don’t care what anybody says,” the girl’s neighbor told NewsOK. “She saved her mother and her brothers and sisters.”
These cases are just a few of many Americans using guns to save themselves. Other similar examples and an interactive graphic are available here.
Send tips to casey@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Follow Casey on Twitter and like him on Facebook.
Copyright 2016 Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is criticizing the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after he said it was flooded with fake public comments on net neutrality and did nothing about it.
Schneiderman said an investigation shows hundreds of thousands of fake comments that were against net neutrality were sent to the FCC. Another data scientist said the number could actually be more than a million.
READ MORE: What is net neutrality and why should Canadians care?
This comes in the wake of the FCC’s decision on Tuesday to dismantle net neutrality rules in the U.S., which equalized access to the internet and prevented broadband providers from favouring their own apps and services.
In an open letter to the FCC, Schneiderman said the agency has not provided him with “critical” information for the investigation his office is conducting.
My office analyzed the public comments submitted to the @FCC about #netneutrality—and found that 100,000s of Americans were likely impersonated to drown out the views of real people and businesses. This was akin to identity theft on a massive scale: https://t.co/xxFjSgoqVP — Eric Schneiderman (@AGSchneiderman) November 21, 2017
In May 2017, his office analyzed fake comments sent to the FCC’s that were in favour of getting rid of net neutrality. He said during the investigation he also found hundreds of thousands of Americans may have had their identities stolen for this spam campaign.
In June 2017, he contacted the FCC to request certain records related to the comment system. He said his office made the request for logs and other records at least nine times over a span of five months.
WATCH: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will defend net neutrality
“Yet we have received no substantive response to our investigative requests. None,” he wrote.
“Such conduct likely violates state law — yet the FCC has refused multiple requests for crucial evidence in its sole possession that is vital to permit that law enforcement investigation to proceed.”
‘Something fishy going on’
While Schneiderman said there could have been hundreds of thousands of fake comments sent to the FCC about repealing net neutrality, one data scientist said it could actually be more than a million.
READ MORE: U.S. plans to scrap Obama-era net neutrality rules
Jeff Kao, a software engineer from San Francisco, built a system that analyzed millions of comments submitted to the FCC on the subject. Kao also worked as a summer intern for the FCC in 2010.
He posted the findings Thursday on Medium and said around 1.3 million of the comments sent to the FCC could have been fake — based on the text.
To find this, Kao broke down more than 22-million comments to see which ones were duplicates or unique.
WATCH: Editor-in-chief of Wired explains the importance of net neutrality
“I found that less than 800,000 of the 22-million comments submitted to the FCC could be considered truly unique,” he said.
He said 1.3-million comments had similar words, such as “Washington bureaucrats”, “unprecedented regulatory power” and “Obama Administration imposed.”
This is because each sentence in the faked comments looks like it was generated by a computer program, he said.
“They were like Mad Lib comments,” Kao said.
And in order to change the vocabulary, he said a mail merge swapped in a synonym for each term to generate unique-sounding comments.
“When laying just five of these side-by-side with highlighting, as above, it’s clear that there’s something fishy going on,” he said.
READ MORE: In an era of fake news, Snopes says it could shut down, but there’s more to the story
“But when the comments are scattered among 22 million, often with vastly different wordings between comment pairs, I can see how it’s hard to catch. Semantic clustering techniques, and not typical string-matching techniques, did a great job at nabbing these.”
Out of the 800,000 comments that did not seem to be duplicated, he looked at a random sample of 1,000. He was only able to find three comments that “were clearly pro-repeal of net neutrality.”
Kao said the concept of using fake comments to distort statistics is nothing new. But there are precautions a company can take to avoid them, and the FCC hasn’t done that, he said.This morning, Mattel announced a partnership with Google to upgrade the classic toy View-Master, which was first introduced at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. The new and improved View-Master viewer will run on the Google Cardboard platform, with special virtual reality and augmented reality content created for kids and families. The team says it will work with any phone and on any operating system. The device was made to accommodate the larger devices currently on the market (like iPhone 6+ and Nexus 7), and adjustments will center and fit smaller smartphones.
Notably different from Cardboard, though, is the materials. One might imagine a plastic casing could keep your smartphone safer from grubby little hands than cardboard would.
The VR View-Master itself was not a working prototype, but we got to try out the experience using Google Cardboard. The magnetic switch on the side of the headset did harken back to View-Masters of yore, but what you see was quite different. The reel (which in the old version would slip insider the viewer) sat on the table. Wearing the viewer, we looked at the reel and it launched us into San Francisco. We saw Fisherman's Wharf, which looked much warmer than New York is today. We didn't really want to leave, but next up was a CGI dinosaur world, where we waved "hi" to a stegosaurus and learned a little about it with a handy text popup. And finally, we looked around the moon's surface and saw an archival image of the actual moon landing.
Other experiences will be downloadable through the app, but exclusive content will live on the augmented reality reels. Like Cardboard, the View-Master is made for short bursts of VR and AR experiences: There's no head strap, so hopefully it will be easier to tear it from your child's hands when they need to go outside and experience the real world for a while.
The new View-Master will cost $30 for the viewer and one reel, and additional reels will be sold in packs of four for $15. They're aiming to release it in October.Jonny Howson put Norwich ahead with his third goal of the season
Norwich lifted themselves away from the Premier League relegation zone with a nervy win that leaves rock-bottom Aston Villa further adrift of safety.
In a game devoid of quality, Jonny Howson's crisp strike at the far post separated the sides for over an hour.
Villa rarely looked like scoring, with Jordan Ayew heading their best chance straight at home keeper Declan Rudd.
Norwich ensured they moved three points clear of the bottom three when Dieumerci Mbokani powerfully headed in.
Ayew's 20-yard free-kick stretched Rudd in injury time, but Villa did not do enough to avoid falling 11 points from safety with 19 games remaining.
Relive Norwich's win against Aston Villa
Follow the post-match reaction, plus Man Utd v Chelsea, here
Relieved Canaries ease pressure
Norwich's sense of relief was palpable when Mbokani sealed victory in a match that Canaries manager Alex Neil had described as a "must win".
The Canaries had only won one of their previous six matches - the shock 2-1 success at Manchester United - and started the afternoon just a point above the relegation zone.
It was far from a fluent attacking performance by Neil's side, who only managed four shots on target throughout.
But they showed steel and patience to end Villa's resistance.
Neil will also be pleased at his side's defensive organisation, albeit against a toothless Villa team, as they kept only a second clean sheet of the season.
Jonny Howson's finish for Norwich's opening goal was the one moment of real quality. Neat build-up play involving Wes Hoolahan (14) and Nathan Redmond (22) teed up the former Leeds midfielder
Any encouragement for Villa?
In short, no. The Birmingham club, who have not been out of the top flight since 1988, rarely looked like ending a club-record run of 17 matches without a league win.
Villa went into the game on the back of successive draws against Newcastle and West Ham United, but realistically needed all three points against Norwich, who occupied 17th place at kick-off, to begin bridging an already formidable gap.
Media playback is not supported on this device Norwich deserved win - Villa boss Garde
Despite showing some early signs of promise, the Premier League's lowest scorers mustered only three shots on target - they have scored 15 goals in 18 top-flight matches this season, with Jordan Ayew contributing a third of that total.
And had the Ghana international directed his 16th-minute header either side of Rudd - after finding space inside the home penalty area - the game would have had a different look.
However, Villa rarely looked like rescuing even a point once Howson met Nathan Redmond's clipped cross for the opener.
Even manager Remi Garde, who has not won in eight attempts since replacing Tim Sherwood, admitted afterwards his team did not deserve to leave with a point.
Neither Norwich (left) nor Villa (right) offered much threat in the opposing penalty area, as illustrated by the teams' respective heatmaps
Man of the match - Dieumerci Mbokani
Norwich striker Dieumerci Mbokani impressed in a physical battle with Villa defender Ciaran Clark, capping his performance with a goal. The DR Congo international received a standing ovation from the Norwich fans when he was replaced moments after scoring.
Manager reaction
Norwich manager Alex Neil: "I think getting the three points is the priority, but it was great to back that up with a clean sheet.
"Once we got the first goal, we settled down and it allowed us to be compact and try to catch Villa on the counter attack. Thankfully we got a second goal, which killed the game off.
Media playback is not supported on this device Neil praises 'cool' Norwich players
"I am delighted for the players - they have worked extremely hard this year. We know we could have done better in the 19 games, so hopefully we will do better in the next 19. If we can do that, we will be fine."
Aston Villa boss Remi Garde: "I would like to say we deserved a point but at the end I think Norwich deserved the win. Nothing more to say.
"We did not play as well as we did in the last two games. We tried to do our best, of course, but did not create many chances. If you don't score in a game, you don't deserve to win.
"I will be the last man not to believe we can still win games. It is my |
on Tuesday where he doubled down on his belief that there were bad actors on "both sides " of the protests, Gillespie sent out another tweet condemning white supremacists, but did not mention Trump.
Gillespie was scheduled to hold a fundraiser with Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday, but the Vice President abruptly pulled out of the event in order to provide flexibility in his schedule in case the President needs his help after a high-level meeting that will take place Friday at Camp David.
But as to the core issue that led to the violence in Charlottesville, Gillespie's position has not changed. His previously stated stance is that he personally thinks the monuments should stay in place, but believes it is the responsibility of the localities to make those decisions. On Wednesday, he released a lengthy essay on his position on his campaign website. He offered several qualifiers to explain where he stands, but ultimately concludes that the monuments are a necessary tool to explain Virginia's role in history.
"There is a balance that can be struck here, one that recognizes the outsized role Virginia has played in our history while acknowledging that we have not always been on its right side," Gillespie wrote. "Rather than glorifying their objects, the statues should be instructional."
Where do Democrats stand
Gillespie's position is not dissimilar to prominent Democratic politicians in Virginia.
There may be no greater example of the impact of Confederate heritage on the landscape of a city than in the Commonwealth's capital and the former capital of the Confederacy, Richmond. Richmond's historic Monument Avenue is lined with grand statues honoring the likes of Lee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and General Stonewall Jackson. And while Democratic politicians have controlled city government in Richmond for a generation there has been no significant movement to remove or alter the displays.
Richmond's current Democratic Mayor LeVar Stoney is African American. Stoney has called the monuments "very offensive," but at one point declared that he does not believe the monuments should come down. He originally pushed for the displays to include some context as to the impact these confederate figures had on Virginia and the United States.
"It is about telling the complete truth," Stoney said recently at a groundbreaking for the new American Civil War Museum in Richmond. "I don't think removal of symbols does anything for telling the actual truth or changes the state and culture of racism in this country today."
Stoney has formed a commission to study the issue and offer proposals to highlight the historical context of these figures and that original position was often by cited by Gillespie as an example of local control over the monuments.
But Wednesday, Stoney reversed course. He plans to continue the work of the commission, but now personally is advocating for their complete removal. Removing the political cover his position provided Gillespie.
"These monuments should be part of our dark past and not of our bright future," he said. "I personally believe they are offensive and need to be removed."
The Democratic nominee Ralph Northam also believes that the control over Confederate monuments should be left to localities, but unlike Gillespie he personally supports their removal.
"If there are statues that are divisive and you know breed hatred and bigotry then they need to be in museums," Northam said. "That's a decision that would need to be made at the local level."
Virginia's Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, vetoed a measure in 2016 that would've prevented localities from deciding the future of monuments or war memorials erected before 1998. In his veto message McAuliffe said that he is in favor of the "constructive dialogue" regarding the monuments, but also said that his administration "strongly supports historic preservation efforts, including the preservation of war memorials and monuments." McAuliffe also announced on Wednesday that he is personally advocating for the removal of Confederate monuments in Virginia.
The veto was held up, but the bill itself initially pass the House of Delegates by an 86-16 margin which included several Democrats supporting the legislation.
Northam has said he also would've vetoed the legislation, while Gillespie has yet to give his position.
The Lee-Jackson Holiday
While Northam and Gillespie both are effectively punting on the decision over the future of Confederate monuments there is one glaring example of Confederate homage they both would have a level of control over if they are elected: The State's controversial Lee-Jackson Holiday.
It is an official State Holiday created in the late 1800's. In 1983 the state merged the holiday to coincide with the Federal Holiday honoring Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 2000, the holiday was split. Lee-Jackson Day is now celebrated on the Friday before MLK Day meaning State Government is shut down for a long four-day weekend.
Northam supports getting rid of the holiday, while Gillespie at this point refuses to take a stance.
"We are mourning the murder or deaths of three of our fellow Virginians, Heather Heyer, Lt. Jay Cullen and Trooper Berke Bates, and celebrating their lives." Gillespie said in a statement to CNN. "We understand the media's constant demand for content, but there will be ample time for policy decisions and pronouncements over the next three months."
Gillespie said he would not comment on his policy positions through Saturday to give the families time to grieve.
And as this issue moves forward, nuance may be a key for Republicans and Democrats. The potential for more rallies and violence exists and the support for Confederate symbols remains a divisive issue, with strong support on both sides. Richmond City leaders were bracing for a similar rally in support of Confederate Monuments in mid-September but Stoney announced Tuesday morning that the group organizing the rally had pulled their permit request.
But what will never go away is Virginia's deep and unbreakable connection to a difficult time in American history. A connection that exists more than 150 years after the last shot in the Civil War was fired. It is something the current candidates for governor will now be forced to directly confront.Google today announced it plans to eventually serve automatic updates to Android’s WebView just like it does for its Chrome browser. The latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android 4.4 KitKat, has a Chromium-powered WebView component, bringing the same rendering engine and software stack that powers Chrome to Android app developers.
Google today answered the question “Do we plan to auto-update Android’s Chrome-based WebView?” by essentially saying the company is working on exactly such a plan. Here’s the full statement, worth quoting in full:
Evergreen browsers (like Chrome and Firefox) auto-update and keep their users up to date so they can view the web through a modern feature set. As a developer, this ensures your choices aren’t limited to a lowest-common denominator browser from years ago, but rather are keeping pace with the modern web. Your apps inside a WebView are just as important and deserve a runtime that keeps users up to date. There are large engineering and logistical challenges, but we’re not quite there yet and are working on it.
Google first revealed the Chromium-based WebView with the release of Android 4.4 KitKat late last month. It means Android developers can build apps (Google specifically named games, social networks, news and blog readers, in-app ads, and even complete web browsers) that leverage many of the features found in the Chromium (and Chrome) desktop browser.
For those who don’t know, Chromium is the open source Web browser project that shares much of the same code as Google Chrome, while Android’s WebView is used for embedding a web page in an app. If Google manages to update WebView as regularly as it does Chrome, or even half as often, developers will have access to an excellent platform for building apps that use the latest and greatest the Web has to offer.
See also – KitKat’s WebView is powered by Chromium, enabling Android app developers to use new HTML5 and CSS features
Top Image Credit: Kimihiro Hoshino/Getty Images
Read next: CyanogenMod publishes its one-click installer app on Google Play, launches PC companion app to bootWe're sat opposite Palmer Luckey, 21-year-old inventor of the Oculus Rift. There's so much we want to ask him but right now he's too busy explaining his plans to build the ultimate Pokemon team.
"Charizard's actually competitive again now that you have mega Charizard Y because his ability brings the sun out, so he's a great sweeper."
Seeing him geek out with so much passion, we've never been more glad that this is the person who controls the fate of Oculus Rift.
Why did he do it? Because he could. Because the technology for a proper virtual reality headset was finally ready. But perhaps most importantly, because he believed it was time for a shake up. "What people have available to them on the market in terms of game consoles and other platforms, I don't think it's exciting to them." Luckey tells it how it is.
Meet Palmer Luckey: the 21 year-old with one big vision
You probably know the Oculus Rift story by now. The prototype hardware available to developers is still in its early stages but a commercial release is nearing. Until then, the team have their hands busy with a lot of tweaking and prodding left to do.
"We're working on higher resolution, positional tracking so we can track full movement through space, reducing motion blur, latency - all those issues that really can take you out of the experience sometimes, so the rift is as invisible as possible," says Luckey.
Research in motion
Solving motion sickness has perhaps been the biggest hurdle for Oculus to overcome, but Luckey assures us that the team have made huge strides in solving this.
"We already have internal prototypes that for some content completely eliminate motion sickness," he says. "Our newer hardware is much better and it greatly reduces the chances of someone getting motion sick."
However, experiencing a little uneasiness during simulated high speed motion should come as a surprise to no one. "The run speed in Unreal Tournament 3 is something like 30 miles an hour," says Luckey. "And instant acceleration backward 40 miles an hour... the human body does not handle it well.
"So a lot of this work that has to be done to make games work in VR is really making games that won't make people sick in reality while still keeping the limitations of VR in mind."
He also says it's something we'll get used to, given time. "Currently it's something that most people do adapt to after spending time with it their brain learns to handle it. Most people don't get motion sick after they learn to accommodate."
The Unity demo can be nauseating beautiful
We'll be seeing the finished product in "months, not years", he reassures us when we raise our concern that the current Q3 2014 target might be too optimistic.
Perhaps we're wrong to have any doubts - with John Carmack now on board as Chief Technology Officer, the Rift is only picking up momentum. "He's super smart, he's working on everything," Luckey tells us.
"Carmack is more of an engineer than a game designer. We have people on the team who are game designers and who have come from that background. His game design background is not the thing that's being applied the most in Oculus right now, it's his incredible programming talent and understanding of how to integrate hardware with software effectively."
Setting sights on next gen
The mastermind behind Doom might be hopping into bed with the Rift but neither Sony or Microsoft seem particularly interested in Oculus right now (though that doesn't mean they're not pursuing their own VR solutions). Is Luckey planning to get cosy with either the Xbox One or PS4?
"Consoles are too limited for what we want to do," he says. "We're trying to make the best virtual reality device in the world and we want to continue to innovate and upgrade every year - continue making progress internally - and whenever we make big jumps we want to push that to the public."Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Buried in the Harper government's latest massive, omnibus budget bill is legislation that could restrict the ability of refugee claimants to access social assistance.
The move follows the government's decision to limit refugee claimants' access to universal, public health care.
That measure was struck down by Federal Court Judge Anne Mactavish, who said it constitutes "cruel and unusual" treatment, puts lives at risk and "outrages Canadian standards of decency."
The government is currently appealing that ruling.
On social assistance, the government has essentially adopted as its own a private member's bill introduced last month by Conservative backbencher Corneliu Chisu.
It is proposing to amend the legislation governing federal transfer payments to provinces for social programs. That legislation currently forbids provinces from imposing a minimum residency requirement before a refugee claimant can become eligible for social assistance.
The budget implementation bill would lift the prohibition on minimum residency, which was intended to ensure a national standard for supporting refugee claimants in need.
The 458-page bill includes a host of measures unrelated to the budget, including broadening the scope of the national DNA bank, tightening rules for the temporary foreign workers program and creation of the long-promised Arctic research station.
It was tabled Thursday -- while the attention of virtually the entire nation was focused on the wild shootout that had occurred a day earlier in Parliament's Centre Block.
A spokesman for Finance Minister Joe Oliver said it had always been the government's intention to table the bill on Thursday, in hopes that it will be passed by the time Parliament takes its Christmas break.
Although he did not take issue with the timing, New Democrat MP Craig Scott said the government uses omnibus bills precisely to avoid scrutiny of controversial provisions like the refugee social assistance cuts.
Scott called the social assistance and health care cuts "a one-two punch," aimed at discouraging vulnerable, desperate people from finding their way to Canada and claiming refugee status, even though many claimants turn out to be genuine refugees.
"It suggests to me that they are pursuing the Fortress Canada approach to refugees to the nth degree," said Scott, adding that the NDP will press the government to split the refugee provision from the budget bill.
"We want this pulled, simply because it's frankly so offensive that they can't justify the substance, let alone how they're doing it."
A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Alexander defended the notion of restricting refugees' access to social assistance in essentially the same language the government used to justify limiting their access to health care.
"Canada has the most fair and generous immigration system in the world," said Kevin Menard. "However, Canadians have no tolerance for those who take unfair advantage of our generosity."
Menard added that allowing provinces to impose minimum residency requirements would build on the savings already racked up as a result of reforms to the refugee asylum system, which he pegged at $1.6 billion over five years.
Deputy Liberal leader Ralph Goodale called the government's latest move on refugees the product of a "nasty, vindictive and irresponsible" ideology.
He too blasted the government's repeat use of omnibus bills as a "subversion" of Parliament, which was invented centuries ago precisely to give commoners control over their government's purse strings.
"It makes a farce out of parliamentary control over the finances of the country," Goodale said in an interview.
The latest bill includes legislation to implement previously announced measures to tighten the Temporary Foreign Workers program and to reduce Employment Insurance premiums for small business owners.
Goodale said both measures have already proved ineffective and should be scrutinized separately, not crammed into an omnibus bill.Jiro Ono is a Shokunin.
Shokunin is often translated as "Artisan" or "Craftsman". Which while not incorrect, is certainly incomplete.
A shokunin may at first glance seem like a workaholic. And perhaps some workaholics are actually shokunin, but not being Japanese, do not have the privilege to be named as one. (Interestingly, the Japanese also have a term "Karoshi" which means "death from overwork".)
But a shokunin is more than just a workaholic. It is not simply work, it is art, it is a calling, it is the pursuit of perfection, it is the continuous journey to understanding, achievement, and fulfilment of the full potential and purpose of the work.
One Japanese suggested that the shokunin pursues his craft for the benefit of society. His view may be culturally biased. Another (non-Japanese) disagreed and suggested that the shokunin is centred on his achievement, his skills, his development, and his attainment of perfection. This is a rather idio-centric view and explanation of a shokunin's mindset.
My view is that a shokunin is not simply a workaholic. A workaholic (like an alcoholic or any other kind of addict) is either compensating for some defect or lack in his/her life, escaping from life, or both. A shokunin is attempting to achieve perfection. Not for others. Not for himself. But perfection is its own goal.
"Jiro Dreams of Sushi" is about one man's pursuit of perfection in sushi. It is both a very narrow focus, and an impossible subject for a movie, but succeeds anyway.Dallas' emerging ramen scene is about to welcome a big-deal newcomer. Monta Ramen, one of the top ramen joints in Las Vegas, is coming to Texas, with a branch opening in Richardson, on Coit Road just south of Arapaho.
Monta comes from restaurateur Takashi Segawa, who has a growing empire of restaurants that includes highly regarded Las Vegas sushi restaurant Kabuto.
Monta has two locations in Las Vegas, including the original in the city's Chinatown district that opened in 2010. One publication credits it with setting ramen on fire in Las Vegas; another called it "some of the best ramen outside Tokyo."
Monta serves "Kurume-style" ramen, with large planks of pork, broth made from pork bones and soy sauce imported from Japan. The menu is small, with the archetypal tonkotsu ramen with pork in a milky broth, plus a few alternatives such as shoyu ramen (with a clear, soy-based broth) and miso ramen (in which miso is added to the tonkotsu).
A bowl runs $6.95 to $7.25. Other menu options are limited to dumplings and fried rice.
Once open, it will join a small, newly-gathering group of restaurants in Dallas offering ramen that includes Tanoshii in Deep Ellum and Tei An at One Arts Plaza.
Segawa, who also owns an all-you-can-eat sushi chain called Sushi-Mon, was unavailable for comment. But a manager at the Las Vegas branch confirmed that Dallas would be the first Monta outpost in Texas, and that a remodel was underway. The decor at the Las Vegas outlets includes lots of pale woods, including a large irregularly shaped bar formed out of a slab of wood.
"We're hoping to be open this summer," she said.
That space has seen a string of short-term failed tenants in the past few years, from Kel's Kitchen to a deli called Stuie's to a healthy-food restaurant called Vitality House to something called H & D BBQ & Grill to the most recent tenant, a Chinese place called Lin Express that was locked out for nonpayment of rent.
A spokesman for the shopping center said that the space fit Monta's requirements to a T, and that the company was looking to open other branches in the area down the road.Once upon a time, the NBA was a judgment-free place. There was no talk of advanced metrics, defensive win shares, or PER. The scoring leaders jacked up contested off the dribble shots, and a good game was when they shot 40%. This era was the post-MJ, pre-LeBron/Durant NBA, where there existed a vacuum at the top of the scoring charts, and a new breed of superstar existed: the underdog. While athletic freaks like Kobe and Vince Carter were certainly appreciated, players who dominated with toothpick arms and crippling crossovers were heralded as gods. The two poster children of this era have to be Tracy McGrady, and Allen Iverson, who both announced their retirements recently. T-Mac, who always battled injuries and playoff failure, was a prolific scorer who simply never could get out of the first round. Allen, on the other hand, was an embodiment of rebellion against the establishment, single-handedly changing the way the NBA looked at everything from the role of the point guard to dress codes. However, what is sad to see about these two legends is how they have fallen out of grace in the last couple of years.
Tracy, who once averaged over 24.4 PPG for a seven year span, stalled his career with unsuccessful stints in New York, Detroit, and Atlanta before heading to China to play as he once had- a volume scorer. He shot nearly 50% with the Qingdao Eagles, averaging 25-7-5, but even in a weaker league, his individual success did not bode well for his team, who finished 8 and 24 – last in the CBA. He came back to the Spurs for the playoffs, playing in 6 games and creating a cult following of fans who wanted T-Mac to finally make it out of the first round. Although he did, technically, the legend only played in 6 games, and the team fell short of their ultimate goal of the championship. It hurts to see a player who obviously still did have scoring talent ride the bench, unable to change his own legacy. That legacy, in the end, will be one of volume scoring, inexplicable failure, and an eventual disappointment to bring his team past the first round.
AI, listed at 6 foot and 165 (and definitely less), led the league in scoring for 4 years, and is second all time in scoring average in the playoffs. However, he also fell from grace in the last few years, making marginal contributions to the Pistons, 76ers, and Grizzlies before moving on to play in Turkey. He has insisted since he left the league in 2010 that he can still make contributions to the right team, and would consider coming off the bench at this late point in his career. However, it seems unlikely now that he gets that opportunity.
Although these two greats have fallen from their once immense stature at the top of the game, they should never be forgotten. Although their statistics will be under appreciated because of their gaudy FGAs and lack of team success, these two players were great because they made us as fans realize that you didn’t have to be perfect to play in the NBA. Allen had as much heart as anyone, and was a relentless attacker of the basket despite his diminutive frame. T-mac was as smooth of a player as you’ll ever see, always calm and collected- although some may say that he was not clutch because of his lack of playoff successes. Let’s remember these two legends for the joy they brought to the games, and astonishment every time they pulled off the impossible: When AI hit the game winner against the prior undefeated in the playoffs Lakers, stepping over his victim as he sauntered down the court in victory; when T-Mac scored 13 points in 35 seconds, forever shunning the fans who had given up on the team and him. We should remember these players as the ones who surprised and amazed us with their scoring, no matter how unlikely it seemed- not for the ungraceful exits that they have left us with. They simply wanted a chance to keep playing the sport they loved at a high level. They just held on a little bit too long.Teaching high school math for 17 years finally caught up with Donald Wood. Yesterday, the Tennessee teacher lost his mind during class and started throwing chairs and desks across the room. Wood was cuffed and removed from school grounds.
The incident at McGavock High School was recorded by a student using a cell phone. At first it seems like a joke, but then he starts throwing things, yelling and the guy basically loses his mind. Wood tells everyone to shut up, goes on a rant about his "absolute power," and claims he started a fire in the school. It's pretty sad. According to local News Channel 5:
Witnesses said Wood shouted profanities and resource officers and students in the hall as he was escorted out. School officials said Wood suffered from an apparent nervous breakdown.
The quality is terrible, but here's the cell phone video shot by a student:Normally, we lament the loss of a baby by saying things like, "It's so unfair that he never had the chance to accomplish anything or live a meaningful human life." Not so in this case. For while Charlie was obviously deprived of the opportunity to fully experience life – and I mean deprived by his illness, not just by a ghoulish British health care system – his brief time on this Earth has done tremendous good for all of us.
Charlie, with the help of his heroic parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, has brought the true nature of socialized medicine, and of progressive government in general, to the attention of the world, in the clearest and most emotionally straightforward way.
At its base, the meaning of this case, having been played out so bluntly and loudly in the British and European courts, in the British Parliament, and through the international news media, could not be made any clearer to anyone who wishes to see: the socialist State owns the individual human being and may dispose of his life whenever it sees fit. There is nothing anyone – not parents, not popes, not presidents, not thousands of generous donors – can do to override the decision of the State to forcibly shorten the life of a baby who the State's medical slaves have decided is no longer "viable" or worth the government's effort or expense.
Socialized medicine is, in principle and by intention, State ownership of life – the official, legal elimination of individual liberty – which is why all communist, socialist, and fascist theorists have regarded it as an essential apparatus of any good progressive tyranny. This is not new or shocking information to anyone who examines the history of progressivism or the statements and plans of its leaders. The Charlie Gard case merely brought the fact and its full implications into bold relief, a supremely valuable service in a time when, thanks to the ubiquity of progressive education and a complicit media and entertainment industry, the true bloodthirsty essence of "progress" has been obscured and prettified with social justice pap about "caring" and "compassion."
Kidnapping is not caring. Slavery is not compassion. Stealing sick babies from their parents' arms and killing them at will, without the parents having any say in the matter, or even being allowed to take the babies home to die, is a criminal enterprise, and it violates everything modern civilization ever stood for.
If you can't understand that, it's too late for you. If you are thinking through these matters deeply for the first time, then you can thank a tiny baby, Charlie Gard, and his magnificent and courageous parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, for setting you on the path to spiritual freedom.
God bless all three of them.
Daren Jonescu writes about politics, philosophy, education, and the decline of civilization at http://darenjonescu.com.Thanks to Toys ‘R’ Us and Target, you can get black friday pricing (and even cheaper!) on Skylanders SuperChargers Start Packs!
TOYS ‘R’ US
Toys ‘R’ Us is selling all new Starter Packs for $39.99, plus you get a free figure with your purchase!
This deal is valid Friday and Saturday only.
Remember if you have a Toys ‘R’ Us credit card, you also get an additional 10% off your entire purchase on Saturdays!
TARGET
Target doesn’t have the Starter Packs on sale just off the shelf, but when you combine a couple of coupons, you can get a great low cost deal.
10% off your Toys-To-Life purchase of $50 or more at Target (text GAMER to 827438 for the coupon)
45% off Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack via Cartwheel coupon
That brings the price of your standard Starter Pack down to $37.11, 3DS starter Pack would be $32.17.
The cartwheel offer ends 11/25
Obviously either deal is a great price, but Toys ‘R’ Us you get a free figure for less than $3 more than the Target deal!
Be sure to check out my weekly podcast, The Toys For Games ‘Cast. Talk all things in ‘Toys To Life’ genre!The Elephant Society is an anti-poaching and conservation charity based in Hong Kong with a particular interest in the conservation of African Elephants in East Africa. We were formed in November 2014 to help raise awareness against the poaching of elephants and rhinos, two species that will be extinct in this generation if nothing is done to halt the demand for their tusk. A large portion of the work that we do at The Elephant Society is to educate the population of the harms that poaching and illegal ivory trade has on both the animals and communities both at the source and at the point of sale. With Hong Kong being the largest consumer of illegal ivory in the world, the issue hits very close to home. In 2014 we held an Elephant Education Week in Hong Kong where we visited schools, seeing over 1000 students to help educate them about these magnificent animals, the importance of supporting conservation programs and how the little and large ways they could help the cause. To assist with this we brought a Maasai warrior to Hong Kong and also one of the kings of conservation in East Africa, Richard Bonham from Big Life Foundation. The week culminated in a gala dinner for over 200 people, with the main objective of fundraising to help our partner organisation tackles the poaching problems on the ground in Africa. The impact was strong.
2019 sees big plans for us where aside from expanding our education programme we are also looking to bring the Maasai Olympics to Hong Kong as the 2019 Maasai Games. This will be a week of raising awareness through track and field events with competition amongst schools and corporates alike. We are looking to bring a number of Maasai Warriors to Hong Kong to train with students and help them understand why wildlife is so important to them and the community at large.
"when the buying stops, the killing can too"
So we at The Elephant Society encourage you to join us in our mission to stop the illegal ivory trade. To find out more about the damage that the illegal ivory trade causes: visit our Facts about Poaching page. If you're ready to help; find out how you can Get Involved. Or visit our social media pages linked below.A statement issued by Israel's Defense Ministry said the 18-year-old radical was being held in connection to "his involvement in violent activities and recent terror attacks."
Meyer is the first detainee to be jailed since Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon approved the use of administrative detention orders against Jewish extremists on Sunday. The measure, long used by Israel against alleged Palestinian terrorists, enables suspects to be jailed indefinitely without trial or knowing the evidence against them.
Mordechai Meyer, from the West Bank settlement of Maaleh Adumim, was placed under house arrest two days prior to being given a 6-month administrative detention order on Wednesday.
Israel has jailed a Jewish extremist for six months without trial as part of an ongoing crackdown against terror cells in the wake of two deadly attacks by religious fundamentalists.
Read more
Israel has jailed a Jewish extremist for six months without trial as part of an ongoing crackdown against terror cells in the wake of two deadly attacks by religious fundamentalists.
Mordechai Meyer, from the West Bank settlement of Maaleh Adumim, was placed under house arrest two days prior to being given a 6-month administrative detention order on Wednesday.
Meyer is the first detainee to be jailed since Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon approved the use of administrative detention orders against Jewish extremists on Sunday. The measure, long used by Israel against alleged Palestinian terrorists, enables suspects to be jailed indefinitely without trial or knowing the evidence against them.
A statement issued by Israel's Defense Ministry said the 18-year-old radical was being held in connection to "his involvement in violent activities and recent terror attacks."
Related: Israel 'Ignored Warnings' on Jewish Terror Cells Before Attack that Killed 18-Month-Old Baby
According to the country's security service, Shin Bet, Meyer was previously arrested in connection with a June arson attack on a Catholic Church in northern Israel and is also suspected of involvement in attacks on Palestinian homes.
Two other Jewish extremists have also been arrested in the last 48 hours.
Earlier on Wednesday Aviatar Slonim, a far-right activist, was detained in Beit Shemesh, a city 18 miles west of Jerusalem, on suspicion of plotting terror attacks and seeking to overthrow the Israeli government. Slonim was previously arrested in relation to an arson attack on a Palestinian home in the South Hebron Hills and has been banned from entering Jerusalem and West Bank.
On Monday evening Mier Ettinger, the grandson of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, an extremist Israeli-American right-winger, was arrested on suspicion of leading an underground Jewish terror network. The 24 year-old's detention has now been extended until at least Sunday following a court hearing in Nazareth.
Related: A Teenage Girl Who Was Stabbed at Jerusalem's Gay Pride Parade Has Died
The arrests follow two lethal attacks by Jewish religious extremists in the last week. On Thursday an ultra-Orthodox extremist, Yishai Schlissel, stabbed six participants in a gay pride parade in Jerusalem killing one. Schlissel had previously been sentenced to a 12-year jail term for a knife attack at a pride event in 2005, but was released early for good behaviour. The following day a toddler was burnt to death in an arson attack on a Palestinian home in West Bank by unknown assailants who scrawled "Revenge" in Hebrew on the wall of the neighboring house.
According to officials a dozens of young Jewish extremists operating on both sides of the 1967 Green Line have been well-known to the security services for several years but politicians ignored warnings about the threat they posed.
"They read the ideology on the Internet and extremist blogs, the Shin Bet has known most of these activists by name and where they live for some time, they are familiar," Lior Akerman, a former Shin Bet head of division for internal security in the occupied territories, told VICE News. "If all these young men were sitting in administrative detention then this attack [on the Palestinian home] might not have happened... Punishments given to these Jewish fundamentalists, terrorists, are not the same as those given to Palestinian terrorists, they are not so hard. The whole legal system needs to change"
In the face of accusations of unequal treatment, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now pledged "zero tolerance" for Jewish terrorism and authorized a series of steps, including administrative detention, to combat the trend.
The government has not yet commented on whether any of the three arrested men are suspected of direct involvement in the firebombing that killed 18-month old Ali Saad Dawabsha.
Follow Harriet Salem on Twitter: @HarrietSalem
Related: Violence Flares as Bulldozers Enter West Bank Jewish Settlement
The Associated Press contributed to this report.Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week.
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Inside the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Ad Policy
Gerardo Gonzalez Jr. was born near Los Angeles and, as such, is a US citizen. The 23-year-old was arrested on a drug charge in December—and his world was turned upside down. Gonzalez is legally eligible for release on bail, but when his girlfriend attempted to post bail in January, they both learned that Gonzalez was placed on an immigration hold. Despite meeting the burden of providing evidence that he was born in the United States and holds citizenship, authorities have unconstitutionally held Gonzalez in jail for six months—only because an officer involved in Gonzalez’s arrest erroneously noted that he was born in Mexico.
Gonzalez is not the only citizen that has found himself place in an immigration hold, termed a “detainer,” by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). The agency started a controversial program known as Secure Communities nearly five years ago, with the apparent aim of identifying deportable immigrants—and does so by sharing information among local, state and federal enforcement agencies.
The result has been disastrous. Some 1 million have been placed on detainers since the start of the program in 2008. Like Gonzalez, nearly 1,000 of them are US citizens. Nearly 30,000 are legal permanent residents with full rights to remain in the country—and more than 20,000 of those have no criminal conviction. While Secure Communities has terrorized undocumented immigrants in particular, those who are documented, as well as those who are citizens, are also feeling the brunt of a social control experiment that has grown completely—and unconstitutionally—out of control.
Gonzalez, who still remains in jail, has now filed suit against ICE. The class-action case, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Day Labor Organizing Network and a California law firm, draws attention to the fact that ICE is systemically violating the Fourth Amendment under Secure Communities, placing citizens on detainers without probable cause. Although ICE—which is not commenting on the case at the moment—claims to have implemented new standards in December, attorneys claim the same unconstitutional standards remain in place. The fact that Gonzalez remains behind bars, unable to post bail, illustrates their point.
Despite hope for real immigration reform at the start of the year, the Senate’s bill is proving to be little more than a border security bill (but don’t say we didn’t warn you). As Congress continues its debate, some 11 million undocumented people remain vulnerable to zealous authorities that seek to detain and deport them. Xenophobia has been rendered into an ICE policy that |
banking industry with a fully decentralized P2P finance system.
Components Of The GetLine Network
The GetLine Network will be comprised of a smart contract layer, a safe platform where the entire lending contract will be performed and settled. It will also be comprised of a credit risk scoring network, made up of entities called Attesters of Risk Analysis (ARA), providing risk-evaluation of borrowers’ creditworthiness, effectively forming a prediction market, and also serving as legal compliance agents, ensuring the viability of each lending contract according to applicable jurisdictions. Moreover, its scoring system will provide information on each individual ARA’s past accuracy to foster competition and allow lenders to evaluate each credit score’s trustworthiness, based on previous ARA’s performance. Additionally, future borrowers will be able to easily apply for a credit score, and later for a loan. Investors will be able to easily fund loans thanks to GetLine’s user-friendly browser. The GetLine Network’s deflationary GET tokens will also be issued to align incentives in the network and to help fund the development of the project.
Competition And A Competitive Advantage
Although currently booming, P2P lending marketplaces cannot scale worldwide. Blockchain technology, however, makes it possible to move value around the world freely and without borders. GetLine aims to close the technology gap and allow for borderless P2P lending and a single world lending market. Big financial institutions, as well as GetLine’s potential competition from other P2P blockchain lending platforms, such as WeTrust and Dharma, will be thwarted by the well designed, robust, and resilient GetLine Network that will withstand malicious attacks. We believe that the network’s blockchain technology, unique credit scoring system, its pioneering status, and the funds from the ICO crowdsale, will allow The GetLine Network to achieve the network effect and form a sustained competitive advantage.
GetLine’s Solution
The GetLine Network will utilize Ethereum’s blockchain technology as a perfect tool for moving value around the world, to allow assessing, transmitting, and storing of credit risk valuations for individuals. GetLine will also provide all the tools needed for individuals to easily apply for loans as borrowers, and to browse and fund loans as lenders. The protocol is designed to support a multitude of different clients’ ecosystems, risk assessment mechanisms, and last mile suppliers. This allows servicing and providing loan products to any person with a credit rating, in an easy and digital way.
GetLine could allow people all over the world to be part of a single financial system, in three simple steps. Firstly, borrowers apply for a credit score to a risk scoring institution. The institution calculates their default risk and transfers it to the blockchain. Borrowers can now apply for a loan on the platform. Lenders bid for lowest interest rates, taking into account the default risk and credibility of the credit scoring institution — the institution’s past performance in accurately determining borrowers’ creditworthiness is readily visible and transparently scored. Finally, borrowers can get the loan after the bidding is complete. Default on repayment will result in the loss of collateral, and gives the lender(s) the right to sue borrowers in an off-chain court of law or sell the debt to debt collectors.
The future of financial markets belongs to blockchain technology. We believe in the safety and benefits offered by blockchain in the P2P lending market: disintermediated, global, and truly P2P lending.
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Also, join our Rocket chat if you’re interested in contributing to our platform.Having spent the better part of a week asking teachers why they'd risk a public backlash by going on strike, I've concluded that the answer is best summed up by what one told me at their Labor Day rally: "Mayor Emanuel's pushed us to the limit. He's the world's biggest asshole."
Actually, I think he may have dropped the F-bomb once—or twice. But I'm trying to clean things up since this is a family newspaper, dammit!
But here's the bottom line: so much of this fight is fueled by the animosity of thousands of teachers toward one man.
I know—I shouldn't joke. A teachers' strike is serious stuff: the lives, careers, and future plans of thousands of teachers, kids, and parents are at stake.
I just read an open letter "To the Leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union from Leaders of the Faith Community." It's an ad in the Sun-Times, published before the strike and signed by various clergymen with close ties to the city government, calling on teachers to do what's right for the kids and call off their strike.
"We do not side with the Mayor, the Chicago Public Schools, or your organization," the letter reads. "We side with the 350,000 students who will be placed in harm's way if you lead Chicago teachers into a strike."
Of course, by writing this letter they're very much siding with the mayor. Because if the union calls off the strike they lose what little leverage they have to force the tough and powerful people who run this city to give them even a fraction of what they want.
Or as Frederick Douglass put it: "Power concedes nothing without a demand."
Speaking of power, I'd like to say a word or two in defense of Mayor Emanuel. I know, you don't hear me say that too often. But the truth is that this showdown has been brewing since long before he came on the scene.
Traditionally, CPS has been a top-down, vaguely militaristic system in which central-office bosses issue mandates like Zeus from above.
The teachers—you know, the folks doing the real work in the classroom—are supposed to do what they're told as new dictates come and go. It's like the weather. Don't like the latest policy on curriculum or testing mandated by the board? Just wait—they'll mandate something new in a day or two.
For better or worse—and many years it was worse—the union protected teachers from some of this nonsense. But in the last three years, Chicago mayors have started going after the union.
The assault began under Mayor Daley. Not sure why, though I'm starting to think the poor guy became a little unhinged in his last year in office after he didn't get his Olympics.
In 2010 Ron Huberman, the guy Daley put in charge of the schools, circumvented the union contract by essentially declaring an end to teacher tenure. His weapon was a personnel policy called "redefinition." So a principal could "redefine" an English teaching position into an English teaching position with a specialty in, say, basket weaving. Presto—out goes the old, "unqualified" English teacher and in comes a new one who's generally younger, paid less, and well aware of the need to worship the principal. Because children won't learn to become productive citizens without teachers who are afraid of their shadows.
Into this world marched Mayor Emanuel, like Napoleon invading Russia.
Emanuel will tell you that he knew what was wrong with Chicago's public schools and was determined to change it, because that's what strong leaders do.
My theory is that he knew next to nothing about the schools when he got elected. And what he did know was shaped by campaign rhetoric, which was itself largely based on his efforts to impress out-of-town pundits, who had themselves bought into the conventional wisdom that just about everything wrong with schools today can be blamed on bad teachers and the unions who protect them.
Whatever his motivation, Emanuel stepped up the war on the union, using the nonunion charter schools as his main weapon. In last year's mayoral campaign, he insisted that the top-scoring high schools in Chicago are charters—even though no charters are in the top ten. In fact, there's no strong evidence that charters are educating children any better than regular schools.
Once elected, Emanuel appointed charter advocates and charter funders to his schools transition team and then to the board of education. He supported efforts in the state general assembly to divert more state aid from regular unionized schools to the charters. He opened up more charters. And just in case somebody out there wasn't paying attention, he started dropping by charter schools for visits and praising them for the cameras, saying it would be wonderful if all the schools could be just like them.
Meanwhile, his only official meeting with CTU president Karen Lewis was the one last August 2 when they had their infamous squabble. He wound up telling her "Fuck you, Lewis." And she told him—well, we're not sure what she told him. But I'm sure it wasn't pretty.
Then came his obsession with the longer school day.
Yes, yes, yes—all children should spend more productive time in school. But no, no, no—we shouldn't just mandate it without giving schools the resources to do something meaningful with the time, like offer classes in art, drama, music, and dance, which are not taught in most Chicago schools.
But point this out to Mayor Emanuel and you can count on him, or one of his spokespeople, to accuse you of coddling teachers or hating on kids. He went as far as to faintly criticize Mayor Daley—though not by name—for trading a longer day for labor peace in the 2003 contract negotiations. The politicians, Emanuel said, got their "labor peace," the teachers got their "pay raises," and "our children got the shaft." As if teachers were venture capitalists sending jobs to the Cayman Islands and stashing their cash in Swiss bank accounts.
I don't think teachers will ever forgive him for that one.
The mayor also had his appointed school board rescind the raise the previous board had negotiated with the union on the grounds that the system was too broke to pay it. Even though the system wasn't too broke to raise the pay of CEO Jean-Claude Brizard—and most of his central-office appointees—over what their predecessors were making. Just as their predecessors got a boost over the people before them, and so on.
In short, after Daley took away teachers' tenure, Emanuel increased their hours, cut their pay, portrayed them as money-grubbers, closed unionized schools, and opened more nonunion charters, thus depleting the union's power through attrition. And I haven't even gotten into the merit pay issue, which he's also tried to shove down their throats.
And you wonder why teachers are so angry they went on strike.
In some quarters they garner understandably little sympathy, especially among parents who are inconvenienced or students who miss out on important athletic events or crucial college deadlines, or who just need the time in school.
Still, keep this in mind before you join the rip-the-teachers chorus. Mayor Emanuel's pushing us toward a system in which all teachers—charter and union—are lower-paid, at-will employees who have about as much job protection and say in their workplace as grill-line workers in a fast-food restaurant.
Please tell me how that's good for kids.Jason Plato says he hopes that a test in team-mate Ash Sutton’s Subaru Levorg will help him to return to form in the second half of the BTCC season.
Ahead of this weekend’s meeting at Snetterton, Plato and Sutton conducted a test at Donington Park that saw the pair swap cars as the BMR-run outfit tries to get to the bottom of the issues that have affected Plato for the opening half of the year.
Running the same set-up on both cars, Plato revealed that the differences were clear to see and would allow the team to now focus on finding a solution.
“The cars were set up identically and there was clearly a difference in the chassis and the way they were reacting on track, and there should not be, they should be the same,” he said.
“There were quite large differences in feel. I liked the feeling on the front of his car, he likes that mine’s a bit lively on the rear, but he didn’t like the lack of grip at the front. His gearchange is completely different to mine in the way it exits a corner, and it should be the same.
“The cars were reacting differently in the same points of the track, no matter which driver was at the wheel. So it was a very useful test and the main thing is we can start drilling down and taking driver style out of it. With slightly different styles we were getting the same reaction.
“We know where the differences of the car are and we can now start exploring and digging a bit deeper rather than scratching our heads.”
The former champion admitted that the test had also given him a personal boost ahead of a return to action at a circuit where he has taken more poles, wins and podiums than any other driver in the series.
“I never doubted myself because I’ve been at this a long time,” he said. “I know what feels right and what doesn’t feel right. You could say it’s a weight lifted off my shoulders, and it’s a relief that everybody else within the team has some understanding as well – not just the high level engineers, but the mechanics as well.
“Even though we are a team, sometimes we all can fall in the trap of working in our own silos, and no-one’s privy to all the information. It’s a healthy thing and good for everybody to see there is a difference. It’s very positive for all sides of the camp.”As a matter of common courtesy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should have spoken English to Quebec anglophones, the leader of the Parti Québécois said Thursday.
But Jean-François Lisée also seized on Tuesday’s incident in Sherbrooke where Trudeau refused to speak English to anglophones to portray Trudeau as out of touch with modern Quebec.
Lisée’s remarks — made in English to an English media outlet — came as news that the number of complaints lodged against Trudeau with the Commissioner of Officials Languages has grown to 14.
That includes three new complaints from residents in Ontario, who are upset he answered a question posed to him in French in English earlier on his official listening tour of Canada.
In all cases, Trudeau stands accused of violating the Official Languages Act, which stipulates Canadians have the right to communicate and receive services from federal institutions in either official language.
“Justin Trudeau is simply out of his depth in all these questions about language and identity,” Lisée said at a news conference at PQ headquarters in Montreal. “Sometimes he says there’s a (Quebec) nation in Canada, and then he says there’s no nation in Canada there is post-national state.”
“The last time he blundered was when a reporter asked him if Ottawa, the capital of this bilingual country, should be bilingual. His answer was ‘what about Gatineau?’ ”
He said Trudeau also seems to think the Charter of the French Language precludes learning English in Quebec, which is false.
Lisée noted the Sherbrooke event was largely in French, but even when he was the PQ minister responsible for Montreal, he always answered anglophones in English. He said he attended many events that were entirely in English and saw nothing wrong with it. He said he even has a Spanish version of his Facebook page.
He then called Trudeau rude.
“In Quebec we have French as the official and common language, but we also have something called courtesy,” Lisée said. “There’s nothing wrong with speaking English to our important anglo community.
“What we saw there is Mr. Trudeau having no grasp of reality and policy on matters of language and identity.”
There was no further response from Trudeau or his office on the complaints. On Wednesday, seeing the uproar, Trudeau said “upon reflection,” he should have answered partly in English and partly in French.
But his critics have lumped the incident in with a number of gaffes made by Trudeau during his tour including saying he wants to phase out the Alberta oil sands and claiming he understands the plight of immigrants because his grandfather, James Sinclair, arrived in Canada in 1908.
In Davos for the world economic summit, Premier Philippe Couillard also waded into the debate.
“It’s true we speak French in Quebec, it’s our common language,” Couillard told reporters. “When English-speaking Quebecers address me, I answer them in their language and will continue to do that.”
Meanwhile, groups representing anglophones say they are still waiting for an apology from Trudeau.
“I believe that we have been insulted,” said James Shea, president of the Quebec Community Groups Network, a non-profit umbrella organization for 51 English-language community organizations across Quebec. “We know what he did so we don’t need an explanation, we need an apology.”
And the woman who asked the question about English health care, Judy Ross, said she is still fuming.
“I really felt it was at the level of being polite or rude and I thought he was very rude and I felt very disrespected,” Ross said. “I wasn’t even thinking about it as an English-French thing. I was thinking on a personal level of etiquette, just simply being polite and courteous.”
Related
With additional reporting by John Meagher
pauthier@postmedia.comWell, I did what Lena asked me to.
I kept an eye on Clara. Or an ear, I guess.
And it was so much worse than I thought it would be.
I heard her crying this morning… again. I was on my way to the bathroom when it happened. No one else was awake yet – and I assumed Clara would still be sleeping too, but I could hear it through her door, clear as day.
Normally I’d just ignore it, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what Lena said to me. So I knocked.
And then when she didn’t answer, I just sort of let myself in.
I found her lying on her bed, crying into her pillow. And I knew something had to be very wrong.
I mean, no matter how much she loves to pretend she isn’t, Clara’s a teenager, just like me. And I guess I have to admit that we can get a little emotional sometimes – usually over really silly things.
But this was different. I could tell.
And you know what else? She didn’t even yell at me when she saw me. She didn’t even look angry! If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.
So I sat down next to her, and asked what was wrong.
And then she said it: “Jocelyne, I think I might be pregnant.”
It’s so cliché, but I seriously couldn’t even believe what she was telling me. I really felt like I was gonna be sick when I realized what she was saying – And I still do.
I mean first off, that implies that she and this Julian guy… Oh God, I don’t even wanna write it!
And then I just think about what maman told me a couple years ago, when she sat me down and gave me “the talk”. It was absolutely mortifying, but I really took what she said to heart. She told me how much she and Papa love Luc and I, of course. But she was really honest about how difficult it was having us so early, and so unexpectedly too.
I just can’t imagine that happening to Clara. All I can do right now is hope and pray that she’s wrong.
But there’s only one way to know for sure.
Anyway, I managed to calm her down, and I ended up promising I’d help her. So now I’m sitting here in my bedroom, basically hiding until the house starts to clear out.
Oma and Opa are leaving for work soon, Papa’s got a game, and Luc’s heading to Florian’s apartment to practice. That just leaves maman, Gus, and bis-vovó to worry about.
Sneaking out should be easy enough. We can even come up with an excuse, if we have to. And then it’s only a fifteen minute walk to the drugstore.
The hard part will be sneaking back with the test, and getting Clara into the bathroom without anyone noticing…
I just really hope we –
AdvertisementsHe says that his long-elusive fifth project is done.
Back in 2012, Frank Ocean tweeted that he planned to drop five albums by the time he turned 30. After releasing four full-length projects so far in his career, his 30th birthday came and went earlier this year without a new album. However, a new post on his Tumblr indicates that the long-awaited fifth project is finished:
There’s no other information about it available, and Frank has notoriously dragged out his album rollouts in the past. However, the Tumblr post does match the much-cited tweet about releasing five albums, which lines up with his discography. He dropped Nostalgia, Ultra back in 2011 (technically billed as a mixtape), followed by channel ORANGE in 2012 and both Blonde and Endless in 2016.
Just yesterday, he finally released long-awaited physical copies of Endless. Fans will have to wait and see what’s next, but the prospect of another album on the horizon sounds more promising than ever.
Catch up on all the lyrics to Frank Ocean’s biggest hits on Genius now.Story highlights NEW : Hospitalized student's family denies enema use, says witness denies giving statement
: Hospitalized student's family denies enema use, says witness denies giving statement One student was hospitalized with a blood alcohol level 5 times the legal cutoff for driving
12 students are cited with underage drinking
"Rubber tubing inserted into their rectums" is the apparent conduit for alcohol ingestion
The University of Tennessee says it has suspended a fraternity chapter indefinitely and may refocus its alcohol education programs after police said a student was hospitalized following a weekend incident involving alcohol enemas.
Twelve Tennessee students were cited with underage drinking and one with disorderly conduct following the incident early Saturday at a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity chapter house, according to a university spokeswoman.
"Shock would not be an (overstatement)," Tim Rogers, vice chancellor of student life, told reporters Wednesday. "I myself had never heard of what has been alleged."
Knoxville police say they began investigating after a student was taken to the UT Medical Center in critical condition early Saturday with a blood alcohol level of 0.40 -- five times the legal cutoff for driving.
"Upon extensive questioning, it is believed that members of the fraternity were using rubber tubing inserted into their rectums as a conduit for alcohol as the abundance of capillaries and blood vessels present greatly heightens the level and speed of the alcohol entering the bloodstream as it bypasses the filtering by the liver," Knoxville Police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said Monday in a statement.
The student has been released, the hospital said.
Initial reports released by the UT Police Department on Wednesday indicated that the student's cousin -- a UT student and Pi Kappa Alpha member who says he wasn't at the house that night -- told investigators that the hospitalized student had used an alcohol enema.
However, the student's parents say their son denies involvement and that the cousin is willing to sign an affidavit saying he didn't make that statement to police.
DeBusk said he is standing by his account.
"It was information gathered through the course of our investigation, which has now been turned over to the UT Police Department," he said.
Knoxville police said investigators found tubing and materials used to give alcohol enemas at the scene. They also said a witness told them that the hospitalized student had used an alcohol enema.
Reports released by UT police Wednesday say investigators saw beer cans and bottles and "bags from wine boxes, some empty and some partially empty, strewn across the halls and rooms."
UT spokeswoman Karen Simsen said that hazing does not appear to have been involved. "It's just an incident involving alcohol," she said.
Rogers said the university has suspended the chapter indefinitely "until we wrap up this investigation." He cautioned that the university considers the enema reports to be only allegations, and that neither police nor the university has completed investigations.
He said the incident came only a week or two after campus officials met with UT fraternity and sorority student leaders about alcohol. The university, which generally forbids alcohol on campus, has anti-alcohol-abuse efforts, including unannounced checks of common areas in residence halls.
The school also offers programs showing that, according to research, "students think that other students drink much more than they do," and therefore "you don't need to go out there and try to keep up," Rogers said.
"We're going to continue the education, we're going to continue the walk throughs," he said. "We don't have a lot of knee-jerk reactive initiatives. We want to fall back and maybe refocus on our existing programs."
The university will investigate the incident, and students could face university disciplinary action, Rogers said.
The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity said it was investigating the incident.
"The recent allegations against these individuals have come as a complete shock to The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity, its 15,000 undergraduate members and over 200,000 living alumni, family and friends," the statement said. "Pi Kappa Alpha's mission is to develop men of integrity, intellect and high moral character and to foster a truly lifelong fraternal experience. These alleged activities are clearly not consistent with that mission, nor are they representative of what the fraternity would expect from any of its members."
The fraternity office said it put its own suspension on the chapter, set to last 30 days or until a decision is made regarding the long-term status of the chapter.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries.
Aaron White, a health scientist administrator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said he knows of several stories in the past year or so "about young people finding unique ways to get alcohol in their bodies."
But he said they seem to be fairly isolated incidents.
"This is extraordinarily dangerous, but people shouldn't get the impression that it's a widespread phenomenon," White said.Kamui Kobayashi is set to return to F1 with Caterham after emerging as the most qualified candidate for the seat.
With rookie Marcus Ericsson likely to be in the other car the team has been keen to employ an experienced driver.
At the same time Tony Fernandes and his fellow shareholders are still reluctant to keep pumping money into the team, and thus the ideal candidate would have experience and a budget.
Heikki Kovalainen has been in the frame for months, and until recently was under contract to the team, but as is well known he does not have any sponsorship. The same applies to Paul di Resta, the only other experienced driver who competed in 2013 and is without a drive.
Although he last raced in F1 in 2012 Kobayashi is eminently qualified – having compared well with Sergio Perez at Sauber – and more importantly unlike Kovalainen, he has significant sponsorship. Sources told this blog that he has a budget of €6m.
If confirmed Kobayashi’s return will be well received by both Bernie Ecclestone and Honda, owners of Suzuka, as it will be a major boost for the Japanese GP.Welcome to our new Payments Insights newsletter, a morning email with the top news and analysis on the digital payments industry, produced by BI Intelligence.
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THE FUTURE OF PAYPAL PAYMENTS FROM THE NRF'S "BIG SHOW." The National Retail Federation is holding its annual trade show this week and PayPal is there showcasing its plans for payments in 2014.
Here is a quick rundown of what's in store:
While the company is all in on bricks-and-mortar mobile payments, it's not too hot on NFC. "Instead of swiping or using a PIN pad, they're tapping. How is that really better? How is that changing your life? People don't want that," said PayPal's President David Marcus in a recent interview. (PayPal)
PAYMENTS PREDICTIONS FOR 2014. If the future of PayPal leaves you wanting to know more about the future of payments, you can check out BI Intelligence's top 10 predictions for 2014 here. (Business Insider)
A NEW PRIVATE SHARE OFFERING PUTS SQUARE AT $5 BILLION. The valuation is based off a private tender offer of $1 million shares at $135.28, according to Payment's Source's anonymous sources. To give an idea of growth, Square was valued at $3.25 billion in August 2012. Square's workforce is growing quickly as well, from 400 employees at the beginning of 2014 to 700 employees in just over a year. The company also announced that it was processing $15 billion in payments annually in May 2013, not including payments made at Starbucks. We wouldn't be surprised if Square announces an IPO later this year. (Payment Source)
MICROSOFT AND VANTIV TEAM UP TO TAKE PAYMENTS MOBILE. Payment processor Vantiv is partnering with Microsoft to offer new payments solutions across payment channels, including mobile points of sale, according to a press release form the company. Microsoft's role in the deal will be to provide cloud-connected payments information, allowing merchants to gain new insights about their customers. As payments continue to blur the line between bricks-and-mortar commerce and e-commerce we expect to see more partnerships of this nature. (Vantiv)
CANADA IS TESTING A GOVERNMENT-BACKED DIGITAL CURRENCY. This week, the Royal Canadian Mint will announce further details on MintChip, a digital currency similar to Bitcoin, first announced in 2012. Unlike Bitcoin, MintChip transactions are limited in the amount of value that can be transferred. This makes it a potential replacement for petty cash and change. At the same time, it limits the digital currency's potential for large-scale nefarious uses like money laundering. (Toronto Star)
WELCOME TO PAYMENTS INSIGHTS. We hope you are enjoying this newsletter. Don't forget to sign up and get it every morning in your inbox. Please email johnh@businessinsider.com or BI Intelligence director mballve@businessinsider.com with news and tips.
RETAIL BANKS NEED A UBIQUITOUS SOLUTION FOR PEER-TO-PEER PAYMENTS. There are quite a few peer-to-peer payments apps out there, many of which are from non-banking third parties, like Google Wallet and Square Cash. But many consumers prefer to use their own banks for peer-to-peer payments. The problem? Money transfer apps from banks are not capable of transferring money to all of the large retail banks. This makes sending money to a friend or family member that uses a different bank frustrating or impossible. A way to resolve this problem is for retail banks to partner with one another to provide a catch-all solution (American Banker)
TARGET WASN'T THE ONLY COMPANY TO SUFFER A DATA BREACH OVER THE HOLIDAYS. Hackers may have practiced their techniques on three smaller retailers before hitting Target over the holidays, according to a report from Reuters. Dallas-based luxury retail store Neiman Marcus also admitted to suffering a data breach after the company's payment processor found evidence of unsolicited transactions. The extent of the breach is not yet clear. (Reuters)
TOP DEMOCRATS ARE CALLING FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE TARGET BREACH. In a letter to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling, 17 House Democrats requested a hearing to investigate the breach that may have affected up to 110 million consumers. The hearing could lead to legislation that would govern when and what information must be disclosed to consumers in the event of a breach. (American Banker)
BITCOIN UTOPIANS DOUBTED. Bitcoin is not going to save the unbanked, argues Bloomberg's Brendan Greeley. Globally, there are about 2.5 billion people who don't have bank accounts, and this makes it difficult for these people to save money and build credit histories. Proponents of Bitcoin have argued that the digital currency could solve this problem because all you need to get a Bitcoin wallet — which can serve as a bank account — is an Internet connection. Nonetheless, Greeley argues that there are many barriers that would prevent the unbanked from using Bitcoin or any digital currency for that matter — aversion to new technology, illiteracy, and disinterest to name a few. We too think the more optimistic expectations for Bitcoin are a bit overblown. Still, variations on digital currency have taken off in countries with high populations of the unbanked. For example, in Kenya over 15 million people use M-Pesa, a virtual currency developed by Vodafone. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
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It Was A Very Rough Year For PC Shipments In 2013According to a new report by Der Spiegel, the British signals intelligence spy agency has again employed a “quantum insert” technique as a way to target employees (Google Translate) of two companies that are GRX (Global Roaming Exchange) providers.
The lead author of the story in the German magazine is Laura Poitras, one of the journalists known to have access to the entire trove of documents leaked by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden.
GRX is roughly analogous to an IX (Internet Exchange), and it acts as a major exchange for mobile Internet traffic while users roam around the globe. There are only around two dozen such GRX providers globally. This new attack specifically targeted administrators and engineers of Comfone and Mach (which was acquired over the summer by Syniverse), two GRX providers.
Der Spiegel suggests that the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British sister agency to the NSA, used spoofed versions of LinkedIn and Slashdot pages to serve malware to targets. This type of attack was also used to target “nine salaried employees” of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the global oil cartel.
This new revelation may be related to an attack earlier this year against Belgacom International Carrier Services (BICS), a subsidiary of the Belgian telecom giant Belgacom. BICS is another one of the few GRX providers worldwide.
Bruce Schneier, a well-known cryptographer and security expert, explained on his blog last month that “the NSA relies on its secret partnerships with US telecom companies.” Presumably, the GCHQ has a similar arrangement with UK and/or European telcos.
As Schneier wrote:
As part of the Turmoil system, the NSA places secret servers, codenamed Quantum, at key places on the Internet backbone. This placement ensures that they can react faster than other websites can. By exploiting that speed difference, these servers can impersonate a visited website to the target before the legitimate website can respond, thereby tricking the target's browser to visit a Foxacid server. In the academic literature, these are called "man-in-the-middle" attacks and have been known to the commercial and academic security communities. More specifically, they are examples of "man-on-the-side" attacks. They are hard for any organization other than the NSA to reliably execute, because they require the attacker to have a privileged position on the Internet backbone and exploit a "race condition" between the NSA server and the legitimate website. This top-secret NSA diagram, made public last month, shows a Quantum server impersonating Google in this type of attack.
Phillippe Langlois, the founder of P1 Security, presented (PDF) on GRX vulnerabilities at a security conference back in 2011.
Senator John McCain, on Snowden
Meanwhile, the German magazine also interviewed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), asking specifically about Snowden and the spying affair against German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
McCain said that the NSA conducted the spying operation against Merkel "because they could do it. In other words, there were people with enhanced capabilities that have been developed over the last decade or so, and they were sitting around and said 'we can do this,' and so they did it."
He lamented the lack of Congressional oversight and added that Gen. Keith Alexander, the head of the NSA, should be fired.
The Arizona senator dismissed the possibility that Germany and Chancellor Merkel would grant asylum to Snowden: "She would never consider such a thing. We're too good friends."
McCain also said he was convinced that Snowden gave all of his information to Russia, which Snowden has denied.
SPIEGEL: What would be the consequences for Snowden if he were to return to the United States? McCain: He'd go on trial, but he's not coming back. SPIEGEL: Even next year when his asylum in Russia expires? McCain: Never. President Vladimir Putin will grant him asylum indefinitely. The Russians know if they send him back that that's a lesson to other people who might defect. I'm sure that Mr. Snowden has told them everything that he possibly knows. SPIEGEL: He denies that and says that he did not take the NSA documents to Russia. McCain: If you believe that Mr. Snowden didn't give the Russians information that he has, then you believe that pigs can fly.
Update Monday 11:35am CT: A spokesperson for Slashdot's parent company, Dice Holdings, told Ars that it only found out about this situation late Sunday.
"To be clear, we have not been asked to cooperate with any government agency related to this matter and have not provided access to Slashdot systems or user information," Jennifer Bewley said by e-mail. "We know of no unauthorized Slashdot code manipulation, or attempts to effect any. We do not approve of this reported activity, and if true, it’s unfortunate that we are yet another in a long line of Internet businesses to suffer this type of intrusion."Get the biggest Liverpool FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Liverpool FC star Luis Suarez has been named the FTBpro PFA Fan Player of the Season.
The fan-voted award is another in a long line of awards that Suarez has scooped after a mesmerising season for the Reds. The Uruguayan picked up the PFA Player of the Year, the Football Writers' Player of the Year and the Premier League Golden Boot.
The 27-year-old scored an eye-watering 31 goals for the Reds this term, becoming the first Liverpool player to score 30 league goals since Ian Rush. Suarez helped himself to hat-tricks over West Brom and Cardiff and four goals in the game against Norwich.
He was instrumental as Brendan Rodgers' side returned to the Champions League and came within a whisker of winning the Premier League title.
Despite having knee surgery last week, Suarez is expected to be fit to represent Uruguay at the World Cup.
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Saba east of Beersheba defended by a battalion of the Ottoman 48th Regiment and a machine gun company.[216] They were attacked by 47,500 rifles, in the XX Corps' 53rd (Welsh) Division, the 60th (2/2nd London) Division and the 74th (Yeomanry) Division, with the 10th (Irish) Division and the 1/2nd County of London Yeomanry attached, and about 15,000 troopers in the Anzac and Australian Mounted Divisions (Desert Mounted Corps).[217][218][219]
After extensive and complex arrangements to support the infantry advance,[220] the 60th (2/2nd London) and the 74th (Yeomanry) Divisions were to attack Beersheba from the west, while the Anzac Mounted Division with the Australian Mounted Division in reserve attacked the town from the east,[221][222] after riding between 25 to 35 miles (40 to 56 km) to circle around Beersheba.[223][224] The infantry attacks began with a bombardment and the capture of Hill 1070 which enabled the guns to move forward to target the trenches defending Beersheba.[225][226] Intense hand to hand fighting continued until 13:30 when the Ottoman trench line on the western side of Beersheba, was captured.[227] Meanwhile Anzac Mounted Division advanced circling Beersheba, to cut the road north to Hebron and Jerusalem to prevent reinforcement and retreat from Beersheba, and launched their attack on Tel el Saba.[228][229] The strongly entrenched defenders on Tel el Saba were initially attacked by the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, but by 10:00 they had been reinforced by the 1st Light Horse Brigade.[230][231] The 3rd Light Horse Brigade (Australian Mounted Division) was later ordered to reinforce the Anzac Mounted Division's attack on this Ottoman position, but before they could get into position a general attack began at 14:05, resulting in the capture of Tel el Saba at 15:00.[231][232]
Orders were issued for a general attack on Beersheba by the dismounted 1st and 3rd Light Horse Brigades and the mounted 4th Light Horse Brigade.[231][233][234][235][236] As the leading squadrons of the 4th Light Horse Regiment of Victorians, and the New South Wales' 12th Light Horse Regiment, preceded by their scouts between 70–80 yards (64–73 m) in front, came within range of the Ottoman riflemen in defences "directly in their track," a number of horses were hit by sustained rapid fire.[237] While the 4th Light Horse Regiment attacked these fortifications dismounted after jumping the trenches, most of the 12th Light Horse Regiment on the left rode through a gap in the defences to gallop into Beersheba to capture the garrison.[238][239]
After the capture of Beersheba [ edit ]
Allenby's Offensive, November–December 1917
[Allenby was] to press the Turks opposed to you to the fullest extent of your resources so as to force the enemy to divert troops to Palestine and thus relieve pressure upon Maude, and to take advantage of Arab situation. In deciding on the extent to which you will be able to carry out safely the policy, you will be guided by the fact that an increase in the forces now at your disposal is improbable. Robertson to Allenby, received 2 November 1917[240]
From 1 to 6/7 November strong Ottoman rearguards at Tel el Khuweilfe in the Judean Hills, at Hareira and Sheria on the plain and at Sausage Ridge and Gaza on the Mediterranean coast held the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in heavy fighting. During this time the Ottoman Armies were able to withdraw in good order covered by strong rearguard garrisons, which themselves were able to retire under cover of darkness on the night of 6/7 November. The British Yeomanry cavalry Charge at Huj was launched against an Ottoman rearguard on 8 November. Allenby ordered the Egyptian Expeditionary Force to advance and capture the retreating Ottoman Seventh and Eighth Armies, but they were prevented from doing so by the strong rearguards.[241][242]
The Tel el Khuweilfe battle was an "important sideshow to the collapse of the entire Turkish front from Gaza to Beersheba," as it diverted Ottoman reserves to the Khuweilfe area, preventing them being used to strengthen the centre of the Ottoman line at Hareira and Sheria.[243] It also threatened an attack on Jerusalem, and placed pressure on the Ottoman command, who moved considerable forces eastwards from Sheria, to reinforce the defence of the road to Jerusalem and Tel el Khuweilfe, too far away to come to the aid of Gaza. By weakening the force defending Sheria it became possible for two infantry divisions and Desert Mounted Corps, all that could be deployed so far from base, to attack the remaining Ottoman forces, "to defeat and pursue it, and hustle it northward to Jaffa."[244]
Advance to Jaffa and Judean Hills [ edit ]
November 1918 British officer questioning the inhabitants of a captured village during the advance
An attempt on 12 November by four divisions of the Ottoman 8th Army to counterattack and stop the British advance in front of the vital Junction Station (Wadi Sara) on the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway, was held by the Australian Mounted Division reinforced with two additional brigades.[245][246][247]
On 13 November the Egyptian Expeditionary Force attacked a 20,000-strong Ottoman force deployed on a hastily constructed but naturally strong defensive line. The main attack was carried out by the XXIst Corps's 52nd (Lowland) and 75th Divisions in the centre with the Australian Mounted Division on the right flank and the Anzac and Yeomanry Mounted Divisions on the left.[248][249] The infantry in the centre prevailed supported by a cavalry charge by 6th Mounted Brigade (Yeomanry Mounted Division).[250] And on 14 November the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade defeated a substantial rearguard; the 3rd Ottoman Infantry Division at Ayun Kara.[251][252] The combined effects of this series of devastating failures by the Ottoman Army was to see their 8th Army give up Jaffa and retire across the Nahr el Auja while their 7th Army withdrew into the Judean Hills to defend Jerusalem. They had withdrawn approximately 50 miles (80 km), losing 10,000 prisoners and 100 guns and suffering heavy casualties.[253][254]
During the first EEF offensive from October to November 1917, Australian wounded were mainly treated in the 1,040 beds of No. 14 Australian General Hospital at the Abbassia Barracks, Cairo. Although No. 2 Australian Stationary Hospital at Moascar, was organised, equipped, and staffed for any type of medical or surgical work, it was retained as a Camp Clearing Hospital by the D.M.S., EEF. In November, 1917, the venereal section of No. 14 General Hospital was transferred to it.[255]
Capture of Jerusalem [ edit ]
Wounded of the 5th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry and 4th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment in a Dressing Station located in the monastery at Kuryet el Enab which the 75th Division captured on 20 November 1917
Jerusalem operations began with the Battle of Nebi Samwill fought between 17 and 24 November, were continued by the subsidiary Battle of Jaffa between 21 and 22 December and ended with the defence of Jerusalem from 26 to 30 December 1917.[256] These battles were ultimately successfully fought by the XX, XXI and the Desert Mounted Corps against the Ottoman 7th Army in the Judean Hills and their 8th Army. Battle lines extended from north of Jaffa on the Mediterranean Sea across the Judean Hills to Bireh and east of the Mount of Olives.[citation needed]
The battlefield over which the Battle of Nebi Samwil was fought continued to be subject to attacks and counterattacks until early December when Jerusalem was occupied by the British. Fighting also continued in the vicinity Bireh and the main Ottoman supply line running along the Jerusalem to Nablus road north of the city.[citation needed]
After the Ottoman Army had evacuated Jerusalem, the city was occupied on 9 December 1917.[257] This was a major political event for the British government of David Lloyd George, one of the few real successes the British could point to after a year of bitter disappointments on the Western Front.[citation needed]
On the Ottoman side, this defeat marked the exit of Djemal Pasha, who returned to Istanbul. Djemal had delegated the actual command of his army to German officers such as von Kressenstein and von Falkenhayn more than a year earlier, but now, defeated as Enver Pasha had been at the Battle of Sarikamish, he gave up even nominal command and returned to the capital. Less than a year remained before he was forced out of the government. Falkenhayn was also replaced, in March 1918.[citation needed]
Winter 1917–18 [ edit ]
Administration of captured territory [ edit ]
When Allenby first assumed command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force he quickly joined the army in the field leaving the political and administrative problems related to the Egyptian Mandate to a Government appointee with a suitable staff. The area of formerly Ottoman territory now under occupation also required management, and with the approval of the Government, Allenby appointed a Chief Administrator for Palestine. He divided the country into four districts: Jerusalem, Jaffa, Majdal and Beersheba, each under a military governor. Under this administration the immediate needs of the people were provided for, seed grain and live–stock were imported and distributed, finance on easy terms was made available through the Army bankers, a stable currency was set up and postal services restored.[258]
Yeomanry patrol in 1918 during a pause in the desert
On 15 January 1918 Allenby reported to DMI regarding attitudes to the occupation of Jerusalem. The report recounted that the Moslems were for the most part non-committal, while the partisans of Sherif were genuinely pleased but worried by Jewish influence. The attitude of Bedouin from East of Jerusalem to Bir El Saba (Beersheba) varied; some were unsatisfactory but the protection of the sacred Moslem places was generally accepted as satisfactory. The Jews were overjoyed by the support contained in the Balfour Declaration for Zionism and Christians were happy with the occupation.[259]
Allenby was under pressure to set up foreign administrations in Palestine. Already the French representative in Palestine, Picot, was pressuring for a share in the administration of a French Protectorate in the Holy Land by pushing to assume the rights and dignities in church which the French representative enjoyed before the war. His presence and behaviour was resented by the Italians and the church representatives became angry. Allenby was aware that in Jerusalem angry priests came to blows in the Holy Places from time to time. He insisted that while military administration was required it must be under the British Commander in Chief alone.[260]
Consolidation of EEF territorial gains [ edit ]
Gaza in ruins, February 1918
The weather was beginning to improve and railways and roads were being repaired and developed. A lateral line of communication north of the Jaffa to Jerusalem road required the complete reconstruction of the track from Amwas through Beit Sira by the Egyptian Labour Corps. The standard gauge line reached Ludd and was within.25 miles (400 m) of Allenby's headquarters 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Ramleh. He wrote on 25 January: "I want to extend my right, to include Jericho and the N. of the Dead Sea."[261][262] On 3 January two Australian aircraft discovered boats carrying corn and hay produced on the plains to the east and south-east of the Dead Sea for the forces at Amman. The boats moving from Ghor el Hadit (behind Point Costigan) and Rujm el Bahr at the northern end of the Sea were bombed and sprayed with bullets by the Australian aircraft which returned again and again until the boat service stopped.[263]
Allenby's next strategic moves were to extend his right to include Jericho, then to cross the Jordan River and advance to Amman and destroy 10–15 miles (16–24 km) of the Hedjaz railway to isolate Ottoman forces near Medina and encourage further Arab uprisings.[264][265][Note 3]
The whole British advanced base of operations had moved north from Deir el Belah to the new railhead and at Ramleh the Director of Medical Services' headquarters were also the headquarters of the Motor Ambulance Convoy. Thirteen casualty clearing stations and stationary hospitals had been established along the lines of communication from Jaffa and Jerusalem to Kantara and by March 1918 ambulance trains ran to Kantara from Ludd.[266]
Westerners versus Easterners [ edit ]
By the end of 1917 all the objectives of the campaign to capture Jerusalem had been achieved; Ottoman-German operations against Baghdad had been frustrated, the last reserves of Ottoman soldiers were engaged and the British nation's morale had been boosted.[267]
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Lloyd George, wished to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war in 1918. Already the 7th (Meerut) Division from Mesopotamia was ordered to Palestine and there were many who were worried that if significant forces were diverted from the Western Front to Palestine, England might protect her colonies but lose the war.[268][269]
The Westerners argued that the real heart of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, still lay hundreds of miles from an advance to Damascus or even Aleppo and if the Ottoman Empire saw at the same time Germany overrunning France, it would not be enough to force the Ottoman Empire from the war. With Russia out of the war the Dardanelles were no longer an objective for the British Empire as access to the Russian fleet was no longer of any importance.[270]
The Easterners accepted that it was essential to maintain the forces in France and Belgium on the Western Front, but that they were already sufficient to keep the front intact. They argued that 'to surrender the initiative everywhere and to concentrate on a policy of purely passive defence along the whole battle line was a counsel of despair.'[271] Germany would have a brief window of opportunity thanks to the armistice between Russia and Germany, to attack the Allied forces on the Western Front before the United States, which had already entered the war could bring sufficient numbers to end Germany's war.[268] But the Easterners asserted that during two years of war the Allies had superiority in numbers and material greater than the numbers the Germans could bring from the Russian front and they had failed to break the German lines. They argued that the Palestine theatre might be wasteful of shipping but the Western Front was wasteful of lives; that it would be folly to take seasoned troops from Palestine where a decisive victory could be won to die in the stalemate.[271]
On 13 December 1917 the War Cabinet instructed the General Staff to consider two policies; the conquest of Palestine involving an advance of about 100 miles (160 km) or an advance to Aleppo to cut the Ottoman communications with Mesopotamia.[272] On 14 December Allenby reported that the rainy season would prevent any further attacks for at least two months.[273]
Qualified approval from the Supreme War Council for a decisive offensive to annihilate Ottoman armies and crush resistance was contained in Joint Note No. 12. It was claimed that the destruction of the Ottoman Empire 'would have far-reaching results upon the general military situation.' Early in February 1918 General Jan Christiaan Smuts (a member of the Imperial War Cabinet) was sent to confer with Allenby regarding the implementation of the Joint Note.[264][274] The French imposed an important qualification on the Joint Note; that no British troops in France could be deployed to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Smuts informed Allenby the intention was to reinforce the Egyptian Expeditionary Force with one and possibly a second Indian cavalry division from France, three divisions from Mesopotamia and more artillery and aeroplanes. Smuts also suggested crossing the Jordan, capturing the Hejaz Railway and using it to outflank Damascus.[265][Note 4]
Judean Hills operations [ edit ]
Also known as the Battle of Turmus 'Aya, this action fought between 8 and 12 March pushed the Egyptian Expeditionary Force' front line all the way from the Mediterranean Sea to Abu Tellul and Mussalabeh on the edge of the Jordan Valley northwards. Allenby's right flank was secure but was not sufficiently broad to support the planned operations across the Jordan to the Hedjaz railway; further territory was required to give more depth.[275][276] During this operation a general advance on a front of 14–26 miles (23–42 km) and up to a maximum of 5–7 miles (8.0–11.3 km) in depth by both the XX and XXI Corps pushed the 7th and 8th Ottoman Armies north from the River Auja on the Mediterranean coast, from Abu Tellul and Mussallabeh on the edge of the Jordan Valley and up the Jerusalem to Nablus road capturing Ras el Ain.[277][278]
Action of Berukin, 9–11 April [ edit ]
Falls Sketch Map 21 shows position of front line before the capture of Jericho
General Allenby intended to follow the cutting of the Hedjaz Railway at Amman with an advance to Tulkarm and Nablus and despite the failure of the Amman attack proceeded with plans to capture Tulkarm.[279]
Known by the Ottoman Army as the action of Berukin, the attack between 9 and 11 April, was planned to begin with the 75th Division capturing the villages of Berukin, Sheikh Subi and Ra-fat together with the high ground at Arara. The 7th (Meerut) Division would then advance 2,000 yards (1,800 m) on a 5 miles (8.0 km) front and prepare gun positions from which to shell Jaljulia and Tabsor. The 54th and 75th Divisions would then advance to the Wadi Qarna with their left flank towards Qalqilye and Jaljulye with the 54th (East Anglian) Division sweeping westward along the Ottoman defences as far as Tabsor. As soon as Jaljulye and Qalqilye were cleared the Australian Mounted Division would ride hard for Et Tire and vigorously pursue the withdrawing Ottoman units as far as Tulkarm.[280][281]
The 75th Division's preliminary attack, launched at 05:10 on 9 April ran into fierce Ottoman resistance supported by three German field batteries and German battalions were active in counterattacks using mortars and machine guns.[282]
All three infantry brigades carried out the initial assault in line against Berukin, El Kufr, Ra-fat and Three Bushes Hill which were successfully captured, while Berukin was finally captured at 16:00. The delay in capturing Berukin slowed the attack of the other infantry brigades and gave the German and Ottoman defenders time to strengthen their defences, and as a result the attacks on Mogg Ridge, Sheikh Subi and Arara were postponed till the next day. During the night there were almost constant counterattacks, but the attack was continued at 06:00 on 10 April when the 2/3rd Gurkhas (232nd Brigade) reached the western edge of Mogg Ridge. Fighting here continued all day and at Sheikh Subi the attack broke down, while further west the attack on Arara had by 09:30 been partly successful. Almost the whole of Mogg Ridge was eventually captured but was successfully counterattacked, the German and Ottoman infantry being caught by determined British defence and a heavy British artillery barrage which prevented them following up their success. Again during the night determined Ottoman and German counterattacks continued and were partly successful. On 11 April it was clear determined defence would strenuously contest all attacks and it decided that the cost of continuing would be too high, but for the next seven days a long-range artillery duel between British and Ottoman/German guns continued. Finally on 21 April Three Bushes Hill was evacuated while Berukin, El Kufr and Ra-fat were retained and consolidated, including the Ra-fat salient.[283][284]
At the end of two-day's bitter hand-to-hand fighting the 75th Division was still to gain its objectives and was having difficulty holding on to the little it had gained because of fatigue and depleted numbers.[282] Three days' fighting from 9 to 11 April proved once again that in the Judean Hills German and Ottoman machine guns could make any advance slow and expensive.[285][Note 5]
This action of Berukin occurred in a section of the line which would become part of the final offensive five months later, when the infantry attack would pivot on Ra-fat salient which would at that time be held by the Détachment Français de Palestine et de Syrie. In this case, the losses were heavy: 1,500 British casualties with about 200 Ottoman dead on the battlefield and 27 Ottoman and German prisoners.[286]
Summer in the Judean hills [ edit ]
During the summer of 1918 the main focus of the war was naturally on the Western Front; the Chief of the General Staff (CIGS) at the War Office in London could only offer Allenby railway construction men, and a possible increase in shipping to increase Allenby's supplies. Sir Henry Wilson had a plan for extend the railways after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. "I want to see Aleppo joined to Mosul joined to Baku joined to the Urals joined to the Japanese army; and from that base an advance against the Boches."[287]
2nd Battalion Black Watch in trenches on Brown Ridge after the action at Arsuf on 8 June 1918
At this time the front line stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea. From the middle of May to about the middle of October, the country through which the line passed was virtually dry, but temperatures could vary greatly. On the maritime plain the climate is almost sub-tropical, with sea breezes and an average temperature of 80 °F (27 °C). In the Judean Hills temperatures can vary by as much as 20 °F (11 °C) during a single day, and in the Jordan Valley shade temperatures of between 100–120 °F (38–49 °C) are common, with high humidity. This heat is accompanied in all sections of the line, by dust and insect pests including sand-flies and malarial mosquitoes, which are common along the whole of the front line.[288]
The Palestine front was relatively quiet during the late spring and summer of 1918 with the exception of some brief fighting in midsummer. During the hot summer months of 1918 several British mainly small scale raids were made to improve Allied positions on the coastal plain and in the Judean Hills. These was one small British attack designed to improve the front on the coast, several British raids including one very large scale raid and one minor Ottoman attack.[289][290][291][Note 6]
Falls Sketch Map 30 shows position of the front line before the Battle of Megiddo in September 1918
On 8 June 1918 the 7th (Meerut) Division attacked two hills 1 mile (1.6 km) from the sea. Their objectives were quickly taken after the 03:45 assault on 9 June by 21st (Bareilly) Brigade but the Ottoman defenders counterattacked at 06:40 after heavily shelling the Indian brigade; these counterattacks being repulsed. British casualties were 63 killed and 204 wounded; 110 prisoners were captured along with two heavy and five light machine guns. The two hills which had been useful observation posts to the Ottoman Army units were consolidated and remained in British control.[292][Note 7]
On 13 July an Ottoman attack on the Ra-fat salient held by the 3/3rd Gurkha Rifles (232nd Brigade) was preceded by one of the heaviest bombardments experienced in Palestine. The bombardment, lasting for just over an hour, began at 17:15 and resulted in the village burning but the Gurkhas met the attackers by immediately rushing their defences. The fighting continued until after dark during which 52 soldiers were killed.[293]
During the night of 27 July a successful raid was carried out by five platoons 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) (28th Indian Brigade) against Ottoman trenches on "Piffer Ridge" 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the Mediterranean shore at El Haram. The Ottoman garrison was taken by surprise and 33 captured at the cost of four casualties.[293]
After exhaustive training, on the night of 12/13 August 10th (Irish) Division carried out a raid which consisted of a series of attacks on Ottoman defences on the 5,000 yards (4,600 m) long Burj–Ghurabeh Ridge just west of the Jerusalem to Nablus road and about 2,000 yards (1,800 m) from the front line by regiments, brigades, companies and platoons of Indian troops. They were supported by 147 guns and howitzers of the 53rd Divisional Artillery (less two howitzer batteries and the IX British Mountain Artillery Brigade).[294]
One of these attacks on 12 August, was on a 4,000-yard (3,700 m) long, steep-faced ridge west of the Nablus road, which included Khan Gharabe, and formed a part of the XX Corps' front where Ottoman defences were virtually continuous. The opposing line was held by 600 rifles of the Ottoman 33rd Regiment (11th Division).[295] The British and Indian infantry force made a descent of several hundred feet before climbing up steep rocky ground. Despite the Ottoman defences being strongly held and well wired, fierce fighting at close quarters ensued, during which the attacks from both flanks were completely success. Heavy losses estimated to have been 450 were inflicted on the Ottoman units and 250 prisoners captured.[294][296]
A wire-cutting bombardment began at 21:55 on 12 August and shortly after the 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force)s and two companies of 6th Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment were deployed south east of the ridge on the right flank, while the 1/101st Grenadiers and two companies of 6th Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment at the western end, were over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) away. The two Indian regiments advanced simultaneously, capturing the flanking Ottoman entrenchments then the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment companies turned inwards accompanied by a barrage, which also turned inwards from either flank in front of them. Although the two left-hand companies did not reach their objectives the attack was completely successful and the forces withdrawn about 12:15 on 13 August. Captures included 239 prisoners, 14 machine guns and Ottoman casualties were estimated at 450 while the 29th Brigade suffered 107 casualties.[297]
At the same time as the attack was being made to the west of the Nablus road, the 179th and 181st Brigades of the 60th (2/2nd London) Division carried out an attack on a front of 5 miles (8.0 km) east of the Nablus Road mainly without artillery support when a 9 miles (14 km) front from Keen's Knoll to Kh. 'Amuriye was attacked. Table Hill, Bidston Hill, Forfar Hill Fife Knoll, Kh. 'Amuriye and the village of Turmus 'Aya were all successfully attacked although only eight prisoners were captured at a cost of 57 casualties.[298]
Jordan Valley operations [ edit ]
Capture of Jericho, February 1918 [ edit ]
Allenby wished to extend his right to include Jericho and the northern part of the Dead Sea.[261] In mid February the 53rd (Welsh) and 60th (2/2nd London) Divisions with the 1st Light Horse and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigades attacked German and Ottoman defences to the east of Jerusalem held by their XX Corps' 53rd (Welsh) Division.[299] As the infantry attack on Talat ed Dumm and Jebel Ekteif progressed the mounted brigades moved towards the Jordan Valley from Bethlehem; the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade successfully attacking positions at el Muntar and a strong position protecting Neby Musa while the 1st Light Horse reached the Jordan Valley and entered Jericho.[300][301][302][303]
Occupation of the Jordan Valley [ edit ]
In February the occupation of the valley began, with the Auckland Mounted Rifles Brigade (New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade) remaining to patrol the area, after the Capture of Jericho. During the two Transjordan attacks the Jordan Valley was garrisoned by the Anzac and Australian Mounted Divisions, the 4th and 5th Cavalry Divisions, and the 20th Indian Brigade until September when Chaytor's Force began the Third Transjordan attack by advancing to capture Jisr ed Damieh, Es Salt and Amman.[304][Note 8]
First Transjordan advance [ edit ]
Before Jericho had been captured Allenby was already planning to push across the Jordan River and 'throw a big raid past Salt against the Hedjaz Railway.'[261] The First Attack on Amman, as it is known to the British, was referred to by the Ottoman Army as the First Battle of the Jordan. It took place between 21 and 30 March.[305][306]
The 60th (2/2nd London) Division marching from Jerusalem to the Jordan Valley, March 1918
Shea's Force consisting of the 60th (2/2nd London) and the Anzac Mounted Divisions successfully forced a crossing of the Jordan River, occupied Es Salt, attacked Amman and partly destroyed sections of the Hedjaz Railway some 30–40 miles (48–64 km) east of Jericho.[307][308][309]
The Ottoman 48th Infantry Division together with the 3rd and 46th Assault Companies and the German 703rd Infantry Battalion successfully defended Amman and stopped the advance of Shea's Force. With his lines of communication threatened by 2,000 reinforcements moving towards Es Salt from the north the successful retirement was eventually ordered, even though the principal objective; the destruction of a large viaduct at Amman had not succeeded.[310][311][312]
The retirement was complete by the evening of 2 April leaving the only territorial gains two bridgeheads at Ghoraniye and Makhadet Hajla.[313] This was the first defeat of units of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force since the Second Battle of Gaza in April 1917. Along with the Second Transjordan attack on Es Salt the following month, these two attacks focused attention away from the Mediterranean coastal sector of the line where the British Empire attack in September 1918 would be comprehensively successful.[314][315]
Second Transjordan advance [ edit ]
Following the unsuccessful first Transjordan attack on Amman by Shea's force, Allenby ordered a reluctant Chauvel to attack Shunet Nimrin and Es Salt with a force one third larger than that which attacked Amman. But in the five weeks between these two operations British GHQ estimated the German and Ottoman forces in the area had doubled.[316][317][318]
The second Transjordan attack was equally unsuccessful; risked the capture of one of Allenby's mounted divisions but is widely accepted as fulfilling his strategic aim of focusing his opponent's attention on the Transjordan area and away from the Mediterranean coast where he would make a successful breakthrough in September.[319][320][Note 9]
German and Ottoman attack [ edit ]
On 14 July two attacks were made by German and Ottoman forces; in the hills on a salient held by Australian Light Horse which protected front line positions in the valley, where the mainly German force was routed, and a second operation to the east of the Jordan River on the plain, where an Ottoman cavalry brigade, had deployed six regiments to attack the El Hinu and Makhadet Hijla bridgeheads; they were attacked by Indian Lancers and routed.[321]
Focus moves to the Western Front [ edit ]
The German Spring Offensive was launched by Ludendorff on the Western Front the same day the First Transjordan attack on Amman began and completely eclipsed its failure. The powerful assault launched on both sides of the Somme by a force of 750,000 collapsed the British front in Picardy held by just 300,000 men. Gough's Fifth Army was forced back almost to Amiens. On one day; 23 March German forces advanced 12 miles (19 km) and captured 600 guns; in total 1,000 guns and 160,000 suffered the worst defeat of the war. The British War Cabinet recognised at once that the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire must be at least postponed.[322][323][324]
The effect of this offensive on the Palestine Campaign was described by Allenby on 1 April 1918: "Here, I have raided the Hedjaz railway 40 miles East of Jordan & have done much damage but my little show dwindles now into a very insufficient [insignificant] affair in comparison with events in Europe." Overnight Palestine went from being the British government's first priority to a "side show."[325]
Reorganisation of EEF infantry [ edit ]
The 52nd (Lowland) Division was sent to France in early April.[326] The 74th (Yeomanry) Division along with nine British infantry battalions from each of the 10th, 53rd, 60th and 75th Divisions were sent to France, between May and August 1918. What remained of the divisions were reinforced by British Indian Army battalions to reform the divisions.[327][328][329][Note 10] Infantry brigades were reformed with one British battalion and three British Indian Army battalions,[330] except one brigade in the 53rd Division which consisted of one South African and three British Indian Army battalions.[331]
By April 1918, 35 Indian infantry and two Indian pioneer battalions were preparing to move to Palestine.[332] Those battalions with numbers from 150 upwards, were formed by removing complete companies from experienced regiments then serving in Mesopotamia to form new battalions.[333][Note 11] The parent battalions also supplied first line transport and experienced officers with war-time service. The 198 men transferred from the 38th Dogras to the 3/151st Indian Infantry, included the commanding officer, two other British and four Indian officers.[333] The sepoys transferred were also very experienced. In September 1918 when the 2/151st Indian Infantry provided an honour guard for Allenby, among the men on parade were some who had served on five differeScope
This article demonstrates the improvements in Visual Studio 2015 on the new tools that makes the debugging process easier.
IntelliTrace
IntelliTrace can be used to record events and method calls to your application that allows you to examine its state (call stack and local variable values) at various points of the execution.
In Visual Studio 2015, the presentation of IntelliTrace has improved considerably. You can view IntelliTrace events just as you start debugging and also now you can view a timeline of all events in your application just as you break all the events.
Historical Debugging
Historical Debugging allows you to view the state of your application when the code executes.
To activate historical debugging, double-click on the Diamond icon in the events windows.
New Exception Settings Window
In previous versions of Visual Studio, when you wanted to configure exception settings you would need to go to the modal, slow-opening, hard-to-search Exceptions Dialog.
Press Ctrl + Alt + E to open the Exception Settings Window in the previous versions of Visual Studio.
In
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You can use the
to specify which exceptions (or sets of exceptions) will cause the debugger to
and at which point you want it to break. You can add or delete exceptions, or specify exceptions to "break" on.
This feature is really handy in applications where all exceptions are caught that makes it difficult to identify which piece of code is causing the error. Thus, by selecting the appropriate exception in the Exceptions Window, this can make the application break and therefore identify which code is causing the error straight away.
Breakpoint Configuration
If you use Visual Studio to develop code, the chances are good that you set breakpoints on a regular basis as part of debugging.
In Visual Studio 2015, it is now easier to find, use and configure breakpoints associated with a specific line of source code.
The first noticeable change is that when hovering on a breakpoint, there is now a small menu that allows you to open the new breakpoint window and a toggle button that allows you to turn a breakpoint on/off.
Breakpoint Settings The Breakpoint settings shows the following two categories:
Conditions: Control when the breakpoint is hit. When to break in the code.
Control when the breakpoint is hit. When to break in the code. Actions: Control what happens when all of the breakpoint conditions are satisfied.
Conditions
There are the following 3 conditions that can be used to allow the code to break:
Conditional Expression: Break only when conditions you specify are met.
Hit Count: Break only after the breakpoint has been hit a certain number of times.
Filter: Break when the breakpoint is hit on a specific thread, process, or machine and are useful for debugging code running in parallel.
Debugging in a loop.
for ( int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { Console.WriteLine( "Do Stuff" ); }
Assume that you need to debug only when I = 2. In this scenario, Hit Count can be used as in the following image:
The preceding condition will make the code break only after it has been executed 3 times, thus, at I = 2.
Actions
Actions print a message to the output window and are capable of automatically resuming execution. These are useful for doing temporary logging when you need to trace something and don't want to have to break and manually track values.
Let's say |
Because warning lights are there for a reason. Sometimes politicians get a hard time unfairly. But sometimes they are just wrong. If they expend their effort on covering up signs of error rather than fixing their errors, it is they who suffer. For example, had the SNP not been forced to face up to big flaws in its EU membership claims it would still be defending a clearly flawed stance.
The turn to avoid the warning signs has now passed to Scottish Labour. Last Thursday there would have been a Scottish Parliament debate on the Reid Foundation’s report The Case For Universalism, in which we set out the very good reasons why universal public services are an enormously effective way to manage society.
But when Labour, correctly, spotted a procedural error, it chose not to allow the debate to take place.
I can understand why. Warning lights have been going off all over the place since Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont made her two speeches on universal public services. It will be difficult for the party to go into the next election opposing policies that have enormous public support. More worryingly, the signs of deep unease within the grassroots of the party and the wider trade union movement are not hard to find. Many are in the Labour movement precisely because it is defined by its support for a universal welfare state. Concern and indeed some outright hostility are widespread.
But one of the biggest problems is that the policy line Labour has floated is untested – and has serious flaws. For example, it is all very well to say that a “modest contribution” to the cost of a university education is needed “to reinvest in excellence”. What is more of a problem is the numbers. The kind of small contribution suggested would generate no more than perhaps 1 or 2 per cent of the university sector’s turnover – in 15 years’ time.
Or what about bus passes for the elderly? “Millionaires shouldn’t get free bus passes” may be fine as a soundbite, but how much does anyone think will be saved by removing bus passes from millionaires? In reality, even to recover the cost of administering a means-tested bus pass, most people will have to start paying, not just the rich.
Or reintroducing prescription charges. Very roughly it costs society £45 million to provide everyone with free medicine. The cost to society of charging for medicine is more like £60m – the £45m the medicine costs and then the something like £15m it costs for someone to decide who gets it for free and who has to pay for it themselves.
So where does that £15m end up? Very possibly in the pocket of a “service company” like Secro or Atos Healthcare, which charge generously for carrying out the means test on our behalf. So those of you who grudge wealthy people getting free medicine, how do you feel about paying for the medicine yourself and then giving a multi-million pound bung to a rich multinational corporation for the pleasure? Thought not.
The big argument is that refocusing money to target the poor is needed to tackle poverty. The problem with this argument is that it has been tested repeatedly over the last 40 years and it doesn’t stand up. By far the best way to benefit the poor is not to target them but to draw them into services that target everybody but from which they benefit by far the most.
And who is going to justify the endless problems of means testing? As an example, there are currently two state pensions, one means-tested and one not. The level of fraud and error alone in the means-tested one is more than 40 times higher than in the universal one.
The reason bloggers and commentators sound so convincing when they conclude that rolling back universal public services is a “no-brainer” is because they don’t have to answer questions.
That’s why parliamentary debate should be so important. The universalism stance taken by Labour was not properly discussed within the parliamentary party, never mind at grassroots level. Putting forward your ideas for debate forces you, first, to have better arguments and secondly to revise them when you discover they’re not as watertight as you thought.
It’s a healthy process. Fighting only on ground you consider to be safe is not.
So Labour should welcome the debate, even if it proves uncomfortable. And of course Labour isn’t alone. Would Tory leader Ruth Davidson have said some of the things she said about Scotland being a “gangmaster state” of benefit spongers if she had to debate her flaky calculations, not just say it out loud and then go home for a cup of tea?
And how much stronger might the SNP be if it had to properly test its past-its-sell-by-date policy of a blanket corporation tax cut? Everyone – neoclassical economists included – knows this is a policy that looked sensible only at a time when letting banks go mad was also seen as sensible.
Ideas are like bricks fresh from the kiln; you don’t know how solid they are until you give them a decent whack. It’s time politicians gained the courage to debate arguments they fear they might lose. They will be the winners in the long term if they do.
• Robin McAlpine is director of the Jimmy Reid FoundationCoffee is life, and Starbucks is delivering delicious, caffeinated goodness pretty much wherever you go. And that’s cool, ’cause, believe it or not, there are tons of vegan drink options there that will keep you highly hyper, hydrated, or both—and there’s lots to munch on, too. Gotta keep up the energy level when you’re busy saving animals and the planet, right? 😉 Here’s your full guide to ordering vegan at Starbucks.
Drinks
Things to Say Yes To ✅
First, remember to order your drink with soy, almond, or coconut milk. All stores carry them, and they can be used to replace dairy milk in any drink for a small additional cost.
The basic drinks are vegan. Get yourself a hot or an iced coffee or espresso drink made with nondairy milk and any flavored sweetener syrup (like vanilla, caramel, or hazelnut). Hot or iced tea is always vegan. Many of the Frappuccino blended drinks and smoothies can be easily veganized as well.
Generally, the clear flavored syrups are vegan. The sauces, however, are usually not (with the exception of the mocha sauce—that one is vegan, so mocha and hot chocolate fans rejoice!).
Also, two words: HOLIDAY DRINKS. Fall isn’t fall and winter isn’t winter without getting all hyped up off caffeine and sugar from your fave seasonally flavored bevs. Thankfully, it’s really easy to veganize most of your Starbucks holiday favorites, too.
Things to Say No To ❌
When it comes to less basic drinks, just avoid a few ingredients. So if your order comes with any of these items by default, just politely ask that it be left out:
Whipped cream
Java chips (used in the Java Chip Frappuccino and Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino)
Protein and fiber powder (used in the smoothies)
Caramel drizzle (used on the Caramel Macchiato and Caramel Frappuccino)
Cinnamon dolce topping (used on many of the cinnamon- and cinnamon dolce–flavored drinks)
And unfortunately, a few drinks cannot be made vegan because of the animal-derived “products” in the syrup. 😔 Completely avoid these drinks:
Anything with pumpkin spice
Anything with white mocha
Anything with caramel brûlée
Chai lattes (Chai concentrate contains honey.)
So those are the basics when it comes to ordering vegan drinks! Some drinks will be more complicated than others, of course, but for the most part, getting your favorite drink should be no problemo—and it’s actually pretty dang simple.
Want some drink-spiration? Here’s our current obsession:
Hazelnut Mocha Coconutmilk Macchiato
There’s no special ordering, substitutions, or extra fee needed in order to make the new Hazelnut Mocha Coconutmilk Macchiato 100 percent vegan. Woohoo! This super-delicious new drink combines sweet hazelnut syrup, coconut milk, and espresso, and it’s topped off with a yummy mocha sauce drizzle. Try it either hot or iced.
Check out some more of our fave vegan Starbucks drinks:
Caffè lattes (with soy, almond, or coconut milk)
Caffè mochas (with soy, almond, or coconut milk and without the whipped cream)
Ombré iced coffees (with soy, almond, or coconut milk)
Starbucks Refreshers
Green tea lattes (with soy, almond, or coconut milk)
Matcha lemonade
Caramel Macchiatos (with soy, almond, or coconut milk and without the caramel drizzle)
Java Chip Frappuccinos (with soy, almond, or coconut milk and without the java chips)
Chocolate or strawberry smoothies (with soy, almond, or coconut milk and without the protein powder)
Pink Drinks and Violet Drinks
Food
Starbucks also offers some vegan food options. Grab any of these, and you’re good to go.
Meals
Plain, sprouted grain, and multigrain bagels (top them with one of the spreads below)
Classic and Hearty Blueberry oatmeals (ask for them with steamed soy milk or hot water instead of dairy milk)
Lentils & Vegetable Protein Bowl with Brown Rice
© Starbucks
Spreads (try ’em on a vegan bagel)
Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter and Classic Almond Butter
Organic avocado spread
Snacks
Macadamia Oat Cookie
Fruit salad
Dried fruit
Roasted almonds
Mixed nuts
HIPPEAS Organic Chickpea Puffs
Dark-chocolate bar
Sea salt potato chips
Raw granola bar
Some KIND products (check for honey)
Bissinger’s 75% Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt Mini Chocolates
Bottled Drinks
Evolution Fresh cold-pressed juices
Tazo iced teas
Starbucks Bottled Cold Brew Black or Iced Coffee (sweetened and unsweetened)
These additional vegan products are available in select locations (and we hope they’ll expand to more soon 🙏):
Dream Pops superfood ice cream treats are now available in select Los Angeles stores through October 5. L.A. peeps, cool down with these vegan pops all summer long—then say a little prayer that this seasonal promotion will become a permanent menu item.
Starbucks’ Mercato lunch menu—which is currently being tested out in Chicago- and Seattle-area stores—features a vegan Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad with chopped parsley, mint, cucumber, tomato, and cauliflower on a bed of arugula.
© Starbucks
Bunnie Cakes Passion Fruit Cupcakes are now available in select South Florida locations. The coffee chain says that it’s rolling out the vegan cupcakes on a trial basis with the possibility of distributing them to more locations in the future. Fingers crossed!
Many other Starbucks stores carry additional vegan brands and snack products that vary by region. So if you see a snack for sale that’s not listed here but looks like it might be vegan, read the ingredients—because maybe it is!
And some super-exciting news on the food front: At Starbucks’ recent annual meeting, the company’s COO confirmed that more vegan options would be part of its expanding lunch-menu plan. We can’t wait! Vegan food is on the rise everywhere.
Wondering about all those sugary syrups and sweeteners? Here’s everything you need to know!Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
June 28, 2017, 9:24 PM GMT / Updated June 28, 2017, 9:24 PM GMT By Vaughn Hillyard and Andrew Rafferty
WASHINGTON — Forty protesters were arrested Wednesday for staging sit-ins and demonstrations on Capitol Hill against the Republican healthcare plan, according to police.
Protesters chanted “kill the bill, don’t kill me,” outside the offices of GOP senators like Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Staffers for Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, allowed the demonstrators inside the office where they chanted, “Don’t save money for millionaires, save Medicaid.”
"Please Mr. Toomey, don't let me die,” a demonstrator yelled outside the Pennsylvania Republican’s office.
"Look at my daughter,” another said outside Gardner’s office. “Tell her her mom is going to die."
Some protesters were arrested for failing to cease and desist “unlawful demonstration activities,” Capitol Police said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday announced Republicans would delay a vote on the GOP alternative to the Affordable Care Act after opposition from both moderate and conservative members of the caucus. McConnell is now pushing for a new version of the bill ready by Friday before the Senate goes on break for the Fourth of July.It took a little longer than most of you expected, but Cravath, Swaine & Moore just announced its 2011 associate bonuses (not long after announcing its new partners). Barring something very unforeseen, these bonuses are what many Biglaw firms, in New York and across the land, will pay out this year to their people. Historically Cravath has set the market with respect to year-end associate bonuses at major law firms.
The Cravath bonuses are what you might expect. They are in line with recent years, nothing crazy high or ridiculously low. Both Occupy Wall Street types and law firm associates can put away the pitchforks.
Let’s take a look at the official memorandum, and engage in some analysis….
Here’s the memo (via the WSJ Law Blog, which has received the firm’s leak for the past few years now):
We are pleased to announce that the year-end bonus amount for each associate class is as follows: Class of 2010 — $7,500
Class of 2009 — $10,000
Class of 2008 — $15,000
Class of 2007 — $20,000
Class of 2006 — $25,000
Class of 2005 — $30,000
Class of 2004 — $37,500 Bonuses will be paid on Friday, December 9. Absent special circumstances (approved by the Managing Partners), an associate must still be at the Firm on December 9 to be eligible for the bonus. The Firm does not apply any billable hour or similar criteria in determining eligibility for associate bonuses. As always, while receipt of the bonus for each individual attorney is dependent on suitable performance at that attorney’s experience level, virtually all of our associates will receive the full bonus. To be eligible for a bonus, an associate must have been employed at the Firm prior to September 1, 2011. Attorneys who are working part-time will receive a pro-rated portion of the applicable class-level bonus. Bonuses for senior attorneys, specialist attorneys, discovery specialist attorneys and foreign associate attorneys will be determined on an individual basis. We very much appreciate your efforts during 2011 and wish you a happy holiday season and new year. E. R. Chesler
R. H. Baron
C. A. Parker
S. A. Barshay
David Lat here. A few observations:
1. In terms of amounts, this bonus schedule is pretty much identical to the 2010 Cravath bonus scale. The only difference is that seventh-year associates under the 2011 scale receive $37,500 instead of $35,000.
( UPDATE (4:50 PM): As noted by Am Law Daily, the $2,500 increase may be “a reflection of the slightly larger bonuses given to seventh-year associates at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Sullivan & Cromwell in 2010.”)
2. In terms of timing, this is slightly later than usual. In 2009, Cravath announced on November 2. In 2010, Cravath announced on November 22. This year, they announced on November 28, about a week later than last year (and after Thanksgiving instead of before).
3. Note the absence of any mention of spring bonuses. I was wondering whether Cravath might dangle a tantalizing reference to the possibility of spring bonuses in its memo; no such luck. (But that doesn’t mean spring bonuses won’t happen; just look to someone else, like Sullivan & Cromwell, to take the lead on any such trend.)
4. My own take: these amounts — which are the same as the 2010 and 2009 bonus scales at CSM, except for the most-senior associates — are fair. The past three years — 2009, 2010, and 2011 — have been fine for Biglaw, but not amazing. To the extent that firms are treading water a bit, it’s reasonable for them to keep associate compensation at the same levels.
But perhaps some will disagree with me? Your views are welcome in the comments and by email (which is where you can also send us your own firm’s bonus memo when it appears).
I will now turn the floor over to my always opinionated colleague, Elie Mystal….
UPDATE (4:50 PM): Elie here. Now we begin the wait for spring bonuses. Since old man Cravath has decided to offer the same cheap-ass regular bonus it initially offered last year, it’s pretty clear that the firm is giving itself maximum wiggle room as it waits to see how spring bonuses shake out.
Really, it’s the smart strategy. Spring bonuses mean that the firm gets to wait until its final collections are in before paying a real bonus to its associates. Meanwhile, Cravath lets other firms make the first move into spring bonus territory, knowing that it has the ability to come over the top if necessary. It’s like check raising in poker — it’s a dick move, but extremely effective if done correctly.
And maybe, just maybe, nobody moves on spring bonuses, and Cravath gets away with these cheap bonus payouts.
Now, yes, I understand that I just called a $7,500 bonus for first years “cheap” and “a dick move.” Most Americans (including me) would break legs for a $7,500 bonus. If I was still at Debevoise, I’d be getting an extra $37,500 this December (excuse me while I have a shot of a gun, and a glass of Jamie).
But if you really think that this bonus figure represents Cravath’s honest appraisal of how well it did in 2011 — i.e., just the same as 2010 — please raise your hand. (No, Lat, I’m not talking to you.)
Look, we can think of bonuses as deferred compensation. We can think of bonuses as retention awards, or recruiting gambits. And if we look at bonuses in these terms, Cravath (wisely) paid as little as they could. That’s their right, and if you don’t like it, you can open your own law firm.
But if we think of bonuses as sharing the wealth, if we think of bonuses as a way for owners to share the profits of the business with employees in thanks for a profitable year, then these bonuses are cheap. Depressing even. These bonuses are an indication to employees at Cravath that extra effort is for chumps. It shows that Cravath isn’t interested in rewarding associates based on the profitability of the firm (again, raise your hand if you think Cravath’s profits were flat this year), but based on the lowest dollar amount it can get away with. That doesn’t make anybody feel good.
It’s hard to believe that a law firm could turn $7,500 into an insult, but there you go.
Batten down the hatches, folks: the flood of firms eager to behave exactly like Cravath starts in 3… 2… 1…
How do readers feel about these bonuses? Let’s find out….Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song revealed he chose to play for West Ham United over other interested parties because he believes the London club will be "one of the best in England" in the future.
The Cameroon international left the Gunners to join Barcelona during the summer of 2012 and signed a five-year contract with the Catalan club. But Song struggled to find a place in the team and failed to settle into life at the Camp Nou.
The midfielder had been a fringe member of the team and with the arrival of new coach Luis Enrique in the summer, he was asked to find a new club. With various teams unable to match his wages, he finally completed a loan switch to the Hammers.
The 27-year-old midfielder was strongly linked with a return to Arsenal, where he developed his skills under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger. However, he did not return to his former club and believes he made the right decision to join West Ham.
Song has compared the east London club to defending La Liga champions Atletico Madrid and believes West Ham will be one of the top clubs of England in the next five years.
"The future of the club is very good. That's why I chose to come here. In Spain nobody was expecting anything from Atletico Madrid and look at how well they are doing," Song said, as quoted by the Express.
"You have to look at examples like that. The way that West Ham are looking now, in the next five years they will be one of the best clubs in England."
West Ham are one of the in-form teams in the Premier League and are sitting in fourth place after nine games. They caused an upset when they beat defending champions Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday 25 October at Upton Park.
"When I see the way that we play and where we are at the moment, I know that I made a very good choice," the Cameroon midfielder added.
David Gold, the co-owner of West Ham, admitted it is possible to sign the midfielder on a permanent deal from Barcelona at the end of the season.
"Yes it's possible, we have to wait and see. dg," Gold tweeted.Warning signs are beginning to emerge in financial markets. They are not big and nor are they concentrated in any particular area. But, it is worth mentioning the few canaries in the coal mine that have stopped singing. Before we start tracking the canaries that have stopped singing, let us be under no illusion about the global nature of the asset bubble we are facing.
Last week, the auction of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci fetched $450 million when it was expected to fetch only $100 million. Prior to that, Christie’s had sold many impressionist era paintings for a record sum of $479 million.
This is the backdrop to the warning signs of the breakup of the bubble mentality in select pockets.
One is the share price of Tesla motors.
Tesla was Teflon-coated, until now that is. The market capitalization of the economy that has had no profits to show and has been a cash guzzler is still $50 billion. The market correction has barely started. However, the stock was down nearly 30% from its peak of $383 in June this year before making a small recovery in recent days.
The next canary in the coal mine is the high-yield bond spread.
In the US, the option-adjusted high-yield bond spread to the US Treasury has spiked somewhat in the last week or two. Of course, it has happened twice before this year—once in August and once in March. It remains to be seen if it would be a case of third time “lucky". It is important to note that the spread was almost as high as 9% as lately as in February 2016. Such has been the extent of liquidity infused into global markets by China in the last year and more.
The third canary in the coal mine is the yield curve in the US.
The spread between the US 10-year and two-year Treasury yields has been a reliable predictor of economic recessions two to three quarters hence, when inverted. That is, when the spread turns negative (two-year yield being higher than the 10-year yield), a recession follows shortly thereafter. In the four previous recessions, the yield curve has inverted. The spread is still positive but it is at its lowest since 2007.
As the Federal Reserve continues to tighten monetary policy in the months ahead and if inflation remains quiescent, then it is highly likely that the yield curve inverts in the second quarter or in the second half of 2018.
Financial markets are anticipating only one rate hike of 25 basis points in 2018 after a rate hike in December. They are being too complacent. Regardless of the inflation developments, the Federal Reserve is clearly worried about financial stability risks as many signs of irrational exuberance abound. Inflation remains a risk.
Further, a pick-up in the inflation rate cannot be ruled out. The price of crude oil has bottomed out recently. The West Texas Intermediate crude oil began the year at $40 per barrel. Now, it is quoting at $56.7 per barrel. Recent developments in the Persian Gulf region point to upside risk for crude oil. Indeed, we would include the developments in the Persian Gulf as another (fourth) canary in the coal mine.
Is China another canary in the coal mine?
Recently, Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) warned of China’s financial system becoming significantly more vulnerable due to high leverage. According to a story in Bloomberg (“China’s Central Bank Chief Warns Of ‘Sudden, Contagious And Hazardous’ Financial Risks"), he wrote in a lengthy article for the website of PBoC that latent risks were accumulating, including some that were hidden, complex, sudden, contagious and hazardous.
Finally, while we had mentioned the US Treasury yield curve and the jump in the domestic high-yield bond spread as two canaries, the divergence between stock prices and corporate earnings is a canary too.
Even as the market capitalization of US stocks has increased in the last two years, corporate profits have declined. Between the third quarter of 2015 and the third quarter of 2017, stock market capitalization went up by $8.3 trillion. Total corporate profits declined $52 billion during this period while domestic profits declined $95 billion.
The schizophrenic price action accompanied by a marked rise in volatility in bitcoin is another sign of nervousness that accompanies unreasonable price action.
In recent times, the US stock market has managed to levitate at high levels on the fond hope and belief that substantial corporate tax relief is on the cards.
That is not a given as the Republicans are unable to agree among themselves on the financing of the tax cut. The House and Senate versions of the Tax Bill are different.
Further, there is a possibility that ongoing investigations by the special counsel into allegations of Russian interference in last year’s presidential elections could cripple the president’s effectiveness further, causing Republicans to distance themselves further from him. Hence, both domestic and geopolitical risks cannot be taken too lightly.
The last word on the global bull market in stocks should go to Steph Pomboy who tweeted thus on 16 November: “As I’ve been calling it: it’s a Harvey Weinstein market. Old, bloated but if you don’t snuggle up to it ill (sic) cost you your career—until one day, for no apparent reason, its egregious transgressions finally matter."
V. Anantha Nageswaran is an independent consultant based in Singapore. He blogs regularly at Thegoldstandardsite.wordpress.com. Read Anantha’s Mint columns here.
Comments are welcome at baretalk@livemint.comPress Release Embargoed for: Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 4:00 ET
Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286
The latest CDC obesity data, published in the February 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, show a significant decline in obesity among children aged 2 to 5 years. Obesity prevalence for this age group went from nearly 14 percent in 2003-2004 to just over 8 percent in 2011-2012 – a decline of 43 percent – based on CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Although the JAMA study does not specifically compare 2009-2010 with 2011-2012, NHANES data does show a decline in the 2 to 5 year old age group during that time period – from just over 12 percent in 2009-2010 to just over 8 percent in 2011-2012.
“We continue to see signs that, for some children in this country, the scales are tipping. This report comes on the heels of previous CDC data that found a significant decline in obesity prevalence among low-income children aged 2 to 4 years participating in federal nutrition programs,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “We’ve also seen signs from communities around the country with obesity prevention programs including Anchorage, Alaska, Philadelphia, New York City and King County, Washington. This confirms that at least for kids, we can turn the tide and begin to reverse the obesity epidemic.”
While the precise reasons for the decline in obesity among 2 to 5 year olds are not clear, many child care centers have started to improve their nutrition and physical activity standards over the past few years. In addition, CDC data show decreases in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among youth in recent years. Another possible factor might be the improvement in breastfeeding rates in the United States, which is beneficial to staving off obesity in breastfed children.
“I am thrilled at the progress we’ve made over the last few years in obesity rates among our youngest Americans,” said Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States of America. “With the participation of kids, parents, and communities in Let’s Move! these last four years, healthier habits are beginning to become the new norm.”
Overall, CDC’s latest NHANES obesity data published in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates there have been no significant changes in obesity prevalence among 2-19 year olds or adults in the United States between 2003-2004 and 2011-2012.
###
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESCredit: Jason Inman
DC All Access co-host (and Army veteran) Jason Inman is once again organizing donations of comic book to be sent to U.S. military and their families, this year with the non-profit organization Operation Gratitude. After sending out 10,000 comic books in 2015 with Comics For Soldiers, Inman's 2016 goal is to send 20,000 overseas by November 30 - with DC Comics already donating 5,000.
Take a look at this video:
To donate comic books for this project, there are three steps:
1. Fill out the donation form at http://tinyurl.com/jawiincomicdrive, and "Jawiin Comic Drive for Soldiers" in Group Title and the comic drive email on the form. The rest of the form is pretty self-explanatory.
2. Box and ship the comics and the donation form to:
Operation Gratitude
21100 Lassen St.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
3. Send a picture of your comics and the number of books you are donating to jawiincomicdrive@gmail.com. If you don’t send your number to the email, they will have an inaccurate count and the drive could fail.Can Behavioral Phenotypes Be Transferred?
Human Anxiety Phenotypes and FMT
FMT Applications and Indications
References:
1. Bercik, P.; Denou, E.; Collins, J.; Jackson, W.; Lu, J.; Jury, J.; Deng, Y.; Blennerhassett, P.; Macri, J.; McCoy, K. D.; et al. The intestinal microbiota affect central levels of brain-derived neurotropic factor and behavior in mice. Gastroenterology 2011, 141 (2), 599-609, 609-3 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2011.04.052.
2. De Palma, G.; Lynch, M. D. J.; Lu, J.; Dang, V. T.; Deng, Y.; Jury, J.; Umeh, G.; Miranda, P. M.; Pigrau Pastor, M.; Sidani, S.; et al. Transplantation of fecal microbiota from patients with irritable bowel syndrome alters gut function and behavior in recipient mice. Sci. Transl. Med. 2017, 9 (379), eaaf6397 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf6397.
Connections between behavioral phenotypes and the microbiome continue to emerge from fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) studies at McMaster University.Researchers at McMaster University first demonstrated the transfer of behavioral traits between mice via the gut microbiome by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in 2011.The authors exploited the observation that two strains of mice, inbred BALB/c and outbred NIH Swiss mice with differing microbiota profiles, displayed different behaviors in tests traditionally used to evaluate anxiety. They transplanted microbiota from more or less anxious mice — BALB/c and NIH Swiss, respectively — to germ-free (GF) BALB/c and NIH Swiss mice.Independent of the GF recipient strain or stock, the mice receiving the microbiota from the BALB/c mice displayed an anxious behavioral profile compared to the mice transplanted with the less anxious NIH Swiss microbiota 1 This demonstrated that behavioral phenotypes — specifically anxiety — were at least partially influenced by gut microbiome composition, in that phenotypes could be transferred between mice via FMT. Was there a possible application to the study of human phenotypes?In a freshly published paper, the McMaster University group has now shown that the anxious phenotype can also be transferred by FMT from humans to mice 2 In order to evaluate functional roles of the microbiome in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the authors colonized GF mice with fecal microbiota from either healthy control individuals or diarrheic IBS patients (with or without the comorbidity anxiety). The researchers found that mice receiving microbiota from IBS patients had increased gastrointestinal transit time — perhaps a reflection of diarrhea in the patients.More interesting, however, was the marked change in measurable anxiety in mice receiving transplants from donors with IBS and comorbid anxiety. When subjected to anxiety-assessing behavioral tests, these mice displayed significantly increased anxiety behavior when compared to mice with healthy control microbiota or to mice with microbiota from IBS patients without anxiety. Specifically, they displayed increased latency time in the step-down test and decreased light preference in the light-dark box test.While the overall taxonomic patterns of the microbiota were not different between healthy or diseased human donors, or between the corresponding mouse recipients, IBS microbiota caused functional differences in the recipient mice. The intestinal barrier permeability was increased in mice with the IBS microbiota, and mice with the IBS microbiota from patients with anxiety exhibited immune activation in the colon.These results suggest that the microbiota may contribute to development of anxiety, which is observed as a comorbidity in many IBS patients. As such, pre-/probiotics or other microbiota-targeting therapeutic strategies may be beneficial for IBS patients — not only for alleviating the intestinal manifestations, but also for mood symptoms.Further, if an anxiety phenotype can be transferred from humans to mice, it's possible this is also the case between human donors and recipients of FMT. It can therefore be argued that screening programs for FMT donors used in the clinic should include mood disorders as an exclusion criterion.Important notice about STEREO Behind
Positions of STEREO A and B for 27-Feb-2019 19:00 UT
This figure plots the current positions of the STEREO Ahead (red) and Behind (blue) spacecraft relative to the Sun (yellow) and Earth (green). The dotted lines show the angular displacement from the Sun. Units are in A.U.
When the two spacecraft are close to Earth, an expanded view of the region around Earth will appear on the right, in the same orientation as the Sun-centered view.
Other resources:
STEREO-B Earth STEREO-A Heliocentric distance (AU) 1.071028 0.990381 0.963961 Semidiameter (arcsec) 895.988 968.948 995.505 HCI longitude 179.937 82.808 344.520 HCI latitude -0.300 -7.196 1.888 Carrington longitude 264.466 167.337 69.049 Carrington rotation number 2214.265 2214.535 2214.808 Heliographic (HEEQ) longitude 97.129 0.000 -98.288 Heliographic (HEEQ) latitude -0.300 -7.196 1.888 HAE longitude 255.665 158.631 60.174 Earth Ecliptic (HEE) longitude 97.035 -0.000 -98.457 Earth Ecliptic (HEE) latitude -0.292 0.000 -0.054 Roll from ecliptic north -0.037 0.009 Roll from solar north -7.288 6.997 Light travel time to Earth (min) 12.852 12.311 Separation angle with Earth 97.035 98.457 Separation angle A with B 164.504 Carrington rotation 2214 runs from 2019-02-13 03:53 (DOY 44.16) to 2019-03-12 11:50 (DOY 71.49), as seen from Earth.
Last Revised: Wednesday, 27-Feb-2019 19:01:03 GMT
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Feedback and comments: webmasterJim Watson / AFP / Getty Images Senator Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, pictured here in 2009, was hospitalized on Thursday. "For the most part, I am OK," he said.
Daniel Inouye, 88, the most senior senator in the U.S. Senate, has been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he said he is working with his doctors to regulate his oxygen intake.
“For the most part, I'm OK,” Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii, said in a statement Monday. “Much to my frustration, I have to remain in the hospital for my own safety and to allow the necessary observation. I will be back on the Hill as soon as my doctors allow it.”
Around the Capitol, Inouye has been seen with a portable oxygen supply.
He was hospitalized Thursday, one day before Pearl Harbor Day. On Friday, he honored the day as he does every year, this time through a press release remembering his time as a young Japanese-American teenager in Hawaii. He wrote:
In 1941, the date December 7th was a day that evoked anger, fierce patriotism and dangerous racism. Soon after that day, |
me to get it out, after the last one.
That being said, there are some things you can try out test your understanding before Part 3 :)38 days in the Parallel World
Girl's trio: Marina Kopteva (Leader, Ukraine), Anna Yasinskaya (Ukraine) and Galina Chibitok (Russia). Great Trango Tower NW Wall. Dec, 3 this team was awarded by Piolet D'Or Russia 2011. The first ever girl's team such award photo: Vadimir Mogila (Ukraine) The new route "Parallel world"
( VI+, 7b, А3), or 6B Russian grade
Altitude difference 2000 m, 2580 m long
9 camps, all in the portaledge.
They started to the route July, 22. Topped out Aug, 25. Descended to BC Aug, 29 at 4am:. Marina Kopteva, the leader Galina Chibitok Anna Yasinskaya Marina and Galina answered questions from Russianclimb: RC: How did you choose the route? Girls: First, Pakistan authorities announced the discount to permits to peaks until 6500 m... Second,we had consulted with Vladimir Mogila, who had climbed the great route on Trango, so we were going to climb it. We also thought about Ulibjaho, but refused... thought about Nameless tower, but knew that the strong Slovenian girls team had already climbed there... thought about the route on the south side, but there're no place for the nice and difficult enough climb... So, we decided to try Great Trango, new route, just to right to the Ukrainian route RC: Did you hope for the nice weather when started? Girls: We climbed the first bastion in 3 weeks: Then reached the ridge between first and second bastions, it began about 5500 m. Where get the radio message from Moscow guys: "You are at the beginning of the winter! Let you descend!" Really, the weather was awful, there're very cold, 10 days long... but we stayed at the wall. RC: How much down gear did you have on the wall? Girls: We had one down jacket. One down vest. And one down blanket for all three of us. But it was hard in 10-days bad weather upper than 5500 m... no visibility, no sun, depressive mood... RC: How much cognac did you have? Girls: Pity, but we took few: and drank during first 2 weeks... BTW, we took too few ropes, only 6. All of them had been beaten soon after the beginning the route, and we were obliged to use jumars through sites.... RC: What did you eat during the climb? 38 days... Girls: We had enough food:) First we planned to climb in four-member team. But out mate Eugenia Kurochkina fell ill just after arriving to BC. So, we climbed in trio. But the food we had for 4 members. Pity, but when started to the route, we left one food bag in BC, and there were the sausage, SALO!, tea, sweets...: We missed of that bag: We ate all our medicines: pills, etc. Drank the liquid for rinsing teeth... RC: Did your legs bent from exhaustion, when you descended? Girls: No, we're rappelling:. But when did the last steps to our tent in BC, we were hardly-hardly. RC: I know that one of your gear bag fell into the abyss during the climb? Girls: It has appeared in the beginning of the descent. RC: Did you have cosmetics with you on the route? Girls: We had one cosmetics kit for all of us. - 5 kg :) - creams, masks, etc. RC: How did you work on the route? Girls: We climbed 4-5 pitches per day, except bad weather days, when we climbed 1-2 pitch. Two of us climbed the next pitch, one stayed in the portaledge and rested or moved it to the next bivy site. So, we changed, and one of us could "rest". After the 20th day of the climb we began to work every day like you go to the office every morning :) On the second day we broke the spike (but we had a reserve), on the third - the hammer, on he fourth - the bolt... RC: Was your team alone on the wall? Girls: not always. The Irkutsk duo began their route some days later our start. They climbed faster than us, so, in some days we could see their tent 15 m below our C3 and some meters to right. We talked, we're not alone, and it was a great support for us! Later, after Irkutsk guys left the wall, the another team, from Moscow, began the climb not far from us. They began, summited, descended, but we were continuing yet... One of Moscow guys, Valentin, had such pleasant voice. When he radioed to us, we listened to him and were happy :)
Aug, 20 Moscow guys radioed us ; "Girls, the winter began! You should descend and go home!" But we stayedl...
Frankly, were a couple of moments... we're very sad, when the Moscow guys decided to descend, we felt so lonely. Too big wall, it shakes and presses the psyche yet. When the someone not far from you climbs, talks or laughs yeah jokes it feels something more comfortable and safer. RC: What did you feel in the bad weather? It lasted so many days... Girls: We decided that lets feel like in Christmas: snow, cold, blizzard, maybe Santa is not far from us... Like an every child likes the snow, we had there what we liked in the childhood, and it was like a gift-snow in summer... RC: What did your families and beloveds feel when you climbed? Marina: Because I realized that our batteries should be off during the climb, I previously agreed with one my friend, and every Friday he sent SMS to my mother: " Hi Mom. Some days more, and we'd be in BC. Don't worry" But after the third such SMS my Mom understood that all is not so nice... RC: How did you topped out? Girls: We reached the top in 9 pm. Made pictures and began to descend. In 3 days we descended to BC. All pictures from the archives of the girl's trio (Kopteva, Chibitok, Yasinskaya)It’s time for another weekly update from Yellow Devil! This time I will be covering another one of my personal favourite modifications, Mega Man X Classes.
As far as I am aware, MMXClasses was produced by TheBladeRoden alone. Featuring all 8 Mavericks from X1, as well as X himself, as playable classes! Classes generally have two weapons, with all of their classic attacks in 3D form. Even the attacks you thought would never happen are in here, Armored Armadillo can perform his flying rolling tackle, Boomer Kuwanger can teleport, there’s even light-dimming punches for Spark Mandrill! There’s a ton of detail here, from full bot support to those little sound effects, and it is really incredible to be able to play the classes not only in 3D, but in 8-bit too.
The purpose of this blog post comes in two forms. First, you should play Mega Man X classes a lot more often! Second, the mod is still lacking some skins, so if you can or know someone who can make a good maverick skin, get workin’!
Get blasting! Download Megaman X Classes V1D here.
Find TheBladeRoden’s Topic here.
This is for you man, the one who really wanted that On the Blog Medal.An interview with CW Brown – Founder and CEO of Philosophical Atheism, and Executive Director of the Atheist Alliance of America
By Angelos Sofocleous
CW, you are the CEO and Founder of the Philosophical Atheism online community. How did this idea come about?
I wanted to create a forum for people to discuss complicated philosophical concepts based in reason, evidence, understanding, and proper argumentation. We also joke, laugh, and educate ourselves as we go. I am excited that it has become so popular. We have a lot of fun and learn a lot about life while doing it.
How do you believe the two relate? Is there a need for atheists to be philosophical and for philosophers to be atheists?
To be without religion is a beginning, but to better navigate life without a god or gods, we need a decent philosophy to live by. Some atheists are nihilists, while others are humanists. I prefer to say that we all create meaning for our own lives, as we see fit. To do this, we need good philosophy and there is plenty for us to learn. Philosophical Atheism helps people do this.Last week, we held a webinar called Feature development lifecycle with Git. This time, we took a different approach in order to give attendees the feeling that they were watching an experienced developer run through a coding session in real time.
If you tuned into this session, you had the chance to peek over my shoulder while I worked through a simple bug-fix end-to-end, from branch creation, through code review, to the final merge.
I think we can safely call this session a success, as almost 700 attendees joined me as I walked through:
How to kick off development in a feature branch.
. What rebase is, and how and when to perform it as local cleanup.
is, and how and when to perform it as local cleanup. How to have colleagues to review your work via a pull request.
. How to work through feedback on a pull request.
When and how to merge your work back to the development main line.
your work back to the development main line. Clean up considerations after the work is complete.
If you missed the live session, here’s a recording of the session for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to send it to anybody who you think might be interested!
Ready for more?
If you’re new to Git, check out our tutorial for more on workflows and specific Git commands. While you’re there, sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date with hot topics in the Git-verse.
Atlassian Dev Tools make Git best practices like feature branching, continuous integration, and peer review easier than you ever thought possible. Check out the latest integrations from Jira, Stash, Sourcetree, and Bamboo keep developers in their coding flow, and keep the larger product team in the loop.
Learn moreKey Points
The Farakka Barrage was created by India in 1975 to divert water from the Ganges River system.
Bangladesh is a lower riparian country that heavily relies on the flow of the Ganges to meet its food and water demands; any change in the flow of the Ganges significantly affects it.
The Ganges Water Treaty has a limited ability to meet the current needs of both India and Bangladesh.
If agreements over other transboundary rivers can be achieved – particularly the Teesta River – then it may be possible for the countries to improve water sharing goodwill and collaboration. Alternative methods for co-operation must be explored.
Summary
The Ganges Water Treaty determines the water-sharing arrangements between India and Bangladesh, however, its ability to suitably divide riparian water rights and foster co-operation is limited at best. India’s construction of the Farakka Barrage has, in part, soured the bilateral relationship between the two countries. Both India and Bangladesh face increased pressure to meet rising water demands. There is little effective water agreement to sustain a co-operative bilateral relationship while meeting these demands.
Analysis
The Farakka Barrage
The Ganges River originates in the Tibetan Himalayas. The river flows through northern India and enters Bangladesh where it becomes the Padma River. Once the Padma reaches the centre of Bangladesh, it joins with the Brahmaputra, or Jamuna, as it is known in Bangladesh, where the two join and form the Meghna River. The Meghna River then branches into a set of distributaries which eventually drain into the Bay of Bengal.
The Farakka Barrage was created by India in 1975 to divert water from the Ganges River to the Bhagirathi-Hoogly river system. The barrage diverts water from one of the most populated basins in the world, the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin. There are 54 transboundary rivers between India and Bangladesh. Given the river’s long route throughout several countries, any source of tension between India and Bangladesh threatens food and water security for millions of people who rely on the Ganges and its tributaries.
Food, Water and Co-operation
India
India is predicted to be water-stressed by 2025 and water-scarce by 2050. If the Indian Government cannot meet domestic, agricultural and industrial demand, the risk of domestic unrest will be heightened. With nearly half of all surface water contaminated, water quality is an issue. India has turned to groundwater extraction as an alternative to contaminated surface water; however, it has extracted groundwater unsustainably. With little incentive for water conservation, groundwater has been overexploited. These three issues are the greatest water challenges faced by India.
A lack of investment in water quality and sanitation poses a serious threat to future water security. India’s decentralised approach to water management is failing to insure against long-term strategic issues. Between 2011 and 2015, India’s gross domestic product increased by 7.3 per cent and it is expected to continue to expand. India’s population is expected to reach almost two billion by 2050 and is predicted to surpass that of China. India’s rapidly growing economy and expanding population is likely to place unprecedented pressure on its limited natural resources.
FDI has previously noted that India experiences strong competition between farmers, industrialists and the general population for diminishing water supplies. Farmers are threatened by a double burden of water security. If farmers do not seek alternative sources of water, they may find it increasingly difficult to grow crops, but alternative sources of irrigation are often too expensive and will drive farmers to the point of bankruptcy.
Food insecurity is relatively equal in urban and rural areas of India. Despite decades of economic growth lifting many out of poverty, a large percentage of the population continue to be food insecure. While the number of hungry people decreased from 240 million in the 1990s to 217 million in 2012, in 2006, 43.5 per cent of children were classified as underweight. Food insecurity is clearly still a major concern.
India maintains an advantageous position over Bangladesh at Farakka, however, it is a lower riparian of China. India has a high dependency on rivers originating in the Chinese-controlled Tibetan Plateau (particularly the Brahmaputra and the Ganges). Chinese damming in Tibet has a flow-on effect downstream. India’s apprehension about its future food and water security – particularly as a result of upstream actions – has an effect on the decisions it makes for the waters within its own region, which ultimately affects Bangladesh’s water supply further downstream.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is highly dependent on the flow of three major rivers: the Padma, the Jamuna and the Meghna. These rivers contribute to Bangladesh’s cultural identity and provide a critical water supply to farmers who comprise 60 per cent of the population. Fish from the three major rivers provide almost 80 per cent of the Bangladeshi diet. These waterways are integral to maintaining Bangladeshi food and water security.
Floods, water scarcity and poor water quality are the three most severe challenges to water security that Bangladesh faces. Both scarcity and quality – in urban and rural areas – threaten water security. In the 1970s, the country drilled four million wells to replace contaminated surface water. As a result of its poor water quality, Bangladesh experiences frequent outbreaks of water-borne and diarrheal diseases.
Bangladesh has high rates of poverty and population density. In 2010, the number of Bangladeshis living in poverty stood at 31.5 per cent. FDI has noted that Bangladesh’s population of over 152 million places large pressure on its land and water resources, particularly considering that the country has a population growth rate of 1.6 per cent per annum. Like India, Bangladesh has also severely depleted its groundwater. Poor surface water quality has pushed Bangladesh toward a greater reliance on groundwater, but falling water tables are evidence of significant groundwater depletion. By improving its irrigation practices, Bangladesh has increased its food security by enabling farmers to produce more food at a lower cost for consumers. The irrigation practices continue to be unsustainable, however, and have had a detrimental effect on groundwater levels.
Studies have been conducted on water supply before and after the construction of Farakka. It has been found that Bangladesh’s water supply was much greater before the barrage was built. In some studies, evidence shows that the supply worsened after the Ganges Water Treaty (GWT) was signed and ratified. Until 1975, when the Farakka Barrage was created, water supply into Bangladesh was adequate. After the creation of the barrage, Bangladesh started to experience reduced water flow.
Any change in the flow of the Ganges through Farakka has the ability to significantly alter Bangladeshi agriculture, fisheries and livelihoods. The threats to food and water security that Bangladesh already experiences are made worse by Bangladesh’s position as a down-stream riparian and have been accelerated with the creation of the Farakka Barrage.
The Potential for Conflict
Given its geographical position, India has a strategic advantage over Bangladesh. Ninety-four per cent of Bangladesh’s surface water supply originates outside its borders. Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to upstream decisions, particularly Chinese and Indian dam construction and operation. India relies on its military and economic strength to act unilaterally in water-sharing scenarios, especially with the creation of the Farakka Barrage.
While the barrage reduces salinity in Kolkata, the diversion of the Ganges has increased river salinity in Bangladesh. As rice paddies are sensitive to salinity increases, this poses a threat to Bangladeshi food security. Decreased river flow effects the Bangladeshi environment, particularly the Sundarbans mangrove forest. Forest degeneration has caused Bangladesh to reduce its timber production and has created an economic loss for the country.
Rising salinity levels also have a detrimental effect on Bangladesh’s potable drinking water. Unfit drinking water increases the susceptibility of Bangladeshis to venereal diseases. Given that increasing salinity has a detrimental effect on the Bangladeshi environment, economy and public health, this has the potential to increase tensions between the riparian neighbours.
India’s creation of the barrage could be interpreted as an exercise of Indian influence over Bangladesh. It could be seen to grant India a means to influence the business and economic decisions of Bangladesh, particularly if India is able to control how much water flows into Bangladesh. While this view takes a cynical approach to transboundary water politics, the likelihood of a “traditional war” over water in the short-term appears low. There have been few incidents of traditional wars over water to-date. It is, however, increasingly likely that such events may take place in the long-term if there is not greater international co-operation over transboundary rivers.
Given the importance of food and water security, and the adverse effects that Bangladesh has experienced as a result of the Farakka Barrage, it is possible (although unlikely) that relations between India and Bangladesh may weaken in the short-term. As the two become more water-scarce, and population pressures further impact water availability, conflict may accentuate in the absence of a concrete water-sharing arrangement.
The Likelihood of Greater Co-Operation
The Ganges Water Treaty
The origins of the GWT can be traced back to before Bangladesh was created in 1971. In 1951, when Bangladesh was still geopolitically East Pakistan, Pakistan raised concern over India’s potential plans to create a barrage at Farakka. In 1960, Pakistan and India signed the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). India began construction on the barrage the same year Bangladesh was created. Between 1977 and 1982, the Ganges Water Agreement was signed between India and Bangladesh; however, it was not renewed. Communication over the river ceased between 1988 and 1992. The GWT was signed in 1996.
The GWT allows India to withdraw up to 40,000 cusecs of flow at Farakka between 1 January and 31 May each year. If the flow rate falls below 70,000 cusecs, water withdrawals are equally divided between India and Bangladesh. Ultimately, India has the upper-hand in this arrangement. Given that the upper Ganges flows almost entirely through India, if flow is reduced at Farakka there is little in the agreement that ensures India will not extract water further upstream.
Average river flows are calculated from information gathered between 1949 and 1988. Upstream withdrawals (particularly from the agricultural sector) have slowly decreased the average river flow, rendering the data the GWT is based on outdated and inaccurate. On several occasions, Bangladesh has not received the Treaty-agreed flow because the data that determines allocations has not been updated.
The existence of the GWT does not necessarily equate to meaningful co-operation between the parties. It does not factor in effects of upstream use on the availability of water at the Farakka Barrage and, with no consideration of Nepal, nor does it take a whole-of-basin approach. Given the high dependency on the Ganges’ waters and Bangladesh’s position as a lower riparian, the arrangement between Bangladesh and India seems to favour India’s hydro-interests.
Furthermore, the GWT lacks a strong method for dispute resolution. A Joint Committee, with equal numbers of representatives from India and Bangladesh, is tasked with examining disputes, but it is only required to meet if the river flow were to fall below 50,000 cusecs. Given that this baseline was established from outdated data, 50,000 cusecs is now considered to be at crisis point. In reality, however, current agricultural, urban and industrial water requirements mean that Bangladesh reaches crisis-point much earlier than under the terms of the GWT.
The GWT also only allows India to withdraw a maximum of 40,000 cusecs. Given that Bangladesh is a deltaic floodplain, the country is highly susceptible to flooding. Given the Treaty’s restrictions, if the river flow were to reach two million cusecs at Farakka, not only would the river breach its banks, but the Treaty would not allow India to withdraw more water for flood alleviation.
These shortcomings indicate that the GWT is not a comprehensive water-management solution, but rather an arrangement for dividing up water allocations. It has not solved any of the issues that Bangladesh must address as a result of the Farakka Barrage and does little to ensure Bangladeshi food and water security.
The Teesta Water Sharing Agreement
The Teesta River is another transboundary river between India and Bangladesh. Like many transboundary river relationships, co-operation between the two riparians has been fraught with difficulties. The livelihoods of almost 21 million people depend on the Teesta River Basin. Agreement on the sharing of the Teesta River is important for Bangladesh because it depends on the river for irrigation, agriculture and the livelihoods of local communities. The Teesta Water Sharing Agreement was originally postponed in 2011 because of objections from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He refused to sign the agreement after claiming it would harm agriculture in the northern part of West Bengal. Banerjee’s resistance to the agreement has the potential to threaten bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh.
While it has been difficult to secure the interests of both parties, an agreement would reduce the potential for significant adverse effects from upstream diversions. FDI has noted that the signing of the Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh in 2015 represents a significant hope for an agreement to be reached over the Teesta waters. A Teesta River agreement could have a positive influence on efforts to enhance co-operation at Farakka. Resistance to the agreement, however, risks further threatening bilateral ties between the two countries, particularly over co-operation at Farakka.
Conclusion
Given the interests of Bangladesh and the limited capacity of the Ganges Water Treaty, there is increased concern about the future viability of the Treaty and the allocation of water at the Farakka Barrage. Both India and Bangladesh are facing mounting pressure to secure some form of food and water security, particularly with demand-side pressures mounting. Bangladesh could improve the management of its water resources by dredging its rivers and watersheds and employing better water-management techniques. Bilateral co-operation might also be enhanced by developing early warning systems for floods and droughts. Alternative methods of co-operation must be employed to ensure that the interests of both countries are achieved while reducing the potential for conflict.California’s health care exchange is requesting that it be allowed a waiver from ObamaCare regulations in order to allow illegal immigrants to buy insurance on the exchange – which would make California the first state to extend ObamaCare to illegal immigrants.
In a Sept. 30 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Covered California’s Executive Director Peter Lee said that the Affordable Care Act has been “tremendously successful” in the state and has cut the rate of uninsured in half.
“While millions of Californians have benefitted from coverage purchased through the Covered California marketplace, certain individuals are prohibited from buying insurance through our state marketplace due to their immigration status,” Lee wrote, before requesting the waiver.
The Affordable Care Act technically bars illegal immigrants from insurance exchanges, but in June Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that allowed the state to apply for a federal waiver to open Covered California to illegal immigrants living in California. The bill’s sponsor said such a waiver would allow 390,000 illegal immigrants to receive health insurance.
However, even if the Obama administration green-lights the waiver, the insurance plans that would be offered – California Qualified Health Plans – would not be subsidized.
The Department for Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment from FoxNews.com.
Critics have objected to the plan, saying it is the latest sign the federal government misrepresented the purpose of the law.
“This is the first step in another misrepresentation of the Affordable Care Act,” Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform told US News & World Report in June. “It was sold to the American people on the fact that you wouldn’t have to subsidize health care for illegal immigrants.”
The issue of whether ObamaCare would be available to illegal immigrants was highly contentious in the debate building up to the law’s passage in 2010. In an address to a joint session of Congress in 2009, the president said ObamaCare would not apply to illegal immigrants, to which Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. shouted “You lie!” Obama immediately responded, “That’s not true. That's not true"
Wilson was heavily criticized for his outburst and later apologized.
FoxNews.com’s Adam Shaw and Fox News’ Lee Ross contributed to this report.Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and their colleagues have shown that they can control whether mice perceive a taste as bitter or sweet by activating two small areas of the brain. The findings are a step toward understanding how the brain integrates the flood of information from our senses to create what we experience as reality.
In the experiments, HHMI investigator Charles Zuker at Columbia and colleagues stimulated neurons in the part of the mouse’s brain that senses bitter tastes as the mouse was drinking pure water. The animal reacted as if it had just swallowed day-old coffee – and repeatedly swiped its front paws across its mouth, apparently trying to scrub away a foul taste.
The new results, which the scientists reported in Nature on November 18, 2015, build on more than a decade of research in Zuker’s lab and the lab of his collaborator Nicholas Ryba of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The sense of taste begins with receptors on the tongue, each of which detects one of the five tastes—sweet, sour, bitter, salt, or umami. If you pop a piece of chocolate into your mouth, for example, it excites sweet receptors that fire off nerve signals that speed to the brain. In 2011, Zuker and colleagues tracked those messages to the brain region known as the gustatory cortex, which processes taste impulses. They found that each taste is represented in a different section of the gustatory cortex, in essence creating a map of taste qualities in the brain.
That work showed where in the brain each taste is coded. For the new study, Zuker and colleagues wanted to go one step further and determine what mice perceive when these different areas are active. If neurons in the sweet cortical field are firing, for example, do the mice experience a sensation of sweetness? Like us, mice love sweets and recoil from things that are bitter, so the animals’ responses could serve as a guide, says Zuker, who is also a senior fellow at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus. “With its behavior the animal is telling us what it is sensing. In addition, we can train the animals to report the identity of a taste stimulus by teaching it to perform a number of additional behaviors.”
To manipulate the animals’ sensations, the team used a harmless virus to insert the protein channelrhodopsin into the brains of mice. Channelrhodopsin switches on neurons when it is exposed to light, so the researchers could stimulate the bitter or sweet portions of the gustatory cortex with a laser.
When Yueqing Peng, a postdoctoral researcher in Zuker’s lab and the lead author of the study, offered plain water to thirsty animals and then directed the laser at the bitter cortical field, the mice stopped drinking, choked, and pawed their mouths. “The animal not only thinks it is tasting bitter, it attempts to clear its mouth of the [non-existent] taste,” says Zuker. In contrast, when the sweet cortical field was targeted, the mice instead drank and drank, thus ensuring they continued to “feel” the taste of sweet. “These results illustrate that by manipulating the brain centers representing sweet and bitter taste it is possible to directly control an animal’s internal representation, sensory perception, and behavioral actions,” says Peng.
The researchers next trained animals to behave in the opposite way from what one would expect. When the researchers presented the mice with a bitter chemical, the animals were trained to lick the spout of the water bottle. And when the animals were presented with sugar, the mice were trained to stop licking. The researchers then gave the animals pure water and activated either the sweet or bitter brain field. Stimulating each field evoked the same response as its corresponding taste. For example, aiming the laser at the sweet cortical field caused the animals to stop licking. “Activation of these cortical fields is re-enacting what we think of as sensory perception,” says Zuker. “Taste is in the brain.”
Next, the researchers want to use their techniques to determine how the taste cortical fields integrate with other areas of the brain to modulate sensory perception and guide actions and behaviors, including the storage and recall of taste memories.Foucault calls into question the definition of discourse in his famous, methodological work the Archaeology of Knowledge. While it is traditionally identified as the communicative practice of conversation and talk, Foucault opens up discourse as the systems of thought that reside and manifest themselves in notions, ideas, concepts, ideologies, academic disciplines and the materiality of language (books, film, art etc.). In this sense, discourses exist as separate and dispersed yet overlapping domains that are regimented in how they are constructed and practiced.
If we unhinge discourse as solely a means of oral communication, then a Foucauldian analysis on digital media is in demand. By doing so we can label such an analysis as the exploration of Digital Discourses in which interlocutors participate, construct and act in virtual spaces that cater to certain content and diverge from physical discourse through the utilization of specific and distinct semiotic tools (that is the new, complex and trademarked means of digital communication that vary in their formation but construct a distinct consciousness and sense of practice in how they are utilized with various users and interlocutors).
Foucault stresses the deconstruction of discourse by breaking it down into its most atom-like form. This is what he labels the statement. The statement is not merely a proposition or an analysis of the grammatical components of a sentence, but rather a statement is the last dissectable piece of a discourse configuration. Or, we can say, it is a discourse artifact. Its importance stems from the fact that a statement cannot exist solely by itself, but rather it comes into being by its direct attachment to the past. A statement, therefore is constructed by what has existed before it, what exists now and what can exist in the future. In Foucault’s terms it is what has been said, what is being said and what can be said.
Statements are distinct in their manifestation due to their regimented existence in discourse. While they are influenced by the discourse as a whole, they are also its influencers. This leads us to the contradiction, yet essential insight, of Foucault’s argument in which discourse simultaneously defines and is defined by itself. Statements, therefore can only erupt into existence due to the larger, defining and oscillating contents of the discourse — in this sense, the statements that can be produced are finite as their configuration is dependent on the structures, rules, tactics and practices of a discourse.
Statements, as artifacts, are unchanging once they become formulated. Further or future statements can dismantle other statements’ legitimacy since their construction is also defined by their status in a given discourse (that is to say their validity to the ‘truth’ of the contents). With each statement comes a proposed world, in which a consciousness-worldview is presented and constructed by the discourse in which it occupies. Statements, therefore are the smallest component of discourse but still carry with it the substance of history, previous statements and the future.
Yet, if we look at Digital Discourses we can view interactions as Foucauldian statements, in which the content and structure of virtual spaces define and are defined by the interactions being practiced. Things become regimented and certain content is only able to be displayed, manipulated, and discussed in their properly directed outlets. The history of all that precedes a subject is influenced over the statements that can be made. Their analysis must not only be taken at face value but must be infused by the past, the present and the future. These aspects are crucial to be considered in order to gauge the weight and the substance of Digital Discourses.
For example if there exists an online forum that is concerned with computer malfunctions, the possible discourse must take into account what has been said on computer malfunctions, what is being said on computer malfunctions and what can be said on computer malfunctions. The discussions are locked in so that they are influenced by the past and constricted to always revolve around computer malfunctions.
However, we find a problem with such an analysis due to its strictly deterministic ideals. The objective is thus to disrupt this notion of discourse and to shatter the underlying structures that, one could say, condemn discourse to limit the content within. If we are to enact a proposition that “knowledge acquisition may occur as an unintended consequence of interactions with Digital Discourses”, the question is where is the “unexpected” in Foucault’s discourse? If statements are condensed by the history of their context, then where is the transformative, unintended, residue of knowledge and learning that we are searching for? Where is the agency in which the acquisition of knowledge unexpectedly comes into being by the shattering of the rectilinear screen? Where can the understanding of the power spectrums become acquired as a byproduct of participation within an online forum?
The goal is to find where the unexpected leaks over what is determined as the finite discourse and to see what is happening. For virtual spaces are not limited by time and space – the spatiotemporal; they are different from the physical real – the meatspace; their existence utilizes its own repertoire of distinct semiotic tools (and no Digital Discourse is the same as the other). Where this residue leaks through and pushes past the virtual space and into the consciousness, it can be able to alter, transform and define identity, habitus, language and the social world. Discourses cannot be finite and predictable, but they must produce the unexpected in which language and knowledge are remixed in discursive context in which they can have crucial consequences that are conscious disrupting and enhancing.
Works Cited:
Foucault, Michel, and Michel Foucault. The Archaeology of Knowledge ; And, The Discourse on Language. New York: Vintage, 2010.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
A grandma took her newborn grandson back to the clinic where he was born and accused staff of swapping him for another child - because she thought he was too ugly.
The woman, who was not named in reports, marched back into the clinic in the city of Santa Marta, in the northern Colombian department of Magdalena, with the boy and his mother in tow.
She demanded the tot be swapped back but was told that there had been no swap, and that only one baby boy had been born in the clinic on the day in question.
Carlos Pallares, health secretary on Santa Marta' city council, said: "The grandmother was not very happy.
(Image: Getty)
"She did not identify the baby as a new member of the family and therefore she decided to come back to the clinic along with the mother of the baby to return him.
"The situation should be accepted. Sometimes biology, genetics play a role in these mistakes and we should accept them."
He added that the women went back home with the baby after clinic staff conducted a health check on him.
City council spokesman Chadan Rosado said that the grandmother was being treated by a psychologist and that people should not be too quick to judge her for her actions.
The baby is said to be in a good state of health and is with his family. It is unclear why exactly the grandma thought the baby was ugly.I’ve noticed that among progressive Christians, “love” works as a kind of rhetorical trump card. Christians are supposed to “love,” hence you should be nice to people, hence you should be a liberal — or something to that effect. Are you worried about illegal immigration? Stop worrying and deploy some love. Does acceptance of homosexuality bother you? Well, I’ve got bad news — accepting homosexuality is a form of love, therefore you should do it. Case closed!
Presumably this rhetorical tactic does work in some individual cases, most likely people who were already uncomfortable with conservative Christianity and just needed that last little nudge. And it does make sense to try to deploy the most powerful and intimate Christian virtue if you’re trying to make radical changes to people’s moral and political commitments.
In the end, though, it rings hollow. Most of the time, it seems like “love” is a translation for “liberal tolerance,” which overlaps only very partially with love, if at all. Does “love” really mean that you don’t make |
, who has produced a video showing a PTI activist who, during a meeting in March, asked Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the community's London-based spiritual leader, whether he would support the party in the elections.
Rehman's wing of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party is in stiff competition with the PTI in the tribal belt. It said the video proved Khan was an Ahmadi stooge.In recent days, Rehman has even claimed senior clerics have issued a fatwa declaring a vote for Khan as un-Islamic.
Khan has disowned the party worker in the widely distributed video, which, bizarrely, the party claims is a "fake and based on total lies".
Ahmad, the spiritual leader, claims Khan did once ask for the community's assistance in the 1990s, soon after the PTI was established. But he said their past experience of backing politicians had made the community deeply reluctant to support untested candidates.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistan Peoples party, benefited from enthusiastic Ahmadi support. But during his prime ministership in 1974 he passed the first ordinance denying Ahmadis their Muslim identity.
"We will definitely vote for the PTI next time when the party does justice with us after coming into power," Ahmad said.
But few in Rabwah believe Khan will help their community, even if he does pull off the still unlikely feat of coming to power this weekend.
"In the western press he has reputation for being a secular, former playboy politician," said Usman Ahmad, a Rabwah resident who moved from the UK nine years ago. "This shows him in a truer light."Photo via Flickr user Mike Mozart
A new report from worker advocacy group A Better Balance alleges that Walmart has potentially violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act by punishing its employees for taking legal sick days and time off, the New York Times reports.
A Better Balance interviewed and surveyed more than 1,000 Walmart workers about the company's absence control program—which awards disciplinary "points" for absences regardless of reason—and found the retail giant to be in violation of multiple laws.
"Giving a worker a disciplinary 'point' for being absent due to a disability or for taking care of themselves or a loved one with a serious medical condition is not only unfair," the report reads, "in many instances, it runs afoul of federal, state, and local laws."
Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove told the Times that the allegations are false, and that the company "understand[s] that associates may have to miss work on occasion," and that they "have processes in place to assist them."
The report's worker testimonials say differently. "I came down with a stomach flu and I had to call in due to vomiting and high fever and got a point cause of being sick," recalls an Illinois employee named Veronica. "I hate the fact we got to worry about getting fired cause we caught the flu."
Other employees have accused Walmart managers of refusing doctors' notes. Katie, an employee from Pennsylvania, said she was forced to go back to work despite her doctor telling her to stay home after having a miscarriage.
"Because of the serious and prolonged pain I was in after my miscarriage and the continued heavy bleeding I was experiencing, I went back to the doctor. The doctor told me that I had to rest for an additional week, and gave me a note stating that I needed about a week of additional recovery time. My manager wouldn't accept it," Katie says, according to the report. "I ended up receiving around six disciplinary points due to my miscarriage."
A Better Balance has previously been involved in multiple lawsuits against Walmart for mistreating employees, including one that accuses the store of discriminating against pregnant workers. In other news, the company has started asking its employees to drop off a few packages to customers on their way home in an effort to compete with Amazon, so there's that.Ankara, (IINA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated on Tuesday that Ankara will boycott the UN-sponsored Syria peace talks in Geneva if the Democratic Union Party (PYD) is invited to the table, Anadolu Agency reported.
The PYD is the Syrian extension of the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S and the EU.
"Under what title will PYD sit at the table? Could a terrorist organization be a representative of [Syrian Kurdish] people?" he said during a live interview with Turkish private NTV news channel in Strasbourg, where he came to attend the Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
His remarks came days before the Syria peace talks, which is scheduled to be on Friday in Geneva, for which the invitations have been sent after delay by disagreements over which opposition factions should participate to decide on the political process to end the five-year-old conflict.
"Will Al-Qaeda and Nusra Front be able to take a seat at the table? The negotiation will be made between the opposition and the regime. Terrorist groups are out of the question", he stressed.
Cavusoglu reiterated Turkey's opposition against the involvement of the PYD or its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), in the peace negotiations.
Turkey’s top diplomat stressed that Ankara was previously promised that the PYD would not be included in the talks.
"They say the PYD will not be invited, but if it is invited we will certainly boycott the Geneva talks", he added. "[If it happens], it will also tarnish the opposition's reputation. It will not be an advantage but a disadvantage for them to be intimate with terrorist groups".
AG/IINACurrently, the Toronto Maple Leafs are tied with the St. Louis Blues for the longest streak of not winning the Stanley Cup at 47 years, dating back to 1967. Ownership and management are usually the main reasons cited for this futility, but there are other factors as well. One reason might be due to the fact that the Maple Leafs have seldom had the best player in the NHL.
Maple Leaf players seldom win either the Hart Trophy which is given to the NHL’s most valuable player and have never won the Art Ross Trophy which was first awarded to the league’s scoring champion in 1947.
If fans think the current Stanley Cup winless streak is bad, consider that a Maple Leaf player has not won the Hart Trophy since Ted Kennedy won it in 1955, a full 59 years ago – and that a Maple Leaf player has not won the scoring title since Gordie Drillon did it in 1938 an even more futile stretch of 76 years that predates the introduction of the Art Ross Trophy.
What is worse is that up to 1967, there were mostly only six teams in the NHL. The current number of 30 teams and possibly more means that it will harder to do in the future.
In their history, only five Maple Leafs, Drillon, Charlie Conacher (twice), Babe Dye (twice), Ace Bailey, and Harvey Jackson have won the NHL’s scoring title, and none since World War II was in its early days. This is the lowest of all original six teams.
The Hart Trophy records are even more dismal. Only two (believe it or not) Maple Leafs, Kennedy and Babe Pratt were ever named the NHL’s most valuable player. Of all the Original Six teams the Leafs have the fewest number of Hart Trophy Winners.
Now while the Leafs were able to win 13 Stanley Cups while having the least amount of individual stars of the teams, this was in the original six era. Maybe instead of wondering about the Leafs lack of a Stanley Cup, it is to be wondered why the Leafs have been so unable to acquire a true mega-star in so much of their recent history. That one game breaking centre the franchise could build around.
It should come as no surprise that the best Leaf teams of the last 47 years were built around players who were close, but not quite at, that status of best in the league. Doug Gilmour was one of the best players in the NHL in the early 90s and took the Leafs to Conference Final appearances in 1993 and 1994. Mats Sundin was also an upper echelon centre who took the team to two conference championship appearances, 1999 and 2002.
The Gilmour led team fell to Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings in 1992, and the Mats Sundin led team fell to the Buffalo Sabres and Hart Trophy winning goalie Dominik Hasek in 1999. While not facing a Hart/Art Ross winner, the 1994 team fell to the Vancouver Canucks who had Pavel Bure (a player who would win multiple NHL Goal Scoring Titles in his career), and the 2002 team fell to a Hurricanes club with 4th all-time NHL scorer Ron Francis.
It doesn’t help to remember that the Maple Leafs let Bobby Orr slip from their grasp into the Boston developmental system nor how ownership and management managed to scotch Wayne Gretzky’s dream of ending his career in Toronto.
When we look at the face of other original six franchises we have Bobby Orr in Boston, Maurice Richard in Montreal, Bobby Hull in Chicago, and Gordie Howe in Detroit. The Leafs (and the Rangers as well) just don’t have a player who meets that standard in those years. In more recent years the Rangers would have multi-time Hart and Norris winners in Mark Messier and Brian Leetch on their 1994 Stanley Cup winning team, and break their cup drought.
The Leafs best player of all-time? Some will say Charlie Conacher, others Darryl Sittler, others Ted “Teeder” Kennedy and others King Clancy. But no matter which one of those four you support, are they in the same pantheon of legends like Orr, Howe, Richard and Hull? They really aren’t named in the top 7 or 8 NHLers of all time the way those four consistently are.
For the Maple Leafs, having the most feared player in the NHL on their side is few and far between in their history. Finding a way to get that player to build around (And no it isn’t easy), may be what the Leafs need to end their Stanley Cup drought.
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Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?JUST RELEASED! ALL 13 IMAGES ARE FINISHED AND ON SALE NOW!THE IMAGES ARE IN THE FORMATE OF A 2012 DAYTIMER.TO SEE ALL THE CREATIONS, VISIT OUR WEBSITE.GO CHECK IT OUT!WWW.Fairytalesforals.com---I am pleased to present you with a full access pass into the pre-production of Fairy Tales For Adults. A 2012 day-timer filled with fantasies little secrets.This project is a collaboration of various artists through out British Columbia, to produce visually appealing photos in the format of a day-timer.""""The theme throughout the book is the wonders of Fairy Tales, but with an extra twist to them. You will see makeup at its finest, including body paint, fashion and prosthetics. """""All net proceeds will be given to the ALS society to help those who struggle with the illness.---For more information please contact us at [email protected] ---Want to be apart of this amazing collaboration?Follow us on Facebook : facebook.com/FairyTalesForAdultsOr Follow us on Twitter : http://twitter.com/#!/AdultsFairyTaleFor many many amazing behind the scenes photo's and videos, and chances to win stuff!IF YOU WANT TO BE APART OF THIS AMAZING EXPERIENCE, DON'T MESSAGE ME HERE, JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP AND ASK QUESTIONS THERE.Thanks for the support!Hillary Clinton says she wants to take the U.S.-Israeli relationship “to the next level” even as Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing regime plumbs new depths of extremism, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar notes.
By Paul R. Pillar
There already shouldn’t have been any doubt about the orientation of the current Israeli government and the associated obduracy of that government in blocking any path toward resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is firmly rightist, dominated by those opposed to the relinquishing of occupied territory or the creation of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu, who comes across as one of the more moderate members of his own coalition, has paid more lip service than some other members of that coalition to the idea of an eventual Palestinian state, but he has made clear with other words and actions that he has no intention of any such thing coming into being on his watch, or of taking any meaningful steps toward such a state coming into being.
Now come reports that Netanyahu is offering the Defense Ministry to former Moldovan nightclub bouncer (and resident of a West Bank settlement) Avigdor Lieberman. This will bring into the ruling coalition Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, which even within the Israeli context is usually described as “hard right.”
Bringing Lieberman into the government is indicative not only of the overall orientation of that government but also of some larger disturbing trends in Israeli attitudes that the government has fomented more than it has discouraged.
If Lieberman is made defense minister he would replace Moshe Ya’alon, who in recent days has backed the Israeli military in prosecuting (though only for manslaughter, not the murder that occurred) an Israeli soldier who was caught on videotape shooting in the head, at close range, a Palestinian man who was wounded and lying on the ground, already subdued and obviously not a threat. Lieberman has joined other hardliners in expressing support for the soldier. (Netanyahu has visited the soldier’s family to express sympathy.)
Netanyahu had been trying to recruit another coalition partner to increase his government’s thin majority in the Knesset. Talks with centrist leader Isaac Herzog fell through; the government evidently had more in common with the crude hard right tendencies of Lieberman. Perhaps the timing of this latest political move was a natural outcome of this sequence of negotiations.
Or maybe it was at least as much another example of Netanyahu’s proclivity for poking a stick in the eye of foreign leaders who look like they might be getting on his case about the Palestinian conflict — such as timing an announcement of more settlement expansion to coincide with a visit of Vice President Biden. This time the stickee is the French government, which is organizing an international conference for later this year on Israeli-Palestinian peace.
All honest outside observers should use the report about Lieberman coming into the Israeli government as an occasion to remind themselves that this tragic and long-running conflict continues to run because one side refuses to end it. The gross asymmetry between the two sides is all-important.
One side, the occupying power — the side with the firepower — has the ability to end the occupation and resolve the conflict if it decided to do so. The other side has no such power. That other side, the Palestinian side, has tried to use violent resistance but has subsequently and correctly drawn the conclusion that such violence is not the answer; the violence, unsurprisingly, only stokes legitimate fears among Israelis about their security.
Violence has been continuing in the unplanned, spontaneous, and frustration-driven form of young people grabbing knives and stabbing the first Israelis they can find. The Palestinian leadership has turned to multilateral diplomacy, which, besides popular boycotts, is about the only tool it has left. And the Israeli government does everything it can to impede and to foil such diplomacy, as it is trying to do now with the French initiative.
A common urge to sound impartial leads to the common refrain that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict persists because neither side has the political will to settle it. Nonsense. The overwhelming majority of Palestinians do not want to continue to live under Israeli occupation. They have the will but not the power to settle.
There certainly are divisions and political weakness on the Palestinian side — of which the Israeli government has striven to prevent any repair, such as in “punishing” the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority through withholding tax revenue whenever it has moved toward reconciliation with Hamas — but there is no significant pro-occupation party among Palestinians.
The hardliners who control Israel policy have the power but — as ample evidence, even without Avigdor Lieberman, has shown — not the will, as long as third parties do not make them suffer any meaningful consequences. They do want the occupation to continue.
The Netanyahu government’s repeated claim that it wants to negotiate with the Palestinians should be described as the charade that it is. It is understandable that Palestinian leaders have no desire to engage in talks that have no prospect of leading to anything, when such engagement would just mean participating in the charade while the occupation continues and more facts are built on the occupied ground.
The insincerity is all the more obvious when Netanyahu speaks of talks with “no preconditions” while at the same time insisting that the Palestinians pronounce Israel to be a “Jewish state” — a precondition that implicitly limits how the issue of Palestinian refugees and right of return can be resolved, and also would mean the Palestinian leadership formally signing on to a declaration that non-Jewish Israelis are second-class citizens. Those are the only things such a pronouncement would mean.
The Palestinian leadership long ago recognized, formally and unequivocally, the state of Israel. As Palestinian leaders have noted, that state is free to describe itself any way it wants.
With the American political system still wearing its usual straitjacket on this issue, the main hope right now for taking any steps out of this tragic situation lies with the French initiative. If the United States is to do anything helpful any time in the foreseeable future, it probably will have to come in the remaining eight months of the Obama administration.
One of the two presumptive presidential nominees speaks of taking U.S.-Israeli relations “to the next level” — and it is safe to assume she doesn’t mean that the next level will consist of imposing consequences for the continued occupation.
The other presumptive presidential nominee caused nervous moments in the Israel lobby when he talked about being impartial, but the nerves were soothed with a speech to AIPAC that said all the “right” things. And now he has Sheldon Adelson and Adelson’s heavyweight bankroll on his side, with everything that implies for this nominee’s future posture on Israel-related issues if he were to be elected.Secretary of State John Kerry John Forbes KerryOvernight Defense: White House eyes budget maneuver to boost defense spending | Trump heads to Hanoi for second summit with Kim | Former national security officials rebuke Trump on emergency declaration 58 ex-national security officials rebuke Trump over emergency declaration Ex-national security officials to issue statement slamming Trump's emergency declaration: WaPo MORE warned in his exit memo on Thursday that the fight to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a "generational challenge" that won't be won "overnight."
"The fight against ISIL [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] and violent extremism more broadly is a generational challenge that cannot be won overnight," Kerry said. "It will require efforts on the battlefield and online, today and in years to come. But I am absolutely confident that, working with our coalition partners, we will win this fight and ISIL will be defeated."
Kerry in the memo detailed some of the challenges facing President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE, including the North Korean nuclear program, saying it is one of the country's "gravest" threats.
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Kerry also praised the accomplishments of the Obama administration, highlighting climate change. He stressed it should be one of top priorities of the Trump administration.
"Climate change is not just a threat to the future of our planet, but a growing and immediate threat to our national security and the lives and livelihoods of people across the globe," he argued.
Kerry also argued against cutting funding of the State Department.
"After serving in public life for nearly four decades, I am aware that there are few more reliable — or damaging — applause lines than promising to slash the budgets of the State Department and [United States Agency for International Development] and'spend the money at home.' Good applause lines don’t always make good policy," Kerry said, adding that modest investments in diplomacy often result in significant returns in the future.
"The richest economy in the world cannot be content on putting only one penny on the dollar into this effort," he added.
Kerry concluded by wishing luck to Trump's pick to succeed him, Rex Tillerson, while adding that it has been the "honor of my life" to serve as the secretary of state.
"I send President Obama’s successor, and mine, all the best wishes as they embark on what will be a truly extraordinary journey representing the greatest country on earth," Kerry concluded.General Motors today unveiled its first luxury extended-range electric vehicle, the Cadillac ELR Coupe. It’s the company’s second extended-range electric car and the third extended-range car unveiled in the past 30 days.
The new high-end vehicle features an electric motor that will travel for about 35 miles when the car’s battery is fully charged. When the battery runs out, the car uses gasoline to power a generator that recharges the battery, extending the distance the car can drive. The owner can plug the car in at any time to recharge the battery and save gasoline. The Cadillac ELR will feature a Voltec powertrain — the same powertrain used in its other extended-range electric vehicle, the Volt.
Purely electric cars can take several hours to charge and require drivers to plan out their days or change their driving habits. Owners of range-extending cars do not technically ever have to plug the car in, but if they choose to do so they can save on fuel costs and don’t have to drastically alter their daily driving routines. General Motors’ Chevy Volt uses the same technology, as does the Fisker Karma.
“The extended range is a lot more likely to be a mainstream vehicle in the U.S. than a battery electric,” Pike Research analyst Dave Hurst told VentureBeat. “A lot of Americans, regardless of their actual range, they think they need the range of 300 or 400 miles — whether they need it or not is beside the point.”
Car manufacturer BMW unveiled its own extended-range electric vehicles last month. GM is likely to face stiffer competition from the BMW i8, a sporty electric hybrid that can go from 0 to 62 miles per hour in less than 5 seconds, Hurst said. The Fisker Karma, another luxury sedan, likely won’t pose as much of a threat because it’s made by a smaller and much newer company, he said. BMW also unveiled the more practical i3 mini last month, which it will sell as both a battery-powered and range-extended model.
General Motors has had some trouble shipping its first extended-range electric vehicle, the Volt, due to a number of production delays. The company only sold 125 Volts after shutting down its Detroit-based plant to retool it, bringing its total vehicles shipped to 2,870. General Motors expects to sell around 16,000 Volts by the end of the year now that the plant has re-opened.
“GM definitely sees that there’s a market for the luxury side of things,” Hurst said. “With their strength with the Cadillac brand, I’m sure they’re feeling like they’re stepping into a market that’s pretty wide open.”Inconvenient energy fact: It takes 79 solar workers to produce same amount of electric power as one coal worker. https://t.co/JkmA4CLmUW pic.twitter.com/w9sTmrEs8l
The conservative, climate science denying, American Enterprise Institute scored an own goal with this tweet, proving that solar energy creates 79x as many jobs as coal.
Now, you see, from their perspective, representing the fraction of one percent “job creators” that the current administration is trying to please – this makes sense. Who wants to have to hire a bunch of expensive, unpredictable human beings?
CNBC:
Solar jobs in America increased at an “historic” pace in 2016 on “unprecedented” consumer demand as the cost of solar panels declined, according to The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2016.
The report – now in its seventh edition – found that the solar industry accounted for two percent of all jobs created in the U.S. over the past year, with solar jobs increasing in 44 of the 50 states.
As of November 2016, 260,077 solar workers were employed by the industry, “representing a growth rate of 24.5 percent since November 2015.” Over the 12 month period, the solar industry was responsible for more than one in every 50 new jobs created in the U.S.
“With a near tripling of solar jobs since 2010, the solar industry is an American success story that has created hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs,” Andrea Luecke, president and executive director of The Solar Foundation, said in a statement.
“In 2016, we saw a dramatic increase in the solar workforce across the nation, thanks to a rapid decrease in the cost of solar panels and unprecedented consumer demand for solar installations,” Luecke added.
“More than ever, it’s clear that solar energy is a low-cost, reliable, super-abundant American energy source that is driving economic growth, strengthening businesses, and making our cities smarter and more resilient.”
California had the highest number of jobs in solar, with Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada and Florida following behind.
“Solar is an important part of our ever expanding clean energy economy in Massachusetts, supporting thousands of high-skilled careers across the Commonwealth,” Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said.
“Through the continued development of solar incentive programs, Massachusetts is positioned to double the amount of solar for half the cost to ratepayers and maintain our position as one of the best states in the country for energy diversity.”Companies that make dishwashers are warning that the Obama administration’s latest efficiency standards for their industry would backfire.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers is accusing the Department of Energy (DOE) of a politically motivated drive to increase dishwasher efficiency standards, which are so bad that they would cause consumers to re-wash dishes, erasing any efficiency gains.
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Rob McAver, the group’s head lobbyist, said regulators are going too far and the new rules will allow only 3.1 gallons to be used to wash each load of dishes.
“At some point, they’re trying to squeeze blood from a stone that just doesn’t have any blood left in it,” McAver said.
Some of the group’s members, which include companies like GE Appliances & Lighting and Whirlpool Corp., tweaked their models to comply with the DOE’s December proposal to ratchet up standards.
They then ran standard tests with food stuck to dishes.
“They found some stuff that was pretty disgusting,” McAver said.
McAver brought DOE officials to his office recently to show them the results and released photos of it publicly this week.
He’s hoping that the disgusted reactions to the tests will spur DOE to go back to the drawing board for the standards and work more closely with the industry this time.
“The poor performance that would result would totally undercut and go backwards in terms of energy and water use, because of the need for running the dishwasher again, or pre-rinsing or hand-washing, which uses a lot of water,” he said.
McAver suspects the DOE is pushing the rules to try and meet President Obama’s greenhouse gas emissions goals under the Climate Action Plan, his second-term climate change initiative.
And while appliance makers are willing to work with the administration, they don’t want that to come at the expense of effective products.
When it released the proposal in December, the DOE estimated that it would save 240 billion gallons over a 30-year period and reduce energy consumption by 12 percent. That would shave $2 billion off consumers’ utility bills, the agency said.
It would also reduce the output of air pollutants that are common in the power generation sector, including carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury. The carbon savings alone would bring billions of dollars in environmental benefits, the administration argued.
Following the industry group’s announcement, DOE said it is listening and it hasn’t settled on the rules yet.
“The department has not put a fork in this rule, and has extended the comment period to work closely with manufacturers to test new products and ensure that consumers have the most efficient, highest performing products available,” an agency spokeswoman said.Meet The Man Behind Chicago's 1979 Disco Riot And His Biggest Critic
By Stephen Gossett in News on Jul 12, 2016 4:31PM
Photo: Paul Natkin / Courtesy of Curbside Splendor
It was 36 years ago today that one of the most notorious moments in Chicago sports and music history went spectacularly off the rails.
It would have been a routine doubleheader between two then- (and now-) mediocre baseball teams—the Detroit Tigers and the hosting Chicago White Sox—if not for two men: promotions manager Mike Veeck, son of legendary White Sox owner/gimmick aficionado Bill Veeck, and local novelty DJ Steve Dahl, of 97.9 The Loop. Dahl, who had been replaced by a disco format at his previous gig, was fomenting an anti-disco revolt at his new station. Their scheme: a ticket to the two games would cost 98 cents and one disco record. The collected vinyl would be ceremoniously exploded on the field after the first game.
The true nature of the pandemonium that ensued—a massive rush onto the field by a large portion of the estimated 50,000 attendees, fires in the stands, at least one maniac sliding down the foul pole—depends on who you ask. It was either a relatively innocent flying of the rock ‘n’ roll freak flag, or a ritual destruction of gay and black culture. Or it was both. Photos show gawky hesher dudes who look like extras in a Richard Linklater period piece; and they also show a fair amount of damage, left to be fixed by a predominantly black field crew. Thirty-seven years have only complicated the question.
Photo: Paul Natkin / Courtesy of Curbside Splendor
Disco Demolition, a new book written by Dave Hoekstra with the cooperation of Dahl and published by Chicago-based Curbside Splendor, enters the fray with a wide-ranging collection of interview subjects culled from baseball, rock, house music and other, more unexpected corners. Opinions expressed are primarily, though not uniformly, Dahl-sympathetic, and some critics have reacted negatively. Tal Rosenberg of the Chicago Reader wrote “the book reads as overt hagiography.” And while this writer was critical of Dahl while disagreeing with that conclusion, I agree with Rosenberg that more diverse voices would have been an improvement. With that in mind, I reached out to house-music pioneer Vince Lawrence, perhaps the book's greatest omission, and followed up his critical perspective with Dahl himself.
Lawrence co-wrote “On and On,” one of the foundational tracks of house music—a genre of dance music born in Chicago, rising out of the ashes of disco. But years before that, Lawrence, who is black, was a 14-year-old usher at old Comiskey, and he was present at Disco Demolition. It’s fair to say his recollections fall outside the “freak-flag” narrative.
In a 2001 BBC documentary called Pump Up the Volume: The History of House Music, Lawrence notes that stadium-goers weren’t bringing just disco records, but records by random black artists in general:
"It was more about blowing up all this ‘nigger music’ than, um, you know, destroying disco. Strangely enough, I was an usher, working his way towards his first synthesizer at the time, what I noticed at the gates was people were bringing records and some of those were disco records and I thought those records were kinda good, but some of them were just black records, they weren’t disco, they were just black records, R&B records. I should have taken that as a tone for what the attitudes of these people were. I know that nobody was bringing Metallica records by mistake. They might have brought a Marvin Gaye record which wasn’t a disco record, and that got accepted and blown up along with Donna Summer and Anita Ward, so it felt very racial to me.”
(Metallica did not form until 1981 but his point is well taken.)
Lawrence told Chicagoist he “absolutely” still feels the same way today, finding a corollary between Dahl’s “speaking in code” rhetoric and today's “xenophobic” political landscape.
Screenshot of Vince Lawrence in Pump Up the Volume: The History of House Music
Lawrence actually requested to work the night of Disco Demolition, and had previously listened to Dahl on the radio. He was even sporting a Loop t-shirt underneath his uniform. “I wanted to see [Dahl’s band] Teenage Radiation. I liked that; cool name. But they didn't play."
The game experience was very different from what he expected. He recalls someone breaking a Marvin Gaye record in his face and saying, “How do you like that?” Recollections like this belie Dahl’s vision of himself as victim of revisionism, which Lawrence calls “delusional.”
“Revisionist history? I was freakin’ there," Lawrence said. "I was on site. That’s not revisionist. I experienced it! Why did he do that to me and not the 50 other people who were within a few feet? Crazy.”
As for the refrain about kids just blowing off some steam? “That’s what Brock Turner’s dad said about that idiot.”
It’s a stern criticism; and Dahl responds with a conciliatory tone—arguably a more conciliatory tone than is demonstrated in Disco Demolition. “I certainly regret that that happened to him,” Dahl told Chicagoist. “It was never my intention to have anybody do anything like that. But I can’t control everybody—I couldn’t control anybody that night as it turned out. Nobody was more surprised than me it turned out the way it did.”
I put forth the idea to Lawrence that perhaps Dahl was reacting against disco’s mainstream doggerel—your “Disco Duck”s and “YMCA”s— the wrong side of the “popular plague vs. mystery cult” divide common in disco histories.
“I just think that’s bullshit. Look at the top records of 1979. I bet there are a lot of records other than one or two cheeky mainstays of the chart.” He has a point. Canonical cuts scatter the top ten: "Bad Girls," "Le Freak," "I Will Survive," "Hot Stuff," "Ring My Bell." Number one is a rock cut, the Knack's “My Sharona,” but Lawrence’s crowd loved that, too. “We were playing the Knack at parties! I won’t go so far as to say we were playing "Good Girls Don’t." But we played the Knack.” His point is clear: disco-vs-rock was always a false choice.
But rock kids felt marginalized by the demands made by saturation-point disco, according to Dahl. “It came down to People magazine and most of pop culture indicating to kids in t-shirts and jeans if you wanna get laid, you have to put on a white three-piece suit and get into a disco and dance.” Dahl points to the potent combination of youth, identity and music as potential grist. "When you’re in your ‘20s and you identify so heavily with music, some people felt disenfranchised by that. I never felt threatened by disco. I was really just trying to lampoon something I thought was pretty puffed up and silly.” Plus the Loop audience’s preferred brand of AOR rock was itself relatively young, far from being the immortal “classic” rock it became, he adds.
But the interpretation of “Disco Sucks” backlash as working-class, anti-elitist crusade holds no water for Lawrence. “Black people in Chicago were going to disco parties in droves; and the average black person was not a rich guy. So Dahl describing the attire, saying he’s allergic to gold jewelry, feels like pointing the finger at black culture. Gold chains were a symbol of black success, a middle finger to our oppressors: now we’re in chains willingly.” He draws a parallel to the Lucky Strike dress-code controversy of 2010. “You draw a circle around black culture.”
Dahl maintains that was never the intent and also disputes Lawrence’s chronology. “If you look back at Saturday Night Fever, all those guys had gold chains. The timeline doesn’t match up with the narrative. It just doesn’t. That was never anything that I thought. Back then, to me in Chicago, it was the Italian snaggletooth necklace—that was the comedic target."
Despite Lawrence’s critique, driven by personal experience, Dahl contends that accusations of racism and homophobia against Disco Demolition are a “fairly new phenomenon,” directed from outside in. “I understand how people can see it that way today. We evolve as people, as a society. But it never crossed my mind. I’m not racist or homophobic. By that logic I should have blown up Jimi Hendrix, Chi-Lites and David Bowie records. It was really disco-phobic. It’s complicated but those were also simpler times. Whether right or wrong, that’s the way things were.”
Lawrence is quick to forestall potential cries of over-sensitivity, pointing out that he’s lived an integrated existence his whole life. “My wife is white. I went to an integrated high school [Whitney Young]. I’m accepting of all sorts of people. You have to dig in pretty deep to make me feel that way. If I came to that objective conclusion, a lot of people could. If Mr. Dahl was insensitive to that fact, that was a choice he made.”
Photo: Paul Natkin / Courtesy of Curbside Splendor
To be sure, many disco histories are similarly skeptical, especially when weaving in the broader social climate. In Turn the Beat Around (2005), author Peter Shapiro invokes Chicago’s silent-majority white ethnic population when tackling Disco Demolition. “Dahl’s disco riot was emblematic of the politics of resentment of the white everyman that would enable the 1980s conservative revolution,” he writes.
The nexus between Dahl’s “riot”—should you accept Shapiro’s context—and today’s hostile political climate is pretty irresistible. Shapiro's historical framework posits the white Midwestern male, circa 1979, as, above all, rendered impotent by industrial decline, dependency on foreign oil, and humiliation at the hands of a Muslim menace (by way of the Iranian hostage crisis)—all of which is difficult to read today without thinking one word: Trump.
Disco Demolition arrives at a more charitable conclusion—unsurprisingly, considering Dahl’s involvement—but |
enough wind to make going forward to drop the spinnaker an edgy business.
How to set up
This can be a lengthy business for a couple. First, sheets and guys need to be correctly rigged. As well as needing turning blocks in all the right places and the lines themselves, you need to rig the sheets and guys correctly because the loads involved in flying a sail of that size tend to make a big deal of any mistakes. You also need to know that the spinnaker has been packed free of twists, and that the corners you believe to be the clews and the head are indeed just that. Check all this before setting off as it’s easier on a stable boat than at sea.
The next step is to hoist the pole, then the spinnaker. It’s quite a hassle for a crew of two. Ideally, the helmsman would head dead downwind and flip on the autopilot just before the hoist, then move forward in the cockpit.
The foredeck crew hoists the halyard at the mast and the spinnaker goes up sheltered by the mainsail, while the cockpit crew looks after the halyard tail, sheets and guy. It’s much easier if you have a snuffer as the sail would be hoisted to the masthead before it was opened, so you can check everything is as it should be before filling the sail, and, with the halyard hoisted, there’s one less line to look after.
Gybing
The foredeck crew goes forward and the helm runs dead downwind and flips on the autopilot. With both sheets hauled tight and cleated off, the foredeck crew grabs the lazy guy – the helm needs to make sure there’s enough slack in the guy to do this – then trips the pole off the working guy. The helm lowers the pole uphaul so that the foredeck crew can load the new guy, then the helm hauls the pole up on the new gybe and hauls in on the guy, releasing the old sheet and trimming the new one. In benign conditions it’s a relatively straightforward job for the foredeck crew but the helm has five different lines to control in synchrony with the foredeck crew. Get the choreography wrong with a sail of this size in any but the lightest winds and the results can be expensive.
How did it go?
Sailing as a couple, you need a very slick routine to fly and gybe a spinnaker with confidence. The biggest problem is the sheer number of lines required. With a sheet and guy each side you quickly run out of winches, especially if you’re hoisting or dropping the spinnaker behind the jib, as that needs a winch too. Then there’s the need for the spinnaker sheet to ideally be taken across the boat to the opposite halyard winch, so that the trimmer can see the sail. At one point we ended up with two sheets criss-crossing the cockpit!
Had we not been intending to practice a few gybes, we could have got away with sheets alone. In these winds we could have hauled the twings, or sheet barberhaulers, down to the deck to create a new guy after gybing but in anything stronger, twings probably aren’t up to the loads of a guy.
Once flying, a symmetric spinnaker is fairly simple to control downwind, provided you don’t head so deep that the spinnaker backfills as you sail through the apparent wind, and wraps around the forestay.
Dropping
We used the ‘letterbox’ method to drop the spinnaker. It’s the easiest way to drop but you do need a loose-footed main. Feed the lazy guy between the main and boom and get the halyard ready to drop. Ease the pole right forward, give the halyard a turn or two on a winch, hand the tail to the helm, stand in the companionway, release the halyard clutch and start hauling on the lazy guy. The helm eases the halyard enough for the crew to haul the sail in, but not so much that it touches the water.
Cruising chute
A cruising chute, also known as an asymmetric spinnaker, is one that has its tack and clew at different heights. The sail flies from a bowsprit, projecting the sail’s tack beyond the pulpit so that its foot doesn’t foul. As its tack is on the centerline, sailing dead downwind isn’t ideal because the main pretty much blankets the entire sail.
A goosewinged asymmetric can run dead downwind but we decided to use it for the purpose it was designed: sailing the angles. It was a decision forced on us somewhat by the light winds, meaning that the apparent wind often died away when heading dead downwind, collapsing the sail. Sailing the angles gave us more apparent wind, and so more speed.
How to set up
We had no bowsprit and the bow roller didn’t project beyond the pulpit so we strapped the spinnaker pole into the bow roller and lashed a block to the end of the pole. We would run the sail’s tackline through this block and lead it back to a halyard winch. We didn’t want to use the pole-end fitting because it wasn’t designed for the perpendicular loadpath the tackline would impose. This arrangement allowed us to project the tack beyond the pulpit. Sheets were run outside the lifelines to blocks on the quarters and back to the primary winches.
Gybing
The beauty of gybing an asymmetric is that it can all be done from the cockpit. There are two ways to gybe an asymmetric: inside (between the luff and the forestay) and outside (outside of both). The latter works well in all but the lightest winds but often, during gybes, the old sheet ends up sliding down the luff and under the bow. That’s why you see asymmetric racing boats with bits of sail batten taped to their bowsprit, or ‘horns’ on the tack: to snag the lazy sheet. That’s not a problem with inside gybing but there is a chance the sail will wrap around the forestay during the gybe if your technique isn’t slick. We opted to inside gybe and from sailing on one gybe to sailing on the other took 10-15 seconds.
How did it go?
With the sailbag clipped to the lifelines, the tackline was attached, sheets run, then the halyard was clipped on. The tackline was hauled in to get the tack over the pulpit to the tackline’s block, and the sheet was loaded on the winch and self-tailer with plenty of slack.
Running almost dead downwind we hoisted the sail easily. With the halyard clutch closed, we came up onto a broad reach, the sail filled and we trimmed on.
The plan had been to broad reach at about 150° to the apparent wind and flip on the autopilot. However, the pressure was so patchy that the apparent wind was constantly shifting, coming forward onto the beam as we accelerated and aft as we slowed. Hand-steering was necessary.
After a laboured first gybe, our technique improved rapidly. As the boat heads down, the old sheet is eased until the clew is just forward of the forestay, then the new one is hauled in. Steer dead downwind until the clew is round the forestay. Watch the clew or mark the sheets so that you know when you’ve eased enough.
As the new sheet is hauled in, come through the wind, bring the main over and come up to fill the sail. In these light winds we gybed by hauling the falls of mainsheet across. In stronger wind, goosewing while sheeting the main onto the centreline before gybing.
Dropping
We headed dead downwind so that the main blanketed the sail. If we had a sock, we would just release the sheet and snuff the sail from the foredeck then release the tackline. With no sock, we gave the spinnaker halyard one or two turns on a winch to stop the sail falling into the water, passed the tail to the helm, released the clutch, hauled down the sail, unclipped the running rigging and bagged the sail.
If your mainsail isn’t loose-footed, don’t haul in the chute under the boom as there’s certain to be a loose split pin that will tear the sail. Sit on the sidedeck, haul the chute into your lap, then feed it down the hatch.
So, which is the best way to sail downwind?
FASTEST: spinnaker
It’s no surprise that this went in order of sail area. The spinnaker (128m2/1,378sq ft) is almost 30% bigger than the cruising chute (93m2/1,001sq ft) and over three times the size of the genoa (37m2/398sq ft). The spinnaker was quickest at every stage – but not by a distance proportionate to sail area.
After 7.1 miles of sailing, the spinnaker was about 400m, or 0.2 miles, ahead of the poled-out genoa, only 3% faster, with the cruising chute just a few metres behind the spinnaker. It was closer than expected but if speed is your priority and you know what you’re doing, choose the spinnaker.
In light winds, the spinnaker and cruising chute boats had to sail the angles to create some apparent wind and fill the sail. The poled-out genoa, though much smaller, was ready to catch the slightest zephyr, and sailed the shortest distance.
The cruising chute boat sailed furthest, gybing eight times to the spinnaker’s three and the genoa’s two. However, on one of our gybes, we found a patch of wind and accelerated away while the spinnaker and genoa boats were stalled. In these conditions, sailing further meant we could find some little patches of wind that the others didn’t.
MOST COMFORTABLE: poled-out genoa
We got none of the rolling that can turn a downwind passage into something of a fairground ride. In a stronger breeze, the genoa boat will roll least because the sails’ centre of effort is lower. In heavier weather, when you’re running under poled-out headsail alone, you can reduce sail area by furling. It’s the only strong-wind option of the three for shorthanded cruising.
The spinnaker’s centre of effort is higher so it rolls most in stronger winds. There are techniques to limit it and avoid the ‘death roll’ but take them early because once she starts rolling, doing anything except hanging on isn’t easy.
By sailing the angles the cruising chute boat avoids the entire issue of roll as heel will be constant. Speed, and therefore apparent wind, is highest of the three set-ups too. In stronger winds broaching is possible if the boat heels so far that the rudder stalls. In stronger breeze, the greater sail area is a liability.
LEAST HASSLE: Cruising chute
The spinnaker crew was the most hassled. The pole needed rigging, sheets and guys running, and there are lots of little details to get right. We dip-pole gybed but even end-to-end gybes require a spell forward as well as having someone to work the cockpit.
The genoa boat had a relaxed time in between gybes, but again, any gybe involves a trip forward and someone choreographing in the cockpit. Gybing a pole is a hassle, regardless of what’s on the end of it.
The cruising chute boat gybed in seconds without a trip forward. In lighter winds it makes more demands on the helmsman and crew, trimming and changing course to keep the sail filled downwind, but if you enjoy sailing boats rather than riding them, activity on the cruising chute boat is constant but never demanding. On the other boats there’s less to do, except during gybes when there’s too much for two. Visibility forward is decent so, for manoeuvrability in crowded waters, this and its gybing speed give it the edge.
The yacht designer’s view
We spoke to Luke Shingledecker of Farr Yacht Design, the company that designed the Beneteau First 40
‘The best progress downwind is often achieved by sailing the angles because the apparent wind speed is greater, and the apparent wind angle is closer to a reach, where the sails can generate lift and are more efficient. Dead downwind, the sails just catch wind. Sailing higher increases boatspeed enough to overcome the extra distance sailed.
‘In stronger winds, the loss of apparent wind speed is a much smaller portion of the total windspeed so the best progress downwind occurs at deeper angles.
‘Dead downwind, increasing sail area by switching from poled-out jib to spinnaker increases thrust, which increases boatspeed. But increased boatspeed decreases the apparent wind speed, which means less thrust. So, as you found, the increase in boatspeed is much smaller than the increase in area. Also, the thrust required to increase speed is not proportional; at typical boatspeeds, the required thrust increases with the third power of speed (30% more thrust to go 10% faster).
‘Reviewing our velocity prediction for this boat, I would expect the increase in boatspeed (from poled-out jib to symmetric spinnaker) to be 10-12% in 5-10 knots of wind, decreasing to 7% in 15-20 knots of wind – a bit more than you have recorded, possibly due to the difficulty of keeping the spinnaker full. The relative speed differences should reduce in stronger winds.’
THANKS
To Craig Nutter for his help on the day. A veteran of two America’s Cups and a Whitbread Race, Craig is now manager of the Medina Yard in Cowes and a good friend of YM.
Tel: 01983 203872
Email: info@medinayard.co.uk
Web: www.medinayard.co.uk
THANKS
To Sunsail for loaning us three F40s. Sunsail is an approved RYA Training Centre offering a comprehensive range of RYA theory and practical courses, from Start Yacht to Yachtmaster, and race training courses, including spinnaker handling. Friendly, experienced instructors can even provide one-on-one training on your own yacht.
Tel: 02392 222221
Email: sailing.schools@sunsail.com
Web: www.sunsail.co.ukVermont Hemp Fest: September 7, 2019 Welcome to the THIRD annual Vermont Hemp Fest, taking place on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at Burke Mountain Hotel and Conference Center in East Burke, Vermont. Already one of Vermonts premiere cannabis events, Hemp Fest 2019 will feature a full day of panels and workshops, 50+ agricultural, hemp and CBD exhibitors, a Friday Night Business Networking event, food trucks, live music, Sunday hemp brunch and more. The inaugural Hemp Fest in 2017 welcomed over 500 attendees. Two years later, with the number of registered hemp growers having quadrupled in number, and exponential growth in the publics interest in all things cannabis, Vermont Hemp Fest is a lively platform for the agricultural hemp industry to engage, advocate and learn against the scenic backdrop of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom at the cusp of harvest season. Early Bird Pricing is only $20 for a full day pass – prices go up in May of 2019. Get your tickets early! Buy Hemp Fest Tickets Exhibitor Early Bird Registration Want to be an exhibitor at Hemp Fest? Early bird vendor signup available now! As little as $250 for regular indoor exhibitors until May 1. Indoor and outdoor spaces available! Use the links below to reserve your spot today. Indoor 6-foot Table: $250 (Register Now) Full Price $300
Outdoor 10×10 Booth: $350 (Register Now) Full Price $400
Outdoor 15×15 Booth: $450 (Register Now) Full Price $500 See you at Burke Mountain in September! Registration and programming kick off Saturday morning. Exhibitors are both indoors and outdoors, where there will also be food vendors, an outdoor bar and lawn games. Music begins after programming wraps up early evening. Well have a locally sourced hemp brunch at the hotel on Sunday from 10-1! Hotel checkout is at noon. Check out our inaugural Hemp Fest Recap video from the talented Shawn Cimonetti: Hemp in Vermont and Beyond With a rapidly growing marketplace for hemp products, there is no doubt about the growth of the national hemp industry. Forbes recently reported that the legal CBD hemp market is estimated to grow 700% by 2020 alone — to say nothing of hemp oil fuels, plastics, food products, paper, fabric, building materials and other markets that continue to develop as more states allow production of agricultural hemp. Hemp is defined practically as cannabis that has less than.3% of the compound THC, the cannabinoid of the plant showing psychoactive effects. Historically, hemp was a government-mandated crop grown by American settlers (and carried by sailors) and even inspired Vermont’s own industrial revolution via the Fairbanks Scales, originally invented to weigh wagon loads of hemp.
Tickets Brown Paper Tickets Ticket Widget Loading… Click Here to visit the Brown Paper Tickets event page.
Schedule Box Office opens at 11 a.m. Shuttle service from the Base Lodge (where general attendees may park) begins at 10:45 a.m. We ask that people please not arrive early! Exhibitor Hours:
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday Full schedule will be announced in late spring!
Hemp Fest Exhibitors Early Bird exhibitor registration is now open for Vermont Hemp Fest 2019. To register, please pay below with your business name, email and address. Includes vendor booth space with clothed 6-foot table and 2 chairs at Vermont Hemp Fest on Saturday, September 7, 2019.
Please email Vendor Coordinator nealy@headyvermont.com if you wish to inquire about exhibiting.
Lodging Burke Mountain offers several options for Vermont Hemp Fest attendees, including hotel rooms and camping. We encourage attendees and exhibitors to book their rooms early, as the hotel typically fills up very quickly. Get additional info about Burke Mountain Hotel rooms on their site. To make your reservation please call (866) 966-4820 or book online here. Book my Room To contact the Burke Mountain Hotel front desk call (802) 626-7400. Check in Time: 4:00pm / Check out Time: 11:00am Camping Located between the Sherburne Base Lodge and Mid Burke Lodge, the Burke Campground offers 25 sites, including 5 lean-tos, for campers from May through late October. The Campground provides easy access to the Burke Mountain Bike Park and Kingdom Trails and is the perfect starting point for hiking in the surrounding Victory State Forest. 2018 BURKE CAMPGROUND RATES LEAN TO TENT Regular Rates $45.00 $35.00 Holiday and Weekend Rates $50.00 $40.00 Hot Deal! – Extend your holiday $40.00 $30.00 All prices are per night for up to 4 people.
Additional campers: $5.00 per extra person per night.
No power or water hookups.
Free Wi-Fi available for campers in the office.
Reservations include use of the Burke Hotel Pool and Hot Tub, showers required. RV Parking is not allowed at Burke Mountain Resort – please visit www.nekchamber.com for RV sites in the Northeast Kingdom. Reservation Policy: Reservations must be paid in full at the time of reservation. Guest credit cards will be charged within 7 days of reservation booking. Cancellation Policy: All reservations are subject to a $10.00 cancellation fee. No shows will be charged in full. No refunds will be given for shortening a stay after check in. Check In: All guests are required to check in at the Campground Sugar Shack between 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. If check in during shack hours is not possible, guests must set up in the site that is assigned to them.
Check Out: All guests are required to check-out at the Campground Sugar Shack no later than 11:00 or additional charges may apply. Dogs: Well-behaved dogs are allowed at the campground but must remain on a leash and not be left unattended. Dogs are not allowed on the mountain bike trails. Guest are required to clean up after their pet. Amenities: All campground guests have access to the Burke Hotel and Conference Center pool and hot tub. Key cards are required and can be obtained at the hotel front desk. ID will be required to obtain key.
Click here to download Burke campground map. Exhibitors & Sponsors: A limited number of discounted suites and studios are available to exhibitors and sponsors via our room block with the code HFEST.
Directions The Northeast Kingdom isn’t exactly around the corner for most folks, but Burke is just 7 miles off Interstate 91, near Exit 23. It’s around 1.5 hours from Montpelier, two hours from Burlington and three hours from Boston. FROM THE NORTH OR SOUTH: Take Interstate 91 to Exit 23. Take Route 5 through Lyndonville for two miles. Bear right onto VT route 114 for four miles through East Burke Village and take a right onto Mountain Road. Follow Mountain Road one mile to the Sherburne Base Lodge entrance. Easy, right? It’s only three turns off a major interstate, but in case you need a map – here you go. GPS FOR BASE LODGE (SKI/RIDE/BIKE SERVICES): 223 Sherburne Lodge Road
East Burke, VT 05832
Call (802) 626-7300 for questions. GPS FOR BURKE MOUNTAIN HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER: 2559 Mountain Road
East Burke, VT 05832
Call front desk (802) 626-7400 for questions. Directions on the Burke Mountain website.
Dining Hemp Fest Patio Food Vendors We’ll have a selection of food vendors on the patio at Vermont Hemp Fest – specifics TBD! The View Pub (Open Daily) The View Pub serves lunch and dinner daily, located on the second floor in the east wing of the Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center. Contact directly at 802-626-7460 and follow The View Pub on facebook. Spring Pub Hours OPEN CLOSE Sunday – Thursday (Lunch, Dinner) 11:00 am 8:00 pm Friday & Saturday (Lunch, Dinner) 11:00 am 9:00 pm Click here for Pub Menu. Questions give us a call (802) 626-7460. Edmund’s Coffee Shop Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center Edmund’s Coffee Shop serves fresh USDA Organic Coffees from Vermont Coffee Company. Other goodies include breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Edmund’s is located on the second floor adjacent to the pool and the Vertical Drop retail store. The Coffee Shop is open Thursday through Sunday from 7:30 am to 11 am.
Activities Yoga: TBD Sunday Hemp Brunch We’re thrilled to bring Hemp Fest goers a locally sourced Hemp Fest Brunch on Sunday morning starting at 10am in the Pub. Full menu TBA – check out our 2018 brunch menu to get inspired: Hemp Heart Banana Bread French Toast House made banana bread made with Victory Hemp Foods hemp hearts, topped with peanut butter mouse and a side of Vermont maple syrup or NEK Hemp CBD-infused maple syrup House Smoked Salmon Egg toast Grilled brioche, smoked salmon mousse, fried egg, fresh dill Eggs Benedict English muffin, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, poached egg, hollandaise Kale Salad Apple, cheddar, toasted almond, golden raison, bee pollen, Maple plus CBD sugar balsamic vinaigrette or maple balsamic vinaigrette. 20mg CBD Pork Tostada Hemp Fed braised pork, VT FARMACY CBD hemp oil cabbage slaw, Pico de Gallo, avocado cream, Fried tortilla 10 mg CBD Mountain Biking There are close to a hundred miles of cross-country mountain biking trails all around Burke Mountain. If you’ve heard of Kingdom Trails, then you know they are some of the best anywhere in the country. The trail-side Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center is situated mid-mountain with secure (inside) bike storage. Burke also offers bike n’ stay packages for a true bike-in bike-out experience! 2018 BIKE PARK OPERATING HOURS OPEN CLOSE Thursday (NEW for this year. Thursday lift-service begins Thurs, June 29th) 3:00 pm 7:00 pm Friday (Friday lift-service begins Friday, June 9th; Twilight ticket 3-7pm) 10:00 am 7:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am 6:00 pm Sunday (Sunday twilight ticket 2-6pm) 10:00 am 6:00 pm Holidays (Monday May 29th, Monday July 3, Monday Sept. 4 & Monday Oct. 9) 10:00 am 4:00 pmThe Evil Mad Science Googly Eye Shield for Arduino. A simple "platform" shield with labeled break-out points from every position on the edge connectors. Plus, googly eyes!
The Googly Eye Shield is sold as a soldering kit. It includes the circuit board, stacking headers, four googly eyes (two each in two different sizes), and glue dots to mount the googly eyes. Detailed, photo heavy instructions provided online.
1.It adds googly eyes to your Arduino (or shield-compatible clone ).
2.Yes, really: It adds googly eyes to your Arduino!
3.Yes, absolutely! Itadd googly eyes to your Arduino.
4.Lots! Even without the googly eyes, this is the missing "blank" Arduino shield-- a low-cost, bare-bones multipurpose platform. We could have called this the "Insulator Shield for Arduino" -- it's a big flat empty surface that you can use for all kinds of things, without pesky electronics getting in your way. The only electrical features are a neat row of breakout holes, on a 0.1" grid, right next to the edge connectors.
Mount a solid-state relay or a battery pack or a speaker. You can use it to raise up many types of Arduino shields for extra altitude, providing a handy storage shelf underneath. You can mount a mini breadboard to the top, and use it as a low-cost prototyping shield. The possibilities are not particularly limited.
5.The googly eyes are (we hate to admit) optional. Just skip that step of the assembly instructions if you really don't want googly eyes. (Also,
This is an open source hardware design. Complete documentation about this kit, including assembly instructions and design files are available on the Evil Mad Scientist WikiCarlton’s Lachie Henderson has this morning told his teammates that he has requested a trade after 102 games in the navy blue.
Henderson, who is out of contract at the end of the season and not a free agent, wants to find a fresh start at another football club.
Given his intentions, Henderson, his management and Carlton have agreed that it’s in the best interests of all parties that he won’t play out the season.
Carlton’s Head of Football Andrew McKay says the club will investigate its trade options to find the best possible deal.
“We are obviously disappointed with Lachie’s decision to request a trade but we want people who yearn to play for our Carlton jumper – and who will accept the responsibility that comes with it,” McKay said.
“In consultation with our playing leadership group, it was decided it’s in the best interests of the Club that Lachie sits out of the remaining three games this season.
“This will allow further opportunity to see how some of our younger players continue to perform at the AFL level.
“Our list management team now has a duty to our Carlton members to get the best possible deal in return for Lachie through the AFL trade period.”Cashing in on international relations, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has successfully held 34 fundraisers in countries abroad and has four more lined up in the coming weeks, according to The Washington Times.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has held no foreign fundraising events.
Clinton has surpassed fundraiser records of President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney held in 2012 combined, according to the report. The tally was released from the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation.
The record number of events indicates Clinton's popularity and foreign connections, which she has gained through her wide network — as U.S. senator, secretary of state, former first lady and the Clinton Foundation.
Though the events are held in different countries, only U.S. citizens or green card holders living abroad can actually donate to White House campaigns.
Campaign finance experts believe Clinton is experienced in reaching out to her connections overseas, in a way no other candidate has explored.
"The volume of Clinton's fundraisers is unprecedented," Drew Doggett, who looks after political fundraisers for the Sunlight Foundation, told the Times. "We have not seen this tour de force, kind of exploring the bounds of how many fundraisers you can hold."The new owners of the Brookside Marketplace are making plans to expand the center by adding another building and a national retailer to the growing shopping center.
Tinley Park's village board considered a variance request from the center's developer during a meeting, Aug. 7, that would allow for signage larger than the established guidelines for the center.
Officials say they can't yet disclose the name of the possible new tenant because an agreement has not been finalized, but they did say the business is a general merchandise retailer with a national presence.
DDR Corp., a retail development manager based in Ohio, purchased Brookside Marketplace at Harlem Avenue and 191st Street from the original developer, Ryan Companies US Inc., earlier this year.
The new building would be the first addition to the marketplace by DDR and the first expansion since Ryan Companies added Old Navy, Home Goods and Five Below to the center last year, said village officials.
Now under consideration is the construction of a free-standing 23,300-square-foot building that would house the still unnamed national retailer. The development would be built on the east side of the shopping center between Best Buy and a row of existing storefronts that back up to Harlem.
While the village board did approve the requested sign variations for the project on first reading, Greg Hannon, trustee and chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee, said he doesn't support the developer's request to use larger signs as presented, but he would support a smaller variance.
"I think we're going to agree to disagree, but I'd be more than happy to sit down with DDR and their people before the (next board meeting), and we'll see what they have to say," he said.
The size of the building signs used by the national retailer stand 6 feet tall, but Hannon said the development plan for buildings smaller than 25,000 square feet only allow for signs that are 3 feet tall.
"Their standard letters are 6 feet high, so they asked for a variance for 3 feet," he said.
Hannon said he would vote for a variance of 1 foot that would allow for a 4-foot-tall sign because several other businesses in the shopping center do have signs with 1-foot variances.
If the village allows a larger deviation from the guidelines for one building, then Hannon said all developers would expect it as well.
"Other developers, if and when they come in, would be looking for the same variances," he said.
DDR is also seeking a variance for taller monument signs around the shopping center to add space for the retailer's name, but Hannon said he is not in favor of having monument signs larger than what the original development plan allows.
The sign variances will be up for final approval at the next village board meeting Aug. 21.
DDR declined to comment on the new retailer because negotiations are ongoing, said spokeswoman Jennifer Daher.
"It is our policy not to comment on ongoing negotiations or potential deals that have not been fully executed," she said in an e-mail.
arueff@tribune.comThe main reason the Saints lost to Seattle so badly is the same as the reason the Saints beat the Panthers so badly: Magic primetime home field juju or whatever.
But the reason the Saints offense struggled against Seattle, specifically, when ignoring the magic home field juju, was the matchup between the Seahawks’ secondary and the Saints’ receivers. Mostly, it’s as simple as the fact the Saints kept losing individual battles on the perimeter of the field.
Here’s a quick example:
First problem: Marques Colston was unable to get cleanly off the line. His movements were dictated by the physical presence of Richard Sherman, who is just about as big and strong as Colston. Because Sherman is so quick, too, Colston never really gains any separation. And whatever separation he’s able to get by sliding inside is negated by Seattle defensive lineman Chris Clemons, who drops into coverage.
At the same time, on the opposite side of the formation, the Seahawks somehow cover both Jimmy Graham and Robert Meachem with two defenders in positions to attack either of them if the ball goes their way, while still sending five pass rushers after Drew Brees.
It’s one of those plays where the defense seems to have 15 players on the field. It happens against teams like Seattle, like San Francisco, like the Jets or, when Aqib Talib is involved, like the Patriots.
A great defensive line used to be enough to bog the Saints offense down. It doesn’t seem to be the real kryptonite anymore. Carolina has arguably a better defensive front than Seattle or San Francisco, but they don’t have either teams’s secondary.
Here’s what happened to Carolina:
The moment Colston caught this pass, the rout was on. The game was no longer competitive.
It doesn’t take a sharp eye for football tactics to see how differently this play looks from the outset. The only time a Panthers defensive back gets close, Colston separates easily.
Underneath that coverage, Darren Sproles is open too, and might have challenged for a first down with some nimble running after the catch, had the pass gone his way.
Up top, Jimmy Graham easily beats contact at the line of scrimmage, barely slowing down: he’s open enough for a Brees pass too.
Sure, the pass protection was solid, but not perfect; another instant or two without an open receiver and it probably would have gotten to Brees and ended the series. That’s the sort of thing that happened against Seattle: Receivers just never came open.
This is a clear matchup issue, and there’s both good and bad news. The good news is few teams have the personnel to beat the Saints’ weapons this way. The bad news is the team best equipped to do it is Seattle.
It’s a mistake, though, for us to assume the Saints just can’t win such matchups. Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles in particular can beat guys one on one. It might take creative scheming to put the players into the right spots, but that’s where Sean Payton, offensive genius, becomes important.
Basically, you can soundly beat the Saints offense.
But don’t assume you can do it twice.I've been fortunate to have some measure of success in my life, primarily through this very blog over the last eight years, and in creating Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange over the last four years. With the birth of our twin girls, I've had a few months to pause and reflect on those experiences. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? How would I do things differently next time? What advice should I give other people based on my own life experiences?
The short answer is that I wouldn't.
There are too many paths forward in life; I barely feel qualified to make decisions about what to do in my own life, much less recommend strategies for others in theirs. On some level I feel like Jared Fogle, who lost 245 pounds eating nothing but Subway subs. Maybe that worked for him, but how does that make it a valid diet strategy for the rest of the world? In other words, what I did worked for me, but I'm crazy.
That's also never stopped anyone else from handing out terrible life advice hand over fist before. So I figure why not. Who wants to live forever?
Under pressure to make some sense of what I've been doing with my life for the last eight years, I put together a small presentation which I delivered yesterday at this year's Atlassian summit.
How to Stop Sucking and Be Awesome Instead If you're reading this abstract, you're not awesome enough. Attend this session to unlock the secrets of Jeff Atwood, world famous blogger and industry leading co-founder of Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange. Learn how you too can determine clear goals for your future and turn your dreams into reality through positive-minded conceptualization techniques.* Within six to eight weeks, you'll realize the positive effects of Jeff Atwood's wildly popular Coding Horror blog in your own life, transporting you to an exciting new world of wealth, happiness and political power. * May or may not also include working hard on things that matter for the rest of your life.
I hope you can forgive me for the title, and I guess the rest of the abstract, and probably the entirety of the presentation too, but I find it's easier to be serious when I'm not being entirely serious. At any rate, it's complicated.
Here's what I've seen work:
Embrace the Suck Do It in Public Pick Stuff That Matters
The video explains. When put on the spot, under duress, I have selectively doled out this advice to a few people over the years – and miraculously, I've seen them succeed using these rules, too.
(I put a lot of additional explanatory detail in the slide notes that you'll only see if you download the full presentation.)
"it's better to be safe than sorry" is such crap. You know what's better than being safe? Being AWESOME. — Jeff Atwood (@codinghorror) January 11, 2009
Mostly, I think it's the fear that gets us, in all its forms. Fear of not achieving. Fear of not keeping up. Fear of looking dumb. Fear of being inadequate. Fear of being exposed. Fear of failure. The only thing preventing us from being awesome is our own fear of sucking.
So that's why I say we embrace it. Who wants to live forever?André Staltz Is your JavaScript function actually pure?
What does “pure function” mean in the context of JavaScript? In programming in general, purity is also known as “referential transparency”, a fancy way of saying “replacing an expression or function call with its result will never change the behavior of the program” or a way of saying “every time you pass the same inputs, you always get the same outputs”.
That sounds intuitive, and a function like x => x * 10 looks pure because every single time you pass it the number 3 as argument you will get 30 as output. So how can we tell that one function is pure and the other isn’t? Is it enough that we just read |
wife Micheline plan to spend this year at their houses in Quebec and Florida. “I’ll be on the ice,” he says. “I’ll help junior teams, I’ll help peewee teams. Hockey’s hockey. Whether it’s a Learn to Skate program, three to six years old, you have to be creative and you have to do your best. That’s what I love.”
Courtesy of HartleyHockey.com
In a way, Hartley's camp offers a global experience that mirrors the NHL. A significant chunk of enrollment comes from Quebec, and the brochure pitches English immersion for native French speakers, like Hartley himself. Chinese and French skaters have attended in the past, he says; this year’s roster contains Romanians, Ukrainians, Czechs, Finns, and Swiss. For the mini golf and ball hockey tournaments, North American campers are required to team up with international peers. Fridays bring pump-up music blared through the rink and an inflatable Stanley Cup replica for winning teams to parade around the ice. Rick Guinan, a local high school teacher and Hartley's de facto manager of rink operations, even puts on white gloves to handle the trophy.
Everywhere are reminders of Hartley's previous stops. The camp banner contains a Flames logo, and this week he’s wearing a black Calgary tracksuit onto the ice. Gaudreau and fellow Flames forward teammate Sean Monahan spent Tuesday afternoon signing autographs, taking pictures, and skating with the older groups. (“I didn’t imagine there were going to be this many kids,” Monahan says.) Other ex-players, such as Alex Tanguay, Joe Sakic and Mark Giordano have visited. Among the regular staffers are Eric Perrin, a forward during Hartley's tenure in Atlanta, and Paul Jerrard, a defenseman on the '97 Calder Cup team and, coincidentally, among the assistant coaches who were hired to accompany Glen Gulutzan, Hartley’s successor in Calgary.
“When they were talking to him, he called me to say it feels awkward a little bit,” Hartley says. “I said it doesn’t feel awkward. There are empty seats there. If it’s not you, it’s going to be somebody else. That’s the way you have to look at this.”
This outlook, Hartley says, has helped him move past Calgary. He draws pride from the growth of young core members like Gaudreau and Monahan, who were both named to Team North America for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and the late-blooming Giordano. “I went through three GMs in four years,” he says. “I consider myself lucky to have made it that long. But at the same time, I know the work that we put in and I know the direction that the team is going, so obviously that was very motivating for us to keep going. We felt it was a major turnaround.”
But these concerns are not currently on Hartley’s mind. Not with the lost luggage and voicemails from worried parents and Picture Day in full swing.
“Pitter, patter, let’s get at ‘er,” Hartley says, standing by a backdrop and posing with each individual camper. He looks at a visiting reporter, winks, and smiles. “The good thing is, on Monday, they don’t stink as much.”Also, I was late for his birthday by about..3 months, whoops.
I'M NOT DEAD, ISN'T IT AMAZING!? And it only took..like..MONTHS to upload anything! This is a gift to my very dear friend Egrup (or ~ PurgeSLC as he's called on dA) who always stuck by me and with whom I had many fun time shenanigans on this crazy pony ride we're on. Before someone jumps to mention that I said I won't be doing birthday gift art anymore (AND I DID A LOT OF IT AFTER THAT) I'll consider this an exception since I haven't drawn anything proper for Eg's previous birthday!I chose this crossover because I had a blast playing this with ~ PurgeSLC and ~ Alorpax and because I wanted to experiment with an art style inspired by the game.I'd like to thank ~ thediscorded for giving me many suggestions and taking the time to bear with my whining and my slowness on this. I'd also like to thank ~ Yanoda, = Tim015, * SubjectNumber2394 and * Whatsapokemon for various tips and suggestions and ~ WhistlingBrony for the horribly punny title."What the heck is going on here?"It's a crossover with the popular (and amazingly fun) Role playing First Person Shooter Borderlands. (or more specifically Borderlands 2) The game has a great sense of humor, memorable characters and an interesting art style. Most characters in-game have a short "character card" thing when you first meet them which is what I was loosely emulating here. (Here are some examples: 1 "Who the heck is that?"The character crossed over here is one of the six playable classes: the Mechromancer. I chose this firstly because Eg played her and second because a number of her skills are pony references. Woo!"When the heck will you stop making random gift art and draw some proper canon pics?"I did sketches for the Equestria Daily's Artist Training grounds. I'll start working on those pics soon and post those.I'll also make a process pic of this image probably.As always, if you want to use the OC's design for anything, you'll need permission from :devPurgeSLC.:---Time Elapsed: Too much to countNumber of Layers: 74Tools: Kanvus Note A5 tablet, Paint Tool SAI and Adobe Photoshop CS6---belongs to Lauren Faust, DHX Media Vancouver, Hasbro and Top Draw Studios;belongs to Gearbox Software and 2K Games;belongs to himself, obviously.Ken Wharram, a former Lady Byng Trophy winner who was a member of the Blackhawks’ 1961 Stanley Cup team, died Tuesday, the North Bay (Ontario) Nugget reported. Wharram was 83.
Wharram played parts of 14 NHL seasons, all with the Hawks, and scored at least 20 goals in seven consecutive seasons from 1962-69. He was a member of two All-Star teams and was known for his speed as a skater. He formed part of the Hawks' famous "Scooter Line" with Stan Mikita, a line that also included Ted Lindsay, Ab McDonald and Doug Mohns.
“Kenny Wharram will always be remembered as an important member of this decorated franchise and we are grateful to have him in the Blackhawks family," the team said in a statement. "A member of the 1961 Stanley Cup Championship team, Ken was one of the most consistent scorers throughout his Blackhawks career. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Wharram family as we mourn his loss.”
Wharram is 11th in Hawks history with 252 career goals and won the Lady Byng for "sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct" during the 1963-64 season when he scored 39 goals and had 32 assists.
Wharram's career as a hockey player ended suddenly after the 1968-69 season when he developed myocarditis, a disease that attacks the heart muscle. He retired shortly after he was diagnosed with the condition.
Wharram recovered to live a normal life and settled in his hometown of North Bay and became a carpenter.With liberal star power, hustle and a multimillion-dollar spending advantage, Democrat Doug Jones launched a closing blitz in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama on Saturday, aiming to turn out the African American voters who make up the bulk of the state's Democratic base.
His rival, Republican candidate Roy Moore, by contrast, completed his fourth consecutive day without a public campaign appearance. Moore, a former state Supreme Court chief justice, has scheduled only two events in the final week before Tuesday's election. Both are rallies with former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon.
Jones staged his first appearance of the day with African American leaders here, at the church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began the 1965 civil rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
[Jones warns of disaster if Moore wins in Alabama Senate race]
Jones was joined by former Massachusetts governor Deval L. Patrick and local leaders. The candidate then traveled to an event with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) at Alabama State University in Montgomery, a historically black college.
"I'm here to try to help to get some folk woke," Booker told the crowd, before praising Jones, a former federal prosecutor. "When he went back and prosecuted the case of the girls who died in the 16th Street Baptist Church, he did not just honor our ancestors, he told the world who Alabama is."
There were also two get-out-the-vote concerts for Jones supporters Saturday night, one with Alabama-born songwriter Jason Isbell in Huntsville and a second with the soul-rock band St. Paul and the Broken Bones in Birmingham.
"It's occurred to me in recent times that a lot of our democracy depends on unwritten rules," Patrick, a possible presidential contender in 2020, said during the appearance in Selma. "We need more integrity and grace, more patience, more understanding and better listening from all of our leaders in every level of government, most especially in Washington."
[Trump breaks another party norm with renewed support for Roy Moore]
Although Moore has effectively paused his campaign, he has benefited from continued support from President Trump, who called at a rally Friday night in Pensacola, Fla., just over the state border, on Alabamians to vote for Moore.
"We can't have a Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Democrat, Jones, in that important Alabama Senate seat," Trump tweeted Saturday morning, referring to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). "Need your vote to Make America Great Again!"
On the airwaves, the Jones campaign continues to dominate the race. Highway 31, a Super PAC supporting the Democrat, reported spending $3.6 million on the race through Friday. By comparison, the two major outside groups supporting Moore, Proven Conservative PAC and America First Action, have reported spending about $126,000 and $1.1 million, respectively, through the same date.
Jones raised about $11.6 million through Nov. 22, more than twice as much as Moore, who reported $5.2 million, including money that he used for the two primary elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
[‘Doug Jones’s problem’: African American voters not energized by Alabama’s Senate race]
"This is Alabama. A proud history with a bright future. But after this Tuesday, Alabama could become something very different," says a narrator in the newest radio spot from Highway 31. "Don't let Alabama's good name be tarnished. Don't wash it all away. Don't let Roy Moore become Alabama."
Both Highway 31 and America First Action have declined to disclose their donors, making use of Federal Election Commission rules that allow them to wait until weeks after the election to make the names public.
In one of Moore's final television ads, he casts the race as a different sort of referendum on the state.
"The same Washington insiders who don't like President Trump are trying to stop our campaign," Moore says in the ad. "They call us warmongers for wanting to rebuild the military. Racists for securing our borders. Bigots for recognizing the sanctity of marriage. And they call us foolish for believing in God."
[Tight race between Moore and Jones in Alabama Senate race]
Polls show Moore with a slight advantage in the closing days of the race, and experts in both campaigns say the outcome probably will be decided by turnout. Jones has pinned his hopes on high turnout among African Americans, low turnout among conservatives, and persuading Republican-leaning women to vote for a Democrat.
At a news conference in Selma, Jones deflected a question about the accusations of sexual misconduct against his opponent, which Moore has denied. Five women have told The Washington Post that Moore pursued them in the late 1970s and early 1980s when they were teenagers. One woman, Leigh Corfman, said she was 14 and Moore was 32 when he took her to his house, gave her alcohol and touched her sexually. Moore has denied sexual misconduct.
Said Jones: "I'm not dealing with those accusations — that's his issue, not mine."
Instead, Jones spoke about the work his campaign is doing across the state, citing 1 million phone calls, more than 200,000 doors knocked on, and thousands of volunteers who braved an early Alabama snowfall to participate in last-minute get-out-the-vote efforts.
"I feel very confident that we've been reaching everybody," Jones said.
The Moore campaign is largely staffed by volunteers, and for much of the final months of the race, his formal get-out-the-vote operation was put on hold after the Republican National Committee suspended support for his bid, eliminating 14 paid staff jobs in the state.
That support was reinstated in the last week of the campaign, at Trump's direction. The national party transferred $170,000 on Tuesday to the state Republican Party to help elect Moore.
Scherer reported from Washington.
Read more at PowerPostA man who climbed on top of his vehicle and appeared to dance in the middle of Houston's Friday morning commute has been detained by police.It all happened on the Eastex Freeway inbound at East Mt. Houston, where the man was stopped next to an 18-wheeler in the right lane of traffic.Not much is known yet about why he was stopped on the side of the road. What we do know is the man could be seen standing on top of the vehicle as other drivers steered around the car.When officers arrived, the man dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his head. He was taken into custody without incident.An ambulance arrived on the scene thereafter. The man's condition is not known.Watch Eyewitness News at 11am and stay with abc13.com for more on this developing story.The highly anticipated HTC Incredible was well worth the wait. This miniature powerhouse not only looks prettier than a stack of Monets, but also smokes most smartphones when it comes to performance.
Weighing in at 4.6 ounces and spanning a mere 2.3 x 4.6 inches and.47-inches thick, the diminutive device feels sleek and almost toy-like in hand. The black body, festooned with stylish red flourishes, makes it hard to slap on a protective case. The sleek look is enhanced by the buttons, which are flush with the surface of the 3.7-inch, 480 x 800-pixel OLED touchscreen (except the optical joystick).
With a 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, the Incredible is so speedy, it makes the Flash look like a morbidly obese couch-jockey. An iPhone took about 16 seconds to fully load Wired.com; the speedy Incredible browser took a mere five seconds. And speaking of which, the Incredible supports the Flash Lite 4.0, so you won't see any of those annoying blue Lego icons that pop up when browsing on the iPhone.
While the Incredible took about 37 seconds to boot up (compared with iPhone's 22), it was much speedier during use. Scrolling through menus, activating apps and the like all took much less time.
The Incredible runs Android 2.1, the latest version of Google's mobile OS. It also has seven screens that you can customize to your liking with pre-installed or downloadable widgets and programs. Designated buttons for Menu, Homescreen, Back and Search make navigation easy.
The optical joystick — a touch-sensitive button that allows you to scroll and select items — is a bit tricky at first but we found ourselves warming up to it after a few days.
Compared with other touchscreen phones, the display was very responsive to our swipes. And the shiny screen didn't accumulate finger sludge nearly as fast as an iPhone. Performance outdoors is poor however: The Incredible's screen gets washed out to the point where it's not readable in direct sunlight.
The 8-megapixel camera with LED flash performs so well, we abandoned our trusty Canon point-and-shoot in favor of the Incredible's photo and video-capturing skills. Colors are vivid and there's surprisingly little noise. When you're done playing Jimmy Olsen, you can upload your images via Bluetooth to your computer, or to Facebook, Flickr, Peep or Picasa, and share them with anyone willing to look.
We were able to stream radio shows and watch videos with ease. A minor gripe: YouTube clips don't play fullscreen. Pleasingly, the battery lasted for two days of moderate use; if you're a phone-attached-to-the-ear type person, you'll definitely need a daily charge.
The phone's name might be a tad pretentious but we'll be damned if it doesn't live up to it. If you're a Verizon customer looking to upgrade to Android, this is one of the finest phones available on that network we've yet seen.Samsung and Apple ship more smartphones worldwide than any other company. But Android creator Andy Rubin is betting he can solve a few problems with their phones, which is why the first product to come from his new company Essential will be an Android phone. Rubin unveiled the device in May, and I had the chance to briefly use it during an event in New York.
The phone, which starts at $699 and will be available later this summer exclusively on Sprint, shares some physical characteristics with the LG G6. Both phones feature super thin bezels and angular edges, but there are several aspects about Essential’s device I prefer over LG’s device. For one, the corners are a bit sharper, which I think gives the phone a classier look. It reminds me of a more modern version of Apple’s iPhone 4 and 4S, perhaps among the most beautiful smartphones ever made, mostly because of its boxy shape and elegant glass-coated back.
But more importantly, the Essential phone is void of any branding. There’s no logo representing the carrier or Rubin’s company anywhere on the phone. This may sound like a worthless omission, but it does a lot to make the device feel slick and attractive. Since there’s no branding on the front, it also gives Essential more room to slim down the bezels and extend the phone’s screen even further (the G6 includes an LG logo below the screen). The bezels are so thin, in fact, that it made my iPhone 7 Plus feel gargantuan in comparison, even though Apple’s smartphone actually has a smaller screen. The Essential phone is slightly wider than the Galaxy S8, which features a softer, more rounded shape, but it’s just as easy to operate with one hand.
Flip over the phone and you’ll notice something strange: two identical dots situated near the camera. These pins form the port for connecting accessories such as the 360-degree camera that Essential is selling for $199, or $50 if you buy it as a bundle with the phone. The concept is similar to Motorola’s Moto Mods, which make it possible to add contraptions such as movie projectors, camera grips, and extra batteries to certain Motorola phones by snapping the accessories onto a magnetic connector. The Essential phone’s connector is much more discrete than Motorola’s; the Moto Z Droid includes an array of dots near the bottom of the phone on its rear, while Essential’s device only has two near the camera.
Read more: Everything We Think We Know About Google’s Next Pixel Smartphone
That being said, two of Essential’s design choices may seem jarring to some smartphone shoppers. Like Apple and Motorola, Essential has chosen to omit the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack from its smartphone. And since there are barely any borders framing the display, the front-facing camera juts into the screen, which can make the front look a bit awkward. But it didn’t impede usage in any noticeable way; its impact seems to be purely aesthetic.
Based on my limited time with the Essential phone, the software felt just as sleek and minimalist as the hardware. The handset appeared to be running a clean version of Android that hasn’t been modified, meaning it’s just the basic experience without any extra features, widgets, or apps. This makes the phone feel fast, polished, and easy-to-use; there’s no need to worry about accidentally triggering a side menu with a rogue swipe. It’s just the core Android gestures here, which include swiping down from the top to access quick settings and swiping from left to right to pull up the Google screen.
Even though Rubin has said in the past that the Essential phone will have its own new smart assistant, I’m told it will support the Google Assistant. This isn’t shocking, as Rubin has said Essential is open to bringing other virtual assistants to its devices. The software on the demo unit I tried wasn’t final, so my experience may not reflect the final product. But I hope it does, because the Essential phone is just as smooth as Google’s own Pixel and Nexus phones, perhaps even more so.
It’s impossible to judge whether or not Rubin’s Essential phone lives up to its promises until we get a chance to use the final production version. But it’s certainly promising: a future-proof device that’s resistant to drops and cracks could make this the phone you hang on to for more than 12 months. Still, even if it does deliver on those values, making a dent in a market so heavily dominated by Apple and Samsung will be no easy feat.
Contact us at editors@time.com.Summer's on it's way, and we're back with more great screenings in stunning locations all over Dublin. Fancy a bit of 'Top Gun' action? A romantic night on picnic blankets with 'Amelie'? A step back into the rock'n'roll era with 'Almost Famous'. Or a classic evening of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'? That's just a taster of the incredible films coming to our parks.
Happenings are teaming up with Dublin City Council once again to bring your favourite movies to our wonderful green spaces. Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square, The Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Rathmines, Phibsborough, Herbert Park and many more locations are due to be opened up for screenings!
We wait for sunny days before announcing an event; therefore ensuring a lovely evening's entertainment every time! There are no specific dates announced for our screenings in advance. Sign up for instant updates on www.happenings.ie
• TICKETS & TIMES • Tickets are available on the gate only for €5. The films begin at dusk; please be aware of this if bringing children or using public transport as they can finish quite late (up to 11pm at night).
• WHAT TO BRING • Please bring warm clothes, something to sit on and your good vibes. The screenings in late spring/early summer can get cold in the evening.
• FOOD • Irish Village Markets will be back again this year with the best of Dublin's street food offerings. Leave the picnic basket at home and pick up some tasty dishes in the park!
• LEAVE NO TRACE • We operate a strict 'leave no trace' policy so please remember to take everything home. There will be no bins at these events and we will give you a plastic bag in which you can take your rubbish home, please keep this in mind!SALT LAKE CITY — The attorney for a family who claims excessive drinking at Oktoberfest prompted three men to attack them is calling for the event's liquor license to be suspended or revoked.
Jim McConkie, who represents the South Ogden couple currently suing Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, told members of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission on Tuesday that an investigator working with him on the lawsuit witnessed a host of troubling activity while attending Oktoberfest undercover.
"I'm here because I have public safety concerns about the way liquor and beer is being sold and distributed at Snowbird," McConkie told the commission. He went on to say, "We would ask the commission to consider revoking Snowbird's license, or at least restrict it."
The investigator took photos and video of Oktoberfest patrons passed out at the event, walking around with large steins in each hand, being encouraged to guzzle their beer quickly, giving sips of alcohol to children, stumbling past inattentive security and police officers on the way to their cars, and swerving as they drove back down the canyon, McConkie told the commission.
Commissioner Oliva Vela Agraz noted that McConkie offered little proof to his assertions. Someone carrying two steins of beer may be taking one to a spouse, and someone lying on the ground might be experiencing an unrelated medical event, she said.
Regarding the assault, Agraz added, "I know that what happened on the gondola was inexcusable."
McConkie raised his concerns during a public comment period at the end of the regular DABC meeting and presented the commission with an affidavit detailing the investigator's filings. He called for greater security at the event, DUI roadblocks as patrons head down the canyon and designated drinking areas because, currently, "the entire resort becomes a beer garden."
Commission Chairman John Nielsen said the commission will look into the claims and then determine what involvement, if any, it will have in the matter.
Snowbird: Great effort to ensure safety
Snowbird receives a special event permit to serve alcohol at the event. Tom Jones, Snowbird senior vice president, told the commission that Oktoberfest has had no alcohol violations in the 44 years the popular event has been going on in Utah.
"Mr. McConkie's experience is different than mine at Snowbird," said Jones, who attends the event regularly with his family and drinks "nothing stronger than a Diet Coke."
"We go to great lengths to bring a little bit of Germany to the state of Utah," he said.
Jones said great efforts are taken to ensure the event is safe, including security patrols provided by Snowbird security and Unified police and free rides home for anyone who asks for one.
Gondola incident
McConkie's clients, Brent and Laura Anderson of South Ogden, were visiting the resort with family in September 2014, the same time Oktoberfest was happening, when an argument erupted on the tram with a group of three intoxicated men. The argument soon turned physical, with Brent Anderson and his adult son sustaining head injuries and Laura Anderson's ankle being broken.
The three men involved — Andrew Verburg, 23; Jose Antonio Miguel, 32; and Teroy Anthony-Glen Herring, 24 — were arrested and later charged with three counts of assault, a third-degree felony, as well as intoxication and disorderly conduct after requests to stop, both class C misdemeanors. Miguel was also charged with making threats of violence, a class B misdemeanor.
All three have since accepted plea deals in the case. Verburg pleaded guilty to class A misdemeanor assault, Miguel pleaded guilty to class A misdemeanor attempted riot, and Herring pleaded guilty to class A misdemeanor riot. All other charges were dismissed.
Photo: Courtesy James Parker
The lawsuit
The lawsuit against Snowbird claims the resort "knew or should have known that alcohol intoxication results in, among other things, poor judgment, failure to appreciate danger and a propensity for violence," arguing that the resort does not provide adequate security and should have known its patrons could be put at risk, but failed to take steps to ensure they remained safe.
Attorneys for Snowbird have filed a motion asking that the Anderson family's lawsuit, which is seeking more than $300,000 in damages and medical expenses, be dismissed. A hearing in the case is scheduled for March 14.
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Related StoriesWhite House lawyer Ty Cobb said Sunday the president’s tweets calling an inquiry into his ties with Russia a “witch hunt” and calling for an investigation into Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE are not a reaction to special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe.
“His tweets today are not, as some have asked, a reaction to anything involving the special counsel with whom the White House continues to cooperate,” Cobb told NBC News.
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Trump lashed out Sunday morning in a series of tweets, calling allegations that he colluded with Russia “phony.” He then called for Congress to “DO SOMETHING” about, among other things, Clinton’s ties to a dossier of unverified allegations about Trump.
Soon after, he suggested talk of the investigation into Russian interference in the election was timed intentionally to overshadow Republican efforts to push for tax reform.
CNN reported Friday that a federal grand jury has approved the first charges in Mueller’s investigation.
Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara told CNN on Sunday that Mueller may look at how Trump reacts to news surrounding the special investigation as the probe continues.Apple declared itself "thrilled" as its quarterly profits leapt by 70% to $4.31bn and its revenues by 66% to $20.34bn as it sold 14.1m iPhones, up 91%, and 4.19m iPads.
Its shares moved down in after-hours trading, losing nearly 6% to fall below $300 in profit-taking. Apple's revenues were more than 10% above earnings forecasts, and its profits 5% ahead.
The company sold 3.89m Macintosh computers, beating its record set in the previous quarter. The only dull spot was the continuing fall in iPod sales, down to 9.05m, though the company said that it was maintaining its share of that market.
After the results were announced, Steve Jobs, its chief executive, made a rare appearance on the earnings call with analysts, saying: "I couldn't help dropping by for our first $20bn quarter." Those revenues easily put Apple past its biggest rival, Microsoft, which has not recorded a $20bn quarter, though its next quarterly figures are due presently.
Jobs hinted Apple's $50bn cash pile could be used for a sizeable acquisition: "We strongly believe one or more very strategic opportunities may come along that we're uniquely positioned to take advantage of. We don't let it burn a hole in our pocket or motivate us to do stupid things. We do feel there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future."
Jobs then laid into Apple's principal rivals in the US smartphone market, Research in Motion and Google's Android, and suggested that tablet computers will change computing in the future.
"We've now passed RIM [which sold 12.1m phones in the comparable quarter], and I don't see them catching up with us. It's going to be a challenge for them to become a competitive platform and to persuade developers to develop for a third platform after iOS and Android."
He also forecast that would-be rivals to Apple's iPad tablet computer would struggle to make a mark because many were offering screens only 7" diagonally – "which is only 45% of the area of the iPad," Jobs said. "We think these 7" tablets will be DOA – dead on arrival. They'll learn the painful lesson that they're too small and have to expand them next year."
He pointed out that Apple is already selling more iPads than Macintosh machines, and suggested that the tablet market is "a new model of computing … I think we've got a tiger by the tail here".
Asked whether rival tablets so far announced – which will run Google's Android 2.2 software, and have 7" screens – posed a threat, Jobs was scornful. "You might think a 7" screen would have 70% of the size of a 10" screen, but that measure is diagonal. In fact it's only 45% of the area of an iPad screen. If you take an iPad and draw an imaginary horizontal line halfway along, that's the size of a 7" tablet display."
He added: "The only way they're going to sell is if they come with sandpaper, because you're going to have to sand peoples' fingers down so they can work it. You can't run the software you need on a screen that small."
He added that the reason PC manufacturers had not been able to challenge the iPad was that they did not specialise as it did. "We've done everything from the iPad's A4 [processor] to the battery chemistry. We've learnt a lot from the miniaturisation on iPods and iPhones. We're a very large volume consumer electronics manufacturer. We're systems architects, we know how to make products in an interesting way. This is a product we've been preparing for for the past decade."
The company said the growth in iPhone sales was ahead of that for the general smartphone market, put at 64% by IDC.
Sales will probably accelerate when Apple begins selling its iPhone on the Verizon network from January.
The company said it could have sold even more iPhones if it had been able to meet supply, with 3.3m left in its supply channels.In Axiom Verge, you play as Trace, a scientist who awakens in an alien world after a lab
explosion. A voice calls to Trace telepathically for help, his only clue to the strange world
in which he finds himself. As Trace works his way toward the voice and beyond, he
explores an expansive world with unique tools and abilities, loads of weapons, tons of
health/power/attribute upgrades, nearly 70 unique creatures, gigantic screen-filling
bosses, and unique gameplay glitches allowing you to break past the boundaries of
normal gameplay.
Tons of Features
Over 60 items and powerups hidden throughout the world. Over 20 upgradeable weapons. Classic 2D graphics. Gripping scifi
storyline. Pulsing sci-fi soundtrack.
Prestigious Pedigree
Metacritic scores of 84 on PS4 and 85 on Xbox One. 5 out of 5 on US Gamer. 8 out of 8 on GameSpot.
Exploration Unbound
Explore a massive world yielding 10+ hours of play time.
Axiom Verge: Multiverse EditionST PETERSBURG: They both are strong leaders with cult-like following. But when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vladimir Putin he stuck a very personal cord when he recalled how the Russian President's brother was among several family members who had laid down their lives for the country.Meeting 64-year-old Putin for the second time in eight months, Modi in his opening remarks mentioned his visit to the Piskariovskoye Cemetery where over 5 lakh victims of World War II and the 900-day siege of Leningrad are buried."I had an opportunity to visit (the cemetery) and pay homage to those who laid down their lives for Russia," 66- year-old Modi said.Looking at Putin, he said, "you are a political leader whose family has made sacrifices" for the glory of Russia."Your brother was martyred," he said, referring to Putin's brother Viktor who died more than 70 years ago during the siege of Leningrad.According to an account Putin gave to Russkiy Pioner magazine in 2008, his father had six brothers - five of whom were killed during the 1941-1944 war, along with some of his mother's relatives.During the two year, four month siege, Leningrad - which was renamed Saint Petersburg, its original name, in 1991 - water and power supplies were cut off, and disease was rife as a Nazi Germany blockade stopped essential humanitarian supplies, including food, from entering the city.Putin had told the magazine how his emaciated mother was carried out of a crumbling building on a stretcher close to death, after two-year-old Viktor, died from diphtheria and starvation, following months of siege and violent war.Putin's other brother, Albert, was born in the 1930s but died in infancy.Putin, who was born in 1952, seven years after the siege ended in 1944, thanked Modi for visiting the cemetery."I would like to thank you specially for visiting Piskariovskoye," he said. "Places like these have special significance for the Russian people. Thank you."Putin is known for rarely showing his emotions but he appeared moved when Modi mentioned the sacrifices made by his family.With its official 1886 incorporation, Vancouver is a young city. In a playpen of world capitals it’s practically a newborn.
That being said, in its existence to this point, development has rapidly sculpted Vancouver’s look and feel. Just take a look at the map below, dated 1898. Can you fill in the bodies of water to recreate the False Creek we know today?
As modern condos and glassy towers creep skyward like shards of glass, take a moment to admire these recreated shots of Vancouver, now-and-then. Where architecture is a great measure of the city’s dynamic change, there is also comfort in the landmarks that haven’t changed a bit.
Stanley Park Trails – Lighthouse at Brockton Point
Then Photographer: Dominion Photo Co.
Original Date: September 1921
Now Photographer: Jason Do Carmo
Date: December 2015
Location: The east end of Stanley Park along the Seawall.
Description: This 100-year-old lighthouse can be found on the small peninsula on the east side of Stanley Park. The current lighthouse was built in 1914, replacing the 1855 original, and has safely guided ships through Coal Harbour ever since.
How to get there: Stanley Park Drive loops through the park and will bring visitors directly to the point. Alternatively, a stroll along the Seawall travel right past the lighthouse as well.
Hotel Georgia and Hudson’s Bay Building
Then Photographer: Frank, Leonard
Original Date: 1927
Now Photographer: Jason Do Carmo
Date: December 2015
Location: View looking West on Georgia Street from Seymour Street – Strand Theatre – Birks Building – Hotel Georgia – Hudson’s Bay Company.
Description: The Hudson Bay Building has been on the corner and Seymour and West Georgia since 1927. The building’s last addition was completed in 1949, but its timeless design has kept it in style even as the city has built up around it.
How to get there: West Georgia Street provides the most direct driving route while the Granville and Vancouver City Centre Skytrain stations are within easy walking distance.
Rooftop view looking North from Queen Elizabeth Park
Then Photographer: Frank, Leonard
Original Date: 1932
Now Photographer: Jason Do Carmo
Date: December 2015
Location: View looking North from Queen Elizabeth Park – Street running North and South is Cambie – Downtown skyline
Description: Queen Elizabeth Park provides an unobstructed vantage point for sweeping views of Vancouver and its amazing backdrop. The park was originally a quarry and was invaluable during the construction of Vancouver’s first railroad. The Vancouver Park Board took it over in the 1930’s and transformed it into the beautiful garden it is today.
How to get |
What a pity - can't even rely on Snopes to tell the truth!
If any of you want to see something quite amazing go to www.geet.com where you will see a new type of system that can run on ANY liquid. I know because I was trained on the technology on the scooter that you see in the pics in July 2003.
An article found on the Pure Energy Systems website, which reports on new energy developments. This particular one is relevant to the Pogue Carb discussions, as it heats fuel to make it burn better. Vaporate Aims to Maximize Bang for the Buck
A pinpoint technology eliminates a limitation of internal combustion engines with minimal intervention. First product delivered Monday.
AUSTRALIA -- In today's typical internal combustion engines, a fuel injector discharges droplets of gasoline into the air intake just before the combustion chamber. The surrounding air helps vaporize the outer layers of these droplets, which decrease in size and weight...
Does anyone know if there are any laws "preventing" us from putting these vaproization systems on our own vehicles here in the U.S.A.? The Carburetor Reseach Center, that was in Florida, would not sell their canister kits to a few states, especially California.
Can i get the blue prints for such a device. Thank you.
This is as good as it gets for free http://www.rexresearch.com/pogue/1pogue.htm#2026 The original blueprints for a device that could have revolutionised the motor car have been discovered in the secret compartment of a tool box.
A carburettor that would allow a car to travel 200 miles on a gallon of fuel caused oil stocks to crash when it was announced by its Canadian inventor Charles Nelson Pogue in the 1930s.
Here is a reference to SHAMU which Mr. Salisbury mentioned. It gives very little information and states 1990 for the record... www.futuretruck.org/pdfs/2000workshop/uc-davis.pdf (Sorry, link gone bad - Sepp) Cheers!
I ordered the pouge plans from a pop.sci. ad in the 70's. I also mlost or misplaced them. I never got very far with the experiment, procrastination mostly. but I came to a conclusion that this was much different than changing liguid propane into a gas before combustion on propane orerated forklifts an such. propane just doesn't burn at the same temp. hope this helps some one
Has anyone heard of the Hydro-Gen device from website savefuel.ca I talked to the father of the inventor and he sounds legit.
I am trying to post all the information I can get on super-efficient carburetors - and anything else that we can use to reduce our consumption
of oil - any information anyone here can provide on a super-efficient carburetor will be greatly appreciated and posted for everyone's benefit. We now have enough for a person to build any one of several carbs as well as a new source of fuel. check us out at www.FEVj.org
Very intersting run a mower on 75% water and 25% gas I am still confused as how this is possable unless when the water is in steam form and compressed hydrogen from the water is ignited. Planes here http://www.teslatech.info/ttstore/articles/geet/geet.htm
Hello, I don't understand the water my self, So me and my cusson are doing this project on a 5.5hp pressure washer we have that the pump is cracked on it. When we got the supplys for it cost use $94 @ ACE HARDWARE (8-27-05) but you can cut the cost if you deside to use non Galvanized gas pipe (what we should have done). we are not using the 22mm / 7/8" Copper Oil Drain Plug Washers, we are going to have the pipe Tees welded to insure a good seal. We don't trust the washer because if the washer don't seal the gas fummes will mix with the exh and may cause for a big BOOM! I will keep you all posted on how it goes.
Hello, Got it all together today 9-01-05 and it worked like a charm on gas vapor only. I keep you all posted on how it does with the test of 75% water and 25% gas after this weekend.
Damien I have been thanking of try to test the joe cell myself.
I ran it today on 75% water and 25% gas and it runs great but it is a little harder to start but not bad. But I still don't understand what the water does.
I worked on a turbin for Ford Motor in the late 60 we obtained 60 mpg on kerosine and over 300 HP.
When sent to ford they wanted the converter changed and to max of 20 mpg we came up with 10 mpg ford bought it This motor went into their large diesel tracks I was just one person but if Omega Watches would release their engineering end you would be suprised.(Josh Omega was the engineer).
What about hydro cells that just run off of water. Anyone ever look into the one mentioned earlier at http://www.cyberspaceorbit.com/water.html Very interesting and I am thinking of building it for my truck. Any ideas or anyone willing to help
I am not for sure whats going on but i was able to get a 100% vapor gas test done at WOT for 10 mins and it used 6oz of fuel 6x6 = 36oz in an hr and 128oz (gal) \ 36 = 3 hrs and 56 min run time on 1 gal of gas. When i tryed the water/fuel mix it run good for about 3 or 4 mins then start slowing downuntill it would die, so i tryed running it 1\4 open throttle and it run longer but would still die so i went back to 100% gas and i get the same thing runs 3 or 4 mins and dies, so i am thing i am losing pressure in my bubble tank that feeds the fuel ot may be it is getting to hot with no air moving around it. so I am Back to the testing stang to find out what is wrong.
Vapor phase carburation systems using the present gasoline cracking system will not keep good mileage the longer they are ran. The current price for gasoline could make it possible to replace gasoline with the pure white gasoline which is lantern fuel that is becoming competitive in price that has always been available. The generators on the Coleman gas stoves and lanterns prove that a true vapor phase carburetion system is possible. I've built several of the systems and the main problem was contamination. I'd recommend connecting to Bruce McBurney's site at: http://www.himacresearch.com/letters/open.html
I plan on building an entire three part engine with all of the new high tech capabilities that auto companies and oil companies dont want you to know exist. the car i am currently trying to build the engine on will be much lighter than the 2700 lb cars that car companies are making now with only 18 mpg or so. i project when all is said and done i will create a car that can get about 350MPG imagine if you had an 10 gallon tank. you would receive 3,500 Miles to an entire tank of gasoline...how amazing would that be.
There has to be lots of unburned fuel coming out those exhaust ports or we still wouldn't be using catalytic converters now would we!!!Wake the hell up you naysayers.....
HI to all! As i read through the different experments, It made me aware, that there are many people out there looking for answers! I started to play with all different type of vaporizing ideas in the mid seventies ; then in the early part of the eithies i got a book by allan walace, it had the pogue carb and many others! I had made many different type of heat exchangers! some with coolant and others with exhaust! so ofcourse this new book was heaven to me! as it renewed my hope in the gas milage part! I made about fourteen completly different types of fuel systems! and ofcourse with each time being more convinced that I had all the angles covered! I have had enough succest to know that it has possibilities! from the results I got! I had in upwards of sixty miles to the gallon! but the drawbacks were terible! leaning during aceleration! no cold start, and running! in my last oneI was useing coolant to heat gasoline! and the system ran through a propane Imco carburetor! it ran like a charm! with no problems through all rpm ranges! then 15 minutes would go by! and it started to run terible until it died! Well I know why now! but it took me awhile to figure it out! as i was useing heat from the coolant! and recirculating the fuel which was unvaporized back into container to be rerun through the heat exchanger agian and agian! but what happened!! was only the light ends of the fuel vapourized! and the fuel was converted to a stale smelling varsol like fluid! and would no longer emite enough vapours to run the engine! but after that amount of time of 15 minutes or so that half pint of gas had not demenished enough for the float to let new gas in! so then, the engined leaned and made a terible amount of nox!1 burnt your eyes and died! Well I know its possible from all my experiences! to make gains which would be very aceptable! I know that there will never be another pougue carb that will work like his did! bacause! the gas is not now like it was then! after his carb came out!! gas got leaded! to make sure the heat exchanger would not work for to long! and now it has other crap in it to do the same! if you doubt this to be true!! try useing it in your colman cook stove and see how long it will last!! as you are vaporizeing it there to a true vapour state! and the crap in the gas that is intentialy put in there so it can't be cracked into a vapour state! but that doesn't mean that it can't be heated enough as to not make some good gains!! I wish you all the best of luck! claude
I just stumbled across this site today and noticed a comment from Ron Rollins from 20 Feb 2004 stating that he is looking for an Astron Vari-Vent carburetor. If he is still interested, I may be able to help him out. Email me at bubbamike80@yahoo.com
Hello, this is for the guy that said he would scan the book THE SECRETS OF THE 200 MPG. CARB. if yoiu can and send it to me at Blind_hearse18@hotmail.com i would greatly appreciate it. My friend and I are trying to build these carbs for our cars, my friend has a 77 ford Bronco and I have a 77 LTD, they both have 351s. If anyone has anything that could help us, that would be great.
Hello to all you high gas milage seekers! Well I have checked out a lot of forums, about high gas milage, I have to say that the response are getting preditable! The people, who have never actualy build anything! All seem to say from what they heard from a friend of a friend, or what they have read someplace! That it can't be done!! One of the forum, replies
from" cecile Adams" actualy said that the" carburetor" Was absolete, like the buggy whip! haha! Well! maybe so! but the piston engine was the reason for the need of the carburetor! so we are still in need of that! so the piston engine must be the "buggy! I would like to give you a bit of food for though! before fuel injection! in the popular science adition of april 1983! you would see on the cover of that magazine!
smokey yunick's 150 hp two cylinder engine, useing heat exchanger's first coolant to bring the intake air fuel temp to 220 degress, than exhaust to heat it up to 440 degress! through a turbo, that smokey liked to call homogenizer! the turbo was evaloped along with the intake with the exhaust going through the involope to heat the air\fuel mixture! to 440 degress, smokey says that when the fuel went through that turbo, the fuel particals were very small like a smoke mist! and able to vaporize more rapidly with the hot intake temperatures! Well there's more to this! but its to much to put on here! Ofcoure this was known thechnoligy then! but by 1985 we know what was going to be the winning, savior as for moder technoligy! the new adds read!! no need to look for the supper carburetors! fuel injection is here!haha! Now I've been a mechanic for thirty years! and Ive seen several different things! As the diesel john deere engines for example are now at 10,000 psi of fuel delivery pressure on there tier two engines! which turns fuel injected through it, into basicly smoke! as the paitical are so fine! now lets talk about the joke!1 of me laughing about fuel injection, in your car! did you know that your kitchen tap, in your house has more pressure, then the fuel injection in your car! and the spray pattern of your advanced fuel system, is comparible to one of a windex spray bottle! so now you know what your "buggy whip"was replaced with! and just maybe! you can see why the gas milage of a 1981 pickup chev, or ford five liter, with the automatic over drive, was as good if not better then one comparible one now! useing that "buggy whip" carburetor!haha! and what about the performance machines on the race circuit!, still a lot of carburation going on there! more food for though the knowledge is there! just needs to be found! good luck claude!
just a little info! If you go to google search! and put; SMOKEY YUNICK'S TWO CYLINDER ENGINE! It will take you to more info on that one! somthing else to think about! if you invent somthing that is marginly better, or equivalent to fuel injection! As fuel injection was over caburation! :out of tune: you would be a genious!! but if you are successfull! in doubleing gas milage!! you would be deemed a fraudulant idiot! food for though! haha! claude!
Hello Everyone I am working on my vaporizer fuel system that is presently being installed on a 4x4 GMC 1 ton crew cab truck with a 454cid engine. Progress is going well so far and pictures of the system installed under the hood of the engine bay are uploaded to the group files at the alfvaporizer group link provided. If you wish to join the group you must give your name the the group owner, which is me. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alfvaporizer/?yguid=46904498 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alfenergy/?yguid=46904498 You can see details of my system at this link.
http://jlnlabs.online.fr/bingofuel/alfvap/ May the truth set you free... Thank you for your time. Sincerely
Alan L. Francoeur
Penticton BC. Canada
Check out Vapor Systems Technology's website. They have a CD with over 900 different fuel vaporizing systems, including Pogue's, Ogle's, Caggiano's, Smokey Yunick's... Ton's of systems, the CD's $24.95.
I am trying to get intouch with KUSTOM KARBS Rockford, Il. They make a VAPORKARB which is a device that mounts under the carburetor. It consists of a turbulator, turbo vane & electro grid which is electronicaly activated to heat the gas. As the gas air is pulled therw the device by the engines own vacuum it is vaporized by the heat & turbo action of the device. If anyone knows how to get in touch with Kustom Karbs I would like to hear from you. Thank You!
Hi Guys,
I've seen lots of good info here, and some great ideas as well. Some of the greatest discoveries of past centuries have been completely accidental, or put together in someones backyard or garage, so keep it up, and never let negative comments or opinions keep you from trying new ideas. At the very least, a high milage fuel system(100mpg+) would be awesome, and it would benifit millions of people, but since fossil fuels seem to be one of the greatest contributors to pollution problems, wouldn't even a high milage system still only be prolonging the inevitable? I fully understand that this type of system would greatly reduce pollutants, but with the number of vehicles on the highways projected to increase by 25% over the next five years alone, the problem of automobile air pollution still remains. I believe Hydrogen may well be our next "gasoline", and a system that could separate water into it's basic components(Hydrogen and Oxygen), burn the Hydrogen, and release the Oxygen into the air, would not only be a clean source of fuel, but it would actually make a contribution to our atmosphere in the form of Oxygen. There is also research being conducted with Gravity Wave Generators, other types of Gravity propulsion, and probably a few that none of us have heard about just yet. Of course the Oil Industries and Automobile manufacturers will try and convince us that our present fuels are the best thing going, but isn't it time we all started thinking for ourselves and believing a little less of what we are being spoon fed day by day? Maybe it's time we started thinking "outside the box" just a little more?
HI to you all! I read the last post, on hear!
I have to say that I agree! but the government, has not figured a way to put a road tax, on water yet! and sense the government have there hands in the pockets of the oil companies, you know which side, the government is on! they say that the economy hindges, around oil and gas! so how would, the water distrubitors, give kick backs to the government? and when it comes to morals, or the ecolagy,
putting your faith in your government, is like letting the fox gaurd the chickens!! as we would not ever be able, to get the government, to say hey!! the oil industry, is bad for the inviroment! and we must take steps, to stop them!! and the growth, as you say is expected to rise 25 % in the motor vehicles, in just five years! so if the EPA of the vihicles that are on the road, could be raised,
from 21 mpg to 60 mpg! then yes we would be buying some time! and just one more thing!! food for though! the EPA for vehicles, in 1988 was 22MPG and as 2004 it has dropped to 21MPG! don't you think this reflects the interest of our government! in the inviroment?? claude
Just throwing this out there. Has anyone ever though of using ultrasonics to atomize the fuel. Like those ultrasonic fog makers you see in shopping malls. Makes a very fine fog out of vapors. Might eliminate some fuel/heat issues. Food for thought. Cheers.......Steve
Damien, would it be possible to get more info from you on your system you spoke about making Hydrogen? Mostly anything you will share adding digital pics too.
I have been studying about many different vaporizers to gain needed info first but now find interest in what you are doing. If you can/will share this type of information, please email to me. Thank you. Ken
My email addy is ken55ford2001@yahoo.com
Hello, I have built a pogue carb that worked temporarily, but due to the fact that gas at the pump today is made so it will not completely vaporize below 400 degrees the carb only worked for a short time. This is the oil companies way of preventing any back yard mechanics from building a successful vapor carb using gasoline.
Some food for thought....what if you used high pressure to spray gasoline into such a fine mist that it actualy vaporized? This could be done using the fuel pump off of a diesel. This is over 2000 psi. so only hard lines should be used. Another idea I would like to put out there is this....has anyone taken a close look at the propane fuel system? Have you noticed that the propane carb is just a vapor mixing device that would work with any type of vapor! The available BTU's in propane is far greater than the system uses! What if you added an oven expansion chamber to a propane system? This would expand the propane vapor before it enters the carb. This could expand the propane to over 200 times itself and miles per gallon would follow the same multiplication.
Years go by and many people have tried so hard and spent so much time and money trying to find a system that will work....there are many different ways that will work and for all of you who have hope and an undying devotion to succeed don't ever give up! Jake
I want a better carb for my boat it is a 1978 ford 302. Can you re-do my carb or sell me one that will work?
I was looking for kustom karbs and found your site. Their address is 720 Jordan Place Rockford, IL 61108
Jake, would it be possible to get pics emailed to me of your pogue endeavor? I am very interested in what you have built. My email address is a couple of posts back.
ken55ford2001@yahoo.com
Ken,
I can send you pictures of the carb but it won't give you any idea of what is inside. To look at it from the outside you only see the external steel that surrounds the inner workings. If you have ever seen a picture of the pogue carb you will notice that it has a spray chamber that creates a very rich mixture of fuel by spraying it through nozzles. I created a chamber just for this and used a holley 110 fuel injection pump to provide the pressure to the spray nozzles. The idea is to make sure you create a mixture so rich that it won't burn. Now I piped the super rich mixture out of the top of this container and routed it through an oven that basically consist of a bunch of passages inside a round tube. The idea is to bring the rich mixture in contact with the heat in the oven as much as possible. This will dry the liquid droplets of fuel thus turning them into vapor. Now comes the hard part........now that you have a dry gas vapor how do you mix it with the incoming air and control it in a way that it is a calibrated mixture for the engine to use?! I suggest buying a propane carb and using it as a mixture device. I fabricated a single butterfly carb that was less than impressive. Some things to think about before you get motivated to build.....How will you heat your oven....It needs to reach 400+ degrees to evaporate the ingredients in todays gasoline. Vapor burns so cool that the exhaust temps drop to a level that I couldnt even get to 300 degrees without increasing the rpm's to 2000. Another thing to consider......a propane carb needs 1.75psi operating pressure to work so you must find an air pump that you can use to pressurize your system with. I am sure you are noticing that there are an amazing amount of very important details that are left out of the description of these devices when you read the patent. I have been looking for a long time now for a heat source that would provide 400 degrees in an automobile......I haven't found an air pump that would work for the system either....
I don't think pictures would give you enough detail of how I built this carb but I would be happy to email you some drawings of the internal workings? Let me know if your interested.
I will always find hope where others only see failure:)
Jake
Hey Jake. Thanks for the answer. Yes, please email me what you have and maybe we can expand on them. Ken
Hello Ken,
Did you get the sketchs I sent you?
Jake
Hey Jake. Yes I got them. Sorry to say I have been really busy. Working 12 hour days no days off since I got them. Then the holidays... Hopefully get right to this after the holidays. I do continue to research all I can about the related items we are talking about. I do have resources to do up a system, just gathering knowledge at this time. I'll get back to you later. Thanks for the info and more insight.
Damien, probably what you heard about it carbide, not carline. Here is a bit of information carbide any one of a group of compounds that contain carbon and one other element that is either a metal, boron, or silicon. Generally, a carbide is prepared by heating a metal, metal oxide, or metal hydride with carbon or a carbon compound. Calcium carbide, CaC 2, can be made by heating calcium oxide and coke in an electric furnace; it reacts with water to yield acetylene and is an important source of the gas. Barium carbide reacts similarly. Aluminum carbide reacts with water to yield methane. Some carbides are unaffected by water, e.g., chromium carbide and silicon carbide. Silicon carbide, almost as hard as diamond, is used as an abrasive. Tungsten carbide, also very hard, is used for cutting edges of machine tools. Iron carbides are present in steel, cast iron, and some other iron alloys. found on http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/c1/carbide.asp I remember people talking about using this for lamps, but be warned - there is danger of explosions. It does not seem to be an effective fuel, probably because it costs more than what we are using now. Sepp
If you want the most power for the least amount of fuel, use a jet engine. Thats why the airforce changed away from internal combustion engines!
I have thoroughly read this entire discussion. There is a lot of good info here, mostly trial and error, but hey it works. A couple of you guys mentioned hydrogen. Here is a site that I found and I plan on reproducing this unit as it seems to come from a legit source. Check out this site: http://members.fortunecity.com/freeenergy2000/hydroboost.htm Also, personally I think some of you guys should do research on Lean burning engines. They are mostly made of ceramic's that can withstand very high temperatures that would normally melt a cast-iron motor. Toyota has been experimenting with Lean burn ceramic Diesels for the european market, but odds are if it is developed, it won't be here in the states for another 15-20 years. I personally built a Chevrolet 396 with ceramic coated pistons, intake and exhaust valves, and a coated cylinder head chamber for durability. This is pretty strong stuff. You can put a blowtorch right up to the pistons and keep it there for a couple of minutes and it won't do anything. The Thermal Barrier works and might be something to explore in addition to vaporization. My motor should be able to take some leaning in moderation, although gains in Gas mileage would only be moderate, not 100 mpg. If I got 20 around town, I'd be happy. Just my two cents
-Cory
Enjoyed scrolling through and reading the various posts, but the naysayers are not far from us. I also remember reading about Smokey Yunick's homemade V-2 engine in a VW Rabbit that was in the April 1983 Popular Science and how the doubters came and drove his vehicle and wondered why it wouldn't knock when trying to start out in 4th gear. Turns out that when you fully vaporize your fuel, the knocking problems are basically nonexistent. That was the result from a friend of mine in Utah who had taken off the RH exhaust manifold from the 350 V8 engine in his full-size 1974 Chev pickup and installed a homemade heat exchanger, that had 16 feet of black pipe inside, which vaporized the gasoline when the tubes were exposed to the hot exhaust gases. He started his truck on the 4 barrel Quadrajet carburetor and when it warmed up he shut off the gas flow to the carb, let the float bowl run dry and then switched it over to the vapors from the heat exchanger, which were fed into a modified propane-mixing device on top of the carburetor. I drove the truck one time and we were on the highway when he asked me if I wanted to try his vapor system. I said "yes," so he shut off the fuel to the carb, let it run dry and switched over th the vapors and the truck picked up some speed. What was really interesting is that the acceleration was so much better than the regular carburetor. It isn't like it had the power of a supercharged street rod, but it was definitely an improvement. He claimed 30 MPG with it, and I have no reason to doubt him. We still need to ask ourselves, like someone stated above - if our modern fuel systems are so wonderful, why do we still have to have EGR valves and catalytic converters? Some people have theorized that a piece of nickel and/or platinum attached in some way to the top of a piston and the cylinder head actually helps gasoling to burn better in the combustion chamber. I don't remember if anyone above talked about the Fish carburetor by Robert Fish (he has four patents in the USPTO)
and how it improved mileage simply by providing more streams of gasoline, which would then vaporize better.
You can buy almost anything in this world for money - even good ideas and inventions.
Use hot air from the exsaust manifold to the intake manifold. This has been a garded secret for a while as car manufacturers make us believe the opisit: Build shrouds around the exhaust manifolds. Most engines already have a shroud on one side. V-8 engines must have two shrouds t:.? enough hot air.
Heated air works with fuel injectkn too.
If you have a thermostatically controlled, vacuum actuated flap ~ your air cleaner intake, remove the control valve and add the second (from the shroud you built) to the of the air cleaner intake. You must let NO cold air enter the air cleaner Yet you must allow plenty of air to the engine. I have found that a lot a air cleaners do not have large enough intake tubes and constrict the amou-of air going into the engines to the point that they actually lose power.
You will find that replacing the flimsy aluminum tube that came with your car with flexpipe to be a good idea. There are several different types of flexpipe, some for exhaust, some for protecting electrical cables. If you try it you wont be disapointed and its more than safe for an engine. Temperatures are down because of better vaporisations. If you have the now how also lean the engine down as the engine will be a little richer due to more vapor. All due credit to George Wiseman at Eagle reseach for this idea and also a local in my town did this as well with good results.
I am not technical but very interested in the subject. I want to mention the use of kerosine or petroleum in an engine. Is this possible? Kerosine may be less "polluted" than gasoline. The behaviour of kerosine must be considered; ignition temperature, engine pressure and so on.
Wesley Gary's magnetic motor design found at www.fevj.org/FEV-magnet-motor-by-W-W-Gary.php - as well as several other sites - is as simple as putting 2 permanent magnets facing each other so that they attract then, put a small electromagnet between them, with 2 sets of contacts mounted so that as it approaches either magnet, its poles are reversed
and it is repulsed back toward the other with a lot of force! It is a design simple enough for anyone to build with little expense!
hey jake
have you ever thought of using gas made from corn to run the pogue carb?
i know that it is totally clean burning with no additives and it increased the gas mileage on my 93 suburban from 18 to 35 mpg.
it has 235,000 and runs better now than it ever did before.
i had the pogue plans but have since lost them.
i saw it on a 67 galaxy 500 back in 70 and it got the 200 mpg.(could never find anyone to build it for me)
it just seems to me that if you could use the corn fuel it might get even better than 200 mpg.
in ww2 the japs used this fuel to fly their planes like we used the pogue to run our tanks in africa.
http://waterpoweredcar.com/1978camero.html I think these are genuen watercar plans using a plasma spark simular to JLN labs. This is a totaly different approch to what i have normally seen using electrolisers but worth reading and deciding for yourself. Click on the plans and also have a good read of this entire website
I know for a fact that holley made a carburetor for a 82 dodge pickup with a slant 6 it got 27 mpg with all kinds of power. This carb. was not suppose to get out of the factory, Could not get a carb kit for it. It was not listed in the holley book for a rebuild kit,the carb it self was not listed in the price list. not bad for a full size truck.
installed KUSTOM KARB KIT ON 2001 S10.INCREASED MPG BY ONLY 1 MPG.
terry, question for you.
You say,
I had the pogue plans but have since lost them.
I saw it on a 67 galaxy 500 back in 70 and it got the 200 mpg.(could never find anyone to build it for me) Did you actually drive the 67 Galaxy or know someone that drove this car that got 200 MPG.
Or the paper said it will get 200 MPG.
There is a big difference between actually seeing the car get 200 MPG and only reading that it will get 200 MPG.
HELP FOR PRODUCTS OR INFORMATION TO GET BETTER GAS MILLEAGE ON FUEL INJECTION 318 DODGE ENGINE IN B250 CONVERSION VAN.ALSO 318 ENGINE WITH CARBERATOR IN A 1979 COACHMAN LEPRACON RV.ALSO 1990 OLDS.SMALL CUSTOM CRUISER SW.WITH 3.0 6 CYL.FUEL INJECTED.THANKS.GARY COOKSEY 781 AARON WAY BRANSON MO.65616 PH.417-334-9593 EMAIL GARYLEECOOKSEY@YAHOO.COM
These are small differences you can make to gaining small but simple increases to better MPG. I have tried the first one with the oxygen sensor: see below Cover Oxygen Sensors with Aluminum Foil: Wrap your oxygen sensors in the exhaust pipe with 7 to 10 layers of shiny foil. Advantage: The car computer system depends on the oxygen sensors to adjust the air-fuel mixture being fed to the engine. The cooler the exhaust gases, more fuel gets sent to the engine. The hotter the exhaust gases, less fuel will be sent to the engine. Directions: To seal maximum warmth inside the exhaust pipe, insulation in the form of Reynolds Aluminum Foil is employed to insulate the oxygen sensor. Wrap five inches in front and five inches after the sensor to keep it much warmer. We double a one-foot section of foil and wrap that around the pipe and around the sensor itself. Do not remove the sensor. Then we repeat the process four more times. Finally we use.030" copper or aluminum wire to wind around the aluminum foil to keep it from blowing away and be sealed against water. The wire comes from any welding supply. The goal is to fool the car's computer into sensing too rich a mixture so it adjusts with a slightly leaner mixture and possibly a slight advance in timing. The end result is smoother engine operation and better MPG. This trick is especially important in severe winter climates. I have tried this one and normal rules are if an oxygen sensor gets hotter it is lean and tells the computer to richen, but the oxygen sensor doesnt work unless temperatures are above 600deg in the exsaust which i found out on a site so the computer if it doesnt get a response from the oxygen sensor automaticly richens the mixture. I found this hard to believe but have tried it and since the engine is 20% quiter and alittle bit more efficent. When you do this just think what you can do to the intake air sensor. Me personally i would add hot air. I cant do this one cause i made a manual control to trick the computer : see below
Use Warm Air Intake: Modify intake to draw warm air near radiator. Advantage: Deliver warm and smooth air to the intake for best MPG. Directions: Disconnect the cold air hose or housing from the fender well. Remove filter. Clean up the parts. Bore about 10 1-3/4 inch holes into plastic housing (if this applies) to draw air from the engine compartment directly to the air filter. Deburr the holes and clean the parts. Plug up the cold air inlet leading to the air collector box. Reinstall the air filter assembly. This will improve the engine Thermal Efficiency and mileage. I am to try this one next week. Basicly i would just make a shroud to sux intake hot air from the radiater with out any extra cold air coming in. George Wiseman from Eagle research has done simular to this but using heat off the exsaust manifold with good results. When i try this next week or so ill post the results.
If you want to see water burn on fire check this site www.joecell.com.au/video.html (sorry, link gone bad - Sepp) and go to the bottom of the page and download Sols BNE download video. You will need cable or broadband for a fast download which it will still take 10 mins to do. Know this vid goes for 10-15 min but watch it all and wait till they show you how to light water on fire. They will say they are using negativly charged water which is a alkuline water from an irionizer. If you dont know what a irionizer is just email me and ill send some plans how to make one as on the net there expensive ($1000 plus for something so simple) and you can build one for under $50 if ya skilled |
"developing markets" like Brazil/Russia/India have slumped a bit this year, Nissan/Renault's Carlos Ghosn tells the WSJ that they still think there's money to be made there and other places.
"Emerging markets are multiplying," Mr. Ghosn said. "Now you have Indonesia, Burma, Africa. Maybe one will slow down, [but] the overall picture of emerging markets justifies every investment we have done. We have to do more."
We do like the new Datsun Go, which we drove here.
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Reverse: The Floating Bridge
On September 12, 1993, the rebuilt Lacey V. Murrow Bridge over Lake Washington opens in Seattle. The new bridge, which was actually the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 (the westbound lanes cross the lake on a separate bridge), connects the city and its eastern suburbs. It replaced the original Murrow Bridge, the first floating concrete bridge in the world, which was destroyed by a flood in November 1990.
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Neutral: Autonomous Cars? Ultimately, is it a bad thing that people who don't want to drive will have the opportunity to Facebook while they drive without hurting anyone? Be honest, if you were stuck in traffic wouldn't you rather let your car handle it?
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Photo Credit: Getty ImagesI am a male but I know women are much more superior to men emotionally. I am saying this because I have experienced it. I have two elders sisters and I know they are superior to me. Emotionally I am no match for them. But physically, yes. So it's better to face the facts than believe in false conditioning of the mind the society has been following for ages. It's saddening to read in the history books regarding 'child marriage' and'sati' (the act to burning the widow to death on her husband's pyre). Thanks to some great leaders we got rid of those dreadful customs but I have heard these still carry on in some remote villages of Rajasthan. It's a disgust and shame on the society. How long would women specially in India would suffer?
Men are born idiots. Most of them always tend to take decisions from the mind rather than the heart. While, it's other way round for women. This is the reason why women mature at much younger age than men. Old men tend to be more wiser but still they can never compete with women. A women anytime, anyplace is much more wiser and better at taking whole brain as well as heart based decisions than men. That's why in today's world women are going ahead on top positions leaving men behind in almost every field. What women lack in strenght they make up in wisdom. So it would be foolishness for men to compete with a women.
Genetically, males are born with 'XY' chromosomes while females are born with 'XX' chromosomes. One 'X' of both are common, so the difference is between female's 'X' and male's 'Y'. Now if we push the 'X' it would still stand as 'X' so it is stable. While if we push 'Y' it falls flat. So women are more stable than men. It's scientifically true that females tend to have'sixth sense' more well developed than men. So it helps in better decision making when a women listens to her intution. So a reason for the men to follow women's advice.
Many religions ban women from entering the holy places of worship as they can cause distractions but the fact is that women get 'enlightened' more quickly than men. There are more enlightened women than men. So women are equally important in religion. It's high time the male dominant society wakes up and takes notice. Because unless women gets her due respects we can never really respect the nature or God.By Melissa Dykes
I know, I know, this really hinders your Kuwait travel plans.
In the first law of its kind anywhere in the world, Kuwait has decided it will not only “DNA tag” everyone presently in the country as part of a new “integrated security database,” but all tourists will be required to submit a DNA test before they can even enter the country.
Facilities for blood and saliva collection will be set up at the Kuwait International Airport, and there will be “consequences of rejecting” these procedures which the Kuwaiti government says it is putting in place in order to track everyone just in case someone commits a crime.
While it sounds like an Orwellian nightmare, the reality is this is slowly creeping up on us everywhere. Central banks are going to start requiring biometrics for identification, for your security they say. Japan has already announced that all tourists will be required to use their fingerprints as currency while in the country. India has forced biometric IDs on its entire population. In fact, the United Nations is pushing for universal biometric ID cards for every single man, woman, and child on the planet by 2030.
Can you imagine the TSA DNA tagging you before you get on a plane in America? Can’t you see it being justified “for your safety”?
Melissa Dykes is a writer, researcher, and analyst for The Daily Sheeple and a co-creator of Truthstream Media with Aaron Dykes, a site that offers teleprompter-free, unscripted analysis of The Matrix we find ourselves living in. Melissa also co-founded Nutritional Anarchy with Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper, a site focused on resistance through food self-sufficiency. Wake the flock up!A former Miami Dolphins scout has threatened a lawsuit against the franchise and the NFL alleging his recent dismissal violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
FOX Sports 1 has learned that the attorney for Nate Sullivan sent an intent-to-initiate-litigation letter to the Dolphins and league. The document, which was obtained by FOX Sports 1 and sent via overnight mail Tuesday to the Dolphins and NFL, claims that Sullivan was terminated earlier this month because new Miami general manager Dennis Hickey was unhappy about his remote working status.
A 17-year Dolphins scout, Sullivan began working from home in 2004 to better assist in medical treatment for his wife, JoAnne. She suffers from cystic fibrosis — a potentially fatal lung disease — as well as a debilitating blood vessel ailment (polyarteritis nodosa).
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The couple moved to Central Florida in 2006 so JoAnne could receive support from her immediate family in the area, the letter states.
This arrangement was allowed by three former Dolphins general managers: Rick Spielman, Randy Mueller and Jeff Ireland. Ireland quit in January and was replaced by Hickey, who had spent the previous 18 seasons working in Tampa Bay’s personnel department.
When he was fired on May 12, Sullivan claims Hickey told him the reason was that working remotely "just did not work for him."
Sullivan’s attorney, Jason L. Harr, contends that reasoning would violate Title 29 of the Americans With Disabilities Act that states "it is unlawful for a covered entity to exclude or deny equal jobs or benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against, a qualified individual because of the known disability of an individual with whom the qualified individual is known to have a family, business, social or other relationship or association."
The intent-to-initiate-litigation letter also states the Dolphins began excluding cystic fibrosis medications from their health care when revamping their insurance offerings in April. Harr told FOX Sports 1 that the cost of one prescription skyrocketed from $10 to $3,000 per pill under the new policy.
"It is our understanding that Cystic Fibrosis was the only terminal medical condition singled out," the letter states. "This drastic reduction in health care benefits jeopardized JoAnne Sullivan’s ability to afford her pharmaceuticals, shifting an exorbitant financial burden on the Sullivans."
Harr told FOX Sports 1 that Sullivan is seeking his former job back "with full healthcare benefits that continue to cover the illnesses his wife is stricken with."
"Our hope is they change their mind and reinstate Mr. Sullivan," said Harr, who is prepared to seek damages otherwise.
The intent-to-initiate-litigation letter states the NFL is also listed as a potential defendant because the league has "not officially disciplined nor taken steps to eliminate the systemic discriminatory practices by the Miami Dolphins, LTD." The letter cites the "ignorant and inappropriate homosexual comments" directed at former Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin as part of the Richie Incognito bullying scandal as well as recent homophobic tweets by Miami defensive back Don Jones about St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam.
"This (NFL) inaction only serves to foster these illegal practices," the letter states. "The National Football League has failed to ensure a working environment within (the Dolphins) which eliminates discrimination in all its reprehensible forms."
Spokesmen for the Dolphins and NFL both declined comment on the letter to FOX Sports 1.
The Dolphins suspended Incognito last November as details emerged about the bullying scandal and fired two employees (offensive line coach Jim Turner and athletic trainer Kevin O’Neill) after a scathing NFL-sponsored investigation of the situation was made public in February.
The Dolphins suspended Jones from their offseason workout program for one week and required him to undergo "educational training" for his comments about Sam, who is the NFL’s first openly gay aspirant. As first reported by FOX Sports 1, Jones was reinstated on May 19.
Sullivan, who is not commenting on the advice of his attorney, was hired in Miami’s pro scouting department in 1997 under then-head coach and de facto general manager Jimmy Johnson. Sullivan’s job included reviewing game film and providing written scouting reports to the team’s front office.How a towed pinger locator is deployed
A towed pinger locator is a water-borne device used to locate the sonar "ping" from the underwater locator beacon which is fitted to the Cockpit Voice Recorders and Flight Data Recorders installed in commercial airliners.[1] They can locate pingers at depths of up to 20,000 feet (6,100 m) underwater.[2]
The locator is mounted in a hydrodynamic shell, or "tow fish", connected by winch behind a surface vessel across the search area. The locator listens for the sound emanating from the beacon or "pinger". Once located, the beacon and its attached recorders can be retrieved by divers, submersibles or remotely operated vehicle (ROV), depending on depth. A model currently used by the United States Navy is the TPL-25, which has a weight of 70 pounds (32 kg) and a length of 30 inches (760 mm); it is generally towed at 1–5 knots (2–9 km/h).[2]
Most beacons transmit a pulse once a second at 37.5 kHz.[3][2]
The hydrophone must be positioned below the thermocline layer which reflects sounds, either back to the surface or back to the ocean floor. Since the pinger signal is relatively weak, the hydrophone must be within a nautical mile (about 6,080 feet (1,850 m)) to detect it. The hydrophone is typically deployed about 1,000 feet (300 m) above the ocean floor, where it can scan a swath approximately 12,000 feet (3,700 m) wide, on a flat, level surface.[4]
See also [ edit ]The lineup for this week’s Bellator 169 card, which is the promotion’s debut in Ireland, has undergone a late change.
Bruna Vargas (2-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has been forced out of her fight against Helen Harper (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) with an injury, which takes that bout off the main card in Dublin, the promotion today announced. Harper will be paid her show money, the promotion said.
In its place, a new women’s featherweight bout is set for the main card. Sinead Kavanagh (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will take on Elina Kallionidou (5-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at the event.
Bellator 169, which is a joint venture with BAMMA, takes place Dec. 16 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie. In the main event, Muhammed Lawal meets Satoshi Ishii in a heavyweight fight.
Kavanagh, who lives and trains in Dublin, has all three of her pro MMA fights for BAMMA. Two of her first three wins have been by knockout. The 18-year-old Kallionidou, from Greece, is a regional champion in her home country. She has three knockouts in her first five pro wins. She’ll be fighting outside her home country for the first time.
The complete Bellator 169 card, including the BAMMA 27 card in the prelims, now includes:
MAIN CARD
Satoshi Ishii vs. Muhammed Lawal
James Gallagher vs. Anthony Taylor
Brian Moore vs. Daniel Weichel
Elina Kallionidou vs. Sinead Kavanagh
Luiz Tosta vs. Shay Walsh
BAMMA 27 card
Tom Duquesnoy vs. Alan Philpott – for BAMMA bantamweight title
Andrew Clamp vs. Chris Fields
Niklas Backstrom vs. Ronnie Mann
Sean Tobin vs. Dylan Tuke
Jai Herbert vs. Rhys McKee
Kiefer Crosbie vs. Conor Riordan
Walter Gahadza vs. Nathan Jones
Ian Cleary vs. Andrew Lofthouse
Terry Brazier vs. Niklas Stolze
Conor Dillon vs. Richie Smullen
Blaine O’Driscoll vs. Neil Ward
Richard Kiely vs. Keith McCabe
Will Fleury vs. Kyle Mclurkin
For more on Bellator 169, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.How many neutrinos are passing through us?
The number of solar neutrinos that reach us on the earth is measured by something called “flux”, which is how science geeks measure the rate of flow of material. The solar neutrino flux for us on Earth is about 65 billion neutrinos, passing through just one square centimeter of area on earth, every second. That’s a lot of neutrinos. And almost all of them pass right on through the earth and out the other side (but more on that “almost” later). That means that every second, trillions of neutrinos are passing through your body, since you’re also transparent to these guys. By my rough estimate about 100 trillion, to be more specific. That means over the course of your lifetime, about 10^23 neutrinos will stream through your body – that’s almost a trillion trillions. That also happens to be about a mole. So over the course of your lifetime, about a mole of neutrinos (almost a trillion trillions) will have coursed through your body.
Now we’ve heard that neutrinos have a tiny but nonzero mass. It was once thought that they were massless, since they fly at just about the speed of light and don’t seem to be “trappable” using gravity. But it has been proven that they must have some mass, for reasons I’d rather not get into.1
So if they have some tiny mass, that means there’s a constant flow of matter coursing through our bodies all the time. For some reason I find this even weirder to picture than if neutrinos had been massless, photon-like invisible rays. That would have been weird enough, but mass-full particles? Constantly shooting straight through us at all times? Weird. So how much mass is streaming through us at all times?
Not very much – there may be a trillion trillion of them, but they don’t add up to much mass – about 10-13 kilograms will stream through your body over the course of your life. It has been estimated that about 100 billion people have ever lived on planet earth, if you added up all humans from the dawn of our species. That means that the sum total mass of all neutrinos that have passed through every single person who ever lived, over everyone’s total lifetime, is… about 0.15 grams.
Now that we’ve figured out the astronomically large amount of neutrinos that have coursed through our bodies over our lives. Coming up next, we’ll take a diversion and consider how the skies would look if we had “neutrino-vision”…
Next Up: What if we could *see* neutrinos? >>
Footnotes:Karlsruhe, 16/8/2017 – SoulWorker, the action MMORPG from development studio Lion Games, is ready to make its launch in Europe and North America. Already live in South Korea, publisher Gameforge announces plans to start the open beta of this exciting Anime-styled title at the end of 2017. With breathtaking gameplay which places great emphasis on the players’ speed and skill, the game world presents a fascinating contrast between the grim dystopian setting and the vivid flamboyance of its characters. Moulded by a desolate past, their tormented souls manifest themselves as weapons. These remain the heroes’ trusty allies in the enthralling struggle against the savage demons infiltrating their world.
SoulWorker is a South Korean multiplayer action RPG with an enthralling Anime style. The focus of the game is on high-energy battles in a third-person perspective. Using keyboard and mouse, or controller if they choose, players take on the role of a young chosen one, who has to fight against menacing forces in a post-apocalyptic world. Each character has access to a particularly special emotion, such as revenge or madness, which then defines their class and their weapon. Using these feelings, the young heroes unleash special abilities that distinguish themselves as SoulWorkers, and use them skilfully in battle for class-specific attack and defence manoeuvres.
Features
Action-packed 4-player coop RPG gameplay
Up to 4 players can dynamically team up and defeat hordes of enemies though a unique action gameplay requiring skill, strategy and courage. Players get to create their own customized combos to make a devastating strike force to face off against giant bosses.
Playable Anime
The high quality cel-shaded visuals shine just as bright on low-spec machines. Dynamic storytelling with complete voice-overs, cut-scenes and Picture in Picture make of SoulWorker a unique playable Anime that players can perfectly fit to their preferences due to its deep customisation system and interactive universe.
Enthralling Anime story based on mankind’s battle for survival
Hordes of enemies threaten the barely standing world of SoulWorker: there’s not only beasts from other dimensions, but also a private military conglomerate and other power-thirsty foes trying to wipe out all of humanity.
Large PvE content with adventurous dungeons
Over 100 PvE dungeons with episodic final bosses are split across different difficulty levels. The initial instances tell the story behind SoulWorker, whilst adventures in regions with a higher level or daily challenges offer opportunities for big rewards.
Four classes at launch
At launch there’ll be four classes to choose from, each providing a true Anime feel. Players can decide whether to use ‘Soulum Sword’, ‘Mist Scythe’, ‘Gun Jazz’ or ‘Howling Guitar’. An optimised third-person camera makes the action-laden battles shine and serves to highlight the beauty of the real-time effects.Despite the legalization of recreational marijuana in California, delivering weed is still a risky business. Pot delivery services currently are illegal in the city of L.A. (though that's likely to change), and drivers carrying cash and cannabis could become targets for police and robbers alike.
Cannabis delivery service Eaze (which operates statewide but not in the city of L.A.) dreams of another way. Over the weekend the company demonstrated drone delivery of marijuana at the High Times Cannabis Cup in San Bernardino. Though it says the technology is perhaps years away from being put into use, the "Drone Lifted Experience" demo (see video, below) showed how simple it could be.
At the National Orange Show Events Center, Eaze had a drone lower a package into the eager hands of a participant. "The biggest takeaway from the demonstration is how technology is moving the industry forward," says Sheena Shiravi, Eaze's head of public relations. "It's not that far away."CORRECTS AIR DATE TO AUG 6 AND CLARIFIES THAT A GROUP OF HACKERS AND NOT AN INDIVIDUAL IS INVOLVED - This image released by HBO shows Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister in an episode of "Game of Thrones," which aired Sunday, Aug. 6. A group of hackers posted a fresh cache of stolen HBO files, including some apparently related to the show "Game of Thrones," online Monday, part of what the purported hacker has claimed is a much larger trove of stolen HBO material. The dump includes scripts from five "Game of Thrones" episodes, including one upcoming episode, and a month's worth of email from the account of an HBO programming executive. (Macall B. Polay/HBO via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — A group of hackers posted a fresh cache of stolen HBO files online Monday, and demanded a multimillion-dollar ransom from the network to prevent the release of entire television series and other sensitive proprietary files.
HBO, which had previously acknowledged the theft of “proprietary information,” said it’s continuing to investigate and is working with police and cybersecurity experts.
In a swaggering five-minute video from “Mr. Smith” to HBO CEO Richard Plepler included in the dump, the hackers used white text scrolling on a black background to deliver an ultimatum. In short: Pay up within three days or see the group, which claims to have stolen 1.5 terabytes of HBO shows and confidential corporate data, upload entire series and sensitive proprietary files.
Specifically, the hackers demanded “our 6-month salary in bitcoin,” and claimed they earn $12 million to $15 million a year from blackmailing organizations whose networks they have penetrated. They said they would only deal directly with “Richard” and only send one “letter” detailing how to pay.
The dump itself was just 3.4 gigabytes — mostly technical data that appears to provide a topography of HBO’s network and to list network-administrator passwords. It includes what appear to be draft scripts from five “Game of Thrones” episodes, including one upcoming episode, and a month’s worth of email apparently from the account of Leslie Cohen, HBO’s vice president for film programming.
The network reiterated Monday that it doesn’t believe that its email system as a whole has been compromised.
The video text was written in often flawed but fluent English peppered with misspellings and pop-culture references.
The hackers claimed it took them about 6 months to breach HBO’s network. Their biggest threat appears to be dumping videos of future shows online with their logo “HBO Is Falling” superimposed.
Many of the more than 50 internal documents in the dump were labeled “confidential,” including a spreadsheet of legal claims against the network, job offer letters to several top executives, slides discussing future technology plans and a list of 37,977 emails called “Richard’s Contact list,” an apparent reference to Plepler.
One screenshot labeled “Highly Confidential” by the hackers listed folders such as “Penguin Random House,” ″Licensing & Retail,” ″Legal,” ″International” and “Budgets.” Another document appears to contain the confidential cast list for “Game of Thrones,” listing personal cellphone numbers and email addresses for actors such as Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Emilia Clark.
So far, however, the HBO leaks have been limited, falling well short of the chaos inflicted on Sony in 2014. In that attack, hackers possibly associated with North Korea unearthed thousands of embarrassing emails and released personal information, including salaries and social security numbers, of nearly 50,000 current and former Sony employees.
The video letter uploaded Monday claimed the hackers spend a half million dollars a year to purchase “zero-day” exploits that let them break into networks through holes not yet know to Microsoft and other software companies. It claims HBO is the hackers’ 17th target and that only three of their past targets refused to pay.Are we all Martians? According to many planetary scientists, it's conceivable that all life on Earth is descended from organisms that originated on Mars and were carried here aboard meteorites. If that's the case, an instrument being developed by researchers at MIT and Harvard could provide the clinching evidence.
In order to detect signs of past or present life on Mars — if it is in fact true that we're related — then a promising strategy would be to search for DNA or RNA, and specifically for particular sequences of these molecules that are nearly universal in all forms of terrestrial life. That's the strategy being pursued by MIT research scientist Christopher Carr and postdoctoral associate Clarissa Lui, working with Maria Zuber, head of MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), and Gary Ruvkun, a molecular biologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University, who came up with the instrument concept and put together the initial team. Lui presented a summary of their proposed instrument, called the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes (SETG), at the IEEE Aerospace Conference this month in Big Sky, Mont.
The idea is based on several facts that have now been well established. First, in the early days of the solar system, the climates on Mars and the Earth were much more similar than they are now, so life that took hold on one planet could presumably have survived on the other. Second, an estimated one billion tons of rock have traveled from Mars to Earth, blasted loose by asteroid impacts and then traveling through interplanetary space before striking Earth's surface. Third, microbes have been shown to be capable of surviving the initial shock of such an impact, and there is some evidence they could also survive the thousands of years of transit through space before arriving at another planet.
So the various steps needed for life to have started on one planet and spread to another are all plausible. Additionally, orbital dynamics show that it's about 100 times easier for rocks to travel from Mars to Earth than the other way. So if life got started there first, microbes could have been carried here and we might all be its descendants.
So what?
If we are descendants from Mars, there might be important lessons to be learned about our own biological origins by studying biochemistry on our neighbor planet, where biological traces erased long ago here on Earth might have been preserved in the Martian deep freeze.
The MIT researchers' device would take samples of Martian soil and isolate any living microbes that might be present, or microbial remnants (which can be preserved for about up to a million years and still contain viable DNA), and separate out the genetic material in order to use standard biochemical techniques to analyze their genetic sequences.
"It's a long shot," Carr concedes, "but if we go to Mars and find life that's related to us, we could have originated on Mars. Or if it started here, it could have been transferred to Mars." Either way, "we could be related to life on Mars. So we should at least be looking for life on Mars that's related to us."
Even a few years ago, that might have seemed like more of a long shot, but recent Mars orbiter and rover missions have clearly shown that Mars once had abundant water, and many of the conditions thought to be needed to support life. And although the surface of Mars today is too cold and dry to support known life forms, there is evidence that liquid water may exist not far below the surface. "On Mars today, the best place to look for life is in the subsurface," Carr says.
So the team has been developing a device that could take a sample of Martian soil from below the surface — perhaps dredged up by a rover equipped with a deep drill — and process it to separate out any possible organisms, amplify their DNA or RNA using the same techniques used for forensic DNA testing on Earth, and then use biochemical markers to search for signs of particular, genetic sequences that are nearly universal among all known life forms.
The researchers estimate that it could take two more years to complete the design and testing of a prototype SETG device. Although the proposed device has not yet been selected for any upcoming Mars mission, a future mission with a lander or rover equipped with a drill could potentially carry this life-detection instrument.
No instrument has been sent to Mars specifically to look for evidence of life since NASA's twin Viking landers in 1976, which produced tantalizing but ambiguous results. An instrument on the Mars Science Lander to be launched in the fall will investigate chemistry relevant to life. The instrument from the MIT-Harvard team directly addresses Earth-like molecular biology.
Christopher McKay, an astrobiologist at NASA-Ames Research Center in California who specializes in research related to the possibility of life on Mars, says this work is "very interesting and important." He says, "it is not implausible that life on Mars will be related to life on Earth and therefore share a common genetics. In any case it would be important to test this hypothesis." But he adds that there is another motive for doing this research as well: "From an astronaut health and safety point of view and from a return-sample point of view, there is more to worry about" if there are organisms closely related to us on Mars, since a microbe that is similar is much more likely to be infectious to terrestrial life forms than would a totally alien microbe — so it is very important to be able to detect such life forms if they are present on Mars. In addition, this method could also detect any biological contamination on Mars that has been brought by spacecraft from Earth.
This kind of test is something we have the ability to do, he says, and therefore, although such an experiment has not yet been formally approved, "it seems improbable to me that we will do a serious search for life on Mars and not do this test."The Internet is buzzing with coverage of human trafficking survivor Ima Matul’s Tuesday night speech at the Democratic National Convention. After being labor trafficked from Indonesia to Los Angeles, Matul was forced to work 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for no pay. Following three years of living as an enslaved domestic servant and being subjected to physical abuse, Matul sought out the help of a neighboring nanny to assist with her escape. Matul’s story is harrowing and she is fortunate to have received services from the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), which provided her with counseling, vocational training, and eventually job placement as a survivor organizer. However, what audience members did not hear is that her trafficker was never prosecuted for these crimes and, incredulously, still lives in Los Angeles, not far from Matul. Although American anti-trafficking policy was in its infancy at the time, more than a decade later many traffickers continue to operate with impunity and survivors rarely receive the types of services afforded to Matul.
Although federal and state laws now include provisions that should assist with the protection of victims and prosecution of offenders, victims continue to be misidentified, erroneously criminalized, deported, and denied services, while their traffickers evade law enforcement.
For example, take “Jessica,” a sex trafficking victim I met in August 2015. She was sexually exploited and abused for nearly 15 years, but that did not stop law enforcement from erroneously arresting her for ‘prostitution’ when she called 9-1-1 to report the abuse from her trafficker. In fact, when I met “Jessica,” her trafficker was in the DC Metropolitan area under pre-trial release for maliciously wounding another victim. Like Matul’s offender, “Jessica’s” sex trafficker has yet to be convicted of any crime; his charges were dropped after his first victim failed to show up for trial. Charges were never brought against him for how he victimized “Jessica.” Instead, while her trafficker continues to evade law enforcement and financially benefit off of the women he exploits, “Jessica” is relegated to substandard housing and menial jobs, with inadequate support.
On the other hand, when and if law enforcement is in a position to prosecute a human trafficker, victim compliance is often literally forced. Prosecutors regularly threaten victims with prosecution if they do not cooperate and hold them in detention. For example, take “Sarah,” a juvenile I met while volunteering for an at-risk youth program. As a teenager, she was targeted by a sex trafficker in June 2016 and picked up as a witness for federal law enforcement. Although she was clearly a victim, the probation officer who was supervising her signed off on holding “Sarah” in detention for “her protection.”
This type of treatment is not considered trauma-informed and is not consistent with the victim-centered provisions of federal laws, like the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, or state laws, like various safe harbor statutes. However, this is the reality for many human trafficking victims.
Sixteen years ago, Los Angeles law enforcement failed to bring Matul’s trafficker to justice. However, despite passing a number of anti-trafficking laws since then, this continues to happen. Unfortunately, there is a critical gap between anti-trafficking policy and action in the United States. Simply passing a law does not mean that it is being effectively implemented. Before celebrating anti-trafficking policy victories for public accolade (as was done at the DNC), our government needs to assess whether we are being effective in protecting victims and prosecuting offenders. If victims continue to be misidentified, erroneously prosecuted, deported, and denied services, while traffickers evade conviction, these policies should not be lauded in vain.On Sunday's Meet the Press, Chuck Todd hosted a panel featuring The Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel, The New York Times's Thomas Friedman, the American Enterprise Institute's Daniella Pletka, and Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher to discuss Russia, Jeff Sessions, and President Trump's comments regarding Obama.
During the panel, Pletka and Strassel kept pushing back against the media and the Democrats' weak case about Russian influence in the election as well as Russian influence within the Trump camp. Here's part of the transcript of the conversation:
DANIELLE PLETKA: It's not just the Russians who want to interfere in our election. Lots of countries want to interfere in our elections. Lots of countries have historically tried. Remember the Chinese and Al Gore? Right. That's not the point. The point is, was there somebody inside the Trump campaign who was working with them, and did the president know about that? And were they successful? And I think on those latter two questions, we have no idea. KIMBERLEY STRASSEL: No evidence. There's no evidence. I mean this is-- I just heard Chuck Schumer suggest exactly what you, that we know that this is the case. Look, there's nothing there. Especially this recent discussion about Jeff Sessions, which is the kind of height of the ludicrousness of this, okay? If Jeff Sessions really was a mole working for the Russian government, he probably would have found a better place to have met within than his public Senate office surrounded by his aides. So the meetings are not necessarily what matter. They don't prove anything. The question is-- CHUCK TODD: But the one thing, Kim, I will say-- KIMBERLEY STRASSEL: --is there any substance? CHUCK TODD: --this on these meetings is-- KIMBERLEY STRASSEL: Is there any substance?
While Todd and Belcher kept trying to push the seemingly baseless narrative, Thomas Friedman chimed into the conversation, admitting that there is no evidence of such collusion between the Russians and the Trump camp. Nevertheless, that did not stop Friedman from calling for a special prosecutor or an independent commission from looking into the matter despite the lack of credible proof. He also brought up Trump's tax returns, which happens to be Senator Chris Murphy's favorite chew toy.
THOMAS FRIEDMAN: I agree, there is no evidence, which is why we need a special prosecutor or an independent commission to get to the bottom of it. CORNELL BELCHER: Well-- THOMAS FRIEDMAN: And we need to see Trump's tax returns.
Watch that exchange below:
Even though Attorney General Sessions made the correct call in recusing himself from any investigation into the Trump campaign, that does not negate the fact that a special prosecutor or an independent commission will only be necessary when a fact-finder finds credible evidence of collusion. However, Friedman moronically believes that the Department of Justice or another independent body should waste precious time, money, and effort on an investigation based off circumstantial proof in the hope of promulgating a shoddy leftist agenda.
"I agree, there is no evidence, which is why we need a special prosecutor or an independent commission to get to the bottom of it." Thomas Friedman
Then again, what else should we expect from a man who believed China's one-party autocratic and dictatorial government was "led by a reasonably enlightened group of people" that "impose[s] the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century"?
Follow Elliott on Twitter and Facebook.THE NEW political season in Brussels opened with a row between Germany and the EU Commission over Europe’s proposed banking union, an initiative central to this State’s campaign for debt relief.
After a relatively calm holiday period, EU leaders are confronted with a host of knotty challenges this autumn as Greece struggles to maintain its place in the euro zone and Spain tries to avert a full-blown sovereign bailout.
The immediate focus is on a key European Central Bank meeting on Thursday at which the bank is expected to set out a plan to intervene in bond markets, which Germany’s Bundesbank is resisting.
Although Europe’s leaders have pledged to review the rescue of the Republic’s banks next month, any reduction in the debt load will be contingent on the establishment of a European bank supervisor.
Amid ongoing talks between Irish and European officials, a formal debt relief proposal from the commission is still awaited.
Economics commissioner Olli Rehn has said the commission will produce its plan this month in anticipation of a deal in October.
It is unclear whether any proposal will be put before a meeting of finance ministers next week in Cyprus. For the moment at least, no decision on the Republic is expected at that gathering. The Government believes a deal this autumn, even if it was to be implemented later, would still improve our standing with private debt investors.
At the same time, deepening divisions between Germany and the commission over the scope of the supervisor’s work suggests an agreement on that front will be difficult to reach. EU leaders have agreed that the ECB will carry out the supervisor’s work but Germany and the commission are far apart over how many banks it will oversee.
While Germany insists it should apply to only the largest systemic banks, the commission wants all 6,000 banks in the euro zone to come within its ambit.
In an address last night to MEPs in Brussels, Mr Rehn pointed to the example of Anglo Irish Bank when saying the new supervisor should be empowered to minimise systemic risk from supposedly minor institutions.
“As we have seen in recent years, even small banks can be systemic and cause financial turmoil (Northern Rock, Anglo Irish, |
ction of muscle (T79.6) ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M79.0 Rheumatism, unspecified 2016 2017 2018 2019 Billable/Specific Code Type 1 Excludes fibromyalgia ( M79.7 ) palindromic rheumatism (M12.3-) ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M79.A Nontraumatic compartment syndrome 2016 2017 2018 2019 Non-Billable/Non-Specific Code Code First, if applicable, associated postprocedural complication Type 1 Excludes compartment syndrome NOS (T79.A-) fibromyalgia ( M79.7 ) nontraumatic ischemic infarction of muscle (M62.2-) traumatic compartment syndrome (T79.A-) ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M79.1 Myalgia 2016 2017 2018 2019 - Deleted Code 2019 - New Code Non-Billable/Non-Specific Code Applicable To Myofascial pain syndrome Type 1 Excludes fibromyalgia ( M79.7 ) myositis (M60.-)
, M79.0, M79.A, M79.1
ICD-10-CM Codes Adjacent To M79.7
M79.661 Pain in right lower leg M79.662 Pain in left lower leg M79.669 Pain in unspecified lower leg M79.67 Pain in foot and toes M79.671 Pain in right foot M79.672 Pain in left foot M79.673 Pain in unspecified foot M79.674 Pain in right toe(s) M79.675 Pain in left toe(s) M79.676 Pain in unspecified toe(s) M79.7 Fibromyalgia M79.A Nontraumatic compartment syndrome M79.A1 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of upper extremity M79.A11 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of right upper extremity M79.A12 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of left upper extremity M79.A19 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of unspecified upper extremity M79.A2 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of lower extremity M79.A21 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of right lower extremity M79.A22 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of left lower extremity M79.A29 Nontraumatic compartment syndrome of unspecified lower extremity M79.A3 …… of abdomen
Reimbursement claims with a date of service on or after October 1, 2015 require the use of ICD-10-CM codes.Most folks agree that the Triumph Speed Triple is one of the best ‘naked’ bikes you can buy. But there’s always someone, somewhere, who wants to improve on perfection.
That’s where companies like Vilner come in. Best known for its custom cars and a client list full of Russian oligarchs, Vilner occasionally turns its hand to custom motorcycles. And this is the latest creation from the Bulgarian company, a 1050 Speed Triple called ‘Bulldog.’
The mechanicals of the bike have wisely been left alone. (With over 130 bhp and a top speed nudging 150 mph, the stock Triumph Speed Triple is not short of performance.) But Vilner has gone to town on the aesthetics, replacing the signature twin lamps with a huge single unit and covering the bike in a swathe of top-grade leather.
The wheels are swapped out for lightweight OZ Racing items, shod with Metzeler Racetec K3 tires. New mirrors sit under the handlebars, and the exhaust system has been powder-coated black. Leather sweeps down the black engine side panels, with a contrasting gold ‘scoop’ wrapping around the downpipes.
It’s a far cry from a Bonneville with a Brat-style seat and clip-ons, but it hits the spot for well-heeled Eastern Europeans. And the black-and-gold color scheme does look rather fetching.
Head over to the Vilner Custom website to see more of the Sofia-based company’s work.Chronic cannabis use produces effects within the central nervous system (CNS) which include deficits in learning and attention tasks and decreased brain volume. Neurotrophins, in particular nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are proteins that serve as survival factors for CNS neurons. Deficits in the production and utilization of these proteins can lead to CNS dysfunctions including those associated with cannabis abuse.
In this study we measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) the NGF and BDNF serum levels in two groups of subjects: cannabis-dependent patients and healthy subjects. We found that NGF serum levels were significantly reduced in cannabis abusers as compared to healthy subjects.
These findings indicate that NGF may have a role in the central action of cannabis and potentially in the neurotoxicity induced by this drug. These data also suggest that chronic cannabis consumption may be a risk factor for developing psychosis among drug users.The court had been expected to decide soon on whether the rule, called the Clean Power Plan, was legally sound under the Clean Air Act, but the Trump administration asked the judges to halt their deliberations so it could take another look at the regulation. | Getty Court delay hands Trump victory over Obama climate change rule
A federal appeals court granted President Donald Trump's request to halt a lawsuit over the Obama administration's most important climate change regulation on Friday, handing the him a major victory in his bid to revoke the rule that would have required power plants to curb their greenhouse gas emissions.
The decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals sends the rule back to Trump's EPA to review and most likely quash the regulation that had been at the heart of former President Barack Obama's strategy to combat emissions of carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants.
Story Continued Below
Today's ruling comes just as Trump signed a new executive order to begin rolling back Obama's restrictions on offshore oil and gas drilling and just one day ahead major climate change protests planned for Washington and several other cities around the country.
The administration is also debating whether to remain in the Paris climate change agreement. Trump said in an interview published this morning that the pact is "not a fair situation" and that China, Russia and India aren't contributing enough money to help poorer countries cope with the effects of climate change.
The court had been expected to decide soon on whether the rule, called the Clean Power Plan, was legally sound under the Clean Air Act, but the Trump administration asked the judges to halt their deliberations so it could take another look at the regulation. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been one of the rule's most vociferous opponents, and as the attorney general of Oklahoma had helped spearhead the legal challenges seeking to overturn it.
The court's pause in the case means EPA will not have to contend with a potentially awkward opinion that could have upheld the regulation as Trump's EPA worked to dismantle it. Many legal observers believed after last year’s arguments that the rule would have survived most, if not all, of the legal challenges.
The landmark Obama rule sought to curb power plant carbon dioxide emissions 32 percent below their 2005 levels by 2030. The court paused the lawsuit against the rule for 60 days, and it asked for EPA to file status reports every 30 days. It also asked litigants to file motions on whether to remand the case back to the agency rather than hold it in abeyance.
Neither the White House nor EPA offered an immediate reaction to today's court ruling.
Pruitt's EPA now has the time it needs to review the rule and most likely propose repealing it. Trump specifically ordered EPA to do so in his executive order in March, saying he was ending the "war on coal," and that his policy would "create millions of good American jobs, also so many energy jobs, and really lead to unbelievable prosperity.”
Trump, who famously dismissed climate change as a hoax, has also repealed several Obama-era environmental directives aimed at reducing the federal government’s own carbon footprint, and it directed agencies to ferret out any additional policies that impeded U.S. energy production. The president also told federal regulators to stop using the “social cost of carbon,” which attempts to quantify the effects of climate change, in economic analyses of future rules.
Carrying out that repeal of regulation could take a year or more since the agency must go through the same sort of public notice-and-comment rulemaking it followed in creating the rule that was issued under former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in 2015. And EPA’s final decision could be challenged in court as well, meaning the agency would have to defend its legal rationale for repealing the rule.
It’s not entirely clear what will happen in the future, and observers say these are relatively uncharted legal waters. With today's ruling, the federal court is keeping a sweeping regulation on ice, potentially for years, while a new administration works to repeal it.
Some experts say it is possible that if EPA’s expected repeal is rejected by the courts in the future, the issue could simply push the court to rule on the legal merit of the challenges to the Clean Power Plan.
Also, repealing the Clean Power Plan and litigating that action could last through much of Trump’s term, keeping the issue in the political spotlight during the 2018 and 2020 elections.
Both Trump and Republicans in Congress have been working hard to erase a host of energy regulations issued in the final two years of Obama’s term.
The pause of the Clean Power Plan challenge makes it likely the court will grant a similar request for halting its sister regulation, which sets emission limits for future power plants. That rule’s legal challenge had been proceeding at a slower pace, and arguments that had been scheduled for April arguments were canceled at the new administration's request.
The administration has succeeded in getting the court to suspend other ongoing court cases over Obama-era rules, including the 2015 ozone standard, regulations limiting pollutants discharged in power plants' water streams and from smokestacks during startup, and a refrigerant rule. Plus, EPA is seeking similar pauses in several other lawsuits, including over truck emissions and the mercury rule.
CLARIFICATION: This story had been updated to clarify the decision was from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.NFL Nation reporters look ahead to what Wednesday has in store for each team.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills: The Bills' week of preparation for the undefeated Bengals saw a twist Tuesday when the team signed veteran quarterback Josh Johnson amid a CBS Sports report that starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor could miss multiple games because of a sprained MCL. Johnson isn't in line to start Sunday, though. That duty will fall to EJ Manuel, who has been the Bills' lone backup since the team traded Matt Cassel last month. -- Mike Rodak
Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins hope to get two Pro Bowlers healthy and back on defense after the bye week. Top cornerback Brent Grimes (knee) and veteran defensive end Cameron Wake (hamstring) both sat out Monday's practice. Interim head coach Dan Campbell said Grimes and Wake would be evaluated during the week and leading up to Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. -- James Walker
New England Patriots: Wednesday is an important day for the Patriots on the injury front, with starting left tackle Nate Solder (right elbow) and linebacker Dont'a Hightower (rib) having left Sunday's win over the Cowboys. Their participation level at practice -- the team's first of the week in preparation for Sunday's game against the Colts -- will provide more context on their potential availability. -- Mike Reiss
New York Jets: The Jets hope to get linebacker David Harris (quadriceps) back on the field Wednesday as they begin preparations for the Redskins. Harris is the quarterback of the defense, making the pre-snap adjustments. It would disrupt their prep work if he's not available. -- Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens: Tight end Crockett Gillmore has a good chance of playing Sunday after sitting out the last two games because of a calf injury. He was moving around well in pregame warm-ups last Sunday and was even jumping for some passes. In the first three weeks of the regular season, Gillmore had the ninth-most receiving yards among tight ends (151). His return would also be a big boost to Joe Flacco, who was starting to develop a rapport with Gillmore. -- Jamison Hensley
Cincinnati Bengals: Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson continues to affirm that Jeremy Hill is his workhorse running back despite the fact backup Giovani Bernard has had more carries and snaps in recent games. Against Seattle last Sunday, Bernard played 66 snaps, and Hill had only 19. It's worth noting Hill went into that game with a knee injury but played through it. How might the injury, regardless of how minor, affect Hill this week as he and the Bengals prepare for the Bills' third-ranked rush defense? That's a question Hill hopes to answer when the Bengals return to practice Wednesday. -- Coley Harvey
Cleveland Browns: The Browns should have a better idea Wednesday how quarterback Josh McCown is feeling. McCown had his ankle rolled up in Baltimore, but both he and Mike Pettine said they expect he'll be able to face Denver. -- Pat McManamon
Pittsburgh Steelers: After a brutal stretch of injuries, the Steelers are relatively healthy entering Sunday's matchup with the Cardinals. Pittsburgh will look to bottle up Michael Vick's fourth-quarter performance Monday night in San Diego and use that gameplan this week -- more decisive throws and rollouts. For his first seven quarters, Vick looked as if he was trying to avoid mistakes, and the Steelers game-planned that way, too. Time to open it up. -- Jeremy Fowler
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans: Lost in the Texans' dismal start is DeAndre Hopkins' strong one. Hopkins leads the league in receiving yards with 578 yards and ranks second with 42 catches. That could continue as Brian Hoyer takes over. The two have a great connection. -- Tania Ganguli
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts will start their official preparation for Sunday's game against New England in practice Wednesday. It'll also be a big day for quarterback Andrew Luck and his progress from his right shoulder injury. Luck is 0-4 with 10 interceptions against the Patriots in his career -- Mike Wells
Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Blake Bortles isn't expected to practice Wednesday because of sprained right shoulder, so Chad Henne will take the first-team reps. Bortles is expected to play against Houston on Sunday, but that could change if his shoulder doesn't respond to treatment. -- Mike DiRocco
Tennessee Titans: Right guard Chance Warmack will be back to practice Wednesday after missing two games because of a sprained knee. The Titans' line didn't seem a whole lot different with Jamon Meredith working in his place. -- Paul Kuharsky
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos: With a bye week following Sunday's game in Cleveland, the Broncos will play it safe with their injured starters -- DeMarcus Ware (back) and Aqib Talib (ankle). Both are expected to be held out of some practice work this week. However, the Broncos are still hopeful that tackle Ty Sambrailo, who has missed the last two games because of a shoulder injury, will practice at least some Wednesday and be back in the lineup Sunday against the Browns. -- Jeff Legwold
Kansas City Chiefs: One benefit of promoting RB Spencer Ware from the practice squad is that after having gone to camp and played in the preseason with the Chiefs, he's familiar with everything they're doing. In that sense, Ware could play as much as the Chiefs want on Sunday against the Vikings, as the team searches for Jamaal Charles' replacement. -- Adam Teicher
Oakland Raiders: One of the things the Raiders want to tune up during this bye week is their run game, which ranks 27th in the NFL (90 yards per game). This comes a year after ranking 32nd on the ground. Latavius Murray has struggled the past couple of weeks and the Raiders have been using Roy Helu more. The goal is to get Murray going and to use Helu as a viable change-of-pace option. -- Bill Williamson
San Diego Chargers: San Diego head coach Mike McCoy blamed penalties and turnovers for the lack of consistency on offense in a 24-20 loss to the Steelers on Monday. The Chargers finished with seven accepted penalties for 54 yards, including four offensive holding calls. "When you have the holding penalties like we did, or a false start penalty, those things all set you back," McCoy said. "So we have to do a better job there." -- Eric D. Williams
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys will have their first of two bye week practices Wednesday but don't expect a lot of preparation for the Oct. 25 game against the New York Giants. The work will allow Matt Cassel to get more familiar with the Cowboys' offense as he moves into the starting role over Brandon Weeden. He was acquired in a trade from Buffalo on Sept. 23 but was inactive for his first two games and served as the backup against New England. With how the Cowboys work their quarterback rotation, the backup does not get any work with the starters during the week. This will give Cassel a jumpstart on things until the team returns to work next Tuesday. -- Todd Archer
New York Giants: Eli Manning is operating the Giants' offense at high efficiency. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Manning is on pace to set career-best marks in completion percentage (66.5 percent) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (5.0) even though he's averaging a career-high 39.4 pass attempts. The Giants already have seven touchdown drives this year that took less than two minutes. They had 10 such drives all of last year. -- Dan Graziano
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles got most of their injured players back for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. The primary exceptions were inside linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso. As the practice week begins Wednesday, the Eagles will be hoping to get Kendricks on track to return for Monday night's division game against the Giants. -- Phil Sheridan
Washington Redskins: The Redskins need to figure out what's wrong with their run game. In the past two games, Washington has averaged only 3.18 yards per carry and only 2.78 yards on first down, putting quarterback Kirk Cousins in situations the coaches hoped to avoid. The run game was supposed to be the strength of the offense, and after the first two games this season, that appeared to be the case. But since then it has not served as the engine of the offense. That must change. -- John Keim
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears: The Bears will attempt to snap a two-game road losing streak to the Lions on Sunday. A victory over the Lions (0-5) would put the Bears at.500 for the first time in almost a full calendar year. Head coach John Fox conceded after the Kansas City game that Alshon Jeffery's lingering hamstring injury is frustrating on all levels. The Bears are optimistic they can get several injured players back on the practice field Wednesday. Receiver Eddie Royal and left tackle Jermon Bushrod were among the notable inactives versus the Chiefs. -- Jeff Dickerson
Detroit Lions: The Lions start their practices for the Bears on Wednesday and a player to watch is running back Joique Bell. He said Monday he plans on practicing and playing this week against Chicago after sitting out the last two weeks dealing because of ankle and Achilles injuries. With Ameer Abdullah struggling with fumbles, the Lions could use a healthy Bell to try and revive the league's worst rushing attack. If he practices Wednesday, that's a good sign. -- Michael Rothstein
Green Bay Packers: If the Packers are going to get receiver Davante Adams (ankle) back before the bye, then he'll probably have to do at least some drills in practice Wednesday. He hasn't been able to do anything since he aggravated his left ankle after only three plays in the Week 3 game against the Chiefs. The Packers play the Chargers on Sunday and then have their bye. -- Rob Demovsky
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings will hope to have receivers Charles Johnson and Mike Wallace back on the practice field Wednesday, as they try to take advantage of a struggling Chiefs pass defense Sunday. Johnson, who missed the Vikings' last game because of a rib injury and didn't practice Monday, said he's feeling better and is looking forward to his matchup against the Chiefs' man-coverage scheme. "You know what to expect," he said. "That's what I prefer." -- Ben Goessling
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones didn't practice for the second straight day Tuesday as he continues to battle hamstring and toe injuries, but Jones did participate in a walkthrough. He refused to declare himself ready to play despite telling ESPN.com on Sunday he "most definitely" would face the Saints. It looks as if it will be another game-time decision with Jones, who doesn't want to hurt his team by being hobbled. -- Vaughn McClure
Carolina Panthers: Much of the focus in practice will be on discipline and containing Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who does his best work outside of the pocket. The Panthers have picked the brain of defensive end Jared Allen, who faced the Seahawks a month ago with Chicago before being traded to Carolina. Now they need to get Allen back on the field; he's dealing with a pinched nerve that kept him out of Tuesday's practice. -- David Newton
New Orleans Saints: The Saints' 32nd-ranked defense will be tested by the hottest 1-2 punch in the NFL on Thursday night. Falcons RB Devonta Freeman and WR Julio Jones have combined for 1,190 yards and 13 touchdowns this year. They rank first and second among all RBs and WRs in ESPN's standard fantasy scoring. Jones is battling hamstring and toe injuries that held him out of practice Tuesday, and Falcons NFL Nation reporter Vaughn McClure expects him to be a game-time decision. -- Mike Triplett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs will hold their lone practice of the bye week on Wednesday. The atmosphere around One Buc Place should be more positive as players prepare to break, after Tampa Bay improved to 2-3 with a victory over Jacksonville in Week 5. Still, the secondary remains a concern. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Allen Hurns was particularly harmful to Tampa Bay with five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. The Bucs must be better against the pass starting in Week 7 against the Washington Redskins. -- Andrew Astleford
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals will get their first look at recently-signed linebacker Dwight Freeney. After missing the first five games of the season, his stamina and jump off the ball will be important to monitor. The Cardinals are hoping he's effective enough to replace Alex Okafor, who's out because of a calf injury for an undisclosed amount of time. -- Josh Weinfuss
St. Louis Rams: The Rams are still evaluating guard Rodger Saffold's shoulder after he injured it against Green Bay. He has the bye week this week to help get healthy, but in the meantime, they're turning to veteran Garrett Reynolds. He's the team's most experienced veteran and a calming presence for the young linemen, according to Jeff Fisher. -- Nick Wagoner
San Francisco 49ers: The Ravens are a familiar foe to the 49ers for a couple of reasons -- the least of which being their head coach who carries a familiar surname. But boy, these two teams have fallen far since their Super Bowl XLVII showdown. At 1-4, it's safe to say neither franchise is a Super Bowl contender this year. -- Paul Gutierrez
Seattle Seahawks: Through five games, the Seahawks are not seeing much of a payoff from the Jimmy Graham deal. He's 11th among tight ends in receiving yards and was not targeted on the team's final six possessions on Sunday against the Bengals. With an offense that ranks last in red-zone efficiency, the Seahawks need to go back to the drawing board in terms of how they're using Graham. -- Sheil KapadiaNinite is a free tool that automatically downloads, installs, and updates various Windows programs for you, skipping past the evil toolbar offers. For Windows users, Ninite is arguably the only really safe place to get freeware.
This application is far more than a tool for tech support people to easily set up PCs. It’s a place you can get safe Windows freeware without trawling the usual download sites full of harmful garbage.
The Only Safe Place, Really?
RELATED: Defend Your Windows PC From Junkware: 5 Lines of Defense
Of course, safe freeware is available elsewhere online. But there’s no real trustworthy, centralized source of the stuff. Download sites are uniformly terrible these days — even good old SourceForge is now bundling junkware.
If you want a safe place to get freeware without worrying about toolbars and other junkware, Ninite is the program to use. If you have parents or relatives that use a computer, you can tell them just to use Ninite to get and update the free programs they need — the software on Ninite is guaranteed to be safe. Even programs that come with toolbars (like Java) won’t have a toolbar when you install them via Ninite. We can’t think of a single rule of thumb that will help a typical user get useful free Windows applications while avoiding all the junkware and malware beyond “just use Ninite.”
This doesn’t mean you should avoid other websites entirely — sure, if you use Microsoft Office, download it from Microsoft. But, if you need a free application to do something, head to Ninite’s website and find one there instead of attempting to hunt down an application on the freeware sites.
How Ninite Works (or Why Ninite is Awesome)
Ninite offers a website with a list of popular free Windows applications. Practically all the freeware a typical Windows user would need it here. This includes everything from web browsers like Chrome and Firefox to system tools, media applications, compression utilities, and cloud storage programs. Just check off the programs you want to install, click Download Installer, and Ninite will download a single.exe file onto your system. Run the downloaded Ninite installer and it will automatically download each program you selected, installing it in the background without any annoying choices and automatically declining any toolbar offers.
RELATED: 4 Ways to Quickly Install Your Desktop Programs After Getting a New Computer or Reinstalling Windows
Yes, it’s really that easy. Ninite is a great way to quickly install your favorite programs on a new PC or fresh Windows install, but it’s more than that — it’s a safe, centralized place to get the freeware you need. Ninite has a lot of smarts. It downloads programs from their official websites, automatically checking their digital signatures or hash values to ensure they haven’t been tampered with. It works entirely in the background, skipping any questions, ignoring prompts to reboot your PC, and automatically installing 64-bit applications on a 64-bit PC.
Ninite Can Update Applications, Too
Ninite isn’t just about easily installing applications. When you launch your downloaded Ninite installer again, it will check for updated versions of the programs you chose. If a new version is available, Ninite will download and install it automatically. If you already have the current version, Ninite will skip installing that application.
This means Ninite is also a great way of updating the freeware you use. You can re-run the installer once a week or so to ensure you have the latest versions of your installed applications — all it takes is a double-click on the Ninite installer and your applications will be updated for you.
Automatically Update Applications With Ninite and a Scheduled Task
You may want to check for updates regularly without buying Ninite’s paid solution, which we’ll cover below. For example, you might want to use Ninite to install software on a relative’s computer. Afterward, you might want to ensure Ninite automatically updates the software on a regular basis.
RELATED: Using Task Scheduler to Run Processes Later
You can automate this by creating a scheduled task. Just download the Ninite installer.exe file and save it to an out-of-the-way folder so your relative doesn’t delete it from the downloads folder. Open the Task Scheduler and create a task that runs the application once a week or so. Once a week, the computer will automatically load the Ninite application, which will automatically download and install the updates.
Your relatives will see the Ninite application open and have to close it — just tell them to let it do its thing and close it when it’s done. There is a command-line switch that lets you run Ninite silently in the background, but it’s only available in the paid pro version. Ninite can update applications automatically with a scheduled task, but you’ll have to see its interface while it runs.
This trick isn’t just for less-knowledgeable relatives, of course. You could use this trick on your own computer to run Ninite regularly so you wouldn’t have to remember to open it.
How Ninite Makes Its Money
Ninite’s basic features are completely free for home users. To make some money, the company behind Ninite, Secure By Design Inc., offers a few paid services.
The Ninite Updater is a small tool that runs in your system tray, automatically checking for application updates and allowing you to install multiple updates with a single click. It costs $9.99 per year, and is really designed for home users who want to financially support the Ninite project. This tool isn’t necessary — you can double-click the downloaded Ninite installer to automatically check for and install updates occasionally. Important programs like your web browser will automatically check for and install their own updates, too.
For corporate users, Ninite offers a $20 per month application called Ninite Pro that will allow you to centrally manage the software on up to 100 computers on a Windows domain. This also includes Ninite One, a desktop application for installing applications without visiting the Ninite website first.
Ninite is brilliant. For all the tasks we’ve made easier on a computer, finding and installing Windows software is often a hard one — at least if you want your computer to stay junkware-free. And, with Windows freeware websites turning to bundling increasingly invasive software with their installers to make money, it’s become increasingly important.
This tool has now been around for five years, and it has a great track record of respecting users and a business model that doesn’t depend on tricking people or foisting unnecessary junkware on them. Ninite has proven can be trusted while other software download websites have turned to the dark side. Spread the word: Ninite is the place to get Windows freeware.Villanova’s Brunson, Spellman Take MBB Weekly Honors
– Villanova guard Jalen Brunson and forward Omari Spellman were honored as BIG EAST Player of the Week and BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for their performances in an 87-67 victory at Temple, the only Wildcats’ game of the week. Each player set individual career scoring highs in the contest. Brunson is the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and Spellman is the Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.– Brunson scored a career-high 31 points in the win at Temple. He made 11-of-16 shots from the field, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. Brunson also found time to grab six rebounds and dish five assists. He did not commit a turnover in 38 minutes of play. For the season, Brunson is averaging 18.5 points and 4.8 assists. His 3-point shooting mark of 53.5 percent and his assist/turnover ratio of +4.1 lead the BIG EAST.Spellman notched a collegiate scoring high with 27 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in only 28 minutes of playing time in the victory at Temple. He shot 11-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. For the season, Spellman is averaging 10.6 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds. He has earned conference freshman honors three times this season.Averaged 23.5 points while shooting 16-of-29 (.552) from the field and 8-of-18 (.444) from 3-point range in a 1-1 week. Had 33 points in a loss to local foe Northwestern (62-60).Posted 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in an 86-79 overtime loss to Syracuse.Had 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half of a 69-59 win over Iona. Had five rebounds and four steals.Averaged 12.5 points and 16.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week. Had 18 points and 11 boards in a win over Saint Peter’s (84-61) and seven points and 21 rebounds in loss at Rutgers (71-65).Made the winning basket with six seconds left against East Tennessee State (68-66). Scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the second half rally that overcame a 22-point deficit.“Order. Unity. Obedience. We taught the galaxy these things long ago, and we will do so again.”
–Imotekh the Stormlord, Phaeron of the Sautekh Dynasty
The Necrons are stirring in their ancient Tomb Worlds, brushing aside the dust of countless ages. For the first time in millennia, these mechanical warriors will emerge to encounter a galaxy that has profoundly changed—and is ripe for conquest. Between their hyper-advanced technology, self-repair protocols, and slaves from every biological race, the Necrons are poised to take the galaxy by storm. Now, with the Legions of Death expansion for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, you can add the entirely new Necrons faction to your battles for the Traxis sector.
The Necrons are undoubtedly the focus of this expansion, but not every card in the box belongs to them. Legions of Death includes a new, non-loyal army unit for each of the eight other factions, and today, we’ll take a closer look at these units and the neutral cards included in this expansion!
Rule by Fear
Even though every other faction receives a single army unit in the Legions of Death deluxe expansion, these units are hardly traditional units. In fact, they gain additional abilities when they follow a warlord of another faction!
For instance, consider the Ravenwing Escort (Legions of Death, 49). This Space Marines unit offers great mobility to your army: as a Combat Action, you can exhaust the Ravenwing Escort to move one of your army units from that planet to any other planet. Obviously, the ability to tactically redeploy your own units can completely unhinge your opponent’s plans, but the Ravenwing Escort becomes even more unpredictable when it follows a different warlord. While you control a non-Space Marines warlord, the Ravenwing Escort gains Mobile, exponentially increasing your options!
Of course, you can bring the Ravenwing Escort into an Astra Militarum or Tau army to unlock their full potential, but they’re also an ideal unit for the Necrons to enslave. With the Ravenwing Escort supporting your Necron warriors, any foe will tremble to face your legions.
You’ll soon see that this pattern of preferring out-of-faction warlords persists through the other non-Necron units in Legions of Death. The Goff Brawlers (Legions of Death, 51) gain a command icon while you control a non-Ork warlord, making them even more cost-effective for their stats. The Nightshade Interceptor (Legions of Death, 54), on the other hand, gains Area Effect (2) if you control a non-Eldar warlord, inviting you to unleash a hail of firepower on your enemies.
The one exception to this pattern is the new Tyranids unit. Because Tyranids forsake alliances with any other faction, they instead gain a unit to counter the Necron menace. Swarmling Termagants (Legions of Death, 56) is a small, inexpensive unit, but its size is deceptive: it can quickly multiply into many units. Swarmling Termagants reads, “Interrupt: When this unit is destroyed, put X Termagant tokens into play at this planet. X is the number of factions among enemy units at this planet.” With the massive amount of Hive Mind specializations available to the Tyranids, any way to gain more Termagants can prove useful, and as Necrons become more popular, the Swarmling Termagants become even more dangerous.
Tricks for Everyone
Legions of Death also includes a complement of new neutral cards that offer their power to every deck. Backlash (Legions of Death, 46) is a powerful event that gives your Elite units a crucial edge in battle: when your opponent triggers an ability that targets one of your Elite units, you can play Backlash to cancel the effects. Then, if the ability originated from an army unit, that unit is destroyed! Your opponent may be loath to even try to hurt your Elite units when he knows that Backlash could be in your deck.
The downside of Elite units is that they are often very expensive, requiring a massive expenditure of resources. If you’re going to pour that many resources into a unit, you need to be sure that your opponent can’t easily control your new Elite unit for a fraction of the resources you spent. One of the new neutral cards in Legions of Death helps you close the gap by reducing the cost of your Elites. STC Fragment (Legions of Death, 48) is a new neutral support that you can exhaust to reduce the cost of an Elite unit by two. Although the STC Fragment takes up your single Relic slot, the resources you’ll save over the course of the game can make it more than worth the cost.
Alternatively, if your opponent’s cheap units are running circles around you in the command struggle, you could do worse than to contract out to a Freebooter Kaptain (Legions of Death, 45). This unit offers a single command icon, but more importantly, army units with a printed cost of two or lower don’t count their command icons during command struggles at the Freebooter Kaptain’s planet! By deploying these units strategically, you can negate your opponent’s advantage in the command struggle and give your higher-cost units a chance to dominate.
Choose Your Side
The Legions of Death expansion will soon arrive for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest. Whose side will you take? You may choose to fight alongside the Necrons, taking slaves from every faction, or you may oppose these mechanical tyrants and fight to free the Traxis sector from their grasp. The choice is yours—pre-order your copy of Legions of Death at your local retailer today!If you ask Netflix's (NASDAQ:NFLX) management, it'll tell you the competition is no more of a threat today than it was last year or the year before. Despite a big miss on its net subscriber addition numbers during the second quarter, CEO Reed Hastings |
. 11. After chasing down a Michael Stephens clearance, the fleet-footed Accam carried into the penalty area and deftly cut back on Robles to leave himself with a tap-in for the goal.
Watch: David Accam Goal
Voting for the Midwest and West Regions, which features representatives from the Chicago Fire, Sporting KC, Montreal Impact, Columbus Crew SC and Philadelphia Union, runs now through Sunday, Nov. 1. The 2015 Goal of the Year will be announced on Dec. 3. Vote now to send Nyarko and Accam through to the next round and visit MLSsoccer.com for more on this year’s Goal of the Year competition.For more than two years, Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, has been under ISIS control. The Iraqi army, backed by Kurdish forces and U.S. air strikes, is trying to retake it — but the battle has been grueling and deadly.
Go inside the ongoing fight in Battle for Mosul, an immersive short documentary from FRONTLINE and The Guardian. Filmed on 360° cameras, it follows Iraqi-born reporter Ghaith Abdul-Ahad as he makes a dangerous trip inside Mosul to witness the fight firsthand. From a panoramic view of vast oil fields that were set on fire by ISIS, to a journey inside a network of tunnels built by ISIS to hide from airstrikes, to a camp that’s become home to thousands of displaced civilians, Battle for Mosul is a haunting look inside a once-thriving city that’s now a key battleground in the fight against ISIS.
Battle for Mosul was produced in association with the documentary Battle for Iraq, which airs Tuesday, Jan. 31 on PBS.Let me be upfront and say this piece is fueled by seething creative envy. And the joy of a Crewsmas goal. But mostly seething creative envy.
In the 17th minute of Saturday’s game, Columbus Crew SC took a 1-0 lead on the Chicago Fire when Justin Meram (aka “J9”) swerved a cross into the Chicago box, whereupon 5’9” Ethan Finlay headed the ball into the net. Fans cheered. Flags waved. Smoke wafted. Players hugged. And then Crew SC broadcaster Neil Sika summed up the play by declaring it, “J9 to five-nine.” His ad-lib simultaneously made my day and filled me with the aforementioned seething creative envy.
So here’s a dive into a wonderful goal and a brilliant call.
*****
Fourteen minutes before Columbus got on the scoreboard, they came close to doing so with another Meram and Finlay combination. It was just in the opposite order of the goal. Mohammed Abu played Finlay behind the defense in the box. Near the endline, Finlay laid a cutback pass just outside the center of the six-yard box. Meram ran onto the ball and smashed it at Chicago goalkeeper Jorge Bava, who parried the ball wide.
They weren’t done though. The Finlay and Meram connection would pay dividends in the 17th minute thanks to some side-to-side movement by Columbus. The play started in the right channel and worked its way around to Meram in the left channel. As Meram cut the ball back to his right foot, Finlay darted in from the right side toward the center of the goal at the six-yard box. That is where he met Meram’s cross and nodded it into the net.
Did Meram ever imagine the day when Ethan Finlay would be on the scoring end of one of his aerial crosses?
“No,” Meram said. “But I didn’t imagine the day where I would miss a 6-yard sitter, so…”
Meram’s voice trailed off, but I will just assume he meant to complete that sentence with, “…it’s a good thing I made up for it with a pinpoint cross that resulted in a goal 14 minutes later that gave us the same 1-0 lead we would have had if I had scored on my opportunity.”
*****
When you think of an Ethan Finlay goal, you think of him blazing past the defense for a breakaway or slipping into the right spot in the box after some combination play. You know, maybe being on the receiving end of that chance he created for Meram earlier. I can’t imagine you think of him making a decisive run to the six-yard box to aggressively attack an aerial cross. But that’s what happened. But why? On that play, what caused Ethan Finlay to morph into Brian McBride?
Two things.
“I was just thinking of Justin having an in-swinging cross,” Finlay said, revealing the first reason. “In-swinging crosses, depending on where they are at, tend to either come hard into the goalie or they go toward that back post.”
The second thing is that teammate Ola Kamara started to drift toward the back post when Meram cut the ball back to his right foot. Finlay knew what to do. He attacked the center run and filled that little bit of space. That is where the ball went, so he managed to sneak in front of Kamara for the header.
“I haven’t seen the replay on it yet, but Ola said afterward that he was right there behind me,” Finlay said.
And that’s true. Kamara actually snapped his head like he was going to head the ball, except Finlay filled the space and got his head on it first.
“If you look at it, that’s great interchange between the both of us,” Finlay said. “Ola’s movement is fantastic, so for me, it was just reading off of what he was doing.”
As fun as it would be to say that Meram picked out Finlay specifically for an unlikely header, that wasn’t the case. Meram saw plenty of gold in front of the goal, so that is where he sent the ball.
“I was just swinging it in,” Meram said. “I knew there were a couple guys over there and I knew someone was going to get their head on it.”
That someone turned out to be Finlay.
*****
I couldn’t recall another Finlay header goal.
“It’s been a little while,” he said. “What comes to mind is Houston in 2014.”
When you don’t score many goals with your head, I guess they stand out. Finlay was absolutely correct. On September 13, 2014, down in Houston, Finlay notched a 54th minute equalizer with his noggin. I went back and watched the video:
Finlay’s marker left him wide open at the 6-yard box. Practically standing still, he waited on a Waylon Francis cross and directed it into the net. It was indeed a header, but that goal from 2014 was nothing at all like Saturday’s aggressively attacked skull-score.
*****
During his scrum with reporters, Finlay described the goal as, “…a five-eight guy gets on the end of a ball. I think I can be at the NFL combine with that vert.” (Vertical leap.)
A reporter mentioned that Finlay is officially listed as 5’9” tall. The goal scorer attributed that to the mind games often played with the listed measurements for athletes in all sports.
“You know how it is,” Finlay said. “Five-nine, 165 sounds like a beast of a human.”
*****
Now back to my seething creative envy. Neil Sika has been calling Crew SC games on radio and television since 2007. Over the years, I have watched many of those games by his side in the broadcast booth, sometimes serving as ad-hoc research assistant when something unusual happens in a game. Mostly, though, it’s just fun to shoot him looks when he comes up with a creative turn of a phrase.
It is a good thing I was not in the broadcast booth on Saturday, because when he said “J9 to five-nine,” I might have hurled him out the window. As I may have already mentioned a few times, my creative envy over that phrase can be classified as “seething.” I would have been so incredibly proud of myself if I had come up with that phrase a day or two later after much pondering and writing. Sika spoke those words on the air precisely 56 seconds after the ball hit the net. (I cannot stress how hard I mashed the keys while typing that last sentence.)
So how did that happen? How did his brain come up with that phrase so quickly?
“With the sun glaring like it was, you always want to make sure you get the goal call right, especially on opening day,” Sika said. “Plus, Ola Kamara was in the area right by Finlay, so it was like, ‘Did Finlay actually leap into the air and get that?’ And then as I was processing the goal, I was cycling through and thinking, ‘How in the (heck) did Ethan Finlay rise like a traditional center forward on stilts and head the ball into the goal?’”
As analyst Dwight Burgess offered his commentary during the replays, Sika took a fortuitous glace at his custom game notes.
“I’m looking down at my notes and it’s like, ‘Oh! Five-nine! This’ll work!’ It just kind of popped into my head. I don’t know. I can’t say much more than that. It’s funny because as I said it, I was going to say, ‘J9 to the five-nine Finlay,’ but ‘J9 to five-nine’ just rolled off the tongue from there. That’s what came out and you’ve kind of turned it into a monster.”
Of course I’ve turned it into a monster. “J9 to five-nine” is perfection, and it was ad-libbed on the fly.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he said. “But believe me, as much as you liked it, there’s all the dumb (stuff) I’ve said over the years that doesn’t work and there’s crickets. That’s the fun of being in that position. You try stuff. You just have to be you.”
*****
Obviously, due to the lack of television viewing opportunities on the playing field during a professional soccer match, neither Finlay nor Meram were aware of Sika’s call when we spoke after the game. It was my pleasure to tell them about it.
“J9 to five-nine? That’s actually a pretty good call,” Finlay said with a laugh. “I’m going to have to go listen to that one. That’s a pretty good call.”
Meram cracked an amused smile when told of Sika’s “J9 to five-nine” call.
“I like that,” Meram said. “It’s got a good little ring to it. I like it. Tell him I said that.”
I’ll do you one better, Justin. I’m telling the world.
Seething creative envy aside, that’s the story of how Meram, Finlay, and Sika combined for a perfect little moment that made my Crewsmas Day.
Questions? Comments? Advice for working on my creative-jealousy anger-management issues? Feel free to write at sirk65@yahoo.com or via twitter @stevesirkIt's the hottest new thing in town -- literally.
Arrive at 7 p.m. on a weekday and you'll barely snag a table. Come here on the weekends during dinner hours and you'll definitely have to wait. The popularity of the restaurant is impressive considering that they've only been open for a month. You won't be rubbing elbows with the regular L.A. crowd though -- at least not yet. The majority of the patrons are Sichuan natives: young, recently immigrated yuppies who have somehow caught wind of the restaurant from their social networks. It's a good sign.
Chengdu Taste is one of the newer Chinese restaurants on Valley Boulevard. Located in Alhambra in the former Golden Shanghai space, it's an homage to Sichuan food, a subset of Chinese cooking that many in the area have already adopted, marketed, and sold. But here, the food is especially piquant and people have taken notice.
"I want my restaurant to be representative of the Sichuan way of life," owner and chef Tony Xu said in Mandarin. "It's not just about having good food. It's about having delicious, authentic food that properly reflects the culture and tastes of Chengdu."
Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan Province in China -- an area known for its fiery, tongue-numbing cuisine. In 2011, it became the first Asian city to be listed as a "City of Gastronomy" -- an honor only granted to places with both strong gastronomic and traditional culinary practices.
A Chengdu native, Xu always had a long-held fascination with the food of his people. He apprenticed under local chefs back home and owned a Sichuan-style restaurant in China before he moved to Los Angeles in 2005. After various Chinese restaurant stints including one with Panda Restaurant Group, Xu partnered up with his friends and opened the doors to Chengdu Taste on June 25.
The Restaurant
Appropriately adorned with a scattering of Sichuan opera masks on one of its walls, the eatery is remarkably modern in comparison to its neighboring counterparts.
"I was really inspired by Hai Di Lao, a famous hot pot chain from Sichuan," Xu said. "They're extremely customer and service-oriented and I wanted my restaurant to reflect that." Hai Di Lao is known for its unusually high level of service -- sometimes even offering customers manicures and dances during an expected wait. But though Chengdu Taste offers none of the above, they do have a high caliber of service that's rare in Chinese eateries. Servers are attentive and sufficiently bilingual.
"We're all friends at this restaurant," Xu said. "That really helps foster a sense of community and warmth." Xu also maintains a social media presence on Twitter and Weibo and uses the platforms as a means to get feedback from the public.
The Cuisine
Sichuan cuisine is one of four great Chinese cooking traditions, and is known for being tongue-numbingly spicy. While neighboring provinces such as Hunan are also known for having a wide repertoire of fiery foods, Sichuan has a distinct ingredient: the peppercorn, or huajiao (��). It's a small spice that will literally numb your tongue.
Xu devotes a lot of his attention into finding quality peppercorns. "Sichuan peppercorns are typically grown and harvested in Hanyuan, a region in Sichuan," he explained. "We have a mix of peppercorns directly imported from Hanyuan and the best we could find in the States."
According to Xu, peppercorns go for roughly $10 for five grams. How does one distinguish a good peppercorn from a rotten one? "Whether or not it leaves a bitter aftertaste," Xu explained.
An influence of its geographic location in central China, Sichuan food also capitalizes on domestic animals, and fresh water fish. There is no ocean seafood. "We like to use pig, lamb, beef and all of their parts like the stomach and tongue," Xu said. "Nothing goes to waste. We eat the entire animal."
Xu used the Chinese word xiang (�) -- which means fragrant -- to describe the cuisine of his hometown. Three main different types of spices are used in Sichuanese cuisine: black pepper, chili peppers, and peppercorns. "But it's not just food loaded with chilies," he said. "There are so many different flavors in Chengdu cooking. We have spiciness in the form of red chilies and green chilies, then there's garlic-based dishes and sour ones."
As one of the most intricate and complicated sub-cuisines within China, there are 20 different types of flavor profiles in Sichuan cooking which includes dry, spicy, sour, garlicky, and sweet. "Yicaiyige baicaibaiwei (ä¸?è?ä¸??, ç?¾è?ç?¾å?³)," Xu said, referencing a traditional Sichuan saying. The meaning: "Each dish has its own individual style; a hundred dishes have a hundred different flavors."
The Food
The menu was developed via a collaboration between Xu and his Chengdu-born chef. "We'll take a dish, make 20 versions of it and pick the best one," Xu said. A few dishes take a painstakingly long amount of time to create. The tea-smoked flavor duck, for example, requires seven days of prep work and there's an entire section of the menu that can only be accessed if you order beforehand. "We don't cut corners here. Chinese food isn't fast food," said Xu.
Here's a breakdown of some of their more popular dishes:
Wonton with Red Chili Sauce ($5.99)
The wontons, stuffed with ground pork, are served over a bed of light chili oil and topped with a generous heaping of scallions.
Sichuan Tan Tan Noodle ($5.99)
More commonly known as dan dan noodles (æ??æ???), this dish is an eclectic array of various peanuts, sesame seeds, sesame sauce, and ground pork over a thin bed of red chili oil. Be sure to give the noodles a thorough mixing before serving. It's a good blend of creamy peanut and chili oil, done so well that the noodles aren't at all sticky and go down smoothly.
Sichuan Style Mung Bean Jelly with Chili Sauce ($4.99)
Ask the waiter for a recommended appetizer and he'll more than likely come up with this. Made with mung bean jelly, these cellophane-like noodles are the perfect medium for soaking up the blood-red pool of chili oil. The fresh cut peppers on top add an extra kick.
Toothpick Beef ($13.99)
The toothpicks are inserted solely for aesthetic reasons. "I wanted to create a dish no one else had," Xu admitted. This dish comes in both beef and mutton form and both proteins are mindfully decorated with a kick of cumin.
Sliced Fish with Tofu Pudding in Hot Sauce ($10.99)
Sichuan virgins beware. This dish can be intimidating. It's flaky white fish (tilapia according to a waiter) boiled in a deep red broth of peppercorns and chilies. Accompanying the fish is a heap of douhua (è±?è?±), or soft tofu. Scoop this over a bowl of hot white rice, mind your tongue, and maybe have a glass of water of two at the ready. Remember, the peppercorns can create a numbing sensation.
Boiled Sliced Fish in Hot Sauce ($9.99)
Similar to the previous dish, this one is just white fish in chili oil minus the soft tofu pudding. On the bottom sits a medley of Napa cabbage and soy bean sprouts.
Cold Noodle with Garlic Sauce ($5.99)
The garlic noodles are pretty self-explanatory and are one of their more popular noodle dishes. Don't be too intimated by the dark, red chilies. They add nicely to the minced garlic without being overwhelming spicy.
House Special Tea Flavored Duck ($14.99) Called zhengcha duck (��?) in Chinese, this is a classic Sichuan dish that's popular at banquets. You can smell fragrant aroma of the poultry from a foot away. With prep work, this dish takes seven days to make and the restaurant only has a limited amount per day. It's prepared by marinating the duck in a blend of pepper, ginger, garlic, Chinese wine, and salt and then smoked over black tea leaves and camphor twigs. Lastly it's deep-fried in vegetable oil for the crisp texture.
Sauteed Pepper Chicken ($11.99)
This was a rather tough dish to manage. There's a lot of bones in each bite but it's a nice alternative for the people who cannot take spicy food.
Address
Cheng Du Taste
828 W Valley Road
Alhambra, CA 91803Huge Failure Rate Found Upon Delivery of New Ballot Marking Devices from Sequoia Voting Systems
Nassau County Refuses to Accept More Failing Systems...
Bo Lipari Byon 7/6/2008, 11:30am PT
Guest Blogged by Bo Lipari of New Yorkers For Verified Voting...
You would have thought that since there have been so many documented problems in other states over the years that voting machine vendors would have gone out of their way to make sure new systems being deployed in the Empire State were thoroughly tested, met all state requirements, and worked flawlessly.
At a minimum, you would expect that any business fulfilling an enormous, multi-million-dollar contract to a new client would make sure the systems were, well, at least operational. But, incredibly, you would be wrong. The machines which ES&S and Sequoia are providing to New York State are failing initial testing at a rate which would astound anyone – unless you’ve been following the voting machine industry for the last 10 years.
I discussed these problems on my July 2, 2008 Voice of the Voters [MP3] radio show with my guest, Bill Biamonte, Election Commissioner of Nassau County, the second largest Board of Elections in the state which serves over 870,000 voters. In a June 26 letter to Judge Gary Sharpe, who ordered New York State to complete its Help America Vote Act implementation by 2009, Nassau County reports the unbelievably high failure rates they’re finding in the systems they’ve received:
“…of the 156 BMDs [Ballot Marking Devices] received by Nassau through June 26, 2008-after the SBOE acceptance tested them in Albany-have substantial operational flaws that render them unusable or that require major repairs. 29 were rejected immediately when they were unloaded from the truck because of obvious physical defects or damages, such as a broken side of the printer. 62 failed diagnostic testing because of problems with the USB cord and the printer. And 42 failed Nassau’s acceptance testing for a variety of reasons, such as nonresponsive key pads and battery failure. Out of a total of 156 BMDs, only 23 can be used by voters in the condition they were received in.”
On the radio show we broke an important story – on July 1 Nassau County wrote a second letter to the Court explaining that they will refuse to accept any more systems until the vendor resolves the huge number of problems with the systems:
“In view of the foregoing, Nassau respectfully requests this Court to order the SBOE to demand that its vendor Sequoia immediately make arrangements to repair or replace the damaged or defective BMDs so that Nassau has adequate time to implement the BMDs in time for the September primary elections - elections that are now roughly two months away.” “Nassau believes it has no sound alternative but to postpone delivery of its remaining BMDs until the problem is addressed. We believe this is the only sensible course of action, given the strong likelihood that damaged BMDs will either have to be replaced or shipped elsewhere for repair and then shipped back to Nassau County, wasting precious time immediately before the primary elections.”
As I said, if you’ve been following the voting system industry over the last few years it won’t surprise you to hear of colossal failure rates, and $12,000 machines that won’t even start up. This is why it’s vitally important we continue our work toward citizen oversight of elections.
As part of this job, New Yorkers for Verified Voting, along with the League of Women Voters and many others worked long and hard in 2006 to get the state to adopt regulations that are among the most rigorous voting system certification requirements in the country. It is due in great part to these regulations that it has been so difficult, and continues to be difficult, for the shoddy merchandise that the voting machine companies are foisting on us to be approved in New York State.
Now let’s hope that Judge Gary Sharpe agrees that it would be a travesty of justice to force New York State voters to vote on broken systems, and that he turns a hard eye on the voting machine vendors who are taking our taxpayer dollars and selling us - let me be blunt - nothing but crap.
Republished from Bo Lipari's Blog...You are probably well aware that 3D printing is breaking into new territories every day. This time we’re occupying the most important area of all – your home! And every other home around the world. It’s time to really show everyone what can be done with a 3D printer. Why bother going shopping for homeware products, if you can print them at home? We invite you to push the limits of your creativity and design 3D printable items that would be handy at home, which is basically everything from door knobs and picture frames to cutlery sets and bathroom furniture – there are no bad ideas.
Creating a cosy and beautiful home has never been easier. Can’t find a flower pot to fit your windowsill? Print one. Need a custom-made toolbox to hold all your screwdrivers? Print one. A lid of your kettle got broken? Print a new one. It’s okay if you feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of choices that this challenge provides – creative chaos is an artist’s best friend and we’re positive you’ll come back with mind-blowing 3D printable items.
Although it is a very exciting challenge, we don’t expect you to work for free 3D people! Among other fantastic prizes, we have an assembled TAZ 4 3D printer from LulzBot to give away and plenty of cash. You get the idea, now start creating!Egypt’s midfield player Mohamed El-Nenny has joined Arsenal for a £7.4m deal.
This deal will help Arsenal secure a strong replacement in the midfield area after the multiple injuries of Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin and Tomáš Rosický.
Gunners are competing strongly this season on the English premier league, especially that other big teams (Liverpool, Manchester United, Man City & Chelsea) are suffering this season and Arsenal’s chance to win the title is nearly possible.
El-Nenny Profile
Full name: Mohamed Naser Elsayed El-Nenny
Age: 23 (Jul 11, 1992)
Height: 180 cm
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Egyptian
Previous club: FC Basel
Current club: Arsenal FC
Mohamed El-Nenny started his career in the age five with Al Ahly youth team in Egypt, in 2008 he moved to Arab Constructions club, then to his current club Basle in January 2013.
El-Nenny is a skilled player, he helped Basle win the Swiss league title three years in a row. This season, he scored six goals and made two assists in 28 appearances.
Arsenal announced the news of Mohamed El-Nenny joining the club on Social Media.I am a full-time student, working part-time and making shit money. My boyfriend makes just as little as I do. We reside on our own, without anybody’s financial support, and live primarily off of staple foods like rice, tofu, vegetables, oats, bulk foods, and beans. I acknowledge that I’m not impoverished, disabled, living in a food desert, or strained by some hideously extreme condition, but I refuse to let anyone believe that it is some horribly difficult feat to be vegan or that they, at the very least, can’t do their best in the circumstances that they’re under.
As stupid as it sounds, before I was vegan I truly believed that there was no way that I could afford to be vegan. This idea was based almost entirely off of posts that I saw on Tumblr. Every social justice blog that I followed claimed that veganism was this elite privilege bestowed upon those who could afford to make regular Whole Foods visits for their expensive imitation meats, organic produce, fancy cashew cheeses, and juice cleanses. Knowing that I couldn’t afford those things allowed me to write off veganism entirely for almost a year (that and the fear that if I became vegan then others would think that I didn’t care about people, which is another discussion). Finally, after I dedicated some time to actually reading about veganism, I learned about what a toll animal agriculture was taking on the planet, the animals, and the poor, often “illegal” workers who are abused for their cheap labor and vulnerability. Further, I came to a real understanding about the greed and corruption that exist within our current food system, and the government subsidies created to ensure the cheapness and accessibility of low-quality meat and dairy foods.
Since I’ve been vegan I have never been above the poverty line. I literally do not care if I have to lie, beg, and steal, I will never voluntarily eat an animal product for the rest of my life. You can cite my race, physical abilities, or location as a privilege, and I won’t deny any of it, but please don’t create another post that gives people with more than me a pass to not be vegan, or people who are in the same situation as me a reason to believe that they can’t do their best. The planet, the animals, and the workers cannot afford it.Britain’s sophisticated air-to-surface Brimstone missiles have not killed any terrorists in Syria so far, although at least nine missiles have been fired. A single missile using radar homing and laser guidance technology costs £100,000.
The Huffington Post UK made a freedom of information (FOI) request to the British Defense Ministry and discovered the much-touted Brimstone missiles with promised standalone precision have not claimed any terrorist scalps yet.
After British MPs voted in favor of the Royal Air Force joining the Syria campaign in December, the expensive missiles were held back for at least the first month of operations.
Brimstone’s first recorded deployment took place on January 10, the Independent reports. It was aimed against terrorist supply trucks in Raqqa. By the end of January, Brimstone missiles had been used in nine raids.
RAF uses Brimstone missiles on ISIS targets in Syria for first time https://t.co/ZmVa9hyLyBpic.twitter.com/Bvlgp25DhT — RT UK (@RTUKnews) January 11, 2016
“We are playing a crucial role in a campaign that will take time and patience. Using the right weapon for each scenario, RAF jets have struck Daesh [Arabic acronym for Islamic State] almost 600 times,” a British MoD spokeswoman said, adding that the RAF is driving Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) out of Sinjar and Ramadi in Iraq and has “severely weakened” key terrorist infrastructure in Syria.
According to MoD information, between December 2, 2015 and January 29, 2016, RAF airstrikes in Syria have managed to deplete IS manpower by just seven combatants. Two jihadists were killed with Paveway IV laser-guided bombs (US$20,000 each) and five were killed by US-made Hellfire missiles ($70,000 apiece) fired from Reaper UAVs.
The British MoD insists that killing terrorists is not a primary goal of the RAF in Syria. Instead, the aim is to target jihadist infrastructure, such as oil fields under terrorist control, to disrupt and degrade Islamic State’s military infrastructure, logistics’ routes and revenues.
Yet razing stationary oil extraction infrastructure does not require expensive precision weapons - an old-fashioned drop bomb would do the job.
Brimstone missiles have an 11-kilometer range and are armed with a low-powered yet “highly focused” explosive warhead. They can engage targets moving as fast as 110 km/h. That means that in theory no terrorist pickup truck with a machine-gun mounted on it can escape. However, the target’s worth is practically guaranteed to be many times lower than the price of the weapon.
Ahead of the RAF joining the campaign in Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron praised Brimstone as a tool to “cut off the 'head of the snake’” in the terrorists’ self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa. MP Sir Gerland Howarth said Brimstone missiles represented a “key difference between us and other coalition partners,” hinting that neither the US nor France have such missiles to deal with jihadists. Conservative minister David Jones simply described the weapons as “unique.”
Read more
The combat effectiveness of the new weapon and the cost of participation in the Syrian campaign urgently needs objective evaluation, according to the Scottish National Party (SNP) MP, Alex Salmond. As the party's international affairs spokesman in Westminster, he said the Huffington Post’s findings “contrast dramatically” with David Cameron's previous argument.
“It is now the common practice of this prime minister to mislead the country into military engagement and then to only devote a passing interest towards these crucial issues as his case crumbles before our eyes,” Salmon said, stressing that he has “no doubt” that Libya is going to be the “new crucial theater of engagement” once again.
The only operators of the Brimstone weapon are the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, which is not only playing a role in the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition, but has also announced the creation of an anti-terrorist coalition of its own.
The Royal Air Force in Syria can only deploy Brimstone missiles from older Tornado jets, which carry both Brimstone missiles and Paveway bombs. The newer Typhoons jets drop Paveway bombs and have not been modernized to fire Brimstone missiles. British Reaper UAVs brought from Washington use American-made Hellfire missiles and bombs.Anti-Walmart campaigners in Miami.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Here’s a shocking image brought to us by Scott Keyes. Walmart is organizing a food drive to deliver food to its own needy employees:
Courtesy of Scott Keyes
I won’t comment on the specific corporate politics here, but that’s about as solid an indicator you could imagine of the economywide problem that economywide wages are too low. Look at it from Walmart’s perspective? Suppose low-skilled workers in this country on the whole made somewhat more money. What would they do? Well as Walmart indicates with this sign, one thing they’d do is buy more groceries. And where would they buy the groceries? Well, many of them would buy them at Walmart—America’s leading grocer.
Of course any particular company can improve its own bottom line by cutting compensation to the bone. But corporate America as a whole has been so successful in squeezing the labor share of national income lower and lower that it’s become a substantial constraint to businesses’ ability to sell things to people. The cycle of low wages, low demand, weak hiring, weak bargaining power, and low wages just keeps grinding on.(Adds quote and details on trials decision, recasts)
By Ian Simpson
BALTIMORE, Sept 2 (Reuters) - A judge on Wednesday ordered individual trials for six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of a black man from an injury in custody, a case that fed the U.S. debate on police treatment of minorities.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams also rejected defense motions calling for charges to be dropped and State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby and her office to recuse themselves from the Freddie Gray case.
The death of Gray, 25, in April from a severe spinal injury suffered in the back of a police van drew worldwide attention when it triggered protests and a day of rioting, arson and looting.
Williams ordered separate trials for the defendants. He rejected a prosecution motion that Officer Caesar Goodson, the van driver; Officer Edward Nero, who had helped arrest Gray; and Sergeant Alicia White, who was an on-duty supervisor, should be tried together and the other three separately.
"Having Officers Goodson and Nero together is not in the interest of justice," he said.
Goodson faces a second-degree murder charge, Nero is accused of misdemeanor assault, and White is charged with manslaughter.
Defense attorneys had argued that the six officers should be tried separately.
The trial had been scheduled for Oct. 13. It was not immediately clear what the trial schedule will be given Williams' ruling.
Williams rejected the defense contention that Mosby violated her obligation to assure a fair trial when she announced the charges at a news conference as the largely black city of 620,000 people was in turmoil.
Williams said that point would best be settled in a misconduct proceeding, not in his courtroom. He said Mosby's comments did not warrant dropping charges.
Defense arguments that Mosby's comments would prejudice jurors could be raised when a jury is selected, Williams said. Lawyers for the officers had contended that Mosby had publicized evidence when she announced the charges.
Williams also turned back the defense request for recusal. The defense contended that Mosby's office had investigated the case and thus created a conflict of interest.
Prosecutors contend Gray was arrested illegally since he was put in handcuffs before officers found a banned switchblade knife in his pocket.
Another pretrial hearing is set for Sept. 10 on whether the case should be moved from Baltimore because of publicity surrounding the trial.
PROTESTER ARRESTED
Security at the downtown courthouse was enhanced for the hearing and a handful of protesters rallied outside, decrying what they called the militarization of police. One person was arrested and charged with assault.
Gray's death followed a string of police-involved killings of unarmed black men, notably in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City and North Charleston, South Carolina, and fueled a national debate on police treatment of minorities.
Gray was arrested on April 12 after a foot chase in crime-ridden West Baltimore. He was bundled into Goodson's transport van while in handcuffs and shackles but was not seat-belted. He died a week later from his spinal injury.
Three of the six officers are black and three are white.
Baltimore has recorded 225 homicides this year, more than for all of 2014, according to a tally by the Baltimore Sun. (Reporting by Ian Simpson; Additional reporting by Donna Owens; Editing by Eric Walsh and Eric Beech)
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On Thursday in Wisconsin, Sen. Ted Cruz put on his most presidential jacket, pointed straight to the camera, and called his party’s likely nominee a “sniveling coward” for making disparaging comments about his wife, Heidi:
Ted Cruz: “Donald, you’re a sniveling coward and leave Heidi the hell alone” https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim https://t.co/1jc3pvXHeL — CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 24, 2016
This is where the Republican primary is at right now. The latest drama over Trump began earlier this week, when an anti-Trump group unaffiliated with the Cruz campaign ran ads shaming Trump’s wife, Melania, for having once posed nude in GQ. Trump accused Cruz of putting the group up to it (which would be illegal), and then promised to “spill the beans” on Heidi Cruz. On Wednesday, Trump used his Twitter account to quote a tweet that included a photo of Melania next to a photo of Heidi Cruz, with the tag line, “the images are worth a thousand words.” So Cruz has reason to be pissed—and to his larger point, Trump really does |
around different slots and on and off the bench (21 starts in 33 games) yet he put up solid numbers of seven goals and six assists. Techera played only 22 games (17 starts) and also scored seven goals to go with five assists.Barrios wrested a spot away fromand started the last 15 regular-season games on his way to seven goals. Zardes started the season up top and moved back into midfield whenarrived; national team duty and the Galaxy's inconsistent form trimmed his production to six goals and four assists. A torn ACL ended Romero’s season a few weeks early; he finished with four goals and four assists. In his second MLS season, Perez Garcia again battled through injuries and languid spells to score twice and register seven assists.Pappa lost his starting spot late in the season and his numbers dipped to three goals and six assists. He'll start again in Colorado. Callups and injuries limited Zusi to 25 games (22 starts) in which he scored only two goals and assisted on five others.Finlay is the third player to repeat as MLS's best right midfielder.was selected four years in a row (1999-2002).won back-to-back honors in 2005-06.2015 Ethan Finlay2014 Ethan Finlay2013 Sebastien Le Toux2012 Eddie Gaven2011 Landon Donovan2010 Atiba Harris2009 Freddie Ljungberg2008 David Beckham2007 Ben Olsen2006 Ronnie O’Brien2005 Ronnie O’Brien2004 Steve Ralston2003 Brian Mullan2002 Steve Ralston2001 Steve Ralston2000 Steve Ralston1999 Steve Ralston1998 Cobi Jones1997 Chris Henderson1996 Roberto DonadoniSCR Screen Recorder
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SCR Pro Root
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SCR Pro RootThe father of a little girl badly burned in a 2015 house fire set by her mother’s jilted boyfriend says he is outraged at the “pitiful” jail sentence the man was handed Monday.
“This slap on the wrist sets a dangerous precedent in that it sends a message that hurting a child in this country will not carry any sort of punishment,” Jose Rueda said in a written statement issued after the sentencing of Kenneth James Kormendy.
Kormendy, 45, was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison for the attempted murders of Isabel Rueda, her mother Sherri, and Sherri’s toddler, Felicia. Kormendy was given three years’ credit for the time he has spent in custody since his Oct. 24, 2015, crime, meaning his sentence is reduced to seven years and 345 days. He can apply for parole after serving another 2½ years.
“No amount of jail time will return this family to the status quo before the fire, but (this) sentence is tragically laughable,” Jose Rueda said. “What we learned today is that this is truly a criminal justice system, not a victim justice system.”
Kormendy set fire to the Balfour Boulevard home Sherri Rueda shared with her daughters. Kormendy knew Sherri, Isabel, 7, and Felicia, 1, were at home at the time — he lived in the home, but Rueda had asked him that night to move out. Kormendy poured gasoline over the bed where Isabel lay sleeping with her mom and sparked a flame.
Sherri Rueda and Kormendy had met through an online dating site. Within weeks of meeting, Sherri Rueda invited Kormendy to live with her and her girls. At Kormendy’s trial, Sherri Rueda testified to his possessive and controlling nature, but, as Superior Court Justice Christopher Bondy pointed out, Kormendy was never violent.
Assistant Crown attorney Walter Costa had been seeking a life sentence for Kormendy with no chance of parole for 10 years.
“I respectfully disagree with his honour,” Costa told reporters. “Effectively he has imposed a five-year sentence on very horrific and vile conduct,” the prosecutor said.
“What this guy did to three human beings, it doesn’t get any more barbaric than that…You are breaking up and your reaction is burning someone to death?”
Defence lawyer Helen Burgess said Kormendy maintains his innocence and plans to appeal his conviction. Kormendy fired his trial lawyer and hired Burgess for his sentencing.
Bondy last year convicted Kormendy of three counts of attempted murder and five arson-related charges. Several of the charges were stayed under a legal principal that offenders should not be punished twice for the same act. But Kormendy was also convicted of possession of incendiary materials and arson causing damage to property.
Bondy did not downplay what he called the “horrific nature of the crime.”
This was domestic violence, Bondy said, and the victims included two children, one asleep in her crib and certainly unable to save herself.
Kormendy rescued the tot after he saw Sherri Rueda had escaped. He did it to deflect blame and “help himself,” the judge said.
Bondy noted Kormendy passed the window to Isabel’s burning bedroom twice after setting the fire. The house was small and there’s “no doubt” Kormendy would have heard the little girl’s screams of pain.
Kormendy, who had a cellphone in his pocket along with the pink Bic lighter he used to start the fire, never called for an ambulance after seeing the little girl’s injuries, the judge noted.
Kormendy’s friends and family said the crime was out of character for the man who has always worked steadily and has been involved in other, albeit short, romantic relationships. Bondy noted Kormendy collected 14 character reference letters from people who called him considerate and good with children.
Others “see something in him worth salvaging,” Bondy said of Kormendy, calling him a candidate for rehabilitation.
While behind bars awaiting trial and sentencing, Kormendy has been a model prisoner, taking counselling to better himself. Yet, despite three prior convictions for drunk driving and a daily habit of having four to six beers after work, he denies having an alcohol problem.
Bondy said Kormendy can get alcohol counselling in jail.
Bondy spoke of the effects Kormendy’s crime has had on little Isabel. The little girl, once a carefree, social butterfly, now shies away from the persistent stares of other children. Because of her injuries, she has to wear compression bandages, including a mask on her face.
She will never have full use of her hands and feet and will require repeated surgeries to loosen scar tissue as she grows.
Her father spoke of how the little girl thought doctors and nurses in hospital were trying to torture her during bandage changes and how she would plead to die.
“A young child was brutalized and horribly injured, her innocence and happiness taken away during a night of unadulterated evil,” her father said. Unsatisfied with the sentence, his family will sue Kormendy in the civil courts, he said.
Neither of the little girl’s parents attended court Monday. A friend who attended court and spoke on behalf of the Sherri Rueda in the past declined comment.
Kormendy’s mother and other family members also left the courthouse Monday without comment.
In addition to a prison sentence, Kormendy will have to allow police to take a blood sample for the national DNA databank used to solve crime.
Kormendy will also have to pay $1,000 in fines that will go into provincial coffers for programs that help victims of crime.
ssacheli@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/WinStarSacheliIf you’ve never seen butternut squash noodles before, then I’m excited to introduce you to your new favorite food. If you know all about them, then join in with me as I brag about how yummy and healthy they are. Autumn is the time of year when we start hiding behind chunky sweaters, digging into baked pies, and stuffing cookies in our purses. We can’t help it– as it gets chilly out, our bodies crave warm and filling food. Luckily, I have the perfect solution: vegetable noodles! I’m talking zucchinis, carrots, butternut squashes, sweet potatoes, and more. Grab a spiralizer or a julienne peeler and turn your favorite vegetables into decadent bowls of low-calorie and low-carb pasta.
This is one of my favorite dishes because you can pair it with some wine for a date night, or you can just dig in with some friends at brunch… maybe with a mimosa or two! The tomatoes are seasoned with chili powder and roasted, so when they’re added to the skillet, they burst open and coat the noodles with a sweet, spicy sauce. The avocado adds a creamy and chunky texture, and the heart-healthy kale gives a crunch. It’s all topped off with fresh chopped cilantro and flavorful cotija cheese. The best part? Butternut squash noodles are low-cal, low-carb, and low-fat! Grab a glass of wine (or a mimosa!) and enjoy this skillet dish. Cheers to keeping fit this autumn!
–1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
–2 tsp chili powder
–Salt and pepper, to taste
–1 tbsp olive oil + more to drizzle
–2 cups butternut squash noodles
–1 smoked chorizo link, crumbled
–1 garlic clove, minced
–1/2 of avocado, insides cubed
–1.5-2 cups of chopped kale, stems removed
–2 tbsp crumbled cotija cheese
–1 tbsp chopped cilantro
–1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
–2 whole eggs
–Cooking spray
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice half of the tomatoes in half. Leave the rest whole. Place all the tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle olive oil and season with salt, pepper and chili powder. Mix to combine thoroughly.
3. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Add in the tomatoes and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
4. Ten minutes into roasting the tomatoes, place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once the oil heats, add in the butternut squash noodles. Cook for 5 minutes and set aside in a bowl or plate.
5. In the same skillet, add in the chorizo. Cook for 2 minutes, add in the garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes. Once chorizo begins to brown, add in the kale and avocado. Cook until kale is mostly wilted, about 2 minutes.
6. Add in the cooked butternut squash noodles, cilantro, roasted tomatoes, red pepper flakes and stir to combine. With a spatula or fork, burst a couple of the tomatoes. Stir to combine.
7. If you’d like to serve on plates, plate the noodle mixture. If not, leave in the skillet and take off the heat.
8. Place a skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray, and crack in the two eggs separately. Cook the eggs for about 3-4 minutes or until the whites have set.
9. Place the two fried eggs on top of the skillet mixture (or on plates) and top with cotija cheese. Enjoy!
Want more information on making vegetable noodles? Check out Ali’s tutorial with full pictures:
http://www.inspiralized.com/2013/10/09/how-to-spiralize-a-butternut-squash/.
Photos and Recipe by Ali of Inspiralized.America's Cup: Winds of change on S.F. waterfront S.F. WATERFRONT Longtime tenants leaving their spots as America's Cup construction ramps up
Allison Lowe, general manager of East West, covers up a a figure to prepare it to be moved from the the Float Barn on Pier 27 to their new location on Pier 54 on Monday, December 5, 2011 in San Francisco, Calif. less Allison Lowe, general manager of East West, covers up a a figure to prepare it to be moved from the the Float Barn on Pier 27 to their new location on Pier 54 on Monday, December 5, 2011 in San Francisco,... more Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close America's Cup: Winds of change on S.F. waterfront 1 / 22 Back to Gallery
As the America's Cup nears, so does moving day for merchants who have called the waterfront home for years.
Massive construction projects for the world-famous sailing race and the port will soon begin on Pier 27. To make way, the first of dozens of businesses, including a cabaret show and a limousine service, are laying out plans to move elsewhere. And soccer players are shooting their final goals on a field that will be demolished.
The moves are among the latest of many preparations for the America's Cup, to be held in 2012 and 2013. The regatta is expected to bring millions of people to San Francisco and generate $1 billion.
Final details of the city's transformation for the event emerged last week in a report that is pending the city's approval.
Teatro ZinZanni is leaving its spot between Piers 27 and 29, where it has been entertaining crowds with European-inspired aerobatics and music since 2000.
Its last show will be New Year's Eve and the theater plans to erect its trademark tent on what is currently a parking lot at the intersection of the Embarcadero and Broadway by November, said Annie Jamison, executive director of the production. Those designs will be presented Wednesday before a subcommittee of the city's Historic Preservation Commission.
"Obviously it's a very big change for us as a business," Jamison said of the move. "But we couldn't have expected more than what we got from the city and the port."
Other Pier 27 tenants on the move include Bauer's Intelligent Transportation, a limo and bus rental service, and the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce, which leases space to build and store floats for the Chinese New Year Parade.
Both plan to move to Pier 50, said port spokeswoman Renee Martin. She said Bauer's new lease is expected to be introduced at the Board of Supervisors today and approved by the Port Commission next Friday.
Loss of a field
Soccer players, however, appear to be out of luck. Demolition looms for Telegraph Field, which is located on a parking lot between Piers 27 and 29.
The children and adults who play league tournaments and pickup games could leave as soon as the middle of the month, Martin said. An online petition to build another field elsewhere has gathered nearly 1,000 signatures. Many complain the venue is being erased for an event that will last just four months.
"It's such a well-situated field, right there by the Financial District, the only one in the entire area," said Noah Johnson, 24, a legal nonprofit worker who has played there three times a week for two years. He and his friends are used to kicking the ball around, then walking back to his North Beach neighborhood.
The moves have been in the works for months, Mayor Ed Lee said Monday.
"They've all been notified about this issue," he said. "It shouldn't be a surprise to anybody."
As soon as February, two developments are to break ground at Pier 27: the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal - an 88,000-square-foot, two-floor facility that will accommodate cruise ships - and the Northeast Wharf Plaza, a 2.5-acre public space.
The terminal is to be completed by March 2013, according to officials of the port, which is sponsoring the project.
And a walkable area called the America's Cup Village will spring up from Piers 27 to 29, in time for the race finals in July 2013. Pier 27 will be the main spot to watch the races begin and end.
The Port of San Francisco will be shouldering the costs of the tenants' moves.
Rent credit for some
Those moving to spaces along the Embarcadero will receive rent credit in exchange for moving. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce will get nearly $8,000, or two months' worth of rent, Martin said. Rent credits for the others are under negotiation.
San Francisco Soccer, the nonprofit that runs the field, will receive a negotiated sum of money, as will other businesses that leave the waterfront, Martin said.
A total of 77 businesses will have to clear out in the next two years.
Of the remaining tenants, dozens of small offices that use the port for storage, and won't be in the way of construction, will get to keep their spots for at least a year, Martin said. They have not yet identified new locations.
In general, San Franciscans strongly support the America's Cup. But not everyone is a fan of all the changes to come.
"It'll be kind of tragic when we play our last game," said Johnson, the soccer player. "Everyone's trying to win the league for the last time."
Staff writer Heather Knight contributed to this story.NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday, weighed down by a slide in Apple’s share price and weakness in the energy sector, though European and major Asian bourses earlier ended higher.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange September 8, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Oil prices ended sharply lower, pressured by ongoing concerns about oversupply and bets that demand may slow with global economic growth. [O/L]
“Investors are still looking for policy developments out of China, and also wary of what might come out of the Fed next week,” said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Dow Jones industrial average.DJI fell 1.45 percent, to 16,253.57, while the S&P 500.SPX lost 1.39 percent to 1,942.04 and the Nasdaq Composite.IXIC ended down 1.15 percent at 4,756.53.
Shares of Apple (AAPL.O) ended down 1.9 percent at $110.15 in heavy trading, after its latest product launch failed to meet expectations.
U.S. energy stocks.SPNY led declines among S&P 500 index stocks, falling 1.9 percent as U.S. oil prices CLc1 fell 3.9 percent. Chevron CVX.N was down 2.5 percent at $74.92.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index.FTEU3 rose 1.4 percent and the JP Morgan world equity index.MIWD00000PUS gained 0.3 percent.
Earlier Wednesday major stock markets had rallied on expectation of increased government support from China and the possibility that Japan will cut corporate taxes.
Japan’s Nikkei earlier soared 7.7 percent, its biggest single-day gain since October 2008, galvanized by hopes of corporate tax cuts.
China’s Finance Ministry said on Wednesday it would strengthen fiscal policy, boost infrastructure spending and speed up tax reform, helping lift Chinese shares for a second day.
Investors’ increased appetite for risk overseas saw the U.S. dollar firm against the safe-haven yen and the euro, but the greenback’s gains were lost as Wall Street stocks reversed course.
The euro EUR= was little changed against the U.S. currency at $1.1206 while the yen was also near flat at 120.47 per dollar. The dollar index.DXY, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was nearly flat.
Benchmark Brent crude oil LCOc1 was down 4.3 percent at $47.41 a barrel. U.S. crude CLc1 fell 4 percent to $44.11 per barrel.
U.S. 10-year Treasury yields US10YT=RR were at 2.1953 percent, with a slight loss of less than 1/32 in price.
Copper CMCU3 hit a seven-week high above $5,400 a tonne on the back of the Chinese stimulus news and was recently up 0.4 percent at $5,365 a tonne.
Gold XAU= fell 1.4 percent, the most in seven weeks, to $1,106 an ounce -the lowest in nearly a month.
(This story has been refiled to add dropped word “fell” to first sentence)Stephen Harper has hired a man who makes millions of dollars a year selling cancer to kids and dismantling universal healthcare to run his campaign. If Harper wins the election with Lynton Crosby’s help, we can expect Canada’s Conservative government to relax tobacco regulations even further while intensifying the attack against universal health care.
How do we know this?
Because this is precisely what the Australian is doing in the United Kingdom with British Prime Minister David Cameron. After using downright dirty tactics to propel Cameron to power, the ‘Lizard of Oz’ is wielding his influence to lobby Westminster against introducing legislation mandating plain packaging for cigarettes.
All research points to plain packaging for cigarettes helping save lives by making smoking less appealing, especially to children. Lynton Crosby apparently has no qualms about a few kids coming down with lung cancer if it means that he gets his cool millions from his client: Philip Morris International, the makers of the Marlboro brand of cigarettes.
That is not to say that giving cancer to kids does not weigh heavily on Cameron’s conscience. But he has no choice in the matter. Once you get into bed with the likes of Crosby, there’s no going back. If you cross Crosby by saying no to the evil genius’s corporate clients’ outrageous demands, he will just tell the public about all devious tactics you used to come to power. I won’t blame Cameron for not relishing the prospect of being chased by an angry mob with pitchforks.
One does not simply sign a contract with Crosby|Textor. It’s a Faustian bargain. And after propelling his clients to victory, the merchant of cancer will come for his pound of flesh.
One would think that even a man like Crosby would stop at giving cancer to children. But no, Crosby|Textor’s client list include private healthcare companies who see publicly funded universal healthcare as barrier to big profits. How lucky it is, then, for Crosby to have an obliging man in No. 10 who’s only too happy to do his spinmaster’s bidding?
Crosby drew up a cunning plan to help his private healthcare clients, concluding “achieving decision-maker recognition that health investment in the UK can only grow by expanding the role and contribution made by the private sector.”
Stephen Harper has now done a deal with the devil to remain in power. Lynton Crosby’s fingerprints are all over Conservatives’ new strategy on refugees. John Howard won the 2001 Australian federal election after his campaign, lead by Crosby, falsely alleged that refugees were throwing children overboard to seek asylum in Australia.
The Canadian Conservatives, facing harsh criticism for not doing enough to help Syrian refugees after photos of drowned Alan Kurdi drove the whole world to tears, are trying to frame a new narrative. A narrative where the toddler’s aunt Tima in Vancouver is blamed for not filling out the application correctly and the toddler’s father is a human smuggler. A narrative where all Syrian refugees are ISIS fighters in disguise.
If enough Canadians buy into politics of fear, Harper will win the elections on October 19, and Canada’s Prime Minister will be forever beholden to the strategist who helped him win. Tobacco industry will send a message to Lynton Crosby, a message that will be readily conveyed to the Prime Minister’s Office. One can expect little resistance to the tobacco industry demands from Harper, who has been steadily gutting tobacco control.
The private healthcare industry will soon follow. In this case, Crosby’s will not have to do much to convince Stephen Harper, who has slashed federal spending on healthcare, which public health experts deem to be a recipe for privatization.
Lynton Crosby’s brand of divisive fear-driven politics has worked well for the conservatives in Australia, New Zealand and Britain. Unless the Canadian electorate wisens up, Canada will also fall prey to the Lizard of Oz’s black magic.
[Photo Credit: Warwickshire County Council, licensed under the Open Government Licence]Ian Hislop presents a film about Victorian financiers known for their spectacular philanthropy, including Samuel Gurney, George Peabody, Angela Burdett-Coutts and Natty Rothschild.
Ian Hislop presents an entertaining and provocative film about the colourful Victorian financiers whose spectacular philanthropy shows that banking wasn't always associated with greed or self-serving financial recklessness.
Victorian bankers achieved wealth on a scale never envisaged by previous generations, but many of them were far from comfortable about their new-found riches, which caused them intense soul-searching amidst furious national debate about the moral purpose of money and its potential to corrupt.
Like so many other Victorian bankers, Samuel Gurney was a Quaker. Banking and its rewards seemed at odds with a faith that valued modest simplicity, but Gurney's wealth helped the work of his sister, prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, who is immortalised on today's five-pound note.
Self-made millionaire George Peabody was a merchant banker who made an enormous donation to London housing. 150 years on, his housing estates still provide accommodation to 50,000 Londoners.
Angela Burdett-Coutts became an overnight celebrity after she inherited the enormous Coutts fortune. With her love of small dogs and her vast stash, she could have been the Paris Hilton of her day. Instead, she went on to become a great philanthropist.
Perhaps the richest of them all was Natty Rothschild, who tried not just to ensure that his personal wealth did good, but that his bank's did too.
Deploying his customary mix of light touch and big ideas, Ian champions these extraordinary and generous individuals. Along the way, he meets Dr Giles Fraser, until his recent, dramatic resignation canon chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, chairman of the FSA Lord Turner, philanthropic financier the current Lord Rothschild, historian A N Wilson and chief rabbi Lord Sacks.At a meeting with University of Maryland officials last Thursday, students revealed a two-week old “bias” incident: Someone carved a Confederate flag in a dormitory bathroom stall.
The defaced stall in UMD’s Somerset Hall houses the school’s CIVICUS program, whose “founding belief” is that “engaged members of civil society have an obligation to be aware of the world outside the classroom.”
According to The Diamondback, in the meeting students complained to Chief Diversity Officer Roger Worthington about the lack of notification regarding the incident … especially since some students were quite traumatized it:
“Nobody really knew about the situation that happened,” said Zach Caplan, a CIVICUS member. “The fact that staff members on campus didn’t know. The fact that members in the counseling center didn’t know, even though there were students who had to go to the counseling center to receive counseling on that issue.”
From the story:
“I would hope to see more transparency in the situations with hate speech on campus and I would like to see more of an understanding that people should know what’s happening and it’s not just something the university is trying to contain to cover their asses,” said Caplan, a freshman government and politics major. … Tomiwa Sobande, a Somerset Hall resident, said the lack of transparency about the etching incident helped foster the fear officials tried to prevent. “I don’t like the way what happened at Somerset was kind of contained and only we knew,” said Sobande, a freshman English and psychology major in CIVICUS. “It was badly handled.” … “The fact that I don’t know what should happen to a person if they get caught putting up hate speech is a problem,” said Saba Tshibaka, a sophomore computer science major who was representing the Ethiopian Eritrean Students Association and Black Honors Caucus. “If I cheat in a class, I know exactly what’s gonna happen to me. [Punishments for hate bias incidents are] not clearly labeled out.” … Karla Casique, a senior journalism major representing the American Indian Student Union, said she’s felt ignored in her four years at the university. “There has been no form of protection,” Casique said. “I personally have lost faith in administration and other people in authority because of the hours of work and dedication we put in and we haven’t been paid for it and a lot of us have been ridiculed for it.”
Regarding Ms. Tshibaka’s concerns, the ambiguity over consequences for “hate speech” just may have something to do with First Amendment protections.
In addition, the Office of Diversity’s Timea Webster adds some common sense regarding “bias” incident consequences:
“What do you do? What is a robust response?” she asked. “Personally, I’m like, ‘Kick them all off,’ but who are they?”
Chief Diversity Officer Worthington told those in attendance at the Thursday meeting that a “bias” incident protocol should be finalized within a week. No word if the measure(s) are to include notifications of “bias” incident hoaxes.
And Worthington had better hurry — the Student Government Association’s Taylor Green warned that “students right now feel very disenfranchised,” and that he feels like “it’s only a matter of time before an incident happens that causes the campus to go up in flames.”
Read more.
MORE: Don’t care much about ‘hate bias’ incidents? A new U. Maryland program will cure you of that
MORE: Man charged in U. Maryland swastika vandalism is black former UMD employee
IMAGE: Blade Tucker/Shutterstock.com
Read More
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on TwitterSyracuse, N.Y. — The Victorian home at the corner of McBride and Willow streets on the city's North Side has plenty of history behind it.
Built in 1892, the residence was later home to Edward Schoeneck, a founder of Syracuse's Bond, Schoeneck and King law firm. He also served as the city's mayor and a New York lieutenant governor.
The home was originally surrounded by farmland, said Jerome Rene Wilett, the house's current owner. After Schoeneck's death in 1951, the property eventually fell into disrepair.
When Wilett first saw it in the 1970s, it was run down, to say the least. Woodwork had been stolen and windows shattered.
But Wilett saw the home's potential. He would frequently drive by the property on the way to a nearby restaurant shortly after moving to the area.
Wilett bought the home in the 1980s, restored it and has been running his clinical psychology practice from the house's first and second floors. He and his wife Sheila live on the third floor, in an attic renovated into an apartment.
They're selling now because Wilett is retiring.
"It's time to let it go," he said. "It's just too big and too much, but I'm going to miss it. I won't miss climbing the three flights of stairs."
Wilett was able to restore the home using some of the original materials that had been lost over the years. He found parts of the home's oak staircase at an antique shop in Syracuse.
Floors throughout the home all have unique patterns. The design on the floor inside a small coat closet, for example, isn't found anywhere else in the house.
Ceilings throughout the first and second floors feature original plaster designs and moldings.
The house is a catalog home, Wilett said. Its original owners ordered it through a mailing sent out by architect George Franklin Barber, whose homes are now found around the country.
After ordering, all of the materials to build the house, from concrete to timber to floors, arrived by train.
"They sent you everything in a boxcar, including the design," Wilett said. "You had to go and build it yourself."
THE DETAILS:
Address: 500 N. McBride St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13202
Price: $249,000
Size: 5,397 square feet
Lot size: 0.16 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $967.16 (based on this week's national average rate of 4.14 percent by Freddie Mac for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points are not included.)
Taxes: $4,776
Built: 1892
School District: Syracuse
First floor: Wilett uses the space for his psychology practice. The home's former parlor, with a round, Keck glass window and stained glass accents, is now a reception area. The former parlor is also the only room in the home with cherry woodwork. Woodwork elsewhere is oak. The old dining room, kitchen and butler's pantry are now office space. The former study is now Wilett's office, complete with plaster designs on the ceiling and crown molding.
Second floor: The space formerly held five bedrooms, now used as offices and a guest suite. One of the former bedrooms has its own porch, and the suite has its own sitting room with a full bathroom nearby. The house has a total of six bedrooms, two full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. The home could be converted back to residential use on the first and second floors or continue to be used for business purposes.
Third floor: The space contains an apartment with bedroom, full kitchen and full bathroom. There's a living room area nestled by a small bank of windows and an office in the home's turret. A porch off the third floor offers views of the city. The apartment's walls and ceiling are covered with tongue-and-groove panels.
Agents: Edlyn Polito and Stephen Saleski
Berkshire Hathaway CNY Realty
7575 Buckley Road, North Syracuse, N.Y. 13212
Phone: 315-243-6517
Email: Eddie@EddiePolito.com
Website: www.bhhscnyrealty.com
To nominate a listing for House of the Week send an email to home@syracuse.com. Contact Kevin Tampone at ktampone@syracuse.com or (315) 454-2112 and follow him on Twitter @ktampone.
Garden of the Week If you're interested in homes, chances are you have an eye for beautiful gardens, too. Each week we feature a special garden in words and photographs. And here's how to nominate a garden for the weekly feature.His father, Joe, was not against their presence. “Anything is fine as long as they act like us,” he said.
There is a tradition of refugees continuing to migrate once they reach the United States. In the 1990s, about a dozen evangelical Christian families from the former Soviet Union who originally settled in Oregon and Washington followed a leader to Delta Junction, Alaska, and established a community there.
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Many Hmong, an ethnic group from Laos that helped the United States during the Vietnam War, left their first American homes and converged on the Twin Cities, in Minnesota, where leaders like Leng “Vang” Wong, a former interpreter for the C.I.A., had settled.
At the moment, no refugees can enter the United States for four months unless they already have a close relative here, according to a Supreme Court order that allowed part of Mr. Trump’s travel ban to proceed. But in the past two years, more than 20,000 Syrians have been admitted after fleeing civil war and the Islamic State’s ruthless grip on parts of the country.
Photo Zachary Darrah, executive director of Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries, or FIRM, spoke to residents of San Joaquin Gardens last month during a church service in Fresno. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times
As the Syrian flow intensified, Turlock, a town about 80 miles north of Fresno that has been receiving Christian minorities from Iraq and Iran for more than a decade, was identified as a site with “decent housing, jobs and a welcoming mayor,” said Karen Ferguson, executive director of the International Rescue Committee of Northern California.
About 250 Syrians, overwhelmingly Muslim, were sent there. But the agency could not immediately house all of them, stranding some families in hotels for several weeks or longer.
Last fall, a few members of Fresno’s 15,000-strong Muslim community — Pakistanis, Yemenis, Iranians and Palestinians, among others — offered to help. Soon, they were welcoming four Syrian families to apartments that they had found for them.
Word traveled fast to Turlock and elsewhere that rent in Fresno was a relative bargain — about $450 a month for a two-bedroom unit in some places — and that there were people ready to supply furniture, food, clothing and more.
Photo Reza Nekumanesh, director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, aids refugees as much as he can. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times
“Helping one or two families, that’s easy,” said Reza Nekumanesh, director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. “But soon, one family after another was arriving — from San Diego, out of state.”
“They didn’t realize rent is low here for a reason,” he said.
Abdullah Zakaria, who ran cafes in Syria, fled to Jordan with his family in 2013 after a bomb struck his house in Homs and burned his eldest child, Tasneem, now 7, whose back still bears scars. They could not find work in Turlock, so they moved to Fresno. Mr. Zakaria and his wife, Aida, are trying to start a business selling kibbehs, shawarmas and sfihas to Fresno State University students and others.
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“Fresno is bigger city,” Mr. Zakaria said. “I want to open restaurant.”
In a blue-collar neighborhood once dubbed “Sin City,” more than a dozen Syrian families with up to nine members apiece are crammed into two-bedroom units in two apartment blocks on East San Ramon Avenue, where the goat sacrifice occurred in February.
Some have found jobs, including at a carwash and a poultry plant. Nasser Alobe |
— called biosimilars. Despite being safely used in at least 27 healthcare systems including Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Canada, biosimilars remain unavailable in the United States. The Affordable Care Act directed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to create a clear pathway for bringing biosimilars to market, but the follow-up has been lacking.Second, policymakers should reject legislation that brand-name drugmakers are pushing in every state to significantly undermine the ability of employers and Medicaid to encourage the use of biosimilars — if and when they ever come to market. Yes, even before lower-cost biosimilars have come to market anywhere in our nation, these big biotech firms are advocating legislation that would make it almost impossible for physicians and patients to take advantage of them.The growth of specialty drugs presents our system with great opportunities and challenges. In the years ahead, we have the experience and know-how to expand access to specialty drugs while driving down costs for consumers and payers. Stakeholders have done so before and can do so again, if given the chance.Without the political will to do something now, the cost of specialty drugs — as well as the popularity of bus rides to Canada — will grow exponentially.Despite the intensive publicity surrounding the shooting, Scarlett A. Wilson, the local prosecutor, said Monday that she believed a local jury could be impaneled and would be able to arrive at an unbiased verdict. A trial date has not been set.
Image Mr. Slager was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge on Monday in connection with an April 4 shooting. Credit Charleston County Detention Center
Under South Carolina law, there is only a single murder charge, which Ms. Wilson described as being an “unlawful killing with malice aforethought” — with the premeditation required to exist for only a few seconds before a killing in order to gain a conviction.
“As long as malice is proven in the heart and mind, the state has proven its case,” she said.
The case was presented to the grand jury on Monday morning, and the panel returned the indictment within a few hours.
“The prosecutors’ work has just begun,” she said.
Rodney Scott, a younger brother of Walter Scott, said the Scott family was satisfied with the indictment.
“We are happy and pleased about that right now,” Mr. Scott said.
Andrew J. Savage III, the lawyer representing Mr. Slager, said in a statement Monday that he had not yet received material related to the case from prosecutors.
“The grand jury is a formal step, but just another step in the criminal process,” Mr. Savage said. “Until we have an opportunity to fully evaluate the state’s case and to compare it with our own investigation, we will not be commenting on any aspect of the case.”In what seems like a counter-intuitive move against survival, within animals, some cells are fated to die from the triggering of an elaborate cell death program, known as apoptosis. Now, Sakamaki et. al., have honed in on understanding the evolution of caspase-8, a key cell death initiator molecule that was first identified in humans.
By performing the most extensive evolutionary analysis of the Casp8 protein to date, they found that Casp8 activity arose very early (more than 500 MYA), and is universally conserved throughout evolution, demonstrating its functional significance throughout the animal kingdom.
"It is of great significance that the programmed cell death system is established in more simpler animals," said professor Sakamaki.
In addition, they were able to substitute Casp8 proteins from non-mammalian examples and trigger the same cell death pathways when placed into cultured mammalian cell experiments using a killing assay, demonstrating its universal functionality in evolution. They also demonstrate that key protein interactions between Casp8 and another called FADD are also observed across the animal kingdom.
Thus, the cell death toolkit is of core importance to animal evolution, with cell death occurring to eliminate unnecessary, non-functional, unhealthy, or dangerous cells from the body. "In mammals, the cells producing a death ligand and expressing death receptor (and FADD/casp8) are different, suggesting that cell-cell communication is required for this vital phenomenon," said Sakamaki.Kathleen Kennedy’s husband, the producer Frank Marshall, told me a story. Kennedy had grown up on Lake Shasta, in Northern California, and she and her two sisters spent much of their childhood playing on the water. In 1985, when Kennedy and Marshall were co-producing the movie The Color Purple, shot in rural North Carolina, several of the grips working on the film found a lake nearby and decided to go water-skiing. “All the guys are showing off and falling and skiing and falling,” Marshall recalled. Finally, after the boat returned to the dock, somebody asked Kennedy if she’d like to take a turn. She said, “O.K., I’ll give it a try,” Marshall remembered. The crew members started the engine and invited her into the boat, to take her out. Kennedy said, “No, I’ll just start from the dock here.” The request threw the crew members for a loop, but they obliged. The boat started up again and pulled her onto the water. Her skis skimmed the surface of the lake as she took a flawless turn around it, throwing up spray on the curves. As the boat returned to the dock, Kennedy let go of the rope and the momentum carried her right onto the shore—she finished as gracefully as she had started. “She never even got wet,” Marshall said. “After that, the grips never got back in the water.” After more than three decades making some of the most successful movies of our time, Kathleen Kennedy has become something of an icon. She is perhaps the most powerful woman in Hollywood, but she does not talk much about what it is like being a female executive in a male-dominated industry. That is not her style. Nor is she self-deprecating. She prefers just to have people watch what she does. She is exceedingly uneasy about promoting her own story—unusual for Hollywood, where people rarely take less credit than they deserve. The list of movies Kennedy has produced is impressive in both box office and prestige. It starts in 1982, with Steven Spielberg’s E.T. Her partnership with Spielberg runs through most of the Indiana Jones series (which was the brainchild of George Lucas), Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and straight on to Lincoln, which was nominated for 12 Oscars and won 2. In collaboration with her husband or others, she has produced more than 60 movies, including Empire of the Sun, The Goonies, Alive, Young Sherlock Holmes, Cape Fear, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and The Bridges of Madison County. Together, her movies have earned more than 120 Oscar nominations. Now, with the release of The Force Awakens, which is already one of the most lucrative films in history, Kennedy has become the high priestess of the relaunched Star Wars enterprise. The new movie’s position as the first feminist Star Wars film—with Rey, the breakout female protagonist—only adds to the impression that Kennedy is, as the Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan put it, a “secret superhero in training.” From the Kennedy/Marshall Company. “Cinephile Phase”
In November, before the release of The Force Awakens, I met with Kennedy in her office on the seventh floor of the main building on the Lucasfilm campus, in San Francisco’s Presidio park. Kennedy has shoulder-length brown hair and bright-blue eyes that are so vivid I wondered if she wore tinted contacts. (She does not.) Her spacious quarters are decorated in dark wood, Mission-style, and she displays photos of her daughters, now teenagers, when they were in grade school, dressed up as Princess Leia and Darth Vader. She unearthed the pictures when she started as the company’s new co-chair, in 2012. (The older girl is now in college and the younger one is finishing high school.) Her office is pristine, partly because she is barely there. She spends much of her time in London (where The Force Awakens was largely filmed, at Pinewood Studios, and where she and her husband currently live) between working trips to San Francisco (Lucasfilm’s headquarters) and Los Angeles (where the parent company, Disney, is based). Shooting big movies at Pinewood dates back to the early James Bond films. Kennedy grew up in Redding, California. Her mother was active in the local theater, her father a judge. She has described her childhood as a time when she was given tremendous freedom. She attended San Diego State University, with a major in film and telecommunications, and, after graduating, worked behind a camera for a local news program. She told me that one of her earliest influences in film was David Lean, the director of Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. In the course of mentioning her early inspirations—Truffaut, Antonioni, Fellini, Bergman—she also referred to being influenced by “Francis,” as in Francis Ford Coppola, today a close friend. Kennedy confessed to having looked down her nose at one of the biggest films of the era—Spielberg’s Jaws—which she regarded at the time as too lowbrow. “I was in my 70s cinephile phase,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s so insane.” Then, in 1977, she saw Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which persuaded her to go into the movie business. She got a job as an assistant to John Milius, who was then working as a producer for 1941, directed by Spielberg. Spielberg soon hired Kennedy away as his own assistant, and they worked together on Raiders of the Lost Ark, with George Lucas. It was a formative experience for all of them. For one thing, everyone came down with dysentery during filming in Tunisia. That’s why, Harrison Ford would later say, he argued for just shooting the evil master swordsman rather than engaging in a lengthy fight scene. Kennedy and Marshall met during the making of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which Marshall was producing. “Steven asked us to build a couple of models, to figure out the truck-chase scene,” Marshall told me. Kennedy offered that she liked to build things. “And we spent a whole weekend making jeeps and tanks and trucks, and I thought, Huh, I think I’m in love!” The pair went on to form Amblin Entertainment with Spielberg in 1982. The next movie Spielberg and Kennedy worked on was E.T. Kennedy was 29. “Steven, after Raiders, had said, ‘You know what? I think you’re ready—why don’t you produce this?,’ ” she recalled. She said yes on the spot: “I was a kid—I had no idea what I was doing.” By now, Kennedy and Marshall had started dating, but they kept their relationship secret, partly at Marshall’s suggestion: he didn’t want to complicate Kennedy’s position as a young producer. “Don’t tell anyone we’re going out,” Marshall told her. “They’ll think that’s why you got the job.” Eventually, Lucas spotted them having dinner together and, according to Kennedy, “told everybody.” Kennedy already had enough to deal with producing her first film. “I got into it, and I realized it was nothing I knew,” she told me. “I was truly overwhelmed.” She didn’t show it, keeping everything bottled up until the weekends, when “I’d just literally be physically sick, I was so nervous.” She and Marshall and Spielberg went on a tear, producing a string of successful films at Amblin, including Gremlins, Back to the Future, and The Color Purple. Kennedy and Marshall also got married; one of the few people from outside their families to attend the wedding, in Italy, was George Lucas. In 1992 they went on to form their own production company, Kennedy/Marshall. It has produced The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Bourne Identity, and Seabiscuit. In 2015, Marshall was a producer of Jurassic World, which was a box-office hit both domestically—just shy of Titanic—and globally. All told, Marshall and Kennedy had quite a year, helping to push worldwide box-office figures to $38 billion, the highest ever. I asked Kennedy about an observation I’ve heard about her from various people, who make reference to a career surrounded by powerful men—Spielberg, Lucas, her own husband—and then note the novelty of her now being the one in charge. She looked ever so mildly annoyed, and then responded that she didn’t entirely understand the question. “You know, I met all these guys when they were big, powerful guys,” she said, setting the words “big, powerful” in air quotes. “The great thing is, at whatever point they decided they were powerful, they always empowered me. So I never felt like I was in the midst of something that wasn’t a balanced relationship.” In the words of Harrison Ford, who counts her among his close family friends, “She’s tough, so she can both take it and dish it out, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.” Outside of Hollywood, Kennedy has remained a relative unknown. “I have loved being pretty anonymous, you know,” Kennedy said. “There’s nothing I like more than to have one of our movies run, and then I go to the ladies’ room and listen to everybody talk about it. No one has any idea who I am.” She acknowledged that her days of lurking unrecognized in the ladies’ room are probably over. © Universal Pictures. A Call from George
Kennedy’s attachment to a behind-the-scenes role may have been why, back in 2012, as she was wrapping Lincoln, she thought the call from her friend George Lucas was simply to catch up. It wasn’t. In New York, over lunch, he told her he supposed she had heard that he was thinking of stepping aside from his role as head of Lucasfilm. “Actually, I hadn’t,” Kennedy told me, “so I was surprised by that. And part of me didn’t really quite believe him.” He said that he had been thinking of people who could replace him. She thought he was asking her for suggestions. The job carried tremendous responsibility. Not only would whoever he picked to succeed him inherit the responsibility for all things Star Wars, but he or she would also be running the storied special-effects shop Lucas had created, called Industrial Light & Magic, as well as the Camelot-like postproduction facility, Skywalker Ranch, in the hills of Marin County. Recalling the lunch, Kennedy continued, “I started to mention a couple of people, and he immediately said, ‘No, no, no. I’m thinking about you doing this.’ ” She was taken aback but quickly came around. “You know, George, I actually might really be interested in that,” she remembered telling him. To me she said, “I immediately felt this sense of responsibility. And sort of a feeling that I wanted to do this for him as well as myself, because I knew how important it was to him.” I asked her why she had turned down other studio positions in the past. Had she felt daunted? She shook her head and smiled conspiratorially: “I knew enough people in those jobs to know I wouldn’t be happy in those jobs.” She agreed to take the reins at Lucasfilm. A few months later, before she could fully settle in, Lucas spoke to her about a possible sale to Disney. “He started to lay out what he was thinking,” Kennedy told me. “When he laid it out, he wasn’t talking about doing something immediate. It was a kind of ‘Down the road, this is something I’ve been thinking of.’ And it was interesting that Disney was always his first choice.” As it happened, the decision wasn’t down the road at all. Within a few months, Lucas announced the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion. The transition has worked. This is in part because Lucas had carefully handpicked both his successor and his buyer, and also because Bob Iger, the chairman and C.E.O. of Disney, believes in preserving the culture of the companies he acquires. In terms of personal style, the change from Lucas to Kennedy could not have been more stark. Lucas was a beloved and oddly vulnerable figure in the minds of his employees. Until he chose Kennedy to replace him, no one who worked for Lucas thought there was ever going to be another Star Wars movie; he was bruised and bitter after Episodes I, II, and III, the so-called prequels, had been widely panned. Lucrative as the franchise and its merchandising continued to be, without a big Star Wars movie in the works, Lucasfilm lacked its primary reason for being. Nobody ever questioned Lucas—in fact, nobody made a move without him. “I think this company, for a long time, was driven by waiting to see what George wanted to do,” Kennedy told me. “I don’t run this company that way. People aren’t sitting around waiting to see what Kathy wants to do.” As she views it, her staff looks to her for guidance, but they feel more empowered to act without her explicit approval. That said, Kennedy is someone who knows how to set a goal. This is a woman who, in 1989, at the age of 36, won the U.S. nationals for her age class in the javelin, only a few months after taking up the sport. As soon as Kennedy was hired, staffers saw it as a sign that there was going to be another Star Wars film: Kennedy was a consummate moviemaker. By Eva Sereny/© Lucasfilm Ltd. Trusting Your Characters
I asked Kennedy if she missed anything about her former life, when she was running her own production company with her husband. In addition to Spielberg’s movies, she and Marshall have undertaken some especially challenging and imaginative projects: they produced Persepolis, a $7 million picture based on a graphic novel about a young girl’s upbringing in Iran, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, an adaptation of the memoir by a former editor of French Elle, who had been paralyzed by a stroke and suffered from “locked-in syndrome,” which allowed him to communicate only by blinking his left eye. She paused for a moment. “I suppose the thing that I think about every now and then, that I miss, is: I love writers.” In particular she mentioned Tony Kushner, who wrote the play and the screen adaptation of Angels in America. Kushner also worked with Kennedy on Munich and Lincoln. She said, “To sit and talk ideas with Tony—to, you know, explore lots of different areas we could go—it’s such a constant education. That is thrilling. And so the only thing I suppose I can do is try to get Tony Kushner to write a Star Wars movie.” Kennedy laughed. “There are times I think about that.” Kushner told me he was “a little shocked” when Kennedy said she was going to take the Lucasfilm job. Kennedy is known for creating and nurturing complex characters in her movies—people such as the Israeli assassin in Munich, played by Eric Bana, and Daniel Day-Lewis’s flawed and all-too-human Lincoln. What was she doing running a science-fiction empire? This past summer, his fears were allayed when he and Kennedy had a conversation about the development of some of the scripts for current and future Star Wars movies. “She talked about the way in which the conventional approach to these things is that a script starts from an outline, and that’s what everybody focuses on before there’s a word of dialogue.” In Kushner’s recollection, Kennedy was urging the writers to turn their focus to the characters. She kept saying to them, “Who are these people? I don’t know who these people are.” Kushner felt that “she was expressing an impatience about character being secondary to story line, which violated something very essential for her.” He went on: “We had an interesting conversation about how a lot of playwrights start with outlines because it gives you something to hold on to, but that you know the characters are likely to derail the outline once they start doing what they do.” He and Kennedy talked about how “there’s no telling what will happen once you have invented a person. They may be willing to do what the outline says to do, but they may have very different plans in mind.” The sense Kushner got was that Kennedy “was pushing people to be unafraid of being lost for a while. It was good to see her holding the banner of complexity in the middle of this huge enterprise of Star Wars.” The machines, in other words, have not won. Kennedy told me that, while she’s excited about the future of the movie business, “a lot of these big movies are just a collection or a montage of big set pieces. And there is, in some cases, this feeling of: ‘Oh, it doesn’t really matter if there’s a central spine to the storytelling. As long as we keep it moving—and the effects are huge and it’s loud and the music’s great and the locations are fantastic—it’s all going to wash over the audience.’ ” She calls the result of such assumptions “disposable filmmaking.” Kennedy has already made directorial choices that showcase her desire for an unconventional approach. While J. J. Abrams, the director of The Force Awakens, had already directed two Star Trek movies and had created the television series Lost, Kennedy is looking at less established directors for future episodes of the saga. Everyone I spoke to at Lucasfilm was talking up Rian Johnson, the director of the next Star Wars movie, the eighth. Johnson was previously best known for directing the 2005 noir indie hit, Brick, starring a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who tries to solve his ex-girlfriend’s disappearance by infiltrating a crime gang. More recently, Johnson directed several episodes of Breaking Bad, including perhaps the best of the entire series, in which Walter White’s brother-in-law, Hank, is executed. Kennedy has also said she wants a woman to direct a Star Wars movie. More than half of her direct reports are women. Referring to a notorious scene in Return of the Jedi, I asked Kennedy if she would ever have put Princess Leia in a golden bikini—the famous “slave Leia” costume that is embedded in the collective unconscious of legions of men who were adolescents in the 80s. “With a chain around her neck?,” Kennedy asked, arching an eyebrow and laughing. “I don’t think that would happen.” She quickly added that she didn’t think George Lucas would put her in that bikini today. Despite rumors, Disney is not banning the image from future Star Wars paraphernalia. Mellody Hobson, Lucas’s wife, said, “George is not apologetic about that bikini,” elaborating that he had said, “The one thing I know are boys.” Hobson went on: “He thinks that was a very important scene. He would probably do the same thing today. He is not apologetic at all.” A small statuette of the cast of Return of the Jedi, featuring Leia in her bikini, sits outside Kennedy’s office. She hasn’t taken it down. By David James/© Lucasfilm Ltd. Three Steps Ahead
Kennedy has known how to organize and manage since she was young. On a squad with boys, she was the quarterback for her middle-school football team. She and Marshall are buying and selling property all the time, at a level that would make them realtors if that was all they did. In 2010, they sold their Pacific Palisades home to Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson for $26 million. In 2013, Kennedy and Marshall bought a 1950s hacienda-style compound in Brentwood for $7.5 million, then flipped it for $8.6 million. Earlier last year they bought the late Golden Girls star Bea Arthur’s Brentwood home for $14.9 million. Josh Lowden, the general manager of Skywalker Sound, told me he has seen Kennedy display the “jujitsu move” of getting directors and other movie executives to “shift their perspective in the direction where things need to move” without ever issuing a top-down directive. “I think she is always planning out three steps ahead,” Lowden added. “Kathy could run a bank or the U.N. or be president if she wanted.” Cate Blanchett likened Kennedy to a water diviner: “She knows instinctively where to put her energies.” Blanchett told me about the support Kennedy offered her on the set of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. “She’s the most acute listener I’ve ever met. I’d sometimes catch her eye after a take, and she’d nod, almost imperceptibly. Her quiet vote of confidence spurred me on.” When, during the filming of The Force Awakens at Pinewood Studios, a mock-up of the spaceship Millennium Falcon fell on Harrison Ford and broke a bone in his left leg, Ford was initially transferred to the nearest trauma hospital, in Oxford. He told me he had a good experience there, but that he was anxious to get closer to London and also to a hospital room that had an en suite bathroom instead of one down the hall. He credits Kennedy with transferring him to the King Edward VII Hospital, in London, which serves the royal family. “It not only had a bathroom en suite, but it also had a wine list,” Ford told me. “That’s my kind of hospital.”Microsoft gave the world a glimpse of Windows 10 running on its smartphones last month, but the company has not yet released its first public preview of the new OS, which will replace the standalone Windows Phone operating system. Microsoft promised that it would deliver the first preview in February, but it has not yet committed to a firm date.
But the company is now seeding a build of Windows 10 for phones to a select group of around one thousand testers in various departments across the company. This is believed to be a final round of internal testing to resolve any last niggling bugs before the preview is made publicly available.
Neowin has learned that a build named 'Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones (8.15.12492.41)" is now available to these testers. Note that the OS version number has increased from 8.10 in Windows Phone 8.1, up to 8.15 in the Windows 10 preview, but it is not clear if this build 12492 will be exactly the same version as that which is released publicly this month.
One amusing touch in the update process for the new build can be found on the familiar 'Update successful' screen, which displays when everything is complete. Alongside the build number, it displays a quote from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson; a phrase that he uttered after the team lost the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots on Sunday:
Every setback has a major comeback.
Microsoft has of course suffered many setbacks in its efforts to grab a meaningful chunk of the smartphone market, but after more than four years of trying, its share of the market remains below 3%. The company will no doubt be hoping that after so many setbacks in the past, its big comeback in the mobile space can soon begin with Windows 10.Submitted by Carey Wedler via TheAntiMedia.org,
Last week, the newly formed group “Veterans Stand for Standing Rock” called on veterans to nonviolently stand up to militarized law enforcement at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. Since its initial call to action, the veterans’ movement has grown exponentially.
Last week, the Facebook event, which was launched by Army veteran Wesley Clark Jr. and former Marine and Baltimore cop-turned-reformist, Michael A. Wood Jr., received widespread media attention. This boost helped increase the number of attendees from a couple hundred veterans to their maximum capacity of 2,000.
A standard email response from the group (as of Saturday) reads:
“We are happy to announce our small campaign has grown to 2,000 Veterans from every corner of the US [and] will be joining us to stand in peace with our brothers and sisters in Standing Rock.”
Their event page states they have over 2,100 veterans signed up and are exploring options for a second trip.
The group has a strict no weapons policy but is stocking up on body armor and protective gear like gas masks to withstand potential attacks from the heavily militarized police, who have arrested at least 400 of protesters so far. According to on-site medics, hundreds of protesters have also been injured. Last week, a 21-year-old woman was reportedly hit with a concussion grenade, leading to a severe injury that may require her arm to be amputated. Though police have blamed protesters for what happened to her, at least one witness claims law enforcement’s version of events is untruthful.
Outrage against incidents like these, as well as attacks on journalists via tasers, rubber bullets, and felony charges has made the ongoing situation ripe for outside intervention.
“This country is repressing our people,” Wood Jr. said last week. “If we’re going to be heroes, if we’re really going to be those veterans that this country praises, well, then we need to do the things that we actually said we’re going to do when we took the oath to defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic.”
With 2,100 veterans signed up to make a stand, it appears police will be forced to reconcile their aggressive behavior with the nonviolent show of veterans, who intend to march toward police on site.
The group has gained substantial financial backing since word of their mission spread. According to their GoFundMe page, they have already raised over $500,000 to fund their trip, which is planned for December 4 to December 7.
Their goal is currently set at $750,000, an increase from the $100,000 — and then $200,000 — requested last week.
“I increased the goal because I was wrong,” Wood Jr. said, according to Task and Purpose. “I was giving a ballpark number that we could get 500 people there without feeling like I was asking much of the public. In a short period of two days, the picture changed dramatically. As long as we’re increasing in size, I have to ask for more funds. And as long as we have more funds, we will increase in size.”
He added:
“This is already way beyond transportation. So the additional funds will go toward protective equipment, infrastructure, lodging, food, medical supplies, and stuff to help deal with the elements of nature.”
The funds will also go toward bailing out members of the group who are arrested during their demonstration.
As the cash and volunteers continue to roll in, the group’s resolve in its self-described “deployment” is only increasing.
“We’ve grown to the point where we have an actual chain of command now,” Wood Jr. said. “Emails are hundreds a day, if not thousands.”
Anti-Media spoke to one Navy veteran, Jake Bagwell, who heard about the event last week through social media and is now scheduled to head to Standing Rock, pending his request for time off from work.
“I figured if any demographic would have a big enough impact to wake people up, it’s vets. Especially when it comes to standing up to the government,” he said.
He added:
“Nothing about what the ‘authorities’ are doing makes sense. Water cannons in subfreezing temperatures? Are you serious?”
Another veteran, Sam Deering, posted on Facebook about his decision to join Vets Stand for Standing Rock:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the land where protesters are camped out, issued a notice last week warning them to evacuate by December 5. Reuters reports the agency has said it has no plans to forcibly remove protesters, but on Monday, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple issued a separate mandatory order to evacuate the area.
Anti-Media has reached out to Veterans Stand for Standing Rock to learn how they plan to respond to these demands and will update this story if they respond.Sign-up for the Urban Milwaukee daily email
Insiders have long wondered what exactly the Milwaukee County sheriffs do that costs so much money. The budget for the sheriff’s department is $122 million, a cost equal to 44 percent of the county property tax levy. And how much law enforcement do we get for this?
The most recent state Office of Justice Assistance report covers the two-year period of 2009-2010 and shows there were 106,936 violent and property crimes in the county. The Milwaukee Police Department handled 75 percent of those incidents. The sheriffs handled just 57 crimes, or less than one-fifth of one-percent.
Despite that puny effort, the sheriff’s budget is about half the size of the Milwaukee Police Dept. budget of $237 million.
Last year, the administration of Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele released some eyebrow-raising statistics on the Sheriff’s Department, noting that:
Milwaukee is the state’s only county with no unincorporated area, meaning there are municipal police patrolling every part of the county. Besides Milwaukee, there are 18 suburban police forces in action.
In 2009, the sheriff reported only 19 crimes to the FBI, compared to 41,375 for the Milwaukee police, 3,288 for West Allis police, 1,908 for Wauwatosa and even 242 for the UW-Milwaukee police. That’s right, the UWM campus police handled 12 times more criminals than the Sheriff’s Department.
Just 10 percent of Sheriff David Clarke’s requested property tax levy was for police services. As Abele put it, “the sheriff plays only a limited role as a traditional law enforcement agency.”
The deputy sheriffs staff the Milwaukee County Jail and County Correctional Facility South (formerly House of Correction), handle the courthouse’s system of bailiffs, and patrol the freeways. These are important functions. But important enough to justify a $122 million budget?
These questions predate the tenure of David Clarke. But there’s no evidence he’s done anything to realize budgetary efficiencies. As Abele noted last year, the Sheriff Department’s budget had risen 61 percent over the last decade, far faster than any other county department. It was something of a sacred cow under former county exec Scott Walker, rising steadily while the parks budget stayed flat at 0 percent and county transit declined by 8 percent.
I can’t recall any county executive ever raising systematic questions about the sheriff’s budget. Abele concluded that Milwaukee County has 30 percent more law enforcement employees than comparable counties, according to the Uniform Crime Reports. If true, this would suggest taxpayers are overpaying for police.
I expected to find data on spending on police by suburban governments from the Public Policy Forum, which tracks municipal spending. But here again it seems local police budgets are sacred cows. The group’s director Rob Henken says it hasn’t tracked this because there’s been no interest. “We have focused on fire departments mainly because that’s where we have seen some interest from mayors and village presidents (in consolidation),” Henken says. “We do hope to get to police, but the politics are very fierce, and we are trying to concentrate on consolidation opportunities that might get done in the relatively near future.”
There’s no doubt a lot is being spent on police in the suburbs. Checking some of the bigger municipalities, the annual budget for police is $14.9 million in Wauwatosa, $11.6 million in West Allis, $8.8 million in Greenfield, and about $8.3 million in both Franklin and Oak Creek. The 18 suburbs combined probably pay more than $100 million for police services.
In response to relatively modest cuts in his budget last year, Clarke went to war against Abele, blasting him every chance he had, and refusing to offer any ways to trim his budget. He claimed public safety would be sacrificed because of the cuts to his budget, singling out safety on the buses, and claiming he had 25 officers patrolling the buses and parks.
But the county transit system released data suggesting the deputy sheriffs did very little patrol of the buses. The statistics showed that the private security firm, G4S (which has just 20 officers patrolling the buses) handled 2,000 incidents per year, compared to just 150 incidents by deputy sheriffs. Either Clarke was exaggerating the number of deputies patrolling the buses or he was assigning them in a very inefficient manner.
This year, in another budget-cutting move, Abele cut a deal with Mayor Tom Barrett to have the Milwaukee Police Dept. patrol the parks and complete the department’s takeover of the 911 phone call system. (The latter had been handled by the sheriff’s department, but since most of the calls were for city problems, it makes more sense for the city to maintain the system). Under the deal, the city would get $1.7 million from the county, mostly to pay for the police patrol, and the 18 suburban governments would split $125,000 to handle park patrol in their municipalities. The Sheriff’s budget would be cut by $3.3 million. Abele and Barrett say the parks can be more efficiently patrolled by the city police, thereby saving money for both the county and city.
You might have expected suburban governments to fight the idea of ending the patrol of their parks by deputy sheriffs, but there hasn’t been one word of protest, probably because little patrol was actually being done.
“In West Milwaukee we typically respond to all the calls in the parks,” says that city’s police chief Dennis Nasci. “I’m not aware the sheriffs do.”
In Franklin, Inspector Gaylord Hahn says “I don’t see them (deputy sheriffs) here very often. We patrol the parks. And we’ve probably got some of the biggest parks in terms of total park land.”
Abele’s spokesperson Brendan Conway says Clarke’s budget shows he is devoting little attention to the parks. During the first 32 weeks of this year, the data shows, just 32 percent of deputy sheriffs assigned to the parks actually patrolled them.
Clarke’s responses to the Abele/Barrett plan have been mostly petulant. He has threatened to reassign deputy sheriffs to city neighborhoods that he claims are demanding more law enforcement. But Clarke has repeatedly claimed that Abele has left him with too little manpower, so where would these extra deputies come from?
He has also told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “This is nothing more than a political attempt by these two to neutralize me, probably politically.” But Clarke already ran against Barrett in 2004 and, embarrassingly, didn’t even get through the primary. And he had an opportunity to run for the open county executive seat in 2011 and declined. Indeed, Clarke may be vulnerable to a challenger running to his right as a fiscal conservative arguing the department can be more efficiently run. The recent county audit of how he spends forfeiture money raised some questions in that regard.
The broader issue here is whether county taxpayers are paying too much for public safety. Two things might help settle that question. A thorough county audit of the entire Sheriff’s department might shed some light on whether it could be more efficiently run. An examination of the relative costs of having the state patrol handle the freeways versus the deputy sheriffs should be part of the audit (after all, that’s how interstate highway patrol is handled in most counties). Secondly, some foundation |
communicates the monumental paradoxes implicit in the "Progressive" project.
Stripped down to its essence, the piece would have us feel sorry for a citizen who lost her $138,000 a year job (not including benefits) with a school district and as a result lost her suburban McMansion. Now, we are told, only her fancy clothing remains from her luxe lifestyle of international travel and all the other trappings of an upper-middle class lifestyle.
The implicit message is that this person somehow "deserves" a job that pays $138,000 and all the goodies that salary bought. That this person took in over $1 million in less than a decade and basically squandered that fortune on extravagances and fantasies is carefully left unsaid.
Implicit in this point of view is the basic "Progressive" assumption that all workers in America "deserve" a job which supports the "American Dream" of a suburban home, two cars in the driveway (the garage is filled with the other trappings of consumerist "success"), designer clothing, and international travel.
In other words, the "Progressive" view of what's good and right is circa 1946, only the "good life" "deserved" by all American workers has been upgraded to higher levels of consumption.
Yes, "Progressives" give copious lip service to "green" suburbs and "green" hybrid vehicles,but it's all a nostalgic fantasy of leafy suburbia and long commutes magically devoid of any value creation.
The truth is there is nothing "green" about a large, sprawling exurban community: building a house that requires vast consumption of energy in the middle of nowhere with faux-"green" materials is not sustainable, and a vehicle that depends on lithium-ion batteries isn't sustainable, either (peak lithium is a few years out, but it's coming).
Missing from this "Progressive" program is any recognition that this American Dream lifestyle which we all "deserve" as a birthright depends on cheap, abundant oil and a global Empire to secure it for our private consumption.
The "right" of American workers, some 4.7% of the world's populace, to consume 25% of its oil and resources is unchallenged by this "Progressive" agenda, which stripped of pretensions is basically the Consumerist Fantasy of ever higher consumption and ever more "growth."
In 1946, America supplied its own oil and energy. We didn't need a Global Empire with "interests" everywhere on the planet that needed "defending." You want to stripmine 25% of the world's resources for 4.7% of its inhabitants, then you need a Global Empire to enforce that stripmining, and a Central State with the power to skim trillions of dollars from others via arbitraging the world's sole reserve currency, the U.S. dollar.
The paradox is obvious, isn't it? In demanding our "rights" to endlessly rising "growth" and consumption, then you have to stripmine the planet to feed our extravagance, and you need a Global Empire to enforce and control the flow of resources to the home country.
The standard "Progressive" disapproves of all Pentagon spending in support of Empire, and heartily approves of domestic "growth" based on rising consumption, conveniently ignoring that this "growth" requires Empire.
In a similiar fashion, "Progressives" decry 10% annual increases in Central State spending on the Pentagon and heartily approve 10% annual increases in Savior State spending on their own favorite cartels/monopolies, education and healthcare.
But you can't have 10% annual increases in Central State spending in an economy that is shrinking or grows by 2% per year at best. Borrowing or printing trillions of dollars out of thin air leads to insolvency, regardless of what the trillions are spent on.
"Progressives" don't like The Patriot Act and other Central State over-reach, but they are passionately wedded to an ever larger and ever more powerful Savior State that can impose "solutions" on the planet and the nation.
The "good" Savior State and the "bad" Central State are one in the same. You can't create a Central State that collects ever more powers to control, intercede, intervene and manipulate and not get a Central State that over-reaches and bloats into a collection of self-aggrandizing, self-serving fiefdoms and State-chartered monopolies like the Military-Industrial complex and "healthcare," to name but two State-cartel partnerships.
So-called "Progressives" love these State-monopoly partnerships because they invite "top-down" "solutions" which can be shoved down the food chain. The idea that people can sort out their own lives is anathema to "Progressives" because it would deprive them of the large-scale bureaucracies and concentrations of power that they see as the foundations of "solutions."
But stripped of ideological niceties, this is just another example of the State buying complicity. Once you depend on the fiefdom for your perquisites and power, then magically, the fiefdom becomes not just essential, but expansive.
Once again, the "Progressive" view is essentially nostalgic for 1946, when the American Empire was "good" because it had expanded to defeat fascism, and American workers shared in the largesse of vast Federal borrowing and spending.
"Progressives" ignore all the paradoxes implicit in their nostalgic fantasy worldview: that $1 trillion borrowed and spent in 1944 bought quite a bit of goods and services, and in an economy with plentiful labor and resources and little debt, there was a substantial follow-through of "growth" from that massive debt-based spending.
But now that the Federal government borrows and spends $1 trillion a year more than it spent a mere 3 years ago in 2007, the "Progressives" are silent. Marginal return has set in with a vengeance: now we borrow and spend $1 trillion to create less than $1 trillion in measurable "growth." The money is simply being squandered to support fiefdoms that are failing to do anything except consume more money and resources to maintain their own perquisites and power.
This is the ultimate paradox at the heart of the "Progressive" program: if we want to pay people $138,000 a year to shuffle paper or data (and add another $20,000 or $30,000 in pension and other benefits to their pay), then that person has to create more than $160,000 in actual productive wealth.
But we don't. As a nation, we are living a great lie, and the so-called "Progressives" are just as committed to continuing that lie as any "right-wing" "conservative." The "Progressive" agenda boils down to wanting to pay everyone $138,000 for doing $38,000 (or $8,000) of actual productive work. The $100,000 difference between the value of what we actually produce and what we want to consume is either skimmed from others or borrowed into existence: in effect, borrowing from future value creation to live large today.
There is absolutely nothing Progressive about this rapacious "growth" of consumption based on stripmining the planet and borrowing from our future.
Rather than live within our means, we stripmine resources from others via the implicit power of Empire and the masked arbitrage of the dollar's reserve currency status.
Only the world is getting tired of our gaming and self-absorption. Now the Federal Reserve has to print the money to buy the debt we are borrowing from future citizens. Abolishing the Fed and just printing the trillions in cash just takes us on a slightly different path to insolvency and collapse. The bottom line is we can't live beyond our means forever, because the gaming, arbitrage, skimming and fraud that we depend on to fill the widening gap between what we produce and what we consume are not sustainable.
"Progressives" are fixated on income inequality as the root cause of all our problems. I too rail against the Financial Elites, for their highly concentrated wealth has naturally led to concentrated political power which has corrupted and distorted the machinery of governance.
But even if we throw off the chains of serfdom and break up the banking cartels, Wall Street and the Fed, that won't change the facts that we are facing The End of Work, the End of Empire, the end of cheap, abundant oil, the bankruptcy of our dueling paradox-ridden ideologies and of our Savior State, a.k.a. the over-reaching Central State.
What would be truly Progressive would be to articulate a new vision of sharing resources and a prosperity that rejects the "American Dream" of ever-rising "growth" of consumption. What would be truly Progressive would be a complicity-free vision of a limited Central State that no longer claims to be a Savior State or an Empire that has "interests" everywhere on the planet, a State whose mandate is restricted to safeguarding civil liberties and limiting the concentrations of wealth and power that have corrupted the machinery of governance and spawned a vast array of ever-expanding, unaccountable states within the State.
What would be truly Progressive would be to champion the dispersal and diffusion of concentrations of monopoly-cartel wealth and power, including all the monopoly-cartel-State fiefdoms which are failing so visibly, including education and sickcare.
To be truly progressive, we need to dump the "American Dream" birthright to ever-higher consumption and all the unsustainable elements of the American Project. Living honestly within our means, with transparency and accountability rather than excuses, denial, self-indulgence and a reliance on exploiting others--now that would be progressive.
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Recently, Monsanto released its data files for GM maize or corn and those files are behemoth: 491 Mb! The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is making that data available to the public on its website HERE. Be forewarned that it takes about an hour to download the files, which I did not do. The data concerns maize (corn) NK603 and is part of EFSA’s commitment to transparency and openness.
EFSA Executive Director Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle said:
Risk assessment is an evolving science and EFSA is always willing to review its past work should new robust science bring a new perspective to any of the Authority’s previous findings. With the launch of today’s initiative that aims to make data used in risk assessment publicly available, EFSA will help scientists from different areas of expertise develop research that can ultimately enrich academic literature and provide valuable new perspectives that can be included in risk assessments. This will make the conclusions of risk assessments even stronger when ensuring public health protection and further build confidence in EFSA’s work. [1]
Not having read the 491 Mb data, this author cannot make any comment regarding it. However, for those who wish to know more about what Monsanto is declaring and making public, you may be interested in obtaining that information.
The corn in the data released by Monsanto is the same variety Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, PhD, and his researchers at CRIIGEN used in their two-year study of rats fed Monsanto-produced NK603 GM corn. I found this amusing cartoon created about GM-fed rats, which shows photographs of the tumor-laden mice from the Seralini, et al. study.
Even though EFSA rejected the Seralini two-year rat study as inadequate and not scientifically sound—Why? when Monsanto’s study on that corn supposedly lasted only three months and that’s the data Monsanto submitted to have it U.S. FDA approved—and Professor Seralini’s team found the following:
a. 50% of male and 70% of female rats died prematurely. b. Both sexes of treated rats developed two to three times more large cancers. c. By the 24th month, 50 to 80% of females in treated groups developed cancers, with up to three tumors per animal. d. The first large detectable cancers appeared after the 4th month in males and after the 7th month in females. Download Your First Issue Free! Do You Want to Learn How to Become Financially Independent, Make a Living Without a Traditional Job & Finally Live Free?
Download Your Free Copy of Counter Markets e. The majority of cancers were detectable after 18 months. f. GMO developer Monsanto tested only to the end of three months and those results were given to U.S. EPA, FDA, and USDA to approve the crop.
A suggestion I would like to offer EFSA is to duplicate the Seralini study exactly for two years, not only three months, and report those results. Isn’t that what science is all about?
By the way, in the United States consumers have been eating unlabeled GMO foodstuffs since 1994. Isn’t it about time there was transparency in food labeling?
Resource:High school students should be forced to stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18, President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address. Michigan's already there – or least on its way.
as part of a comprehensive education reform package in 2010, an effort guided by former State Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland. Educators at the time said the change is long overdue, and that the plan could work as long as resources are available to help students both in high school and long before, to keep them from getting to the point where dropping out is an option. Obama called for education changes as part of his address, again calling for merit pay for successful teachers and tenure changes to remove struggling struggling teachers from classrooms. The president also called for more support for community colleges to train the unemployed for new jobs, and asked four-year schools stop increasing tuition and keep costs down to make a diploma more affordable for middle class families. Most of the reform proposals have been part of Obama's Race to the Top program since his first year in office, and have drawn opposition from teachers unions, especially in Michigan.
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The National Education Association's Representative Assembly last year approved a series of reform proposals, including some similar to those called for by Obama,
Michigan's Legislature last year approved laws to reform teacher tenure to make it easier for districts to remove even veteran teachers after a series of poor evaluations. And Gov. Rick Snyder has called for a new category of teachers – master teachers – who could be paid more without having to move up to ladder into administration. Obama said community colleges should be offered more support to turn them into “community career centers.” Obama has been supportive of community colleges in the past,
to announce a $12 billion plan to increase the number of people with in-demand skills. The president praised the nation's teachers, saying that they work “tirelessly for modest pay.” He said a good teacher can increase the lifetime earnings of a class of students by $250,000, and said a good teacher can help students escape poverty.
E-mail Dave Murray: dmurray@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ReporterDMurrayMADISON, WI - MARCH 04: Republican Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman (C) talks with Mark Dziedzic (L) and Jeff Dziedzic inside the Wisconsin State Capitol on March 4, 2011 in Madison,Wisconsin. Some demonstrators have returned to the capitol building hours after they were forced to vacate the building after occupying it for more than two weeks to protest Governor Scott Walker's attempt to push through a bill that would restrict collective bargaining for most government workers in the state. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON -- Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) is attempting to roll back one of the state's progressive labor laws, arguing that workers should be allowed to work without a day off if they so choose.
"Right now in Wisconsin, you're not supposed to work seven days in a row, which is a little ridiculous because all sorts of people want to work seven days a week," he told The Huffington Post in an interview.
Wisconsin is one of the few states in the nation where businesses "must provide employees with at least one period consisting of 24 consecutive hours of rest in each calendar week." This doesn't mean that workers get to take off once every seven days; an employee could work for up to 12 consecutive days "if the days of rest fall on the first and last days of the 2 week period."
Grothman said he finds this law "a little goofy," and he argued that rolling it back is a matter of "freedom."
He's proposing legislation that "would allow an employee to voluntarily choose to work without one day of rest in seven," according to an email sent by his office to other state lawmakers on Friday. The email, which was sent to The Huffington Post by the progressive group One Wisconsin Now, was asking lawmakers to cosponsor the bill. State Rep. Mark Born (R) is leading the legislation in the state Assembly.
"Please consider joining me in giving an employee more say in their overtime work opportunities," Grothman wrote in the email.
He explained Friday that when he was in college, he wanted to work seven days a week because it meant he would make more money from overtime.
"So a lot of times, you may have a factory that wants to run more shifts or want to work overtime and is short of people -- and the employee wants to work, and the employer wants them to work, why shouldn't they be able to work?" he asked.
Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, applauded Wisconsin for having such a progressive law on the books in the first place. He said Grothman's proposal is problematic because it may lead to employers forcing their staff to work overtime.
"It's a very hard thing to know whether something is truly voluntary or not," he explained. "If the employer puts pressure on people and lets them know they will be unhappy if workers exercise their right to have a day off, that might be enough so that no worker ever does anything but volunteer to work seven days a week."
Grothman said under his legislation, the employee would have to sign a document stating they are choosing to work seven days a week. When asked whether employers could force their employees to sign it, Grothman replied, "Well, they're not supposed to... Maybe somebody will try to break the law."
"[Gov.] Scott Walker's legislative confederate, who wants to eliminate the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day holiday and voted to water down child labor laws, now has ending the weekend in his legislative crosshairs," said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. "To do the bidding of their corporate donors, is restoration of indentured servitude coming next from the Walker Republicans?"Annoucement regarding the Bitcoin Fork and permanent support for all forked tokens
This post is also available in: 简体中文 (Chinese (Simplified))
At around the block height of 501225 Bitcoin blockchain has been forked, producing a new chain with the name “Bitcoin God”, with the token ticker code “God”. KuCoin has automatically taken a snapshot of all user BTC holdings and will issue God in a 1:1 ratio within 24 hours.Bitcoin God is a completely self monitored decentralized community. The community will decide on the quantity and receivers of its tokens.Find more about Bitcoin God: https://bitcoingod.org/
In the interest of maximizing user benefits, KuCoin will permanently support all types of forked tokens. After the fork is succeed, we will automatically issue the forked tokens to our users. Forked tokens will be issued within 24 hours with no necessary action from users. Once the forked wallets are stable, we will open them for withdrawl and determine later whether to open the relevant trading pairs dependent on the specific circumstances regarding the forked tokens.The famous Aussie couple were spotted in a rare public appearance together as they went to one of the 'happiest places on Earth', Disney World, Florida.
A DAD who took his seven-year-old daughter on a term-time holiday to Disney World has been slapped with a $3,600 fine after an epic two-year landmark legal battle costing taxpayers $235,000.
The Sun reports British dad Jon Platt, 46, refused to pay a $200 fine after he took his daughter out of school and jetted off on a seven-day family holiday to Florida in 2015.
His case had been backed by the High Court but the Supreme Court — the highest court in the land — overruled the decision.
It was sent back to magistrates where it first started two years ago in the fraught legal battle costing taxpayers $235,000.
The Department for Education has footed the bill, which is enough to pay six teachers for a year.
Platt was today convicted of failing to secure his daughter’s regular attendance at school in a hearing at Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court.
He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay $3,361 costs plus a $33 surcharge.
The dad said afterwards: “This is the end for me now, this has gone on for far too long and far too much money has been spent by me and the taxpayer.
“I’ve spent close to £30,000 (AU $50,000), a Freedom of Information request found £140,000 (AU $235,000) has been spent by the taxpayer, but if you include the Supreme Court legal costs I think it isn’t far off a quarter of a million.
“Way too much money has been spent but I’m not going to appeal it. I don’t agree with the magistrates’ decision but I’m going to respect it.
“I’m sure there’s parents out there that hate me and I’m sure there’s some who think I’m a hero. But at the end of the day I turned up to court to say not guilty to an offence I’m not guilty of. But I will respect their decision and not appeal it.”
His lawyers had argued that his continued prosecution is unfair and unjust in the eyes of the law and appealed for it to be thrown out.
Paul Greatorex QC, defending Platt, said documents from the school were “completely vague” and it was not made clear that if he took her on an unauthorised holiday he would receive a fixed penalty notice and be prosecuted if he did not pay it.
Giving the judgement, magistrate Jeannie Walker said: “The circumstances of this case fall squarely into that breach of school rules.”
Isle of Wight Council brought the challenge in a high-profile case involving businessman Platt, who took his seven-year-old daughter on a seven-day family trip to Disney World in Florida in April 2015.
He says he did not choose the date to save money but had a problem because his other kids go to a different school with different holidays.
The council prosecuted Platt after he refused to pay a $100 penalty.
But local magistrates found there was no case to answer and threw the case out, so the local authority appealed to the High Court in London.
Two senior judges upheld the magistrates’ decision and declared that Mr Platt was not acting unlawfully because his daughter had a good overall attendance record of over 92 per cent.
They said the magistrates were entitled to take into account the “wider picture” of the child’s attendance record outside of the dates she was absent on the holiday.
The decision caused a surge in term-time bookings all over England as councils were left unsure if they should apply strict rules introduced in a truancy crackdown in 2013.
It means school heads can only give permission for absences in “exceptional circumstances”, and parents who flout the rules face fines or even jail.Flashbangs play a crucial role in CS:GO, sometimes setting the difference in winning or losing a round. They're a very important part in putting a strategy into play and, if thrown effectively, can render an opponent helpless and unable to see anything for a few seconds, forcing him to give up his position.
This guide will not show you how to align flashes in determined spots at different maps. Instead, it will give you some general advice on how to make your flashes more effective, even when improvising.
- Know the map you’re playing! And I mean, really know it. Knowing that there are two bomb sites, one mid, one catwalk or one long is not enough. What I mean by knowing the map is to understand the map layout, the best walls to bounce flashbangs off, the most common spots (and even the most uncommon) where an opponent might be hiding or peeking, best bomb site spots to plant the bomb, etc.
- Throw your flashes as wide as possible, unless a specific situation suggests otherwise. Imagine this situation on Mirage’s A Site: you're playing as a Terrorist looking to get in the site through T Ramp and you know that there is one player under Palace, in Shadow, looking at Ramp. Don’t throw a pop-flash to blind him! Yes, he may get blind and hide, but you don’t know if there is another player on Stairs, in CT Spawn or even on the Site. Instead, throw it wider. Make it higher, but in a way that it still fully blinds the player in Shadow. Because it is higher, it can also affect players on Site, CT Spawn and Stairs, even if they’re not looking directly at T Ramp. It can be enough for you to push Tetris and make a 1v1 situation against the player in Shadow. Below you see an example of a Flashbang I consider incorrect in the situation I described and another I consider correct. There is a Flashbang to show where it is supposed to blow as well as the trajectories of each one.
- Use your flashbangs! I cannot stress the importance of this point enough. It is so common for players to die while still having grenades unused. Use them to clear corners, to force opponents out of their position and even to fake a push. Imagine you’re in a 1v3 situation, have a flash and you’re trying to save your gun for the next round. Use it! You may use it to get away from the spot you’re in (in case they know it) or even to burn time – although you may not know that they’re coming from one spot in particular, you can win several seconds throwing a flashbang and possibly blinding any attackers. Even if they’re not making any noise, they’re temped to run towards cover when blinded, which can give you important sound cues. Each flashbang only costs 200$ and they can save you a lot of money when used.
- Use the environment. You can use the walls, ceilings and even the floor to make a Flashbang bounce of it, getting it to explode in those hard-to-reach spots. It also allows you to put it in the right place without getting out of cover. You can get very creative with this tip, catch your opponents unaware, and make the fight easier for you.
- Make your opponents turn their back on you by peeking before the flashbang goes off. Although it is common sense to make your flashbangs as hard to see as possible to your opponent before going off, there are times you can make the exact opposite to surprise them. Throw them in a way that he will be able to clearly see it before going off. Most of the times he will try to avoid it by turning his back to it. You can take advantage of that fraction of a second to peek and surprise him. But be ready to fall back immediately if you get blinded by your own flashbang.
- If you don’t have a flashbang but have a decoy grenade instead, you can also try to fake it (they look really similar to one another when thrown) and peek before it would go off if it were the former, like in the previous tip.
- Try to understand where and how your opponents usually play. Knowing this can help you understand what are the best places and timings to use your Flashbangs, and even think of a way to blind all of them with a single one, or at least to create situations where you will only be fighting one opponent at a time. But remember that a smart player is switching spots all the time!
- Start a local game and practice flashbangs on bots to see how effective they are and how you could throw them even better. Using console commands, you can put stationary bots in spots where you want to practice a Flashbang. Using the commands sv_cheats 1, bot_add, bot_stop 1 and bot_place (in that order) will place a stationary bot where your crosshair is pointing. Make sure to use the tools available to you.
One other important point you need to always have in mind - although you can see your opponents with their arms covering their face when blind, it does not mean that they are fully flashed. They may be already recovering their vision, making them able to see just enough to get the kill on you. Don’t always assume you lost the duel purely by luck. Learn from your mistakes. You can even check the demo after the game to understand where you could have been better or why he wasn’t blind. Use that knowledge to improve your next flashbang in that very same spot.
The goal is to outsmart your opponents and it can be as simple as throwing a good flashbang to make him lose his positional advantage.
Always take these tips with a grain of salt because every situation is different. You’re playing a game where no round is the same as another one. Not all situations will require the use of Flashbangs or other utility. Sometimes even using nothing at all will surprise your opponents more than throwing the best flashbang in the world. Adapt to the playstyle of your opponents and use that to your advantage. Just remember that utility can sometimes be your best friend in such a tactics heavy game. After all, they’re tips for the general gameplay and not specific situations.
Try these tips in your next game! Maybe they will help you get that crucial kill to win the game!
Like our content? Support us by getting our merchandise in our shopSikh motorcyclists don their turbans to lobby Coffs Coast council for helmet exemption
Updated
A group of Sikh blueberry farmers — who are also enthusiastic motorbike riders — are lobbying a Coffs Coast council to allow them to ride their motorcycles without a helmet.
Being members of the Sikh community at Woolgoolga, the men have argued that the process of removing and then retying their turbans after every ride has become time consuming and cumbersome.
Ajit Nurpuri who migrated to Australia in the 1970s from India's Punjab province wears a dark purple turban when he's not on his postie bike, which only reaches a top speed of 80 km/h.
"Whenever we go to attend any functions and marriage functions, or we go to the temple we have to then tie on our turban," Mr Nurpuri said.
"To tie it properly it takes at least 10 to 15 minutes. That's why we need an exemption from wearing the helmet."
Tying a turban takes a while, bikers say
Manvir Singh, a younger member of the group, rides a more modern Harley Davidson motorcycle and said he would be happy if the exemption applied just to local roads.
"For going to the beach or going to temple you want to wear the big special turban," he said.
"My feeling is it should be limited to roads like say under 50 or 60 km/h, which is safer at those speeds.
"On the highway even if I had the exemption I would wear all the gear [helmet and leathers]."
Mr Singh said the exemption would give him more opportunity to wear his prized formal turban or "crown" rather than the smaller version he squeezes under his helmet.
For the most part fellow rider Ajit Nurpuri does not seem to have too many safety concerns when it comes to riding with just a turban.
"In the olden days [in India], people used to fight with swords and use the turban for safety," he explained.
Mr Singh explained that for baptised Sikh men and women the turban has incredible cultural significance and it was not just a matter of deciding not to wear one on the days when he rode his motorbike.
"Back in India it's a punishable offence to mess with somebody's turban and it's seen as the same as messing with somebody's life," he said.
"A formal turban or a 'crown' is roughly between seven and eight metres and it's a bit of a process to put it on, and is supposed to allow the wearer to think about the honour that comes with the process."
Sikh councillor approached for support
The riders have approached the state's first Sikh local council member John Arkan for his support.
Cr Arkan, who also runs a popular curry stand down the main street of Coffs Harbour, said that while he understood the challenges faced by both bicycle riders and motorcyclists in his community, he was committed to putting safety first.
"I would wear a helmet. I've only got this head and I don't particularly want to damage it," he said.
"The whole thing with it is that it's about safety.
"It's the law that says we wear the helmets as we should; I think that's the best way to go."
Cr Arkan explained kids including his younger son also faced similar issues when riding their push bikes.
"I'll plait his hair and put on a smaller turban and I'm still trying to find a helmet that fits," he said.
"Safety is what it's all about.
"Anyway this is a State Government matter, not for council."
Cr Arkan said he understood that the Queensland and Victorian Governments had already introduced a helmet exemption for Sikh community members who rode bicycles.
He said he would still be interested to see a formal proposal for a similar change in New South Wales.
The Sikh motorcyclists are yet to follow Cr Arkan's advice and approach their state MP Andrew Fraser, whose response may not be as positive as they would hope.
"The government needs to protect people from themselves," Mr Fraser said when asked about the issue."
Topics: road, road-transport, industry, woolgoolga-2456, coffs-harbour-2450, port-macquarie-2444
First postedJune 24th 2007
Good news, everyone! Here is a story about building my very own Bender. This, as everyone should know, is the foul mouthed, cigar smoking, booze drinking, shiny metal arsed, bending robot from the programme Futurama. More information can be found in the Wikipedia Futurama entry.
Of course just having a Bender that doesn't do anything would be a waste of time so mine shall be used for a practical purpose. One Bender himself would be proud of. I'll use him to make beer! This was actually done in the show in the episode "The Route of all Evil". The idea was suggested to me by my drinking buddy Dave. I didn't remember this until he provided the proof (typos and all):
[3/30/2007 9:21:20 AM] Simon Jansen says: Everytime I watch Futurama I want to build a bender.
[3/30/2007 9:24:14 AM] David Moore says: do you remember the episode where they brew beer inside Bender?
[3/30/2007 9:24:26 AM] David Moore says: you should build that.... a Bender brewer
[3/30/2007 9:24:28 AM] Simon Jansen says: Vaguely.\
[3/30/2007 9:24:37 AM] David Moore says: he gets all maternal
[3/30/2007 9:24:42 AM] Simon Jansen says: I could buil done out of real steel.
[3/30/2007 9:26:49 AM] David Moore says: season3 episode12: The Route of All Evil
[3/30/2007 9:26:56 AM] David Moore says: title refers to money, not beer
[3/30/2007 9:27:27 AM] Simon Jansen says: How about a Bender beer fridge? Get one of those mini fridges and build that into him?
[3/30/2007 9:28:00 AM] David Moore says: no a brewer
So, credit where credit is due!
In addition to this my Bender shall talk thanks to his very own brain. A brain, again as specified in the show in the episode "Fry and the Slurm Factory", made from a real MOS 6502 processor. This processor powered some of the great early computers such as the Vic 20 and the Apple 2 (both of which I have owned at some point). What follows is how to go about doing this. Bender is not yet complete but I shall explain what I have so far and add more as he is completed.
The first problem was figuring out what Bender looks like. Of course everyone knows what he looks like right? This is true but Bender is a cartoon character and trying to make a 2 dimensional character into a real, believable thing isn't easy. You only have to look at Anakin the Manikin from the new Star Wars films to see that! I started by watching as many episodes of Futurama as possible then searching the net for pictures. Then I started making my own drawings of Bender. I certainly didn't get every detail exactly right but I think he is sufficiently Bender like to be instantly recognisable. I had to do a best guess at Benders height but to the top of his antenna he seems to be about 6 feet tall. In the episode "The Cyber House Rules" we get to see a mug shot of Bender that also shows his height to be about 6 feet. The body dimensions were chosen to look about right and so that my beer brewing barrel would be able to fit inside the body. When I have built other props and models in the past they have always been actual objects to start with. You can often find real dimensions to work with or else work them out yourself from photographs and screen shots. You can't easily do that from a cartoon. From my first rough sketches I started drawing more detailed plans taking into account how I would physically build him. I then transferred these small drawings onto a piece of paper taped to the back of a door. This allowed me to draw Bender full size to make sure the proportions looked right. I did need to tweak my dimensions a little still but I finally got him looking about right. Or so I thought.
Once I had the basic shape figured out I had to start thinking about how to physically build him. This is the part I like best. I |
beryllium to emit greenish light. Small additions of magnesium tungstate improved the blue part of the spectrum to yield an acceptable white light. Halophosphate-based phosphors replaced beryllium-based phosphors after beryllium was found to be toxic.[62]
Electrolysis of a mixture of beryllium fluoride and sodium fluoride was used to isolate beryllium during the 19th century. The metal's high melting point makes this process more energy-consuming than corresponding processes used for the alkali metals. Early in the 20th century, the production of beryllium by the thermal decomposition of beryllium iodide was investigated following the success of a similar process for the production of zirconium, but this process proved to be uneconomical for volume production.[63]
Pure beryllium metal did not become readily available until 1957, even though it had been used as an alloying metal to harden and toughen copper much earlier. Beryllium could be produced by reducing beryllium compounds such as beryllium chloride with metallic potassium or sodium. Currently most beryllium is produced by reducing beryllium fluoride with purified magnesium. The price on the American market for vacuum-cast beryllium ingots was about $338 per pound ($745 per kilogram) in 2001.[64]
Between 1998 and 2008, the world's production of beryllium had decreased from 343 to about 200 tonnes, of which 176 tonnes (88%) came from the United States.[65][66]
Etymology
Early precursors of the word beryllium can be traced to many languages, including Latin beryllus; French béry; Ancient Greek βήρυλλος, bērullos, 'beryl'; Prakrit वॆरुलिय (veruliya); Pāli वेलुरिय (veḷuriya), भेलिरु (veḷiru) or भिलर् (viḷar) – "to become pale", in reference to the pale semiprecious gemstone beryl. The original source is probably the Sanskrit word वैडूर्य (vaidurya), which is of South Indian origin and could be related to the name of the modern city of Belur.[67] For about 160 years, beryllium was also known as glucinum or glucinium (with the accompanying chemical symbol "Gl",[68] or "G" [69]), the name coming from the Ancient Greek word for sweet: γλυκύς, due to the sweet taste of beryllium salts.[70]
Applications
Radiation windows
Beryllium target which "converts" a proton beam into a neutron beam
A square beryllium foil mounted in a steel case to be used as a window between a vacuum chamber and an X-ray microscope. Beryllium is highly transparent to X-rays owing to its low atomic number
Because of its low atomic number and very low absorption for X-rays, the oldest and still one of the most important applications of beryllium is in radiation windows for X-ray tubes. Extreme demands are placed on purity and cleanliness of beryllium to avoid artifacts in the X-ray images. Thin beryllium foils are used as radiation windows for X-ray detectors, and the extremely low absorption minimizes the heating effects caused by high intensity, low energy X-rays typical of synchrotron radiation. Vacuum-tight windows and beam-tubes for radiation experiments on synchrotrons are manufactured exclusively from beryllium. In scientific setups for various X-ray emission studies (e.g., energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) the sample holder is usually made of beryllium because its emitted X-rays have much lower energies (~100 eV) than X-rays from most studied materials.[8]
Low atomic number also makes beryllium relatively transparent to energetic particles. Therefore, it is used to build the beam pipe around the collision region in particle physics setups, such as all four main detector experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, LHCb),[71] the Tevatron and the SLAC. The low density of beryllium allows collision products to reach the surrounding detectors without significant interaction, its stiffness allows a powerful vacuum to be produced within the pipe to minimize interaction with gases, its thermal stability allows it to function correctly at temperatures of only a few degrees above absolute zero, and its diamagnetic nature keeps it from interfering with the complex multipole magnet systems used to steer and focus the particle beams.[72]
Mechanical applications
Because of its stiffness, light weight and dimensional stability over a wide temperature range, beryllium metal is used for lightweight structural components in the defense and aerospace industries in high-speed aircraft, guided missiles, spacecraft, and satellites. Several liquid-fuel rockets have used rocket nozzles made of pure beryllium.[73][74] Beryllium powder was itself studied as a rocket fuel, but this use has never materialized. A small number of extreme high-end bicycle frames have been built with beryllium.[75] From 1998 to 2000, the McLaren Formula One team used Mercedes-Benz engines with beryllium-aluminium-alloy pistons.[76] The use of beryllium engine components was banned following a protest by Scuderia Ferrari.[77]
Mixing about 2.0% beryllium into copper forms an alloy called beryllium copper that is six times stronger than copper alone.[78] Beryllium alloys are used in many applications because of their combination of elasticity, high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, high strength and hardness, nonmagnetic properties, as well as good corrosion and fatigue resistance.[6] These applications include non-sparking tools that are used near flammable gases (beryllium nickel), in springs and membranes (beryllium nickel and beryllium iron) used in surgical instruments and high temperature devices.[6] As little as 50 parts per million of beryllium alloyed with liquid magnesium leads to a significant increase in oxidation resistance and decrease in flammability.[6]
Beryllium Copper Adjustable Wrench
The high elastic stiffness of beryllium has led to its extensive use in precision instrumentation, e.g. in inertial guidance systems and in the support mechanisms for optical systems.[8] Beryllium-copper alloys were also applied as a hardening agent in "Jason pistols", which were used to strip the paint from the hulls of ships.[79]
Beryllium was also used for cantilevers in high performance phonograph cartridge styli, where its extreme stiffness and low density allowed for tracking weights to be reduced to 1 gram, yet still track high frequency passages with minimal distortion.[80]
An earlier major application of beryllium was in brakes for military airplanes because of its hardness, high melting point, and exceptional ability to dissipate heat. Environmental considerations have led to substitution by other materials.[8]
To reduce costs, beryllium can be alloyed with significant amounts of aluminium, resulting in the AlBeMet alloy (a trade name). This blend is cheaper than pure beryllium, while still retaining many desirable properties.
Mirrors
Beryllium mirrors are of particular interest. Large-area mirrors, frequently with a honeycomb support structure, are used, for example, in meteorological satellites where low weight and long-term dimensional stability are critical. Smaller beryllium mirrors are used in optical guidance systems and in fire-control systems, e.g. in the German-made Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 main battle tanks. In these systems, very rapid movement of the mirror is required which again dictates low mass and high rigidity. Usually the beryllium mirror is coated with hard electroless nickel plating which can be more easily polished to a finer optical finish than beryllium. In some applications, though, the beryllium blank is polished without any coating. This is particularly applicable to cryogenic operation where thermal expansion mismatch can cause the coating to buckle.[8]
The James Webb Space Telescope[81] will have 18 hexagonal beryllium sections for its mirrors. Because JWST will face a temperature of 33 K, the mirror is made of gold-plated beryllium, capable of handling extreme cold better than glass. Beryllium contracts and deforms less than glass – and remains more uniform – in such temperatures.[82] For the same reason, the optics of the Spitzer Space Telescope are entirely built of beryllium metal.[83]
Magnetic applications
Beryllium is non-magnetic. Therefore, tools fabricated out of beryllium-based materials are used by naval or military explosive ordnance disposal teams for work on or near naval mines, since these mines commonly have magnetic fuzes.[84] They are also found in maintenance and construction materials near magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines because of the high magnetic fields generated.[85] In the fields of radio communications and powerful (usually military) radars, hand tools made of beryllium are used to tune the highly magnetic klystrons, magnetrons, traveling wave tubes, etc., that are used for generating high levels of microwave power in the transmitters.[86]
Nuclear applications
Thin plates or foils of beryllium are sometimes used in nuclear weapon designs as the very outer layer of the plutonium pits in the primary stages of thermonuclear bombs, placed to surround the fissile material. These layers of beryllium are good "pushers" for the implosion of the plutonium-239, and they are good neutron reflectors, just as in beryllium-moderated nuclear reactors.[87]
Beryllium is also commonly used in some neutron sources in laboratory devices in which relatively few neutrons are needed (rather than having to use a nuclear reactor, or a particle accelerator-powered neutron generator). For this purpose, a target of beryllium-9 is bombarded with energetic alpha particles from a radioisotope such as polonium-210, radium-226, plutonium-238, or americium-241. In the nuclear reaction that occurs, a beryllium nucleus is transmuted into carbon-12, and one free neutron is emitted, traveling in about the same direction as the alpha particle was heading. Such alpha decay driven beryllium neutron sources, named "urchin" neutron initiators, were used in some early atomic bombs.[87] Neutron sources in which beryllium is bombarded with gamma rays from a gamma decay radioisotope, are also used to produce laboratory neutrons.[88]
Two CANDU fuel bundles: Each about 50 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter. Notice the small appendages on the fuel clad surfaces
Beryllium is also used in fuel fabrication for CANDU reactors. The fuel elements have small appendages that are resistance brazed to the fuel cladding using an induction brazing process with Be as the braze filler material. Bearing pads are brazed in place to prevent fuel bundle to pressure tube contact, and inter-element spacer pads are brazed on to prevent element to element contact.
Beryllium is also used at the Joint European Torus nuclear-fusion research laboratory, and it will be used in the more advanced ITER to condition the components which face the plasma.[89] Beryllium has also been proposed as a cladding material for nuclear fuel rods, because of its good combination of mechanical, chemical, and nuclear properties.[8] Beryllium fluoride is one of the constituent salts of the eutectic salt mixture FLiBe, which is used as a solvent, moderator and coolant in many hypothetical molten salt reactor designs, including the liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR).[90]
Acoustics
The low weight and high rigidity of beryllium make it useful as a material for high-frequency speaker drivers. Because beryllium is expensive (many times more than titanium), hard to shape due to its brittleness, and toxic if mishandled, beryllium tweeters are limited to high-end home,[91][92][93] pro audio, and public address applications.[94][95] Some high-fidelity products have been fraudulently claimed to be made of the material.[96]
Some high-end phonograph cartridges used beryllium cantilevers to improve tracking by reducing mass.[97]
Electronic
Beryllium is a p-type dopant in III-V compound semiconductors. It is widely used in materials such as GaAs, AlGaAs, InGaAs and InAlAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).[98] Cross-rolled beryllium sheet is an excellent structural support for printed circuit boards in surface-mount technology. In critical electronic applications, beryllium is both a structural support and heat sink. The application also requires a coefficient of thermal expansion that is well matched to the alumina and polyimide-glass substrates. The beryllium-beryllium oxide composite "E-Materials" have been specially designed for these electronic applications and have the additional advantage that the thermal expansion coefficient can be tailored to match diverse substrate materials.[8]
Beryllium oxide is useful for many applications that require the combined properties of an electrical insulator and an excellent heat conductor, with high strength and hardness, and a very high melting point. Beryllium oxide is frequently used as an insulator base plate in high-power transistors in radio frequency transmitters for telecommunications. Beryllium oxide is also being studied for use in increasing the thermal conductivity of uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellets.[99] Beryllium compounds were used in fluorescent lighting tubes, but this use was discontinued because of the disease berylliosis which developed in the workers who were making the tubes.[100]
Healthcare
Beryllium is a component of several dental alloys.[101][102]
Occupational safety and health
Beryllium is a health and safety issue for workers. Exposure to beryllium in the workplace can lead to a sensitization immune response and can over time develop chronic beryllium disease (CBD).[103] The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the United States researches these effects in collaboration with a major manufacturer of beryllium products. The goal of this research is to prevent sensitization and CBD by developing a better understanding of the work processes and exposures that may present a potential risk for workers, and to develop effective interventions that will reduce the risk for adverse health effects. NIOSH also conducts genetic research on sensitization and CBD, independently of this collaboration.[103] The NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods contains methods for measuring occupational exposures to beryllium.[104]
Precautions
Approximately 35 micrograms of beryllium is found in the average human body, an amount not considered harmful. Beryllium is chemically similar to magnesium and therefore can displace it from enzymes, which causes them to malfunction. Because Be2+ is a highly charged and small ion, it can easily get into many tissues and cells, where it specifically targets cell nuclei, inhibiting many enzymes, including those used for synthesizing DNA. Its toxicity is exacerbated by the fact that the body has no means to control beryllium levels, and once inside the body the beryllium cannot be removed.[107] Chronic berylliosis is a pulmonary and systemic granulomatous disease caused by inhalation of dust or fumes contaminated with beryllium; either large amounts over a short time or small amounts over a long time can lead to this ailment. Symptoms of the disease can take up to five years to develop; about a third of patients with it die and the survivors are left disabled. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists beryllium and beryllium compounds as Category 1 carcinogens.[108] In the US, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has designated a permissible exposure limit (PEL) in the workplace with a time-weighted average (TWA) 2 µg/m3 and a constant exposure limit of 5 µg/m3 over 30 minutes, with a maximum peak limit of 25 µg/m3. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set a recommended exposure limit (REL) of constant 500 ng/m3. The IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) value is 4 mg/m3.[109]
The toxicity of finely divided beryllium (dust or powder, mainly encountered in industrial settings where beryllium is produced or machined) is very well-documented. Solid beryllium metal does not carry the same hazards as airborne inhaled dust, but any hazard associated with physical contact is poorly documented. Workers handling finished beryllium pieces are routinely advised to handle them with gloves, both as a precaution and because many if not most applications of beryllium cannot tolerate residue of skin contact such as fingerprints.
Acute beryllium disease in the form of chemical pneumonitis was first reported in Europe in 1933 and in the United States in 1943. A survey found that about 5% of workers in plants manufacturing fluorescent lamps in 1949 in the United States had beryllium-related lung diseases. Chronic berylliosis resembles sarcoidosis in many respects, and the differential diagnosis is often difficult. It killed some early workers in nuclear weapons design, such as Herbert L. Anderson.[111]
Beryllium may be found in coal slag. When the slag is formulated into an abrasive agent for blasting paint and rust from hard surfaces, the beryllium can become airborne and become a source of exposure.[112]
Early researchers tasted beryllium and its various compounds for sweetness in order to verify its presence. Modern diagnostic equipment no longer necessitates this highly risky procedure and no attempt should be made to ingest this highly toxic substance.[6] Beryllium and its compounds should be handled with great care and special precautions must be taken when carrying out any activity which could result in the release of beryllium dust (lung cancer is a possible result of prolonged exposure to beryllium-laden dust). Although the use of beryllium compounds in fluorescent lighting tubes was discontinued in 1949, potential for exposure to beryllium exists in the nuclear and aerospace industries and in the refining of beryllium metal and melting of beryllium-containing alloys, the manufacturing of electronic devices, and the handling of other beryllium-containing material.[113]
A successful test for beryllium in air and on surfaces has been recently developed and published as an international voluntary consensus standard ASTM D7202. The procedure uses dilute ammonium bifluoride for dissolution and fluorescence detection with beryllium bound to sulfonated hydroxybenzoquinoline, allowing up to 100 times more sensitive detection than the recommended limit for beryllium concentration in the workplace. Fluorescence increases with increasing beryllium concentration. The new procedure has been successfully tested on a variety of surfaces and is effective for the dissolution and ultratrace detection of refractory beryllium oxide and siliceous beryllium (ASTM D7458).[114][115]
Notes
References
Further readingMaidSafe announced the great sale of $6 million of its software token, Safecoin, in just five hours of opening. MaidSafe are the makers of block-chain like technologies aimed at decentralizing just about every aspect of the Internet. This includes all Web services. This tremendous sale sets a record for any kind of crowd-sale to have ever taken place.
Taking place using the Mastercoin Protocol, the $6 million consisted of $4 million in Mastercoins and $2 milion in bitcoin. MaidSafe’s CEO, David Irvine, noticed a large difference between the two and partnered up with other large buyers to buy the remaining $2 million for Mastercoins. That was then put on sale again under the terms and with a fixed bonus award of 40% for bitcoins.
Commenting on the crowd-sale, Irvine said,
“This is the first sale of this magnitude by any company or foundation using the Mastercoin Protocol and it appeared that Mastercoin purchases were going through more quickly than Bitcoin purchases (which needed to be converted to Mastercoin), with no value fluctuation risk as the terms of 17,000 safecoins per Bitcoin were set and adhered to rigorously. In order to be fair to the Bitcoin purchasers, we bought the final $2 million with Mastercoins so we could have a more orderly, fair chance at getting safecoins to everyone who tried to get in the first day.”
Irvine further stated that the company thought that the sale would take all of the 30 days to complete. They never imagined that there would be such a huge turnout in such a short period of time.
Mastercoins
A board member of the Mastercoin Foundation, David Johnston, admitted to the strain of quickly converting bitcoin into Mastercoin during the incredibly fast-paced crowd-sale. He clarified that he and other Mastercoin owners would assist anyone who purchased Mastercoins in the past 24 hours. Safecoins will be secured at the same original offered terms.
Safecoins
Generated and secured by the SAFE aka Secure Access For Everyone network, Safecoins aid in developing a wide range of applications. Decentralized cloud storage and secure websites, that are unable to be attacked by hackers, are some examples of those applications.
429,496,729 is the number of Safecoins that will ever be available to be purchased by the general public. This is 10% of all Safecoins that will ever be generated.
MaidSafe Crowd-Sale
The MaidSafe crowd-sale began on April 22 at 9 a.m. GMT. It will continue until the allocated Safecoins are purchased (about $8 million). Each safecoin price will remain fixed throughout the end of the sale at 17,000 Safecoins for one bitcoin. All those who partake in the MaidSafe crowd-sale will be granted a bonus of 40% extra Safecoins, Irvine revealed. This means that each participant will be given 23,800 Safecoins for one bitcoin.
By the completion of the crowd-sale, the existing Safecoins will be worth about $24 million. The 70% which will remain, will be “farmed”, similar to the concept of mining for bitcoins, by anyone who is interested.
Image via MaidSafeMANILA, Philippines – Top Rank Inc. chief Bob Arum bared that Manny Pacquiao is looking to excuse himself from his duties as Philippine senator in order to stage his comeback fight.
Speaking recently to boxingscene.com’s Ryan Burton, Arum said Pacquiao has even brought up with the senate leadership the possibility of taking a leave of absence to train for a bout.
“He is going to fight. I don't know what the date is. He is working with the President of the Philippines senate for an appropriate date where he can leave the Philippines for two or three weeks to prepare for the fight,” the veteran promoter said.
Pacquiao recently ruled out an October return, saying the date is too soon since that would require him to train as early as August.
Even though the Filipino icon announced his retirement after defeating Timothy Bradley in April, there was widespread belief that he won’t stay out of the boxing limelight for good.
Talks about Pacquiao’s ring return have gained steam the past few weeks, especially when Arum reportedly reserved an October date and a venue for his prized ward.
There were also reports that a fight between Pacquiao and former multiple-division champion Adrien Broner was being negotiated, something embraced by Pacquiao’s longtime trainer Freddie Roach.
But Arum, for his part, said Broner priced himself out of the fight.
"That is correct (that Broner priced himself out). I was dealing with (Broner’s adviser) Al Haymon on making that fight. Al tried but Broner was asking for crazy money that nobody can afford so he is out and Manny is looking for another opponent,” Arum told boxingscene.com.
Arum sounded so sure about Pacquiao coming back that he said it is only a matter of figuring out how to make it happen.
“In any event, he is going to have to do most of his preparation in the Philippines – you know after he sits in the Senate – so it is going to be an interesting thing, but definitely he is looking to come back and the question is how can we arrange it,” he added.Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders are having a campaign-trail split following the leak of a recording in which Clinton disparaged Sanders’ younger supporters.
Instead of having joint events on Monday, Sanders is going to Iowa and Wisconsin on Wednesday, reports TheHill.com.
The split gives the establishment media three days to shift their attention away from Clinton’s recorded speech, where she showed contempt for Senders’ supporters.
“There’s just a deep desire to believe that we can have free college, free healthcare, that what we’ve done hasn’t gone far enough, and that we just need to, you know, go as far as, you know, Scandinavia, whatever that means, and half the people don’t know what it means but it is something that they deeply feel,” she said.
Despite the closed-door put-down of his voters by his primary rival, Sanders was still backing Clinton on Sunday.
“Well, I agree with her, what she is saying,” he said on CNN. “There are young people who went deeply into debt, worked very hard to get a good education, and yet get out of school and can’t get decent jobs … and are living in their parents’ basements. There is a point there.”In light of Blue Jackets prospect Sonny Milano's decision to play for the Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers instead of honoring a commitment with Boston College, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen issued a statement Monday affirming the NHL club did not influence the 18-year-old's decision.
#CBJ GM Jarmo Kekalainen: "We have a lot of respect for Boston College, their program and their ability to develop players. We also have... — Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) August 18, 2014
"the same kind of respect for Plymouth and their ability to develop players... which is why we didn't get involved (in Sonny Milano's)... — Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) August 18, 2014
"... decision. We left it up to the player and his family from the get-go." — Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) August 18, 2014
As such, it's apparent that Milano's decision was based more on the ability to develop his game in the Canadian Hockey League as opposed to the NCAA, and not necessarily driven by a desire to put pen to paper on his first pro contract.Can’t Escape from Crossing Fate!
We’re finally seeing more footage from BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle! The zany crossover is now playable at New York Comic Con, and we’ve heard some Cross Tag Battle first impressions from players. Earlier today, the official Arc System Works uploaded a “Play Movie” that shows battles in high quality.
The matches showcase all seven available characters — Ragna, Jin, Hyde, Linne, Yu, Yosuke, and Ruby — while playing their themes in the background, including one from the RWBY soundtrack (it sounds fitting!). There’s a couple of interesting things to note: for instance, you can pre-select who goes first during the loading screen. You can also spot a “Reject” mechanic where a player pushes the assailant back, à la Marvel vs. Capcom.
My favorite moments are right at 3:00, when Jin, while having Resonance Blaze, cuts through both opponents with an Overdrive Ice Fang, dealing a whopping 7000 damage to the off-character. There’s also a cool interaction around 6:18 when Linne is about to hit Ragna with a super, but Hyde activates his own in response, narrowly saving Ragna with a clash.
There are also some unofficial videos floating around on Twitter:
Sources: Arc System Works;@UnsafeonHit; @_AetherStarSometimes it isn’t the formation, but the personnel. Pep Guardiola stuck with his three-man defence against Atletico at the Camp Nou tonight.
Unfortunately for Atletico Madrid however, this time he managed to place each of his players in positions that best suited their individual strengths. The result was a masterful first half, and a second half switch in tactics that created even more goals for the Catalans.
Moving Dani Alves all the way back from the front three to the right of defence made perfect sense, and the consequences were plain to see.
With Alves covering any potential danger in Barcelona’s right back area, Javier Mascherano was free to roam the middle of the park and mop anything up that came his way, which he did with aplomb.
In a game where Barça’s attacking talent once again shone, special mention should go to Mascherano. The Argentine dealt admirably with anything that came his way, whether in the air or at the feet of his opponents, and his distribution helped to keep the ball moving.
Quick and precise distribution from the back is vital to Barcelona, and when they do it well, they tend to win. Mascherano banished any horrible memories of his time at the right of defence in the Mestalla, and once again proved to be a capable deputy to Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique.
Atletico were pretty poor though, and didn’t live up to their own standards from this season. Falcao looked like Clint Eastwood as the man with no name; stranded up front with no support and left to try and do it on his own.
If Atletico hoped to get anything from this game, Falcao was going to need assistance. As it was, he didn’t get any until the second half, and got little luck as a result.
Pep Guardiola isn’t someone who needs vindication, but it is evident that he has faith in his 3-4-3, and tonight it came off.
The real dilemma will appear when Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol are both back to full fitness. The two defenders are likely to be available within the next couple of weeks to play a full 90 minutes, at which point Guardiola must consider his options.
Pique and Puyol are still the most stable defensive partnership Guardiola has available, so it’s safe to assume they will be playing regularly when they return.
At that point, the 3-4-3 will become an option, or more specifically, a useful tool for both rotation and breaking down tricky opponents, rather than a necessity. What a nice luxury for Guardiola to have.
Indeed, Guardiola’s decision to revert to a 4-3-3 in the second half coincided with increased pressure from Atletico and the introduction of Gerard Pique.
Perhaps this suggests that, against teams who press Barcelona effectively high up the pitch, Guardiola will continue to use the more traditional four man back line.
Guardiola seems to have learned his lesson from Valencia in that regard. A word of warning though: if el Centro Campista readers think that when Puyol and Pique are fit, I’ll stop blabbering on about defensive options and three men versus four at the back, you can all keep dreaming. Nothing personal, I’m just a stickler for detail.
At this point, I was going to mention that, beside a wonderful goal, Lionel Messi had actually given away possession a couple of times in the first half, and Barça may have been punished by a better organised team as a result…..
That’s a clear example of the dangers of pre-writing an article before a game ends, then!
Messi added two more sublime goals to his night, and any of the three are worthy amongst their predecessors in the Messi hall of fame. David Villa’s role in Messi’s third is worth mentioning too.
A great chipped through ball from El Guaje set Messi up brilliantly, and he finished in an equally as great manner.
When they hit this kind of form Barcelona are a frightening force. Atletico will be disappointed by their first half performance, and despite conceding more goals in the second half, they generally performed much better in the second 45.
As is often the case against Barcelona however, it was too little, too late.
What’s more frightening is that Barça still have Iniesta and Alexis to come back from injury, along with the aforementioned Pique/Puyol partnership to call upon.
Business as usual at the Camp Nou then, and long may it continue.Darron Gibson: Leaving Manchester United for Everton on a four-and-a-half-year deal
Everton have signed Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson for an undisclosed fee.
Gibson has inked a four-and-a-half-year deal at Goodison Park after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.
The 24-year-old is Everton's second signing of this month's transfer window following the arrival of Landon Donovan back at Goodison Park on loan from LA Galaxy.
Gibson found himself well down the pecking order at Old Trafford in the last 18 months and has made just two appearances in the first-team this season.
The Republic of Ireland international has been tipped for a move away from United for some time with a proposed switch to Sunderland last summer falling through and now Everton have moved to bring him to Merseyside.
Gibson's arrival will come as a major boost for Everton boss David Moyes with his squad hit by a series of injuries in recent weeks.Hey HEXers. We've officially launched the alpha of HEX! Let's take a moment to celebrate that we're on the road towards beta and eventual full release. Hooray! We did it! As one of the first multi-million dollar Kickstarters to get a product into the hands of the backers, we're psyched and glad to have you aboard.
We've sent out all the invites to Grand Kings through Producers. Here's what those Backers received in their email.
Hello there, backer. You’re about to download the alpha client for HEX Trading Card Game.
Thank you for your support, but more importantly your belief in HEX. We here at Cryptozoic want to bring TCGs into the 21st century with a modern UI, functionality, eSports, and community tools while still allowing you to play, collect the game the way that you love.
Alpha is a work-in-progress. It’s going to be buggy, there’s going to be server downtime, clients will break. We’re going to fix those bugs, add functionality, stand those servers back up, and get the clients running again. You can expect improvements rolling out quickly, the game getting better and better as we go.
Typically, alpha builds for any game are closed to a small group of testers, friends and family because customers are spared the process of “how the sausage is made.” They just go to the butcher and buy the tasty sausage. Trust me-- NO ONE wants to tour the sausage factory. We consider you HEX believers part our family, all 20,000 of you, and we promised you all access to the alpha client. We’re delivering on that promise, but please understand that this is akin to moving into your new house just because there’s a floor and a roof. We still have the drywall to put up, electricians have to wire the place so to speak.
This alpha is not close to the finished product. We still have tons of work to do, but we’re delivering on the promise to the community to deliver alpha access. I want to assure the polish and implementation of the visuals is very much a work in progress, and promise by the time we roll the beta out it will be the best looking TCG ever! Thank you once again for your support,
-Cory Jones and the HEX team
After that, there's standard EULA language and then a link to download along with username, password.
A reminder that HEX employees will never, ever ask for your password.
You'll click the link to download the installer and you're on your way. The progress bar isn't very good at predicting pace, so you'll probably slow down significantly when you get to around 90% or the sharedassets files. You will be tempted to click around, maybe tap on your monitor like you'd tap a fishbowl. Your download didn't crash. It just takes a while.
Once you've installed, you're in and you can name your Lord or Lady. Remember that this is a surname, like your family name or what you'd name your house or clan. We're currently taking in community feedback on this subject since our community is so passionate about how their character is named, but we'd like to go forward with this system right now and evaluate it over the alpha. That's what alpha is for, after all.
As far as names, there's a filter in place but we will change any name that we deem as inappropriate, offensive, "trolling," etc... Naming your character isn't a game where you get to see how far you can push or what you can get away with. Use common sense. We believe in you to be better than every other online game community out there.
When Do I Get Into Alpha?
It's impossible to say at this time, but I can assure you that anytime we can safely add a batch of users to the server, we will do so. Everything is dependent on server stability and a host of other engineering variables that have yet to be tested. We will get everybody into the game as soon as we can. If you're ever looking for alpha updates, a reminder that we do a nightly update in the Alpha forums.
Bug Reporting
One of the major focuses of alpha is bug reporting. To report a bug, you click on the Bug icon on the HEX Home Page in the client. You can see it in the upper right-hand corner between the HEX logo and the globe.
That'll take you to our Bug Reporting forum where you'll be able to report bugs. Our wonderful forum moderators have put together this guide for bug reporting. In the future, this will be handled completely throughout the client.
Thank you for being a part of HEX. We're so happy to have you all be a part of the future of digital card gaming. As this is your victory as much as it is ours, take a moment to celebrate and hopefully we'll have you all in the client soon. Thanks and we'll see you for our normally scheduled Friday update.There are 3 types of people in this world:
1) Those who are for medicinal Cannabis
2) Those who don’t know enough about it…. yet.
3) Those who know about its therapeutic value but are publicly against it for their own self interests despite the cost to human life and human quality of life.
Isn’t it time we started arresting those that fall under category 3 instead of the people who use the most |
and hi-tech as they are, make my campaign about people instead of numbers, ideas instead of tactics, engagement instead of alienation.
I am committed to making San Antonio a more connected city throughout my campaign and, should I be so fortunate, my time on City Council.
*Featured/top image: District 7 candidate Mari Aguirre-Rodriguez surrounded with technology. Courtesy photo.
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Could You Live on $1,040 a Year?Two of Egypt's star youth activists visited the protesters in New York, but what they found was not quite an American Tahrir
Asmaa Mahfouz and Ahmed Maher lead an Occupy Wall Street march on Monday in New York City / Thanassis Cambanis
NEW YORK -- It was supposed to be a master class in revolutionary activism: two stars of the Tahrir Square uprising visiting Occupy Wall Street to swap tactics and sass. It ended up more like an undergraduate teach-in.
For Egyptian activists Asmaa Mahfouz and Ahmed Maher, the visit to Zuccotti Park was an exhilarating -- if surreal -- break from the punishing workload of fighting the military dictatorship back home.
"Where is the tear gas?" Maher asked with a smile, but he seemed genuinely puzzled by the cordial relations between the Wall Streeters and the cops.
Maher and Mahfouz both have been arrested before by Egypt's notoriously abusive police, and Mahfouz recently was hauled before a military court martial for allegedly insulting her country's military rulers.
Mahfouz had a question of her own. "Where are the organizers?" she asked. "There must be organizers." No one knew. She ended up chatting at the welcome table with a young man wearing a straw hat.
"How do you sustain yourselves? How do you keep yourself energized?" he asked. "That's our main problem."
"You need a message," she told him.
She inscribed an Egyptian flag ("From Tahrir Square to Wall Street") with black marker and presented it to the hundreds who gathered to hear her and Maher.
Mahfouz, 26, spent years protesting when most Egyptians stayed home, and became a phenomenon with her self-produced YouTube editorials. She lambasted rulers with homespun humor, and exhorted people to join her at protests. Eventually they did, in the millions.
Maher, 31, worked with virtually every activist group in Egypt, and founded the April 6 movement, which was instrumental in organizing textile worker strikes in 2008. His grassroots political organization boasts the kind of street muscle and labor ties that Occupy Wall Street still only hopes to build.
People asked about the role of women in the Egyptian uprising, the connections between youth and labor movements, and the importance of social media. Some of the questions were well intended but astonishingly vague: "How do you overthrow a system?" one man asked. Maher politely replied, "It's easier to overthrow a dictator than an entire system." He didn't belabor the point that the Egyptian revolutionaries, so far as they are concerned, have not yet won; they still are fighting their system. Egypt's military rulers have staged a vicious campaign against Maher's April 6 movement, accusing them with no evidence of working as American spies and subjecting them to a public inquiry.
The Americans wanted to know how they could help Egypt.
"Get your revolution done. That's the biggest help you can give us," Mahfouz said, expressing the hope that America would one day cut off the $1.3 billion yearly payments that sustain Egypt's military.
She also advised Occupy Wall Street to select its own leaders and craft a simple message "that no one can change."
On Monday evening at Zuccotti Park, Mahfouz was eager to model the fiery disobedience with which she's inspired so many Egyptians. "Let's march!" she said after an hour-long question-and-answer session, grabbing an Egyptian flag and flashing the victory sign with both hands.
A few hundred demonstrators fell in line behind her and Maher, who gamely joined the English chants. The police allowed the march onto Wall Street itself, and at each corner the American leaders consulted an officer about the preferred route. Weary of the somewhat stilted slogans, which lacked the umph and rhythm of Egyptian chants, Mahfouz and Maher taught the crowd the iconic cry of the Arab uprisings: "Al shaab yurid isqat al nizam," or "The people demand the fall of the regime." The crowd adopted its own hybrid: "Al shaab yurid isqat Wall Street."
As they wound back to Zuccotti Park, demonstrators awaited a cue from the police before crossing Broadway. It was too much for Mahfouz. She stopped in the middle of the intersection, stopped traffic, pumped a fist in the air, and demanded the fall of Wall Street. Nervous demonstrators skittered to the sidewalk, leaving Mahfouz with just the cameras and a few dozen stalwarts who seemed willing to accept her invitation to be arrested.
For a few seconds, there was a palpable crackle of tension. But the police, it seemed, didn't want the hassle. They stepped back, and without a confrontation, the moment subsided. Mahfouz joined her comrades back on the sidewalk.
"I wanted to show them that they need to be tough, even if they get arrested," she said with her trademark toothy smile. With that, she repaired for a private session with Occupy organizers -- she had finally found them -- and the long trip back to Cairo the following day.The Alchemist
The Software Alchemist
Alan Cooper Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 19, 2015
I’ve been a software professional since 1973, well over 40 years, working at my own companies for all but a few months. I’ve designed, written, and sold most every kind of software there is. All that time I’ve struggled to find a professional title for myself. Although “Programmer” is a enduring favorite, it doesn’t nearly encompass what I do. Similarly, “Designer” is a little too confining. For many years I called myself a “Software Author,” simply because nobody else did and I hoped that it would highlight that I did things differently.
Finally, just a few years ago, a colleague, Christie Dames (who happens to be a technology marketing professional) referred to me as a “Software Alchemist.” At first, the rationalist in me rebelled against that, as though she had called me an “Astrologer” or “Necromancer.” But then I realized how entirely apt the term was because software shares important traits with alchemy. One dictionary defines alchemy as, “a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.” That’s about as perfect a description of software as I can imagine. Since then I have used the title “Software Alchemist,” and that is how this blog got its name.
One dictionary defines alchemy as, “a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.” That’s about as perfect a description of software as I can imagine.
In my 1999 book, “The Inmates are Running the Asylum,” I pose a riddle for the twenty-first century: What do you get when you cross a toaster with a computer? Conventional, industrial-age logic tells you that you get a more intelligent, more capable, more functional toaster. But what you really get is a computer with heated bread slots. The nature of the device is so affected by digital technology that it no longer behaves like a toaster, or even like a toaster with benefits. Rather, it behaves like every other computer in our lives, albeit with the ability to toast bread. It is obstinate, fragile, temperamental, implacable, unrevealing of its state, and can appear to be coldly vengeful in all its actions.
Of course, with significant attention to designing the toaster’s behavior, those unpleasant characteristics can be mitigated, but only by applying the same level of skill and effort that complex, software-empowered systems demand, rather than the much simpler methods demanded by making mechanical toasters.
The point is that the addition of software changes the essential nature of the toaster, and that is exactly what software does to everything it touches. And not only is the toaster itself changed, but the nature of the company that makes the toaster changes, and eventually, the nature of the people who purchase and use it changes too. Software utterly transforms everything and anything it touches.
Software utterly transforms everything and anything it touches.
Let me give a detailed example to show what I mean. Approximately 40 years ago the publishing business was a staid, established, unchanging edifice of hundred-plus-year-old companies staffed and managed in well-worn ways. Then, slowly at first, the digital revolution began to affect it.
At first, it was just the communications media: authors began to submit manuscripts in electronic documents, and publishers began to submit page proofs to printers electronically. Next, the publishing houses learned that the editing process could be improved by using word processors instead of red pens. The entire process of submission and approval began to change as the medium digitized. Email became the mechanism for editorial review, and the process was much speeded up.
At the same time, digital technology itself was becoming a much larger industry. Computers and software were so complicated and difficult they required lots of explanatory books and documentation. Newer upstart publishers that only sold technical manuals shipped as many titles — and far more volume — as the hoary old Manhattan marques with their quaint novels. The 1980s and 1990s in publishing were decades of upheaval and corporate acquisition. Growth was so fast that the publishers of “Dummies” and “Idiots” books were hiring top-tier talent away from the establishment. Soon they were buying entire companies. Hallowed names were swallowed up: Farrar, Straus, Houghton-Mifflin, Macmillan, Prentice Hall, Simon & Schuster, Addison-Wesley, Scribner all disappeared into the history books or were resurrected with all new owners, offices, staff, and mission.
As this was happening, the printers were automating their equipment, and the days of typesetting were over. Hardcover books now came straight off presses from digital input. The design of books was done by pixel-pushers inside the publishing houses and the old graphic artists learned to use layout software or retired.
Even the culture changed. The new publishing companies were now software companies more than they were literary organizations, with a concomitant belief in streamlining the path to market along with an entrepreneurial, creative spirit, something the old houses never cared much about. Manuscripts were rushed from author to digital press in record time. The slow, contemplative, intellectual culture of the old publishing houses wasn’t something the new houses cared much about, and it disappeared.
Then came the Internet with yet another wave of change sweeping the publishing business. In the old days, the pace of publishing was metered by the pace of marketing; of advertising campaigns and catalogs and retail distribution. As marketing and retail moved to the Web with banner ads and Amazon, everything started to happen at once. Once again, the cycle of publishing sped up reshuffling once again the power and influence of the players.
Then, authors discovered that they could communicate with their readers directly via Web blogs. Not only was this a way to speak to readers directly, but an author could listen to them, too. And communicating directly was very effective marketing. Soon authors began to write blogs instead of writing books. Of course, the opposite happened also, as publishers approached popular bloggers to write books.
By the turn of the century publishing was almost unrecognizably different from the way it was just a couple of decades earlier. The few old corporate names still around were entirely new companies using historical names solely for their marketing panache.
As you can see, the effects of software on the publishing industry were primal, existential, and happened repeatedly in waves of disruption. The same is true for all industries, although probably not quite as visibly dramatic. Publishing makes a good example simply because it lives at the crossroads of so many practices that were digitized early in the digital age. My brief and incomplete summary of the changes above don’t even mention the most recent movement from the printed page to the purely electronic delivery of books directly to a reader’s digital device.
Two hundred years ago industrialization drove a similar kind of metamorphosis as digitization, but at only a fraction of the magnitude and a fraction of the speed. If you enquire, you can see how every industry, every practice, every discipline is altered at some essential level the same way that publishing was. My yoga instructor couldn’t survive without her cell phone and website. My friends who run a wood-fired mobile pizza service could not prosper without digital tools to manage their business. Everyone is affected.
For example, a 100-year-old company in the Midwest that makes wrenches has historically been in the business of making steel drop-forging processes more efficient. Today, their business is dominated by digitally dispatching their sales trucks to customers’ businesses as quickly as possible and by digitally managing their complex, international supply chain. Yes, they still drop-forge wrenches, but that part of their business has become a commodity and is no longer an arena where they might distinguish themselves as different or superior.
These days I play the alchemy game, where I try to find the digital disruption in people’s lives. I ask people I meet what line of work they are in, and then I probe gently to find how software has altered their business. Sometimes it takes awhile but the smoking gun of software always reveals itself. Software transmutes everything it touches. People who use it are changed and businesses that rely on it are changed. And enterprises are not just doing what they did faster or better (although that is often what is imagined) but they are changing on a more heartfelt level.
I am proud to be labelled a Software Alchemist, because I am intimately connected with driving these changes wherever I go. I rate myself a pretty good programmer, having worked as a self-employed programmer for many years. Ditto for why I rate myself a pretty good designer. But I have worked alongside designers and programmers who are far better than I could ever hope to be. I will never be a Jony Ive or Gary Kildall. However, in my job I connect the work of great programmers to the work of great designers. By helping to change the practice of both I make the results of their work better for everyone. The value I bring is as a bridge, a communicator, and a catalyst. The alchemist encourages the transformation of matter, while I encourage the transformation of practice.
The most meaningful advances in business management in the last 25 years have come from neither business managers nor business management academics. Instead they are bottom-up initiatives invented by those who practice the design, development, and deployment of digital artifacts.
The twin practices of software design and software development have changed dramatically in the last couple of decades. Both have invented work paradigms that have fundamentally altered the way we create digital artifacts. Because most such artifacts are commercial in nature, those paradigms also alter the way we organize and manage commercial organizations, and those changes have been strikingly relevant. In other words, the most meaningful advances in business management in the last 25 years have come from neither business managers nor business management academics. Instead they are bottom-up initiatives invented by those who practice the design, development, and deployment of digital artifacts. In particular flat, lean, and agile.
The 1990s movement away from deep hierarchies and command-and-control towards flatter, more collaborative organizations came from engineer-led companies. The more recent movement toward agile collaborative teams is the direct outcome of developers and designers trying to find a way to work together effectively despite management’s intrusion. The latest movement towards minimal investment and self-direction are the result of lean entrepreneurial teams trying to discover unmet markets before even their customers are aware of their own needs.
To be a part of this revolution is to be an alchemist, a catalyst for transformation, and to convert software to gold.Today, we are excited to publicly announce the beginning of a partnership between OTOY’s Render Token (RNDR) and Decentraland. Decentraland’s virtual ecosystem is a perfect match for the distributed network of GPUs provided by RNDR, and will further our mission of decentralizing the infrastructure that powers our virtual world.
OTOY, the company behind RNDR, is a cloud rendering company that delivers real-time, cinematic-quality 3D graphics through the browser. With existing partnerships with Facebook, Autodesk, and Unity, and customers like HBO and Disney, OTOY is a leader in its segment.
As the RNDR network scales, it will be able to work in directly with Decentraland’s user interface and integrate to provide users of the platform with easy and efficient access to the GPU network that can power assets and photorealistic viewports on the Decentraland network. This will create significant synergies between the two platforms, allowing each company to expand on their product offering for their user base.
We are excited to be releasing more updates as this project develops and takes shape! In the meantime, here are some quotes from the teams at RNDR and Decentraland:
“Being able to augment Decentraland’s asset creation pipeline and web based rendering workflow through the RNDR ecosystem opens up a world of opportunities for expanding both networks. RNDR enables dozens of 3D content creation tools — including Unity, Maya, Cinema4D and Blender, to generate and publish photorealistic 3D worlds, assets, and scenes entirely on through blockchain, so that they can be viewed in any browser-based platform, leveraging WebGL and WebXR. We are very excited to move forward with both teams and immediately get to work on making this synergy a reality for all Decentraland users.” — Jules Urbach, CEO and co-founder at OTOY.
“We are excited to combine our web-based render engine with OTOY’s cloud-based renderer to bring the highest quality of rendering, streamed directly to our users’ web browsers” — Ben Nolan, VR Lead at Decentraland.
Learn More
If you have any questions, our team is always available to chat. Feel free to send us a message via any of the channels below:toshiro kawase
Japanese artist Toshiro Kawase produces some the finest examples of ikebana I’ve ever seen.
Characterized by extreme minimalism and discipline, ikebana is one of the most intellectual forms of floral “arranging.” It requires that the practitioner intensely study the specimen in order to ascertain how to best emphasize its form. Yet, like all art, at some point the true master must transcend the intellect in order to let the spirit of the piece shine.
This delicate balance of body, mind and soul is exactly what Kawase’s pieces convey. They are like epiphanies, embodying all the tension and fragility of a state of grace. Small and yet hugely evocative, they are haikus in flowers. They are limitless energy barely contained in a halo of quiet. They are nature manipulated by man. Man in harmony with Nature.
More images here.January 14, 2011 – Kevin Burke
Even though the Knicks have been the punchline of countless jokes over the past decade, one thing that you cannot question is the passion of New York when it comes to sports. If I had to pick one sport, I’d say that New York is a baseball city (although all sports are big in New York), but even so, you’ll see plenty of empty seats at Citi Field occasionally when the Mets host games. However, although the Knicks haven’t made the playoffs in forever, The Garden is usually packed which goes to show that basketball is very relevant in the Big Apple regardless of the number in the W column.
When Amar’e Stoudemire signed with the Knicks, it injected new life in the city, even though the beloved David Lee was the casualty. Then came Raymond Felton and suddenly, people felt as if the Knicks would do something special this year. So far, that has been the case. The Knicks are off to their best start in a decade and Amar’e Stoudemire is an MVP candidate.
On the All-Star ballot for the Knicks are Amar’e, Raymond Felton and Danilo Gallinari(for some strange reason, instead of Wilson Chandler…but I digress). Gallo has no shot, Felton should definitely get the nod, and Amar’e has just surpassed Kevin Garnett for a starting position in the lineup. Voting is still open for about another week, and the Knicks haven’t had a player start an All-Star game since Pat Ewing back in 1992.
The organization has been so excited about the prospect of a Knick starting, that they launched a site dedicated to getting their players to the All-Star game. Peep this video from that site, by DJ Steve Porter, featuring some fans and celebs lobbying for Knicks to be All-Stars. If you never understood the power of a major market, this should clarify things:Guidelines to make voting more accessible were released Wednesday, but they are not binding, which leaves election reform advocates worried that the recommendations may be difficult to implement.
President Obama commissioned the report in March 2013, seeking solutions to the laundry list of problems revealed in the presidential election cycle the previous year: lines lasting for hours outside polling places, inaccurate voter registration lists, and hazards in counting overseas ballots, to name a few.
The 112-page report by the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration offers the most comprehensive recommendations to date on ways to make voting easier and more equitable. The proposals are an attempt to address the increasingly fractured voting landscape, streamlining the mechanics of voting and the registration process so that regulations are the same in every state.
“This report is honing in on the inconsistency of election administrations across the country, [which has gotten] to the point that where you live determines whether your vote will count on Election Day,” says Jocelyn Benson, director of the Michigan Center for Election Law at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit.
Many of these problems are decades old but have not been fixed despite similar reports, she says. The White House cannot force states to adopt the measures without congressional action, and it has no ability to monitor Election Day reforms in real time.
The recommendations include:
Expanding online voting registration to improve voter roll accuracy.
Expanding mail balloting or early voting before Election Day, and improving military and overseas voting access.
Greater reliance on schools as polling sites.
Updating voting technology and integrating voter data collected from Departments of Motor Vehicles with state election office lists.
Making sure that no voter should have to wait more than 30 minutes to vote.
Creating uniform training standards by state.
Auditing voting equipment after each election with full public disclosure of the results.
Many election reform advocates are cheering the report’s recommendations. They are “a significant advance in the way we think about voting,” said Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s School of Law.
“The commission makes clear that there are achievable, bipartisan reforms that can be implemented now to transform voting.… It recognizes that we can’t fix long lines until we first fix our outdated voter registration system,” Mr. Waldman said in a statement.
An online voter registry is critical to reform, advocates say, because it expands voter access.
Rock the Vote, an advocacy group based in Washington, told the commission that it has developed online registration tools over two decades and is making them available for free to state elections administrators.
Nineteen states have functioning online voter-registration systems, and five are pledging to add the technology by 2016, says Amanda Brown, national political director for Rock the Vote. She says that expanding the technology is necessary because some states, such as Texas, are passing restrictions on voting registration, which require voters to produce a state-approved form of photo identification to vote. This makes it harder for minorities, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor to vote, she and others say.
“What we’ve seen over the last two or more years is some states have been taking aggressive measures to cut back on opportunities to vote,” says Ms. Brown. “The fact that states have tried to block the vote in such egregious ways has made it harder to push forward” on reform measures of the past.
Advocates of voter ID laws say the laws help prevent voter fraud, though studies on the issue have not found significant fraud.
Some advocates worry that the new recommendations will suffer the same fate as similar reports published following past election cycles.
“You’re asking those elected in the current system to change the game that they have already won,” says Professor Benson of Wayne State. “So the commission report is helpful because it hones in on specific changes that need to happen, but without an external push, history teaches us we are unlikely to see a lot of change.”
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Mr. Obama said Wednesday that his administration intends to “publicize” the findings and “then reach out to stakeholders all across the country to make sure that we can implement this.”
The recommendations, including online tools and best practices, are available on the commission’s website, supportthevoter.gov, which is curated by the Caltech-MIT Voting Project.What’s the best way to help your image after accidentally taking the side of a gender-based smear campaign in the video game world? Put forth millions of dollars toward getting more women in the industry. Oh, and they promoted Feminist Frequency. I believe they call this a mic drop.
The background: Intel freaked out and pulled advertising from Gamasutra after a group of Gamergate supporters started an online campaign over an opinion piece they felt portrayed them negatively. When they realized they’d fallen prey to part of a large-scale harassment campaign veiled as an “ethics in journalism” cause, they released a statement which read in part, “we recognize that our action inadvertently created a perception that we are somehow taking sides in an increasingly bitter debate in the gaming community. That was not our intent, and that is not the case. When it comes to our support of equality and women, we want to be very clear: Intel believes men and women should be treated the same.”
About a month later, Intel reinstated their advertising with Gamasutra saying once again, “it was not our intent to take a position in the current controversy surrounding the gaming community.”
Intel recently revealed “MakeHers: Engaging Girls and Women in Technology through Making, Creating and Inventing,” a study focused on the progress the “makers” movement has had on encouraging girls and boys to get into STEM fields and how to keep girls involved as they get older. Yesterday, Intel announced something equally exciting. The NY Times reports:
On Tuesday, Intel said the company’s work force would better reflect the available talent pool of women and underrepresented minority groups in the United States within five years. If successful, the plan would increase the population of women, blacks, Hispanics and other groups at Intel by at least 14 percent during that period, the company said. In addition, Intel said it has established a $300 million fund to be used in the next three years [Editors’s Note: the speech, referenced below, states 5 years] to improve the diversity of the company’s work force, attract more women and minorities to the technology field and make the industry more hospitable to them once they get there. The money will be used to fund engineering scholarships and to support historically black colleges and universities.
“And make the industry more hospitable to them once they get there” is a great addition to the initiative, considering a healthy work environment is certainly a factor for those looking to get into, or who are already in, the field. The White House recently asked for women to share their stories about working in STEM fields to help inspire others to pursue those careers.
But wait! There’s more! The NY Times writes, “The company also said it would invest in efforts to bring more women into the games business, partly as an antidote to the harassment feminist critics and game developers have faced in recent months.”
Yeah, they went there.
Thanks @Intel for stepping up to lead by example and take real action in addressing rampant gender disparity within the technology industry. — Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) January 7, 2015
“This is the right time to make a bold statement,” Brian M. Krzanich, Intel’s chief executive, told the NY Times. He also told them he took the Gamergate/Gamasutra incident as an opportunity to think “more deeply about the broader issue of diversity in the tech industry,” wrote the Times. He said, “I have two daughters of my own coming up on college age. I want them to have a world that’s got equal opportunity for them.”
In his keynote address (which you can watch in its entirety on CNET) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Krzanich called diversity and inclusion in technology an “important and industry-wide issue that will shape the future.”
“A confluence of industry events has brought this issue to the center stage. From the threats and harassments that have characterized the debate in the gaming world, to the publication of hiring data and diversity statistics in the tech industry, this is a highly relevant issue and one that we all need to address,” he said in the speech. “I’m here to say tonight, it’s time to step up and do more. It’s not good enough to say we value diversity and then have our workplaces and our industry not reflect the full availability and talent pool of women and underrepresented minorities.”
Krzanich also noted Intel would be measuring and reporting their progress on the initiative on a regular basis and with “full transparency.” He also said, “We’re going to hold our leaders accountable by tying their pay to our progress.”
“Together with partners and industry leaders in diversity, gaming, and education,” said Krzanich standing in front of logos including that of Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency and the Grace Hopper Celebration, “we will make a difference.”
Part of the $300 million fund will go towards a professional women’s gaming team. “It has partnered with the International Game Developers Association, a nonprofit that will send 20 female college students to a game developer conference with Intel’s support,” says the Times, “The association wants to double the number of women working in the games industry over the next decade, according to Kate Edwards, its executive director.”
The general consensus seems to be Intel will be the first step toward other companies making the same efforts to improve diversity. The Times spoke with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. who has talked with Intel about their initiative. He said, “There is no comparison… It is far beyond at this point. I think others are going to follow their lead.” They also wrote “the company estimates that if the black population with the appropriate technical skills was fully represented at Intel today, the company’s current population of black workers would grow by about 48 percent.”
In his speech, Krzanich said, “This isn’t just good business, it’s the right thing to do.”
(images via screenshots from CNET)
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Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?"I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" is a song written by Fred Rose and American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams, released by Williams in 1952.
Background [ edit ]
The last single to be released during Williams' lifetime, it reached #1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart posthumously in January 1953. Co-writer Fred Rose, who died a year after the song's release, played a critical role in the development of Williams' songwriting; as Colin Escott points out, it was up to Rose "to separate the gold from the dross and work with Hank to transform the best ideas into integrated, complete statements, taut with commercial logic. If Rose contributed substantially, as he did on "A Mansion on the Hill" and later "Kaw-Liga," he took half-credit; if he simply doctored Hank's songs, he didn't take a share. Rose knew that he would get the publisher's half of the royalty, and there is consensus that he was not a greedy man."
Entrance marker of the Oakwood Annex Cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama
Meant to be a humorous song, as evidenced by its ironic title and chorus, the composition took on additional poignancy following Williams' death. In fact, the urban legend that the song was #1 at the time of his demise is not far from the truth, as he did in fact die in the first hours of January 1953. Williams recorded the song at Castle Studio in Nashville on June 13, 1952 with backing provided by Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Don Helms (steel guitar), Chet Atkins (lead guitar), Chuck Wright (bass) and probably Ernie Newton (bass). Atkins recalled later, "We recorded 'I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive' and after each take, he'd sit down in a chair. I remember thinking, 'Hoss, you're not jivin',' because he was so weak that all he could do was just sing a few lines, and then just fall in the chair."
The song has been covered by artists such as The Delta Rhythm Boys, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Asleep at the Wheel, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams III, and The Little Willies. Steve Earle released an album titled I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive on April 26, 2011, although only the iTunes album download includes a cover of the song. Earle often covers the song in live performances.
In other media [ edit ]
In 1999 the song was used as the theme for the BBC Radio 4 comedy Married.
. In 2008 Hank Williams' version of the song has been used as the theme for the HBO animated Comedy The Life & Times of Tim.
. Steve Earle released his first novel on May 12, 2011, which takes its title from the song and tells the story of a doctor haunted by the ghost of Hank Williams.
The song was featured in the 2013 Video Game The Last of Us.
Chart performance [ edit ]
Hank Williams version [ edit ]
Year Chart Position 1952 Billboard Country Singles[3] #1
References [ edit ]Manuel Peter Neuer ( German pronunciation: [ˈmaːnu̯eːl ˈnɔʏ.ɐ, -ɛl -]; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captain for both German club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Neuer has been described as a "sweeper-keeper" because of his unique playing style and speed when rushing off his line to anticipate opponents;[4][5][6] he is also known for his quick reflexes, excellent shot-stopping abilities, strength, long throwing range, command of his area, and accurate control and distribution of the ball.[7][8][9][10]
Regarded by pundits as the best goalkeeper in the world (he won the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award for four consecutive years between 2013 and 2016),[11][12][13][14][15][16] and as one of the best and most complete goalkeepers of all-time,[15][17][18] Neuer won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany as well as the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament,[19] and is considered by some in the sport to be the best goalkeeper in football since Lev Yashin.[4][20]
In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. The same year, he was ranked the third-best player in the world by The Guardian.
Club career [ edit ]
Schalke [ edit ]
Neuer in 2005
Neuer played for Schalke 04 II during 2003–04,[22] 2004–05, 2006–07,[23] and 2008–09.[23] Neuer signed professional terms in 2005 after progressing through every age group at his hometown club, Schalke 04. Neuer didn't make any first team appearances during the 2005–06 season.[24] He made his Bundesliga debut with Schalke when he came on to substitute the injured Frank Rost on matchday 2 of the 2006–07 season. The 20-year-old eventually won the starting position when Rost was surprisingly dropped for the crunch clash against Bayern Munich. Neuer did not disappoint and managed to secure a 2–2 draw against the defending champions. He made 27 league appearances during the 2006–07 season.[23] Despite his young age, he was widely tipped to be a potential successor to his former idol Jens Lehmann in the future for the German national team.[25]
Neuer in 2007
Neuer started the 2007–08 season by playing in three matches in the German League Cup.[26] On 5 March 2008, in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League against Porto, he almost single-handedly kept Schalke in the game with several saves, forcing the game into penalties. He then saved penalties from Bruno Alves and Lisandro López to help Schalke advance to the quarter-finals. For his heroics, he was shortlisted for the 2007–08 UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year award; he was the youngest as well as the only Bundesliga goalkeeper on the list.[27] He was one of only three Bundesliga players to play every minute in the 2007–08 season. He finished the season by making 50 appearances in all competitions.[28]
In the 2008–09 season, Schalke finished eighth in the league table and missed out on a Europa League spot. However, his good showing at the 2009 Under-21 European Championships sparked interest from Bayern Munich, with Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge declaring interest in signing the young goalkeeper. Schalke's new manager Felix Magath, however, insisted that Neuer "will play for Schalke next season".[29] In November, he was the only German goalkeeper in the list of five nominated goalkeepers for the UEFA Team of the Year.[30]
Neuer finished the 2009–10 season with 39 appearances.[31]
For the 2010–11 season, Neuer was appointed captain and led the team to its first Champions League semi-final appearance.[32] He also won the DFB Pokal in his final season with the club, as Schalke defeated MSV Duisburg 5–0.[33] On 20 April 2011, he announced that he would not be extending his contract with Schalke, which was set to expire at the end of the 2011–12 season.[34] He earned criticism by Schalke fans, who were disappointed with him leaving for |
CIA. He recruited her to work for the OSS, which was using the art of spycraft to outwit the Nazis and the Japanese army.
Fluent in Japanese, McIntosh was tasked with creating black propaganda — rumors meant to deceive the enemy. Many of her fellow spies in the OSS' office of Morale Operations were artists and writers who created fake stories.
Stationed in India, she helped mock up forged Japanese government orders that purported to inform that country's troops that it was permissible to surrender, which had long been viewed as an unacceptable and shameful act. To get the order in the hands of the Japanese, McIntosh got a Burmese agent of the OSS to kill a Japanese courier traveling through the jungle and place the forged document in his knapsack.
When the troops discovered the courier's body, they found the order and assumed it was authentic, according to a profile of McIntosh on the CIA's website. Many of the soldiers subsequently surrendered to American forces.
Another time, she delivered what she assumed was an ordinary chunk of coal to a Chinese operative of the OSS waiting near a train station in the city of Kunming.
It was actually "Black Joe," a fake lump of coal stuffed with dynamite.
The agent took it with him on a train full of Japanese soldiers. As the train crossed a bridge over a lake, he "threw the coal into the engine, jumped out, and as the train crossed the bridge, the train exploded," McIntosh told The Washington Post.
Later, she was flown behind enemy lines with future famous chef Julia Child on a small plane into China, where she worked in a "black radio station," writing scripts intended to confuse Japanese listeners.
Sometimes the scripts weren't that far off the truth. The day US forces dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima, the station's fortune-teller read from McIntosh's script, predicting that "something terrible is going to happen to Japan... to eradicate one whole area of Japan." It was just a coincidence because McIntosh actually did not know about the top-secret plans to drop the bomb.
After the war she returned home, got married, and wrote for fashion magazines, which she found so boring that she persuaded the CIA to hire her. Though she has written several books about her time in the OSS, her years at the CIA remain a mystery because she swore an oath to never reveal her work for the agency.Hello everyone. For those of you who have followed my blog, you know that I love staying in touch with my Swedish heritage. Swedes love baked goods. My favorite Swedish foods are the cookies and cakes I grew up on, which my grandmother used to bake for me in Sweden.
Much to my delight, a Swedish themed bakery named FIKA opened up around the corner last year and is filled with so many of the treats me and my children adore. FIKA’s coffee comes with a lovely, smooth aroma and delicious flavor too!
Since I’ve been so busy with the boys of late, who are both immersed in the rigors of Middle School homework, I haven’t had as much time with my little girls as I would have liked. So, this week, I decided to do special time with Marielle and take her out to breakfast at FIKA. She was thrilled.
Here’s the cardamon and cinnamon filled bun she chose, coated with pearl sugar. What is Pearl Sugar? Pearl Sugar is a type of specialty sugar that is often used in baking in Scandinavian countries. It does not melt at high temperatures so it stays intact atop your baked goods, which makes them extra special yummy with a special crunch.
A frothy hot-chocolate topped off this perfect little breakfast for Marielle.
Thanks so much for reading and check back in next week for another Weekly Wrap Up. Oh, and don’t forget to enter our Amazon giveaway!!
Love, Melissa xo
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Weekly $50 Amazon Gift Card GiveawayThe first tranche of the sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) of this financial year opened for subscription on Monday ahead of Akshaya Tritiya on April 28.Rising global uncertainties and a discount of Rs 50 per gm on the nominal value and an interest rate of 2.50 per cent per annum payable every six months on initial investment make these gold bonds a good buying option.The Reserve Bank of India on Friday announced the issue price for the new tranche of gold bonds at Rs 2,901 per gm of gold. The issue will close on April 28 and the bonds will be issued on May 12.The issue price of the bond is based on the simple average closing price (published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association) for gold of 999 purity of the week preceding the subscription period. It works out to be Rs 2,951 per gm. However, the government, in consultation with RBI, has decided to offer a discount of Rs 50 per gm on the nominal value of the sovereign gold bond.The near-term outlook for the yellow metal looks promising. IIFL in a research note said, “In our short-term outlook on gold, we still prefer the long side, given the uncertain backdrop and ongoing weakness in the US dollar.”According to SMC Investment and Advisors, the forthcoming gold buying festival of Akshaya Tritiya will boost physical demand for the yellow metal. Gold imports by India are said to have jumped almost seven-fold in March from a year earlier, as jewellers stocked up the commodity anticipating demand recovery during the ongoing wedding season.Gold consumption in India, the world’s second-biggest consumer, has been recovering after a falling to the lowest level in seven years in 2016.Investors stepped up buying of the world’s largest gold-backed exchanged-traded fund by the most in seven months amid concern over the outcome of European elections and a more aggressive US stance on North Korea, Syria and Iran as holdings in SPDR Gold Shares rose to 860.76 tonnes.The gold bonds will be sold through post offices, banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India ( SHCIL ) and recognised stock exchanges – NSE and BSE – and the minimum investment limit for these bonds will be 1 gm, while the maximum amount that can be subscribed will not be more than 500 gm per person per financial year.On a year-to-date basis, gold prices have jumped over 6 per cent to Rs 29,328 per 10 gm till April 21, 2017. As per data available with NCDEX, the precious metal was quoting at Rs 27,591 per 10 gm on January 3.The Final Call | National News
American hypocrisy exposed: U.S. slammed on racism, police brutality and human rights violations
By Charlene Muhammad -National Correspondent- | Last updated: May 18, 2015 - 11:53:47 PM
What's your opinion on this article?
As protestors demonstrated against police murders and abuses, U.S. human rights violations got attention and crit-icism of America’s rights failures continue to mount. Photo: Haroon Rajaee (R) The horrific choking death of Eric Garner at the hands of N.Y. police officers sparked outrage nationally and in-ternationally.
(FinalCall.com) - The U.S. was recently condemned by a United Nations body for human rights failures, particularly with regard to racism and police murders of Black men and boys. Activists, however, aren’t holding their breath waiting for the world super power to correct her wrongs.
America’s condemnation came via the Universal Periodic Review held every four years by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Each of the UN’s 193 member states are required to submit to a review of human rights obligations and commitments.
The hypocrisy of the U.S. lecturing the nations abroad about rights violations given rights failures at home is clear. Photo: Haroon Rajaee
More than 100 international leaders raised concerns about U.S. human rights violations tied to police brutality, the death penalty, and the torture of Guantanamo Bay prisoners.
The council’s report included 348 recommendations dealing with human rights violations, according to an American Civil Liberties expert. The ACLU participated in the UN review process.
Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU Human Rights Program, said, “the report included many fitting recommendations to address police brutality and excessive use of force as well as ending racial profiling against minorities and immigrants.” “Mexico recommended that the U.S. ‘adopt measures at the federal level to prevent and punish excessive use of force by law enforcement officials against members of ethnic and racial minorities, including unarmed persons, which disproportionately affect Afro American and undocumented migrants,’ ” he wrote on the ACLU website.
Ireland called for the U.S. to “continue to vigorously investigate recent cases of alleged police-led human rights abuses against African-Americans and seek to build improved relations and trust between U.S. law enforcement and all communities around the U.S.,” he added.
In this photo from Jan. 11, Protestors dressed as Guantanamo detainees gathered in front of the White House, in Washington, during a rally to commemorate the 13th anniversary of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Photo: AP Wide World Photo
The UN report called on the Obama administration to independently investigate allegations of torture in the war on terror and provide reparations for victims with as “full rehabilitation as possible, including medical and psychological assistance.”
“Chad considers the United States of America to be a country of freedom, but recent events targeting Black sectors of society have tarnished its image,” said Awada Angui of the UN delegation to Chad.
“This report sends a strong message of no-confidence in the U.S. human rights record. It clearly demonstrates that the United States has a long way to go to live up to its human rights obligations and commitments. This will be the last major human rights review for the Obama administration, and it offers a critical opportunity to shape the president’s human rights legacy, especially in the areas of racial justice, national security, and immigrants’ rights,” said the ACLU official.
The Obama administration has until September to respond to the 348 recommendations, make a commitment to which of the 348 recommendations will be accepted and implemented over the next four years, and which will be rejected, he said.
Many recommendations are outside of the president’s power but the Obama administration should use all executive powers to protest human rights, said Mr. Dakwar.
“If President Obama really cares about his human rights legacy, he should direct his administration to adopt a plan of action with concrete benchmarks and effective implementation mechanisms that will ensure that the U.S. indeed learns from its shortcomings,” he said.
In this file photo Nov. 20, 2013, a U.S. Navy nurse stands next to a chair with restraints, used for force-feeding, and a tray displaying nutritional shakes, a tube for feeding through the nose, and lubricants, including a jar of olive oil, during a tour of the detainee hospital at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. A lawyer for a Navy nurse who refused to force-feed prisoners on hunger strike at the base says his client won’t be punished for his protest. Atty. Ronald Meister said, May 13, the nurse is “extremely relieved” and eager to resume his career. Photo: AP Wide World Photo
Instead of looking to the UN for solutions, activists are encouraged building on momentum gained in the aftermath of youth-led uprisings in Baltimore and State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s decision to charge six officers in the death of Freddie Gray, an unarmed Black man who died a week after an encounter with police officers. He suffered a broken back and his spine was almost separated from his head.
“A really important thing is to remember that the only reason that these charges have come about on the officers in any of these cases is because the people have been rising up in tremendous ways that have really struck fear into the system,” said Aidge Patterson, coordinator for the New York-based People’s Justice for Community Control and Police Accountability, a coalition of grassroots organizations working in Black, Latino and Asian communities.
“It is at this time where we’re being asked to step back and to put our faith into the justice system, and that’s exactly what we cannot do. We have to continue to be out in the streets and really harder than we have been,” Mr. Patterson told The Final Call.
It would be an error to only allow courts to handle the problem because the justice system has proven to fail time after time, he said. Its response to brutal police murders is to allow cops to keep getting away with murder, he charged.
Expanded anti-racism training and stronger laws needed
The U.S. should strengthen legislation and expand training to eliminate racism and excessive use of force by law enforcement, said UN member states.
Police abuses are growing across America, activists noted. Take the case of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, gunned down by an officer in Cleveland, they said. The boy was playing in a park with a toy gun. Police officers responding to a 911 call, which the initial caller cautioned was “probably a juvenile” brandishing a “probably fake” gun. The dispatcher reportedly did not relay that information to responding officers. Timothy Loehmann, a 26-year-old rookie, shot Tamir less than two seconds after the patrol car pulled into the park. Tamir died the next day.
False U.S. image uncovered
The killings of Trayvon Martin, Tanisha Anderson, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and others belie the U.S.’s attempt to portray herself as an angel of light and human rights champion, activists argued.
In St. Louis and Ferguson, Mo., there were protests over loss of Black life at the hands of police officers. Con-cerns about police killings of Blacks were raised by nations looking at the U.S. human rights record. Photo: D. L. Phillips
“As a nation founded on the human rights principles of equality under the law and respect for the dignity of the individual, the United States is firmly dedicated to the promotion of human rights,” the U.S. insisted in its report submitted to the UN body.
The U.S. continued, “Human rights are embedded in our Constitution, laws, and policies at every level, and governmental action is subject to review by an independent judiciary and debated by a free press and an engaged civil society. Not only do individuals within the United States have effective legal means to seek policy, administrative, and judicial remedies for human rights violations and abuses, the government itself pursues extensive and comprehensive enforcement actions to create systematic reform.”
Nothing could be further from the truth, charged Tef Poe, a young hip hop artist and rapper from St. Louis, which is near Ferguson, Mo., another flashpoint for police violence and protests.
“We’ve been fighting this since the 1800s. They kidnapped, abducted, raped, murdered. We’ve never been recognized in this nation as humans,” he said.
It’s time for not only the UN, but for other groups that Blacks have supported in their struggles, like immigration reform advocates, to push just as hard for Blacks as Blacks have for them, he added.
Many cases are coming to light because of cell phone cameras and the ability to film the police, which is garnering at least critique by the world community, Tef Poe said.
“That’s why in the midst of this, I do have some hope, how, we brand ourselves as a people who continue to find innovative ways to expose this and fight it,” Mr. Poe said. “The struggle and conflict against White supremacy is the same as the one Palestinians are fighting, the same battled during South African apartheid and people want the same recognition.”
Police officers must be punished for murdering people, people can’t take any more watered down solutions, Tef Poe said.
Limited UN power to check the United States
But, Tef Poe added, the United Nations is really powerless when it comes to upholding human rights where Blacks and even poor Whites are involved.
“The United States owns the United Nations,” he told The Final Call.
Last year he testified at the United Nations against the U.S. on police brutality, not just against Blacks, but people tortured and left for dead by police in cities like Chicago and St. Louis.
“The first thing that I observed is that America has a stronger grip on international politics than we as Black Americans realize,” he said. “The United States of America has managed to make the rest of the world put on a pair of glasses that apparently does not recognize Black Americans as a sovereign group of people. We’re not White people. We don’t have the same history. We don’t have the same lineage, and we don’t have the same treatment, and when is the time going to come for people to own that,” he said.
The U.S. has perpetuated anti-Blackness in international politics for years by pressing the UN to ignore irrefutable facts, documentation, statistics and testimony that prove racism and brutality against Blacks in the U.S., Tef Poe said.
International politics and international solidarity are part of the fight for justice—but not a magical solution, he added.
“I think we shouldn’t have any false visions about the powers that the UN has to keep the U.S. in check, especially when we see things like in Haiti where it’s the UN soldiers out there creating a lot of the oppression for the Haitian people,” added Mr. Patterson. “They don’t even hold tiny countries like Israel accountable for what they’re doing to Palestinians, so what can they do to a country like the U.S. and really is that even their vision?”
While many countries have real criticism of the U.S. and mean well, he doubts the world body itself and UN officials can do and would do much to enforce any “recommendations.”
“A lot of powerful people are in the position they are for very specific reasons and they don’t get in those places by showing a long history of actually caring about what’s best for people all across the planet,” Mr. Patterson said.
“It is correct to say that we have international support; but it is also correct to say that we’ve always had international support,” said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. congresswoman and presidential candidate.
In an email to The Final Call, she said, “What we haven’t always had, more acutely needed in the post-Civil Rights Movement era, is internal critical mass to propel our movement forward on the policy issues that count and to have that movement last for more than one generation.”
“The reason that we don’t have internal critical mass is because too many of us are too busy chasing after ‘White-approved leaders’ who have already been selected for us instead of doing the hard work and selecting and choosing leaders for ourselves. We have reached the acme of COINTELPRO’s goals for us rather than setting our own goals for ourselves,” Ms. McKinney said.
“That, in a nutshell is why our men, especially, are still being hounded and shot dead in the street. It’s another form of castration and indicates that we are still an enslaved people. If we could free our minds, we could certainly free our bodies.”
Justice or else
Efforts are gearing up for an October gathering convened by Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan in Washington, D.C., “Justice or Else, the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March.”
“I think that’s beautiful and I think that’s very much what’s needed right now,” Mr. Patterson said. On one hand, he said, “Justice or Else” speaks to how long activists and the people have been in the streets, and how police violence and injustice against communities of color is not a new occurrence.
“They like to try to act like for some reason police are just starting to wild out now. No. It’s that people are actually being able to expose it now. It also speaks to how much without raising it to that level, how much this stuff is going to stay the same unless we raise it up to those levels and understand our history in this movement, as well as the history that this system has against us,” he said.
“I think that statement ‘Justice or Else’ really speaks to the only way we’re going to get justice, when they’re afraid that their power is going to be gone, when they’re afraid that it’s not going to just be about people voting out the next candidate or not just going to be about people being upset that justice isn’t there, but taking justice into their hands,” he said.
Tef Poe plans to join Minister Farrakhan in Washington, D.C.
“The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said something, which I believe, after you study these things, a lot of the doctrine that he was producing and a lot of the knowledge that he was putting out there, whether you agree with the lifestyle or not, he was right about a few things. And one of those components he was right about is the more we try to merge into this system, the more it’s going to reveal that it’s not capable of producing justifiable results,” Tef Poe said.
“It’s not about waiting for the justice system. It’s not about waiting for the UN. It’s not about waiting for the next governor or mayor or president that gets elected to make these changes. It’s about how are we going to make these changes ourselves?” added Mr. Patterson.BAGHDAD — Iraqi security officials said Wednesday that fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria were advancing on the Haditha Dam, the second-largest in Iraq, raising the possibility of catastrophic damage and flooding.
Worries about the dam came as Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki criticized his political rivals but did not reject entreaties by Western leaders, including a personal visit by Secretary of State John Kerry, to help defuse the crisis by forming a new government with more equitable power sharing among competing groups.
The ISIS militants advancing on the Euphrates River dam, about 120 miles northwest of Baghdad, were coming from the north, the northeast and the northwest. The fighters had already reached Burwana, on the eastern side of Haditha, and government forces were fighting to halt their advance, security officials said.
Alarmed army officers told employees to stay inside and to be prepared to open the dam’s floodgates if ordered to do so, one employee said.NORMAL, IL—According to incredulous sources, local hardware store employee and grown adult human being Rob Peterson, 37, actually expects to be happy in life.
Despite possessing a fully developed brain and a general awareness of the fundamental nature of existence, sources said Peterson apparently continues to believe that achieving long-lasting happiness is somehow possible.
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"It's almost like he thinks reaching a place of enduring contentment with yourself and your life is some sort of obtainable outcome," friend Brian McDougal said of Peterson, who reportedly lives on Earth, has experienced life, and is not mentally disabled or abusing narcotics of any kind. "He even gets upset sometimes when things don't go his way, as if misery and disappointment weren't a foregone conclusion. And then, on top of that, he'll cheer himself up by saying that 'it's all going to work out in the end.'"
"I just want to shake him and scream, 'Wake up!'" McDougal added. "Jesus Christ, he's such a downer."
Sources confirmed that while Peterson has been supplied over the years with a glut of compelling evidence that life is a zero-sum game at best—including a thwarted career as a graphic designer, multiple failed relationships, and limited financial mobility—he nevertheless continues to cling to the misguided expectation that he can and will experience real serenity and joy in the long term.
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The baffling man has also reportedly read a newspaper before, interacted with coworkers, knows how economies and political systems work, and is undergoing the process of aging, yet has made no effort to revise his original assumption.
"What really gets me is the confidence he seems to have that one day he will be able to shed all of the fears and anxieties that are hardwired into his DNA and the modern world will decide to stop being unrelentingly brutal and allow him some happiness," said coworker Miles Sagal, adding that the delusional Peterson inexplicably presumes that this not only could, but should, occur. "Whenever he's feeling low, he'll allude to some time down the road when he'll have it all 'figured out.' When exactly does he think that will happen?"
"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with this guy?" Sagal added. "He's aware that he's going to die, right?"
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Stunned sources told reporters that Peterson recently expressed genuine disappointment when something he hoped would happen did not happen, despite the fact that such a scenario is an elegant microcosm of life itself. He has also been heard to say on numerous occasions that he "just [wants] to be happy," as though returning to a state of childlike bliss were a reasonable request and not something human beings had already tried and failed to do for many thousands of years before he was born.
While modern psychiatric science maintains that long-term happiness is possible only in the realm of fairy tales, Hollywood romantic comedies, and the naïve imaginings of the youthful mind, experts said Peterson has not picked up on this universally acknowledged truth and may be suffering from the severe misapprehension that life can be what he makes of it.
"Frankly, science cannot explain this man," confirmed noted psychologist Dr. Eli Wasserbaum, adding that most people have their first realization that enduring happiness is an utter fallacy sometime in their late teens or early '20s, when their dreams for the future endure the first fissure in the process of eventual disintegration. "Anyone with the smallest degree of perceptiveness knows that happiness is, at best, a temporary emotional phenomenon. Seeing as Peterson is a college-educated adult, and not a 5-year-old kid on Christmas morning, he should really know better than to think otherwise. We're all just barely hanging on for our entire lives."
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"Hell, I'm a respected doctor who makes over $300,000 a year," Wasserbaum added. "You think I'm happy?"
At press time, Peterson was still under the mistaken impression that anything really matters at all in the end.TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 1: Quarterback Matt McGloin #11 of the Penn State Nittany Lions passes against the Florida Gators January 1, 2010 in the 25th Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin was named the winner of the 2012 Burlsworth Trophy on Monday.
The award is given to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on. It’s named after Brandon Burlsworth, a walk on at the University of Arkansas, who was eventually selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL Draft. Burlsworth was killed eleven days later in a car crash.
The other two finalists for the award were Michigan’s Jordan Kovacs, and San Jose State’s David Quessenberry. The award was decided by a fan vote.
McGloin led Penn State to an 8-4 record, throwing for 3271 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only five interceptions.The Super Nintendo console has known to turn an ugly shade of yellow with age, leading to more than a few jokes about how the Super NES Classic Edition will look in a few years.
The joke answers are not pretty.
If they really want it authentic. pic.twitter.com/8MSaEnIp75 — Game Sack (@GameSack) June 27, 2017
But the reality is that this new hardware is unlikely to discolor, although the cause of the original issue is still not known with 100 percent certainty. Most conversation on the topic centers around this answer which was reportedly sent from Nintendo customer service way back in the day:
The Super NES, as well as our other systems, are made with a plastic containing flame-retardant chemicals to meet safety guidelines. Over time, the plastic will age and discolor both because of these chemicals as well as from the normal heat generated from the product or exposure to light. Because of the light color of the plastic of the SNES and NES, this discoloration is more easily seen than with other darker plastics such as on the N64 and the Nintendo GameCube.
The article in which that answer is quoted is from 2007, although Nintendo at the time stated that the Super Nintendo isn’t being serviced so there wouldn’t be any more official comment. So we’re going off an old answer that Nintendo wouldn’t confirm a decade ago.
But we do know that the issue is more about chemistry than cleanliness because the discoloration itself is so clearly defined. On some systems the top half is yellowed, while on others it’s the bottom half. The yellowing is happening uniformly throughout each single piece of plastic, which is why the difference in color is so clear; there’s a high level of contrast at play between the discolored plastic and the plastic sheets that retained their original color.
If you encounter a system with a completely yellow body, or the discoloration is splotchy and less clearly defined... maybe put it down. And wash your hands. Those are the characteristics of a system that has lived in the home of a smoker for a very long time.
The good news is that any surface dirt, grime or accumulated nicotine isn’t that hard to scrub off, especially if you’re comfortable taking the system apart to remove the plastic shell from the electronics. If you’re dealing with a system that seems to suffer from age-related, chemical discoloration you may be able to bring the original color back using a product that was designed for human hair. You’ll also need a UV Light and a good amount of patience.
The good news is that you can find Super Nintendo systems that aren’t discolored, you can fix discolored systems if you have one and since there are clearly batches of the original plastic that never discolored so Nintendo is unlikely to make the same mistake when selecting plastics for its newer products.Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983) was an American playwright. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama.[1]
After years of obscurity, at age 33 he became suddenly famous with the success of The Glass Menagerie (1944) in New York City. This play closely reflected his own unhappy family background. It was the first of a string of successes, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), and Sweet Bird of Youth (1959). With his later work, he attempted a new style that did not appeal to audiences. Increasing alcohol and drug dependence inhibited his creative expression. His drama A Streetcar Named Desire is often numbered on short lists of the finest American plays of the 20th century alongside Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.[1]
Much of Williams' most acclaimed work has been adapted for the cinema. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.[2]
Childhood [ edit ]
Tennessee Williams (age 5) in Clarksdale, MS.
Thomas Lanier Williams III was born in Columbus, Mississippi of English, Welsh, and Huguenot ancestry, the second child of Edwina Dakin (August 9, 1884 – June 1, 1980) and Cornelius Coffin "C. C." Williams (August 21, 1879 – March 27, 1957).[3] His father was a traveling shoe salesman who became alcoholic and was frequently away from home. His mother, Edwina, was the daughter of Rose O. Dakin, a music teacher, and the Reverend Walter Dakin, an Episcopal priest from Illinois who was assigned to a parish in Clarksdale, Mississippi, shortly after Williams' birth. Williams lived in his parsonage with his family for much of his early childhood and was close to his grandparents.
He had two siblings, older sister Rose Isabel Williams (1909–1996)[4] and younger brother Walter Dakin Williams.[5] (1919[6]–2008).[7]
As a young child Williams nearly died from a case of diphtheria that left him weak and virtually confined to his house during a period of recuperation that lasted a year. At least in part as a result of his illness, he was less robust as a child than his father wished. Cornelius Williams, a descendant of hearty East Tennessee pioneer stock, had a violent temper and was a man prone to use his fists. He regarded what he thought was his son's effeminacy with disdain. Edwina, locked in an unhappy marriage, focused her overbearing attention almost entirely on her frail young son. Many critics and historians note that Williams drew from his own dysfunctional family in much of his writing.[1]
When Williams was eight years old, his father was promoted to a job at the home office of the International Shoe Company in St. Louis, Missouri. His mother's continual search for what she considered to be an appropriate address, as well as his father's heavy drinking and loudly turbulent behavior, caused them to move numerous times around St. Louis. Williams attended Soldan High School, a setting he referred to in his play The Glass Menagerie. Later he studied at University City High School.[10][11] At age 16, Williams won third prize for an essay published in Smart Set, titled "Can a Good Wife Be a Good Sport?" A year later, his short story "The Vengeance of Nitocris" was published in the August 1928 issue of the magazine Weird Tales.[12] That same year he first visited Europe with his maternal grandfather Dakin.
Education [ edit ]
From 1929 to 1931, Williams attended the University of Missouri in Columbia where he enrolled in journalism classes.[13] He was bored by his classes and distracted by unrequited love for a girl. Soon he began entering his poetry, essays, stories, and plays in writing contests, hoping to earn extra income. His first submitted play was Beauty Is the Word (1930), followed by Hot Milk at Three in the Morning (1932).[14] As recognition for Beauty, a play about rebellion against religious upbringing, he became the first freshman to receive honorable mention in a writing competition.
At University of Missouri, Williams joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, but he did not fit in well with his fraternity brothers. After he failed a military training course in his junior year, his father pulled him out of school and put him to work at the International Shoe Company factory. Although Williams hated the monotony, the job forced him out of the gentility of his upbringing. His dislike of his new 9-to-5 routine drove Williams to write prodigiously. He set a goal of writing one story a week. Williams often worked on weekends and late into the night. His mother recalled his intensity:
Tom would go to his room with black coffee and cigarettes and I would hear the typewriter clicking away at night in the silent house. Some mornings when I walked in to wake him for work, I would find him sprawled fully dressed across the bed, too tired to remove his clothes.[16]
Overworked, unhappy, and lacking further success with his writing, by his 24th birthday Williams had suffered a nervous breakdown and left his job. He drew from memories of this period, and a particular factory co-worker, to create the character Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. By the mid-1930s his mother separated from his father due to his worsening alcoholism and abusive temper. They never divorced.
In 1936, Williams enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis; while there, he wrote the play Me, Vashya (1937). In the autumn of 1937, he transferred to the University of Iowa, where he graduated with a B.A. in English in August 1938.[17] He later studied at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York City. Speaking of his early days as a playwright and an early collaborative play called Cairo, Shanghai, Bombay!, Williams wrote, "The laughter... enchanted me. Then and there the theatre and I found each other for better and for worse. I know it's the only thing that saved my life."[18] Around 1939, he adopted "Tennessee Williams" as his professional name.
Literary influences [ edit ]
Williams' writings reference some of the poets and writers he most admired in his early years: Hart Crane, Arthur Rimbaud, Anton Chekhov (from the age of ten), William Shakespeare, Clarence Darrow, D.H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, August Strindberg, William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, Emily Dickinson, William Inge, James Joyce, and Ernest Hemingway.
Career [ edit ]
As Williams struggled to gain production and an audience for his work in the late 1930s, he worked at a string of menial jobs that included a stint as caretaker on a chicken ranch in Laguna Beach, California. In 1939, with the help of his agent Audrey Wood, Williams was awarded a $1,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation in recognition of his play Battle of Angels. It was produced in Boston in 1940 and was poorly received.
Using some of the Rockefeller funds, Williams moved to New Orleans in 1939 to write for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federally funded program begun by President Franklin D. Roosevelt created to put people to work. Williams lived for a time in New Orleans' French Quarter, including 722 Toulouse Street, the setting of his 1977 play Vieux Carré. The building is now part of The Historic New Orleans Collection.[19] The Rockefeller grant brought him to the attention of the Hollywood film industry and Williams received a six-month contract as a writer from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio, earning $250 weekly.
During the winter of 1944–45, his memory play The Glass Menagerie developed from his 1943 short story "Portrait of a Girl in Glass", was produced in Chicago and garnered good reviews. It moved to New York where it became an instant hit and enjoyed a long Broadway run. Elia Kazan (who directed many of Williams' greatest successes) said of Williams: "Everything in his life is in his plays, and everything in his plays is in his life."[20] The Glass Menagerie won the award for the best play of the season, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award.
The huge success of his next play, A Streetcar Named Desire, secured his reputation as a great playwright in 1947. During the late 1940s and 1950s, Williams began to travel widely with his partner Frank Merlo (1922 – September |
a solution to the current crisis in Ukraine," he added.
The parties were trying to find a "constructive way" to solve the political crisis in Ukraine, he added.
Schaefer said that since 2009, the three foreign ministers have met each year in similar fashion.
Tensions remain high in eastern Ukraine where pro-Moscow separatists are clashing with government forces, as the country's newly-elected president, Petro Poroshenko, vowed "to ensure peace and stability" by retaining control in the eastern regions.Brookland Manor is an apartment complex that houses about 1,200 mostly low-income tenants and sprawls across 18 acres on the border between the Brookland and Brentwood neighborhoods in Northeast Washington.
Brittany Gray was still hopeful she wouldn’t end up that way. But she was also embarrassed by the lawsuit against her. Who loses their home over $25? Her subsidy pays 98 percent of the $1,168 owed in rent. Too ashamed to confide her problem to anyone, especially her 8-year-old daughter, she had arrived at landlord tenant court alone, without a job or a dollar in her pocket, and was now trying to figure out what in the world the word “quash” meant.
A clerk had handed Gray a form and asked her to fill it out using the nomenclature of the court. “This is the live writ they filed against you,” the clerk said, calling up the eviction order against her. She explained that if Gray wanted to contest her expulsion, she needed to tell the judge to “quash” the “writ.”
Blank stare.
“You want the judge to stay your writ or quash your writ?” the clerk asked again.
Blank stare. “Quash is spelled q-u-a-s-h,” the clerk finally said. “Writ is spelled w-r-i-t.”
She didn’t want to mess this up, so Gray, who dropped out of school after she got pregnant, first typed her contestation on her phone. “I never received any papers about court or that a writ has been put out for my home the only paper I received about court was mailed to me but for someone else that rent” at Brookland Manor, she wrote. She left unmentioned that she claimed she didn’t pay her rent to try to force the property owners to fix a hole in her ceiling and broken floorboards.
And then, form in hand, she waited to see the judge in the tenant courtroom, where the only sounds were benches groaning under the weight of their occupants, paper rustling, and the door creaking open and slamming closed.
A brown-haired woman noticed Gray sitting alone, looking confused, and asked whether she needed help. Gray said she did, and then she was sitting on another bench, this time outside a legal aid office at the courthouse, where a nice woman at the window said she would find a lawyer to assist her.
It was past 3 p.m. when Gray finally left. She hadn’t eaten all day. But a lawyer with Bread for the City had taken her case, submitting a request to stay her eviction, which a judge granted. Her case is now pending.
“We had to file some more stuff, and then the stay thing,” Gray said as she walked out.
“I feel like this weight is lifted off of me,” she added. “I feel way better.”
But that feeling of elation was short-lived. It was March 30. Gray, who hasn’t worked since she lost her retail job at Gymboree last year, still didn’t have any money in her pocket. The next day was still the first of the month. And rent was due in the morning.
Jennifer Jenkins and Darla Cameron contributed to this report.Digital Security for Everyone This guide is designed for beginners and non-technical people with the aim of increasing security across our whole community. Please note that security is always changing so do some extra research yourself about recommended tools. Also see: Security and tools for organising – created to strengthen Community organising and to support individual organisers. This guide was produced and mostly written by Glenn Todd. Published October 2016. These resources are released free under Creative Commons. If they are useful or you use them commercially, please donate to support our work. Eye image by Jaime Pérez Podcast Intro Phil Evans interviews Glenn Todd of ActionSkills about why digital security is so important – Listen here: 4 Digital Security Steps Every Activist Must Take
Why Secure yourself – I am not doing anything worth spying on Many people believe that they are not worth spying on. There are many reasons to protect yourself and your community…
Herd Immunity – My part in protecting everyone They are looking for a needle in a haystack. Currently most of the hay is easy to search and therefore the needle is easier to find. If every straw is much more difficult and expensive to search, then finding that needle becomes a massive challenge. We call this Herd immunity and it forces the state […]
Who are we protecting from? Security has many levels and protects you from different levels of spies. It is important to understand, the people more likely to target you are probably the least sophisticated. This means any improvement to your security will go a long way. Also, mass surveillance systems are not as sophisticated in comparison to targeted spying.
Don’t let Paranoia stop you organising Although they come with risks, digital tools allow us to leverage our actions and communications in unprecedented ways. If we stop using the these tools due to security, we have lost before we have even started. Use the tools wisely. Some risks are involved but missing the big opportunities is a far bigger risk.
Convenience VS Security Some security technologies can be less than convenient. Typing long passcodes into your phone and surfing with slower internet speeds via tor. It is up to you how much you balance security and convenience. Many security approaches and technologies do not impact on convenience so apply as many security lessons as you practically can.
Encryption works – What is encryption? The Snowden leaks has proven that encryption works and we can protect ourselves from spying. Encryption involves using advanced mathematics to scramble your data, making it impossible to access without your key (password) You can encrypt computers, phones, hard drives, folders and your communications.
Be geek street-smart – Security is not perfect High end security is very complex and can make using your technology less convenient. The aim of this guide is to implement good security and not perfect security. Unless you understand the technologies of a technical level, always assume your system is compromised and use your technology wisely. You may have perfect encrypted messaging but […]
Digital literacy – learn your technology Computers have given us powerful tools that also need maintenance and management. Learning the basics of how your computers and phones work, will make you far more savvy in understanding digital security
Multiple backups Your data can be lost in many ways: Fire, theft, failure, arrest, loss etc. You can also lose data if you apply some security measures incorrectly. Make sure you have adequate backups before you start securing and encrypting.
Regular software updates There is a constant loop happening in the IT world. Hackers find exploits in software and the software people patch them up. Make sure you apply the latest versions to all your software from operating system through to apps to websites to ensure you have the latest secure versions.
Antivirus and scanners Research, install and keep updated to protect yourself from virus and malware which is a common way to hack you. AVG free is a good one to start if you are on PC
Encrypt all devices and drives Encrypting is usually a simple matter of turning encryption on via your devices settings. By enabling encryption you make hacking your device either impossible or very difficult and resource intensive.
Smart password mangement Weak passwords are a primary way to hack you. Simple passwords can be broken by a “brute force attack” where average computers have enough resources to crack them reasonably quickly.
Location and tracking Your location is being tracked and recorded via your mobile device. Many private companies are recording and selling this info. Many drone assassinations in the Middle East are targeted via the location of a persons mobile device.
Private Internet Browsing You are being tracked, profiled and sold by many companies and your government. The good news is that there are many ways to protect yourself.
Secure Email Setting up secure encrypted email is more complex than secure messaging. Secure email can be simplified by your group using only one email service such as riseup or tutanota. This means the “end to end” (from your email to your friends email) encryption is managed by the browsers and the email provider.
Secure Messaging Secure encrypted messaging is free and easy with apps like Signal and Telgram. Please replace your sms app with Signal (or similar) to contribute to herd immunity.
Private commerce There are two major ways to buy things anonymously online. The first one is using Visa or Mastercard gift cards. These can be bought with cash at many supermarkets and at Australia Post. The other way is using the crypto-currency: Bitcoin. Please search for more information on the Bitcoin technology and how to use it.
Phone security Phones have become very complex and usually ship with dodgy settings out of the box so the first and most important rule about modern smart phones is DON”T TRUST THEM. Make sure your are geek street smart. Here are some ways to improve your phone security.
Security Culture – working in groups Security culture is an agreement made by a group which outlines the minimum security, tools and security processes the group will use. This allow individuals to understand their personal risk as well as the risk to the group and the groups actions. Security culture also build the skills of members who are lacking in technical […]
Remote Group collaboration – working online Working securely online with a group requires a security culture agreement, risk management and secure online tools.
Phones and laptops in meetings Microphones and cameras can be remotely activated without you knowing and can be switched on remotely. Good practice is to gather all devices and remove them from meetings. Even if they have dead batteries, this encourages good security culture. Some people place tape over their laptop camera because someone watching you remotely is creepy.
Databases and CRMs (In our context ) A database is a collection of information on people. A CRM (Client Relationship Manager) is a specialised database for managing people’s information, interactions and relationships with people. As database tools become more advanced, we are increasingly building up a lot of information so we need to pay special attention to privacy […]
Advanced anonymous internet So you want to be a ninja online? Like martial arts to be truly invisible online you need to spend a lot of time becoming an expert in the technology. There are no shortcuts to becoming a martial arts ninja but there are some ways to skill up without being a top level security geek.
Cryptoparties – getting personal help A cryptoparty is an event where people with computer and security skills come along to help people who dont have these skills. So if you would like to learn some skills in person and get some personal help on securing your phone and laptop, this is the party for you. Visit the Crypto Australia website […]CONVENTION: FIANNA FÁIL have selected three candidates to contest the general election in Laois-Offaly - the Taoiseach's brother, councillor Barry Cowen and sitting TDs John Moloney and Seán Fleming.
Speaking after the selection convention in Tullamore last night, Mr Moloney said he was relieved at the result. "I'm relieved that I am part of the party ticket for the campaign and I'll just look forward to it."
Seán Fleming said he didn't think "it was ever really sustainable that one of the TDs would not be selected by the convention tonight".
Mr Cowen thanked the estimated 750 delegates for his selection. "I believe I have the suitability, the work rate, the commitment to prove you right," he said.
Mr Cowen said he would be able to "connect and engage with the public".
Fianna Fáil's planned electoral strategy of running a single candidate in each county prompted the resignation of the Taoiseach former running mate, councillor John Foley, who had hoped to run for the party in Co Offaly.
Mr Foley, who missed out on a seat in the 2007 general election by 400 votes, claimed the Edenderry area had never been without a candidate in any general election.
He gave party leader Micheál Martin a deadline of 5pm to contact him in relation to running in Offaly.
When the deadline passed, he held a press conference in Patrick Larkin's pub in Edenderry to announce his intention to run as an Independent candidate.
"I cannot stand idly by and allow this to be the case. I have always promised the people of Offaly that they could rely on me.
"I have never yet or never will break that promise. Bearing that in mind, I intend to stand in the general election as an Independent candidate," Mr Foley told the gathering.Thomas Ultican is a teacher of physics and mathematics at a high school in California. The students in his school are 50% English language learners and 75% Title I (poor).
He writes here that the charter experiment has been a disaster for public schools. California was second in the nation to pass a charter law in 1992, and now 9% of the children are in charter schools. While the charter schools have a rich and powerful lobby, the public schools suffer from underfunding and overcrowding. The charters get to choose their students, and some charters are located in affluent communities, where they serve the children of the rich. This is very far from what charters were supposed to be when they were first proposed in 1988. Ultican writes that it is time to change the law in California and ban charters outright.
Ultican writes:
Today, twelve percent of all schools in California are charter schools with 9% of all state supported students attending charter schools. In these more than two decades; charter schools have enriched some people – have harmed public schools – have not improved publicly financed education – have increased segregation – have increased the cost of publicly financed education – have paid foreign based entities to operate schools in California – have generated massive fraud.
The California charter school experiment should be ended and these undemocratic publicly financed institutions should be carefully transitioned into the public schools system.The Polish government has defended its agreement to EU migrant relocations, amid tricky domestic politics.
Piotr Stachanczyk, its state secretary for immigration, told press in Brussels on Tuesday (22 September), that Poland had a bigger say in talks on the scheme because it abandoned the No camp, which contained the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Korwin party website on Wednesday (Photo: partiakorwin.pl)
“We couldn’t have blocked the [EU] Council decision even if we were four. We could have said No and had no say in the negotiations, or we could have done what we did”, he noted.
He said one of Warsaw's red lines was to remove a European Commission “key” - on how to redistribute migrants based on population size and wealth - from the EU legal text.
“Member states have agreed to the figures, but excluded from the decision any system of counting, which could, in future, be used as a precedent for further quotas. There’s no such mechanism. There’s just the naked figures that we agreed”, he explained.
He said if Ukrainian refugees arrive en masse in Poland, then it'll “almost automatically” stop taking people from Greece and Italy.
He noted the EU system lets Warsaw express a preference for Christian instead of Muslim refugees.
He also described Tuesday’s deal as a trade-off on national security.
He said the system will only be implemented if Greece and Italy seal borders and register migrants.
He said the “real danger” isn't relocating 120,000 refugees, but having two “holes” in EU borders - Greece and Italy - where “3,000 to 5,000 people a day enter the EU and disappear somewhere”.
He also said only refugees who've been vetted “not just by our security services, but jointly by the services of all member states” will be allowed in.
The official downplayed the numbers.
He said Poland will initially take 4,600 to 4,800 people, based on 66,000 relocations from Greece and Italy.
But he noted it'll take a separate Council decision, “perhaps one year from now”, to relocate a second batch of 54,000 people.
With Polish elections round the corner on 25 October, he added there’ll be no new arrivals in Poland “any time soon”, because the system will be slow to get up and running.
Scandal?
For her part, Beata Szydlo, from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, told Polish TV on Wednesday that Poland “cheated” its allies - the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.
She said it’s false to claim the EU decision isn't a precedent.
“The parameters, which were imposed yesterday on nation states, are a precedent which can, in years to come, result … in us taking in additional groups [of refugees]”.
She also said the 4,600-or-so figure is fake because family members will be allowed to join initial arrivals.
“The [EU] decision … is a scandal. It was adopted against national security and without the agreement of the Polish people”.
Far-right
Szydlo is running for PM against the incumbent, Ewa Kopacz, from the centre-right Civic Platform party.
The latest poll, by Millward Brown for Polish TVN and TVN24 on Monday, says Szydlo is ahead on 33 percent, with Kopacz on 22.
The far-right Korwin party is on 7 percent, up two points from the last survey, with pundits saying it might link up with Law and Justice in a coalition.
Korwin's website, on Wednesday, displayed an image of masked men with guns and the slogan “No to an Islamic district in our city!”.Ilkay Gundogan has been sidelined by a knee injury since December. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has taken part in a light training session as he steps up his recovery from a knee ligament injury.
Gundogan has not played since he damaged ligaments in his right knee during City's home match against Watford on Dec. 14.
But he was pictured taking part in an individual session with City's medical staff at the club's training ground on Tuesday.
The Germany international, 26, joined City from Borussia Dortmund last summer and made 16 appearances, scoring five times including a brace in the 3-1 Champions League win over Barcelona.
Also on Tuesday, Manchester City announced that goalkeeper Angus Gunn will return to Norwich City on a season-long loan.
Gunn 21, came up through Norwich's academy before moving to Manchester in 2011. He has yet to play for City's senior team but was commonly available on the bench last season.
"It's a great pleasure for me to come back and sign on loan," Gunn told Norwich's website. "The main thing for me is to come and get experience, so to mix that in with coming to Norwich is a great feeling."Smithfield-based company accused of flying terror suspects across globe Copyright by WNCN - All rights reserved Video
SMITHFIELD, N.C. (WNCN) - The CIA is accused of using Aero Contractors, based out of Smithfield, to move terror suspects all over the globe.
Aero Contractors is accused of moving terror suspects from all over the world to secret camps for interrogation.
The flights have been called the "torture taxi."
If you have been to downtown Smithfield chances are the bright yellow trim at Crickets Diner caught your attention.
What is hidden from your sight, tucked behind the trees and across a field, is an airplane hanger.
The hanger is owned by Aero Contractors, the company said to be transport arm for the CIA.
"I believe there is a large body of evidence that Aero Contractors has been involved in illegal activity, conspiracy to kidnap, assistance to kidnapping and transport of helpless victims to torture," said Christina Cowger with the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture.
According to a 2007 investigation, state officials were more than aware of the operations of Aero Contractors.
In fact, several state legislators asked the attorney general to launch a separate investigation.
There have been no direct allegations that employees of the company were engaged in the torture of terror suspects, but there are allegations that they moved suspects to secret camps all around the globe.
Cowger claims that is a violation of the law. She also says the state and federal government are complicit by Aero to rent space in a taxpayer funded building.
"No, I don't think it is appropriate that our tax dollars are used to fortify the corner of the airport that Aero Contractors is housed at, I think it is deliberate effort to cover up and conceal from the public what Aero Contractors is doing," Cowger said.
On the far side of the airport the fence has seen better days, allowing anyone to walk right onto the runway.
A stark contrast to the entrance of Aero.
Cowger says the fence and other security equipment were paid for by you the taxpayer.
CBS North Carolina was turned away at the gate when reporter Richard Essex attempted to take a look.
David Crane, a former intelligence officer and federal prosecutor, claims 9/11 pushed the U.S. into the dark, slippery shadows of interrogation.
"The United States did not torture individuals until after 9/11. It was against policy, and it just wasn't the way we did business," Crane said.
The North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture is hosting two days of testimony here in Raleigh and are expected to issue a report next summer.Dr. Franklin Lamb, Contributing Writer
Activist Post
TRIPOLI — This observer’s tentative appraisal of Tuesday’s events along the north Tripoli port area as of late afternoon 8/23/11 is that the “65,000 well trained and well-armed troops” hyped Sunday by the Gaddafi government don’t in fact exist and that the pockets of government troops here in Tripoli and across Libya that do, will continue to resist what it views as NATO aggression designed to usurp the country’s oil and add Libya to Africom.
NATO is widely viewed in Tripoli as having violated the three main terms of UNSCR 1973, to wit, NATO did engage in regime change, it did take sides in a civil war, it did arm one side, and it did refuse to allow a negotiated diplomatic settlement which many here and internationally believe could have been achieved by early April, thus saving hundreds Libyan lives. NATO’s more than 160 days of bombing are seen as egregious violations of UNSCR 1973, Article 2 (7) of the UN Charter and numerous provisions of international law, all part of its campaign to secure Libyan oil and this rich countries geopolitical cooperation for the US, UK, France, Italy and their NATO allies.
I am told that some Gaddafi loyalists are headed to the colonel’s home town of Serte to prepare to defend it. Some of my reasons for these tentative conclusions include the no-show government troops, the intensifying NATO bombings of Tripoli, which is the only reason the rebels have not negotiated an end to this conflict last April, and my tentative conclusion that there is no reason for massive numbers of government troops, if they existed, not to challenge the increasing numbers of NATO rebels who appear to be sitting ducks as they tool around Tripoli’s troops. According to journalists who arrived at this hotel yesterday from the west, south and east, there appear to be no government forces moving toward Tripoli to join in an Alamo type last-stand battle.
During the early afternoon of 8/23/11, power and Internet were cut from our hotel and again the sealed windowed rooms heated up fast and had to be essentially vacated unless one stayed in the bathtub filled with tepid tap water. We currently have no local or international phone service or information from outside Libya or any knowledge of what is being reported internationally about Libya.
On Monday night August 22, 2011 I met with Saif al Islam. He was not captured and he is not dead.
At least not as of 11 p.m. 8/22/11 or roughly 24 hours after the NTC and the ICC claim he was captured and was being prepared for transport to The Hague. Saif was defiant and he gave assurances that his family was safe and that NATO would be defeated politically for its crimes against Libyan civilians.
Saif took a western camera man and reporter on a short tour of Tripoli showing them that NATO was not in control—not 95% in control of Tripoli as the NTC rep in London has been claiming since Sunday night and not 80% in control of Tripoli as the White House & NATO’s “Operation protect the Libyan civilians” CEO, Rasmussen, has claimed. But the rebels do appear to currently control large swatches of Libya’s capitol. A journalist from the UK Independent who has been with the rebels for the past more than two months and who seemed to literally sort of stumble into our hotel yesterday told me this morning that NTC claims made during the period he was with them were “complete bullshit.”
Saif, Colonel Gaddafi’s onetime heir apparent, was in good spirits and exuded confidence. In conversation with one Yankee who he knew earned his PhD at the London School of Economics, that contrary to media reports last spring that Saif bought his PhD from LSE, that it’s not true and he in fact worked hard for nearly three years researching and writing his doctoral dissertation on community development. He was offended by reports than he did not. I tend to believe him because I found the LSE academically tough and my advisor Professor David Johnson and his Thesis Examination Committee trio, to my chagrin, went over my dissertation, Pollution as a Problem of International Law, for nearly three hours, paragraph by paragraph during my oral Thesis defense, more than two decades ago. I am thinking and assuming that LSE has not lowered its academic standards since the days of Harold Laski and David Johnson.
My new “office” is located in the outside patio area above the swimming pool and gardens of the “7 star” Corinthia hotel. Wonderful sea view overlooking Tripoli harbor to the north and the old city of Tripoli to the south. When a bomb hits or sustained gunfire erupts the office quickly moves just inside the glassed in restaurant which features the ONLY ‘hot’ electric plug among the more than 6000 currently dead ones in this hotel. Nobody knows when the hotel generator will crash ending the last of the wattage here and exhausting laptop and mobile phone batteries.
The inside of the hotel is sweltering having had no A/C for more than 48 hours. Wanting some fresh air, I prop open a door to the former Japanese Sushi Bar on the outside patio, but Miss Lorraine, the hotel manager, scolds me. “You bloody American”, she seethed at me yesterday. “First your bloody government brings NATO to bomb us to pieces and now you fill my hotel with birds! Damn all of you!”
It’s true that Lorraine sometimes gets a little upset when a bomb goes off and some of the birds from the hotel garden fly into the hotel’s two-level grand lobby complete with lots of plants and palm trees where the poor frightened birds seek safety. They seem to like it inside our hotel.
Concerning the outdoor hotel garden, for some reason the garden lights are always on (last night the only ones in all of north Tripoli that I could see) and the garden fountains continue pumping which of course uses up quite valuable generator fuel oil. Lorraine laments: “As you know Mr. Lamb, the staff has abandoned me and I don’t know where the switch is—I would be ever so grateful if you could find it. I think it’s out there in the garden somewhere, and turn it off. Really I would!” Well, I did find the switch, turned off the fountains and the garden lights and Lorraine suddenly likes me again. Would that all women were so easy to please.
Yesterday one of the few staff people around here offered me the leaders framed picture (way too big to transport!) and a green flag that had been removed from outside the hotel’s main entrance. Miss Lorraine became distressed because she thought if I was caught with a green flag I could be in trouble. So, as not to cause her more stress, I declined with the knowledge that I already have a few packed away as gifts for friends.
The green flags and the gold frame picture of Gaddafi that were removed two nights ago suddenly returned overnight. There had been a heated discussion by remaining senior hotel management staff— numbering two it appears– about the wisdom of removing them. For now they are back where they were.
9:25 a.m. Two NATO bombs blast nearby. Three “security guys” from resting on a lobby couch run outside to see what happened. More birds come in and I again move my table away from the patio door.
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9:43 a.m. Anti-aircraft gun fire hits the side of the hotel chipping the concrete siding near the garden entrance so I move one flight downstairs to the lobby.
10:20 a.m. A very long convoy of 237 rebel pickups, some with mounted anti-aircraft guns and filled with young fighters with RPG’s and AK-47’s and heavier guns, pass within 100 yards of me and the hotel balcony above the swimming pool and the seaside road — driving east along the sea front. They passed in front of the Marriott and Bab al Bahar (“gate to the sea”) hotel complex of five tall buildings, apparently unaware that yesterday at about the same time 22 truckloads of government troops turned right into that same complex and at least some of them went underground. Last night there was gunfire from the government troop location but as of this moment the government troops are undiscovered (if they did not redeploy overnight) and did not fire on the passing rebel convoy although the rebels slow moving convoy must have presented an attractive target. Again one wonders if the government’s troops are laying an elaborate trap for their enemies or if they have decided to sit out this phase and wait to learn whether Gaddafi’s regime can hang on. Of if they even exist in significant numbers.
The three “battle hardened journalists” who just arrived at this hotel are debating if the rebel’s convoy was in retreat or was advancing. My own two cents worth is that they were advancing toward the Bab al Azizya (“splendid gate”) Gaddafi barracks which as of this morning NATO has bombed a reported 144 times. I base my view on the serious looks on the rebel’s faces, their evident adrenalin, the fact that their advance is slow and fairly ordered including five ambulances bringing up the rear and the fact that some of them seem to be checking their weapons and ammunition belts as if preparing for a firefight. Some fighters eye us sternly seemingly unsure whether we are friend or foe. We wave at them and some wave back. However, moments later we hear gunfire from our rear and it appears that someone is firing at us thinking we are supporting the rebels. Kim and I duck into the hotel foyer but he goes back out.
10:40 a.m. Heavy gunfire is heard from the direction of Bab al Azizia Kaddafi barracks.
10:55 a.m. 20 minutes of heavy small arms and mortar rounds erupt and appear to be fired toward Gaddafi’s compound. Maybe it is from the rebel’s convoy that just past but the three battles hardened journalists, including the UK Independent’s Kim, who I have joined up with for the time being, are debating the subject. Very close AK-47 gunfire. We come back inside.
12:35 p.m. Two “rebel representatives” arrived at the main entrance of our hotel and caused a stir inside the lobby at the front desk. This hotel has zero security now, the last two uniformed security guys left early yesterday. The two “rebel” guys offered protection for the handful of us here. There was shouting as the front desk guys refused their offer. Eventually the “rebels” left. The hotel guys said the visitors were indeed local rebel “criminals” and that they had come to loot the hotel and not to protect it. However, there are exactly 8 rooms currently being occupied and one of the journalist’s claims he was already robbed on route from Zawiyeh yesterday just in front of the hotel. His laptop and his cash were stolen. Front desk hotel staff claims that today the “rebels” stole one car, tried but failed to hot wire two others, and stole ten computers from the hotel office. They also reportedly set up a rebel checkpoint at Gate Two outside our hotel and replaced the green flags with rebel tricolors. I declined to go check.
The AP’s man, Martin, who also arrived yesterday, just told me that the rebels now control the North Tripoli port area where our hotel is situated. My thoughts move to the 22 truckloads of government fighters who I saw disappear yesterday morning among the seaside hotels near our hotel. Meanwhile, the UK Independent’s men Kim reported that visas are no longer required to enter Libya from Tunisia.
12:50 p.m. A shorter convoy of 47 rebel vehicles passed the hotel. Maybe part of the earlier group on a victory lap or just patrolling or flaunting their control or perhaps it was a new group. They did not appear in a hurry or very anxious. We photographed them without their objection as they waved and drove into West Tripoli.
American Natural Superfood - Free Sample 1:30 p.m. Three rockets hit near what appears to be Bab al Azizia. Heavy gunfire and two more rockets or mortars follow. AP’s Martin and the Independent’s Kim go out to look. Two more mortars appear to hit in the direction of Bab al Azizia. Kim reported that for some reason no one seems to need a visa to enter now from Jerba, Tunisia and he also thinks that perhaps the Kaddafi regime may have set a trap and will close it when his forces see the whites of rebel’s eyes. One rebel media representative who re-defected back to the Gaddafi regime from the rebels is being interviewed by a journalist this afternoon. He told us that the NATO office in Naples is writing or vetting all NTC communications and that they have on their staff Israel Defense Ministry of Information psych-warfare specialists who are producing “panic causing leaflets & mobile phone messages” as well as putting out false claims at key moments for maximum impact on international and local public opinion. I’m not sure if NATO recalls how during the July 2006 war in Lebanon, Hezbollah took IDF and US Israeli lobby psych-war propaganda and wrapped it around Israel’s neck during the 33 day war. However, it appears from here that the West is gobbling up the fake NTC (NATO) “media advisories” being regurgitated by “Libya experts” interviewed ad nausea on CNN, BCC, FOX and other MSM outlets who pontificate about the NTC’s democrats stunning achievement. The above noted interviewee also claims that he heard rumors that NATO has dropped hit teams to control the messages coming from non MSM reporters who depict NATO and rebel activities in a negative light. Time may tell. 4:14 p.m. It appears that the hotel generator crashed so there is currently no power whatsoever at the hotel including no elevator. I am not relishing the 18-floor hike up to my room especially given my throbbing right leg. 6:15 p.m. The young man who let me borrow his bicycle rushed into the Corinthia hotel to tell us that Gaddafi’s compound at Bab al Azizia has been taken by “NATO rebel” forces following the nearly 9 hour battle. A high ranking Gaddafi official advised me last night that he expected Gaddafi’s compound would be taken and that the Colonel will not be easy to locate and will continue to galvanize a counter revolution in the coming days. He also told me that during the night of Saturday August 20, 2011 Kaddafi issued orders for his troops and supporters not to bomb and fire tanks inside Tripoli for fear of killing civilians and destroying civilian houses. Franklin P. Lamb, LLM,PhD is the Director of Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace, Wash.DC-Beirut. Lamb is doing research as a board member for the Palestine Civil Rights Campaign-Lebanon in Libya. Please check their website for UPDATES and sign their petition HERE. He is reachable co [email protected] or [email protected]. var linkwithin_site_id = 557381; linkwithin_text=’Related Articles:’Most of my regular correspondents will probably have seen the report that Erdogan had Incirlik Air Base raided on Sunday, 17 July, and the base commander there, General Bekir Ercan Van, was arrested for complicity in the coup.
For those who may not be clear on this, Incirlik is a Turkish air base, which the U.S. is allowed to use, along with other NATO allies and coalition partners. It’s not a U.S. Air Force base. Other reporting has confirmed on Monday that U.S. and coalition flight operations have resumed out of Incirlik (this reportedly happened right after General Van was arrested). But commercial power to the base remains cut off. U.S. forces are operating on their own back-up generators.
This will be fine as long as the fuel doesn’t run out. It doesn’t seem like a real good sign that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has yet to speak directly to his Turkish counterpart, according to the Department of Defense. But the situation looks stable for now.
What alert observers immediately pointed out, however, is that Incirlik Air Base houses some 50 tactical nuclear weapons belonging to the U.S. Air Force. And it is by no means foolish to worry about what this coup situation means about the nukes.
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As it happens, though, that’s not mainly because of an emerging, tactical vulnerability for the nukes. No such vulnerability is negligible, and we should of course be concerned. But the proximate issue is the underlying strategic issue for NATO.
Those nukes, you see, are not just random weapons the U.S. Air Force happens to keep in Turkey for some outdated reason. They are kept in Turkey as part of a longstanding NATO policy of “nuclear sharing.” The policy is more than 50 years old, and the current, active participants in nuclear sharing are Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Turkey. (Heritage had a good write-up on nuclear sharing in 2014.)
The point of nuclear sharing is to put the nukes in question in the service of NATO, and enable the host nations to deliver the weapons, as part of NATO defensive operations. (Turkey would deliver the bombs using F-16 strike-fighters.) The nukes in Turkey are there under a NATO umbrella. They’re about Turkey’s forward-defensive position in NATO. They’re about NATO policy.
The U.S. retains operational and tactical control of the bombs (B-61 tactical nuclear weapons). Under the NATO agreement, they would not be used without the authorization of the United States, Turkey, and the NATO Council. And what all of that means is that they are an allied asset. They wouldn’t be used solely |
one that I only just recently became proficient in!), using FQDN’s instead of IP addresses in configurations.
– how ICMP works (and why it doesn’t always work for testing if a network is functioning), how subnetting works, what a default gateway is, the basics of IPv4 & IPv6 addressing, the basics of how DNS works (disclaimer: this is one that I only just recently became proficient in!), using FQDN’s instead of IP addresses in configurations. Security skills – what types of accounts give what level of access, what rights are needed to perform certain tasks, how to investigate possible breaches and how to react in the case of an actual security breach (turning off the system is not always the best idea!). In Windows systems (which is what I’m most familiar with) the advantages and disadvantages of firewalls and how they’re used and how antivirus programs work.
– what types of accounts give what level of access, what rights are needed to perform certain tasks, how to investigate possible breaches and how to react in the case of an security breach (turning off the system is not always the best idea!). In Windows systems (which is what I’m most familiar with) the advantages and disadvantages of firewalls and how they’re used and how antivirus programs work. Understanding error messages/logs – this one should be obvious, but I know there are a number of admins out there who can’t work out how to find the information they’re after in their log files. If you’re working with a system, understanding it’s logging is important. Understanding the error messages it produces (even if that error is “Unspecified error” >.<) is just as important.
– this one should be obvious, but I know there are a number of admins out there who can’t work out how to find the information they’re after in their log files. If you’re working with a system, understanding it’s logging is important. Understanding the error messages it produces (even if that error is “Unspecified error” >.<) is just as important. Scripting/Programming – all admins should understand the basics and at least be able to get a script from the internet and understand what it’s doing, as well as understanding the basics of programming (variables, constants, tests, loops, functions).
– all admins should understand the basics and at least be able to get a script from the internet and understand what it’s doing, as well as understanding the basics of programming (variables, constants, tests, loops, functions). Backups/DR – if you don’t test it, it’s not really happening. You need to test your restores, otherwise there’s no reason to perform the backups. You need to test your DR plan, or there’s no point in having it.
Non-Technical
Documentation is king – if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen, can’t be replicated and no one else can fix it (or maintain it). This could be as simple as a “This is how this was fixed” in a job ticket, or as complex as an entire build document on a server/service in a wiki article.
– if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen, can’t be replicated and no one else can fix it (or maintain it). This could be as simple as a “This is how this was fixed” in a job ticket, or as complex as an entire build document on a server/service in a wiki article. Communication – while we do spend most of our time communing with our servers/networks/PC’s, we are expected to know how to communicate with other humans. Be a team player, know how to communicate effectively, and that includes with clients/customers/users as well as with other admins. Knowing how to communicate effectively in a team is extremely important. Even if you’re a one-man/woman-band right now, chances are you won’t always be in that position and you’ll have to work in a team of other admins.
– while we do spend most of our time communing with our servers/networks/PC’s, we are expected to know how to communicate with other humans. Be a team player, know how to communicate effectively, and that includes with clients/customers/users as well as with other admins. Knowing how to communicate effectively in a team is important. Even if you’re a one-man/woman-band right now, chances are you won’t always be in that position and you’ll have to work in a team of other admins. Time management – being able to manage your workload, be able to estimate how long things will take (and over-estimate to the customer to plan for any emergencies that pop up) as well as managing your own time, such as remembering to have lunch, remembering to leave work on-time, remembering to take holidays!
– being able to manage your workload, be able to estimate how long things will take (and over-estimate to the customer to plan for any emergencies that pop up) as well as managing your own time, such as remembering to have lunch, remembering to leave work on-time, remembering to take holidays! The users deserve your respect – we’re customer facing, we’re here to serve them. Be nice to them – they’re experts in their own field, they’re not expected to be experts in IT, that’s what we’re paid for!
– we’re customer facing, we’re here to serve. Be nice to them – they’re experts in their own field, they’re not expected to be experts in IT, that’s what paid for! Learning & investigating – keep learning, keep investigating, technology is constantly changing and remember: you don’t know everything! (No one does!) Google is your friend (the number of other admins I’ve been tempted to send lmgtfy.com links…) and can help you out because, chances are, someone somewhere has come across the same problem you have and will be able to help you out!
– keep learning, keep investigating, technology is constantly changing and remember: you don’t know everything! (No one does!) Google is your friend (the number of other admins I’ve been tempted to send lmgtfy.com links…) and can help you out because, chances are, someone somewhere has come across the same problem you have and will be able to help you out! Change can be good – a majority of us are anti-change (my hand is definitely in the air for that one) but that doesn’t mean change is bad. Don’t be that person who fights change just because you don’t want to learn something new.
– a majority of us are anti-change (my hand is definitely in the air for that one) but that doesn’t mean change is bad. Don’t be that person who fights change just because you don’t want to learn something new. The principle of least privilege – only giving the access that is actually needed for the job to be done.
– only giving the access that is needed for the job to be done. You will make mistakes – mistakes happen to everyone, you will make them, just be sure to own up to them and learn from them when they do happen.
– mistakes happen to everyone, you will make them, just be sure to own up to them and learn from them when they do happen. Best practice – sure it was good at the time, but times change, as do technologies. Just because it was best practice then doesn’t mean it’s best practice now – question it, make sure it truly is the best fit for you.
– sure it was good at the time, but times change, as do technologies. Just because it was best practice then doesn’t mean it’s best practice now – question it, make sure it truly the best fit for you. Vendor management – Just because you’re used to dealing with one particular vendor does not mean another vendor doesn’t have an equally viable solution. Also, paying money for something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be good – open source has a place in any organisation.
– Just because you’re used to dealing with one particular vendor does not mean another vendor doesn’t have an equally viable solution. Also, paying money for something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be good – open source has a place in any organisation. ‘Management’ speak – how to get them on-board with what you’re trying to do. You can scream until you’re blue in the face, but if management doesn’t understand what the cost or risk to the business is, they’re not going to be able to get behind you or your idea.
This isn’t a comprehensive list – it’s a collection of things that others have said that I’ve agreed with or have though of myself. I find it interesting to note that the non-technical skills list is far longer than the technical skill set. It shows that while the technology we work with is integral to our jobs, it’s the soft skills that are just as, if not more, important to the job we do.As most fight fans already know, Rod Salka (19-4 3KO’s) was last seen in the ring on August 9th fighting against the undisputed junior welterweight champion in Danny Garcia (29-0 17KO’s). Though Garcia had an obvious size advantage and had the edge in world class experience, Salka put on an admirable performance and went out on his shield like a Samurai in his KO defeat.
However, Rod Salka is looking to bounce back quickly and already has a date penciled in for his ring return on November 14th. Regarding what weight class his next bout will take place, Salka informed me by stating. “I was trying for 130(lbs) but the guy they have is 135(lbs) so it (the fight) will be at 135.” So it seems as though Salka will be dropping back down in weight and will be competing in the lightweight division in the immediate future.
Now that Salka will be campaigning in a suitable weight class for himself, it will be interesting to see how his career develops. He seems like he can be an effective fighter at the right weight class due to his hand speed, and foot movement/ability to move around the ring well and, of course, his Samurai toughness. Personally speaking, I would eventually love to see Salka face fighters like Yuriorkis Gamboa, Omar Figueroa and Mickey Bey. However, for any of those fights to one day come to fruition Salka must first take care of business on November 14th.Harold, we hardly knew you.
As the star projector at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, Harold has entertained millions of visitors. Now, at the same time we learn he has a name (and even that he’s a he), we’re learning of his retirement.
Well, semi-retirement. His days of full-time employment end July 28. He’ll return to work part-time in November.
In the meantime, though, he’ll be tending his Twitter account (Twitter.com/harold_hrmsc). And who knows, maybe he’ll hit the lecture circuit with Canada’s Space Boyfriend, Chris Hadfield.
Q: You’ve been at this game for 45 years -- since 1967. That’s a long time to project stars onto a domed surface.
A: You’re telling me. And do my back gears hurt.Q: Is your retirement part of an industry-wide phenomenon? Are there cutbacks to other planetariums and space centres?
A: I only know what they tell me, and believe me, that’s not much. I do know I’m being replaced by six younger digital machines.
Q: Everything’s going digital these days. Are you bitter?
A: Nah, I’ve had a good run. Laser Floyd is a young machine’s game. It’s time to let someone else have a turn. Plus, I never have to hear Dark Side of the Moon again.
Q: Chris Hadfield’s recent mission has helped spur a renewed interest in Canada’s space program. At least you were around to see that.
A: Hadfield! Don’t get me started on that guy! When he was just starting out, when he was a nobody. I said, “Chris, let’s do something together.” And he’s like, “Yeah, you bet, Harold!” And then the big space mission, and not a word! Anyway, did you see that song he did with the Barenaked Ladies? Even I have more dignity.
Q: You’re originally from Germany, where you were built in the sixties by the Carl Zeiss Company as one of its Mark IV series. It seems like those were the golden days of planetariums and star projectors. People were excited about the space race, and anything was possible.
A: Ah, the stories I could tell! But I have to save something for my memoirs.
Q: Apparently you were named after a character from the cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
A: I don’t know what they were smoking when they named me. Probably what they smoke at Laser Floyd.
Q: You’ve done 80,000 shows. Does this make you the hardest working projector in showbiz?
A: I’m up there. But then, you have to look at Maureen over at the Manitoba Museum. She was at this nearly as long as I was. Ah, Maureen... what a central axis on her!
Q: Any last words about your tenure as Vancouver’s premiere star projector?
A: It’s a living.Hillary Clinton supporters listen to President Barack Obama speak on the campus of the University of North Carolina on Wednesday in Chapel Hill. Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina—We know what Donald Trump’s voters think. Journalists have spent the past year plumbing the depths of their feelings, extracting their views of the country and where it stands. Trump backers are “angry.” They’re “frustrated.” They’re looking for a radical change to the status quo.
By contrast, the press has spent less time speaking to voters for Hillary Clinton, despite the fact that she has received the most support of any candidate this year and will serve—if she wins—as the first female president of the United States. There are good reasons for this: Trump is a novel candidate, which makes him and his backers a natural locus for attention. Still, there’s an oversight here. And it’s with that oversight in mind that I’ve spent the past week in North Carolina speaking to Clinton supporters at early voting events held throughout the state.
On Tuesday, for instance, a modest crowd of Clinton backers packed into a community gymnasium in Charlotte to hear Vice President Joe Biden, with introductions from Roy Cooper and Deborah Ross, the Democratic nominees for governor and Senate, respectively. Sabir Majumder is a longtime Democrat who migrated from Bangladesh to the United States 30 years ago. He voted early but came to the Biden event to talk to other Democrats and take in the boisterous atmosphere of an election-year rally. He supports Clinton, but not without familiar misgivings. “Classified information is classified and it has to be treated really well,” he said, speaking about Clinton’s emails and recent FBI revelations. “I don’t know everything, but the way I look at it, it may be problematic. Still, I support her because of bigger issues. I might have looked at it differently if there was a better candidate, but there is none. There is none. So, I have to pick one.”
Gwen Jenkins moved to North Carolina from California and has lived in the area for eight years. Like many Americans, she is dismayed by the tone and tenor of the election. “I am very, very saddened by the degradation that has happened in the campaign, just in all of the nastiness and negativity,” she said. Despite attending a rally for early voting, Jenkins hasn’t cast a ballot yet. But she will, on Election Day proper: “I find joy in the day of voting. I will stand in the long line with my husband and wait on the polls to open.” And it’s worth saying that Jenkins, an older black woman, doesn’t know a single person who voted in 2012 but who doesn’t plan to vote this year. “The people that I know are excited to vote,” she said.
On Wednesday, President Obama held a massive rally for Clinton at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Thousands of people crowded on to the university’s intramural fields to hear Obama stump for his prospective successor, in what very well may be his final visit to the state as president. He was feisty, and the crowd responded in kind, with constant clapping, cheers, and excitement. His message, however, was stark. “All the progress we hope to make over the next eight years, all of that goes out of the window if we don’t win this election. And we don’t win this election, potentially, if we don’t win North Carolina,” Obama said. “So I hate to put a little pressure on you, but the fate of the republic rests on your shoulders. The fate of the world is teetering and you, North Carolina, are going to have to make sure that we push it in the right direction.”
Like Tim Kaine did during his stop in the state, Obama stressed Republican-led attacks on the voting rights of black voters. “A federal judge said that, based on the evidence, those who voted for these laws targeted black voters with, and I’m quoting, ‘surgical precision.’ Here, in North Carolina,” stressed the president. “The list of voters the Republicans tried to purge was two-thirds black. That was not an accident,” he said. Obama then tied this to a longer history of racism, describing poll taxes and literacy tests with the refrain “it wasn’t that long ago.”
When I spoke to black voters at the event, they also emphasized the role of racism in shaping this election year. “I think people are nervous about the direction we’re heading in with so many minority groups rising up, taking on corporate positions, political positions,” said Constance Martinez, an auditor who lives in the area. “They think America is going to be snatched from underneath them.”
Marcel Jaff is an immigrant from Cameroon who says he was motivated to vote early after seeing that President Obama had done the same. This is his third election since becoming a citizen, and he has paid close attention to every twist and turn in the race. Jaff too sees racism as the key factor. “It just seems to me that there is some kind of a backlash,” he said. “And you can’t deny that it has to do with race.”
The popular narrative of this election is that it represents a rising nationalist tide in American politics. And that’s true, although this nationalism is shaped and defined by white identity and white racism. But there’s another side to that story, revealed in conversations with voters of color. For them, this election is one where they assert their place in the United States—where they say that this is their country too.
“They aren’t losing anything,” said Martinez of Trump voters. “They are gaining so much more. As a united people we are so much more than we are divided. I hope this election shows them that they have nothing to fear. That we are one country and we are moving toward one people.”
Read more Slate coverage of the 2016 campaign.About This Game
Imagine ifgets a retro make-over and mixed with a little bit of roguelike and survival simulation mechanics, the result would beATTENTION!Infectonator: Survivors is all about surviving in a world where everything tries to kill you. The game is hard and unforgiving. You will have to make hard decisions. Characters will die and missions will fail.When tragedy happens, it is up to you; will you give up? Or will you take a lesson from your failure and bounce back stronger?is athat combines RTS, Tower Defense, Roguelike, and Management-Simulation gameplay. Your goal is to lead a group of survivors in a struggle to stay alive and find rescue in a zombie apocalyptic world. You must scavenge resources, build defenses, and find a way to survive in a game where death is permanent and levels are randomly generated.Key Features• Awesome pixel art graphics.• Randomly generated cities every time you play.• Permanent Death. Each survivor matters, every decision counts.• Addictive TD gameplay combined with action packed real time strategy elements.• Deep and engaging management simulation gameplay.One variation of a dap greeting.
Dap is a friendly gesture of greeting, agreement, or solidarity between two people that has become popular in Western cultures, particularly since the 1970s,[1] originating from African American communities. Giving dap typically involves handshaking (often, by hooking thumbs), pound hugging, fist pounding, or chest- or fist bumping.[2] The practice and term originated among black soldiers during the Vietnam War, as part of the Black Power movement,[1][3] and the term is attested from around 1969.[citation needed] 90% of those imprisoned in the Long Binh Jail during the war were African Americans; it was in the jail that the handshake was created under pan-African nationalist influences.[4]
Giving dap can refer to presenting many kinds of positive nonverbal communication between two people, ranging from a brief moment of simple bodily contact to a complicated routine of hand slaps, shakes, snaps, etc. known only by the two participants. Elaborate examples of dap are observed as a pregame ritual performed by many teams in the National Basketball Association.[5] These choreographed actions are rarely televised and serve as a superstitious means of psychological preparation and team solidarity.
Etymology [ edit ]
The etymology of dap is uncertain, and there are various theories. Most simply, it may be imitative (compare tap, dap), and is sometimes explained as an acronym for dignity and pride,[3] possibly a backronym.While in jail, King read a statement by eight of the leading moderate white clergy in Alabama, condemning the protests and branding King an extremist. The indignant, frazzled leader poured his rejoinder onto newspaper margins and toilet tissue. The iconic document that emerged from those jottings, the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," was always more than a spirited defense of civil disobedience. It was an indictment of white indifference. "Few members of the oppressor race," King insisted, "can understand the... passionate yearnings of the oppressed race." It was also a declaration of black self-sufficiency ("If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail.") and a stirring refusal of patience. "The word 'Wait!'" wrote King, "rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity." The "Letter" was radical in the scope of its rebuke. King's key targets were not the Klan and Wallace but the very core of American culture, every sort of moderate "who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom."
Neither King's sacrificial act nor his roiling anger was enough to jumpstart the movement, even after he got out of jail on April 20. But in early May, the city's black youth renewed the insurgency. After singing rousing verses of "I Woke Up With My Mind Stayed on Freedom," they burst through the doors of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and faced down Bull Connor's dogs and fire hoses. Within days, an agreement was forged to desegregate the city. The nation had begun its lurch toward the March on Washington, King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Meanwhile, the federal court-ordered integration of the University of Alabama loomed on June 11. Governor Wallace vowed to stand in the schoolhouse door to block the mixing of races. Kennedy's speech, the one that so impressed and surprised King, came just hours after forcing Wallace to step aside. "We are confronted primarily with a moral issue," he declared. "It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution." The president was finally using language the demonstrators could appreciate: "We preach freedom around the world," he said, "but are we to say to the world, and...to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes...?"
Throughout the speech Kennedy seemed to be channeling the "Letter from Birmingham Jail." King had invited white people to put themselves in a black person's shoes: "When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will," or " when your first name becomes 'nigger,' your middle name becomes 'boy,'... then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait." Kennedy, too, used the place-trading device: "If a Negro can't enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place?"India to develop its own OS?
The Indian IT ministry has floated the idea of developing a made-in-India operating system to reduce the national dependence on foreign software and increase resilience to viruses and IT-based attacks.
My reaction to this wavers back and forth depending on how I think about OSes: if they're a resource, like oil, then "reducing dependency on foreign OSes" makes a certain kind of sense. But if OSes are machines or standards -- like engines, or metric -- then "reducing dependency" on them is ridiculous. A country that "reduces its dependency" on using the same classes of invention as are used abroad is literally vowing to reinvent the wheel.
The government formed a high-level taskforce in February to devise a plan for building indigenous software, said a senior intelligence official who is a member. The panel will also suggest ways to conduct third-party audits on existing software in government offices to prevent online sabotage attempts until the software's launch, he said. The overwhelming belief among government bosses is that an indigenous low-grade, but clean, software could nix the chances of foreign states infiltrating the computers of key Indian establishments and compromising the country's security. "A sanitised, lower level operating system and application software may be preferred to the advanced versions, which necessarily require access to internet for upgrades," the official said. The new software could be deployed in key departments that have been under constant cyber attacks. The taskforce also includes officials of the Prime Minister's Office as well as defence, home and telecom & IT ministries. The move to constitute the taskforce comes after the defence ministry raised concerns over use of anti-virus products of foreign vendors in the wake of a series of attacks on its systems by China-based hackers.
Govt to develop own operating system
(via Silklist)
(Image: Keyboard Layout)The number of Catholics in the world and the number of priests, permanent deacons and religious men all increased in 2012, while the number of women in religious orders continued to decline, according to Vatican statistics.
The number of candidates for the priesthood also showed its first global downturn in recent years.
The statistics come from a recently published Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which reported worldwide Church figures as of December 31, 2012.
By the end of 2012, the worldwide Catholic population had reached 1.228 billion, an increase of 14 million or 1.14 per cent, slightly outpacing the global population growth rate, which, as of 2013, was estimated at 1.09 per cent.
Catholics as a percentage of the global population remained essentially unchanged from the previous year at around 17.5 per cent.
The latest Vatican statistical yearbook estimated that there were about 4.8 million Catholics that were not included in its survey because they were in countries that could not provide an accurate report to the Vatican, mainly China and North Korea.
According to the yearbook, the percentage of Catholics as part of the general population is highest in the Americas where they make up 63.2 per cent of the continent’s population. Asia has the lowest proportion, with 3.2 per cent.
During the 2012 calendar year, there were 16.4 million baptisms of both infants and adults, according to the statistical yearbook.
It said the number of bishops of the world stayed essentially the same at 5,133.
The total number of priests – diocesan and religious – around the world grew from 413,418 to 414,313, with a modest increase in Africa, a larger rise in Asia, and slight decreases in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Asia saw a 13.7 per cent growth in the number of priests between 2007 and the end of 2012.
The number of permanent deacons reported – 42,104 – was an increase of more than 1,100 over the previous year and a 17 per cent increase since 2007. The vast majority – more than 97 per cent – of the world’s permanent deacons live in the Americas or in Europe.
The number of religious brothers showed 0.4 per cent growth worldwide. The number of religious brothers totalled 55,314 at the end of 2012. Slight growth was seen everywhere except the Americas.
The number of women in religious orders continued its downward trend. The total of 702, 529 temporarily and permanently professed sisters and nuns in 2012 was a 1.5 per cent decrease from the previous year and a 5.9 per cent fall since 2007.
The number of candidates for the priesthood – both diocesan seminarians and members of religious orders – who had reached the level of philosophy and theology studies showed its first downturn since 2003. The number of candidates dropped slightly to 120,051 men at the end of 2012 as compared to 120,616 at end of 2011. Increases were reported in the traditionally vocations-rich continents of Africa and Asia, although the increases were modest; Africa reported 245 more candidates than in 2011 and Asia reported 179 more men in their final years of study for ordination.Photo: Getty Images
There’s been plenty of unhappiness with the current State of Origin format with criticism that it affects the quality of regular NRL games, reports Triple M’s Supergrass,
“I can tell you the NRL will announce in future that Games I and III will be on Wednesday night with Game II in-between will be on a Sunday with no NRL games that week,” said Supergrass, on Triple M Grill Team.
“The most controversial game, though, is about growing the game interstate.
“Under the new format Sydney and Brisbane will only have one game every two years. Game I will be in Melbourne, Game II in Perth and Game III will rotate between Sydney and Brisbane annually.” Listen to the full audio below.
For all of the live coverage listen to Triple M.
Click here to join Triple M NRL's Footy Tipping comp. There's $5,000 up for grabs.
For all the latest and best Triple M NRL news, download the Triple M NRL AppAfter SOPA And ACTA, Now TPP Starts To Fall Apart
from the good-and-getting-better dept
What an extraordinary year this has been for Net activism. After the great SOPA blackout led to SOPA and PIPA being withdrawn, and the anti-ACTA street demonstrations triggered a complete rethink by the European Parliament that may well result in a rejection of the treaty, now it seems that the Trans Pacific Partnership is falling to pieces.
Foreign Policy magazine, for example, has a feature entitled Is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Foundering?, where its author explains that a number of the smaller countries participating in the negotiations are starting to ask themselves whether there are any advantages in joining at all: Of even more concern, however, is the sudden questioning by the Chileans of the value of the deal as presently being constituted. Chile had been considered a slam dunk supporter. So its raising of questions is a red flag danger signal. Beyond that it seems that the Malaysians are also questioning whether any benefits they may be getting are worth the trouble of further liberalization of their domestic economy. And just to put the icing on the cake, it is becoming ever clearer that the Vietnamese, whose economy resembles that of China with large segments controlled by state owned companies, are going to have great difficulty in actually meeting the high standards being proposed. As Techdirt has reported, TPP has been negotiated in the utmost secrecy, but now that word is finally leaking out about its provisions, there is resistance building in the US: Although the deal, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, has received relatively little media attention in the United States, it has sparked international friction among consumer groups and environmental activists who worry that terms demanded by the Obama administration will eliminate important public protections. Domestically, however, the deal's primary source of political tension is from a portion that could ban "Buy American" provisions -- a restriction that opponents emphasize would crimp U.S. jobs. That seems like a pretty significant issue. After all, one of the supposed aims of the trade agreement is to remove such internal barriers to trade for all signatories. But in an election year, President Obama will hardly want to be painted as someone who is sacrificing American jobs.
Even assuming this major contradiction is resolved somehow, and the other Pacific Rim countries don't decide to abandon the treaty altogether, TPP is still fundamentally flawed for the same reason that ACTA is flawed: China is not a signatory. And the idea that once TPP (or ACTA) is in place, China will suddenly rush to sign up is extremely unlikely, for reasons that Arvind Subramanian, an expert in Chinese economic policy, explains: "China would never agree to just fall in line with rules in the negotiations of which it has not participated," he writes in a policy brief.
If China did agree to participate in the talks, it would have huge bargaining leverage. Better to have multilateral talks where China’s power is diluted by the addition of Brazil, Europe, India and others to the talks.
A third possibility is that China comes to view the TPP as a hostile effort to "encircle" China economically. "TPP could thus provoke China into playing the regionalism game in a way that could fundamentally fragment the trading system," he writes. However you look at it, TPP seems to be in serious trouble. Coupled with the withdrawal of SOPA, and the possible rejection of ACTA, this represents a string of setbacks for copyright and patent maximalism that a year ago would have seemed impossible.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: activism, chile, china, pipa, sopa, tppI recently got a 3D printer and boy are my arms tired!
A bit tongue-in-cheek, but yes 3D printers can be a pain to set up. While I love the concept of 3D printing, the industry is currently in the pre-Model-T phase. There are hundreds of models, mostly incompatible, and they require a lot of futzing and tweaking to get them working properly.
The good news is that 3D printers are getting better very quickly. In the two years I've followed the technology prices have dropped in half and quality has doubled. Exciting stuff, but until a month ago I hadn't actually jumped into the 3D printing market myself. That all changed when I saw the Printrbot Simple.
Printrbot Simple, $300 kit
The Simple is a $300from Printrbot. While most of their printers now come pre-assembled, the Simple is still available as a kit, and for an amazing price. I knew going in that it would likely have limitations, but I can honestly say it was more than worth the price. The prints aren't perfect, but they are pretty good. It's been a great introduction to 3D printing and I expect to make lots of things over the coming months.
Calibration object at 3mm, gray PLA, Printrbot Simple
The Simple is cheap through clever engineering and the fact that you have to assemble it yourself. For an extra $100 they will pre-assemble and calibrate it for you, but if you are serious about 3D printing I think you should build it yourself. It was an amazing learning exercise and gave me a crash course in mechanical engineering.
All that said, I ran into some hiccups during the initial assembly and calibration. I only got decent prints after a few days of futzing. I expect lots of people will be opening Printrbot Simple kits Christmas morning, so I thought I'd spare those happy new Simple owners (perhaps you are one of them) my headaches by writing a new getting started guide. Behold!
read for moar
This guide started out as my notes while building the kit, but after photos and forum feedback turned into an epic four thousand word epic tutorial. Did I mention it was epic? I didn't plan to write that much; it just kept going. And you, gentle reader, are the benefactor.
I've tried to not just cover initial setup, but also teach basic 3D printing terminology. When you start getting into 3D printing as a hobby you will immediately come up against terms like E value, PLA, and hot end. Needless to say these can be confusing to the new enthusiast. I've also included a trouble shooting section to cover the most likely print failures you will face. With pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Oh, and the source for the whole thing is on github.
Dubai and DubluckOn Tuesday, Tea Party Senate candidate Rick Mourdock echoed what many Republicans feel about abortion, but in language so direct and striking that it’s drawing national attention:
“I’ve struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from God,” Mourdock said. “And even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”
Mourdock defeated Indiana’s incumbent Senator Richard Lugar in the primary and is facing a tight race—and is the only Senate candidate in the country for whom Mitt Romney has filmed a commercial, a fact the Democratic National Committee has pointed out in this new web ad:
Mourdock’s belief that there should be no exception that allows a woman to end a pregnancy is shared by the GOP platform and at least 40 Republican candidates for the House and Senate including Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP nominee for vice-president, and Rep. Todd Akin. Akin tried to justify this belief earlier this year by claiming that in cases of “legitimate rape” women do not get pregnant.
Former Senator and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Rick Santorum suggested that women should “make the best of a bad situation”:
…I believe and I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created — in the sense of rape — but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you. As you know, we have to, in lots of different aspects of our life we have horrible things happen. I can’t think of anything more horrible, but nevertheless, we have to make the best out of a bad situation and I would make the argument that that is making the best.
Former Republican nominee for the Senate in Nevada, Sharron Angle, had a folksier way of putting it:
And my counsel was to look for some alternatives, which they did. And they found that they had made what was really |
.
For security professionals the escalation of zero-day lateral movement malware attacks is a critical issue especially given that they can’t be detected by signature-based anti-virus software. It now takes only one mouse click to take down an entire organization! But that doesn’t need to be the case.
There are two counter-measures security professionals should deploy to mitigate zero-day lateral movement malware attacks. First there is a new generation of machine learning based end point protection systems that are not dependent on signatures. These new end point solutions monitor process behaviour or binaries to spot anomolies. Thus end point protection needs to be the first line of defense.
However in the world of BYOD and complex device software even the best end point protection solutions will fail. Thus we need a second line of defense.
To ensure infected devices do not spread malware laterally we must implement port isolation in combination with application layer access control. Port isolation is a standard feature of enterprise switches that allows traffic to only flow in one direction (e.g. user to application server). However there’s a risk for malware to relay thru application servers after the user signs into them. This is where an application layer access control solution comes in.
Application layer access control solutions (like Vidder) provision a layer 4 tunnel from the user’s device to a specific port on the server. As malware is outside the application layer tunnel it has no ability to inject itself into the data stream. Even hypothetically if it could inject itself in the tunnel, the communications is application/protocol specific and there’s no way to transmit commands or code to servers.
With the massive disclosure of classified vulnerability information we’re likely going to be experiencing more zero-day attacks for the foreseeable future. However with proper counter-measures in place these new cyber attacks can be contained.LATEST NEWS FROM SEAGULLS.CO.UK
CROFTS REAPING REWARDS FROM USA TRIP
THREE FIXTURES CHANGE INCLUDING OPENING DAY
ALBION SIGN INTERNATIONAL STRIKER
BARBER: HEMED A TARGET SINCE CHRISTMAS
ALBION SIGN CAMEROON INTERNATIONAL Both of the kits are constructed using the latest Nike technology, featuring lightweight and durable materials for comfort and performance, and Nike Dri-FIT technology to ensure optimal cooling when the heat is on.
The club will be sporting black numbers and lettering on the back of the new shirts, with white numbers on the front of the shorts to ensure maximum visibility.
Our iconic blue-and-white striped home kit will continue into 2015/16 for a second year and prices on replica kits are frozen at £45 for adult shirts and £35 for juniors. Full details of prices are available at
The new shirts are available in junior sizes (XS to XL); and adult sizes (S to XXL) – please see
Details of our new goalkeeper and training kit ranges for 2015/16 will be coming out next week, so keep following us on our social media channels for updates on these as to when they become available.
Demand is expected to be very high and fans are strongly recommended to pre-order at
UPCOMING HOME FIXTURES ALBION V SEVILLA
SUNDAY 2ND AUGUST, KICK-OFF 4PM Both of the kits are constructed using the latest Nike technology, featuring lightweight and durable materials for comfort and performance, and Nike Dri-FIT technology to ensure optimal cooling when the heat is on.The club will be sporting black numbers and lettering on the back of the new shirts, with white numbers on the front of the shorts to ensure maximum visibility.Our iconic blue-and-white striped home kit will continue into 2015/16 for a second year and prices on replica kits are frozen at £45 for adult shirts and £35 for juniors. Full details of prices are available at www.seagullsdirect.co.uk/kit The new shirts are available in junior sizes (XS to XL); and adult sizes (S to XXL) – please see www.seagullsdirect.co.uk/size-guide for further detail on sizing.Details of our new goalkeeper and training kit ranges for 2015/16 will be coming out next week, so keep following us on our social media channels for updates on these as to when they become available.Demand is expected to be very high and fans are strongly recommended to pre-order at www.seagullsdirect.co.uk
The club's new away kit is a vibrant 'Volt' yellow with a two-button neck and collar. It features a black stripe that runs down the shoulders and neck, plus the black transfer sponsor logo and detailing.The shorts are a new black design featuring black-on-black gradated hoops and 'Volt' yellow detailing, including a stripe that continues down the sides. 'Volt' yellow socks with black side stripe complete the kit.The new third kit is a crimson pinstripe with a round-neck design. The pinstripe splits alternate Dri-FIT weaves, creating a subtle striped effect.The shorts and socks to accompany this kit are the same black designs that were used with the 2014/15 away and third kits.Both kits are available now to pre-order in store and online at www.seagullsdirect.co.uk. They will go on general sale on at 11am on Friday 24th July.All pre-ordered strips will be dispatched prior to the general release date, to arrive with UK orders on Friday 24th July (international orders will be delivered no more then 10 days after this date) – or you can choose to collect it free of charge from the stadium superstore in person on this date.Opinion 142: Why Is π So Ubiquitous?
By Doron Zeilberger
Written: π day, 2015 (aka 3/14/15)
Eugene Wigner starts out his classic essay, about the "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences" by narrating a conversation between a statistician and his friend, showing him a recent paper that he wrote, where the Gaussian distribution,
1/(sqrt(2*Pi))*exp(-x^2/2)
showed up, and he asked what is the meaning of the symbol "Pi", and was amazed that it is the same Pi that he learned in school was the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
Wigner used it as a starting point to waxing eloquent about the unreasonable effectiveness of math in science.
A closer look shows that it is not as amazing as it seems at first sight. For the sake of simplicity, let's take the geometrical definition of Pi to be the ratio of the area of a circle to its radius-squared, and the statistical definition of Pi to be the "limit", as n goes to "infinity", of the sequence given by the reciprocal of the square of the probability of getting exactly half of the times Heads if you toss a fair coin 2n times, divided by n. In symbols:
Pi:=lim(1/(binomial(2*n,n)/2^(2*n))^2/n,n=infinity).
But this is just a "limit" of a (very simple!) counting problem, that of counting sequences of Heads and Tails with certain properties.
As for the Geometrical Pi, it is the limit, of an even simpler counting sequence, namely the number of pairs of integers (x,y) between -n and n, such that x^2+y^2 ≤ n^2, divided by n^2.
Counting problems are done by solving (often obvious) recurrence equations, alias finite difference equations, that come from the combinatorial structure, that in the "limit" turn out to be (often very simple) differential equations. The simplest differential equation is
y'(x)=y(x), y(0)=1,
whose solution, y(x)=exp(x), naturally leads to e:=exp(1), explaining why e is even more ubiquitous than π. The second-simplest differential equation is
y''(x)= -y(x), y(0)=0, y'(0)=1,
whose solution is y(x)=sin(x), and Pi is the smallest positive root of the equation sin(x)=0.
So the reason that both e and Pi are all over the place is that they both arise from finite counting problems, and for the sake of convenience, one replaces Avogardo's number by "infinity" and get "limits", that are really not true "real" numbers (since "real" numbers do not exist), but some equivalence class of sequence-generating algorithms where the equivalence relation is
"converge to the same limit", (or equivalently the sequence of their differences converges to 0)
in analogy with Frege's famous definition of cardinal numbers. [So the notion of "converge to the same limit" is the fundamental one, and it is not a circular definition, since the notion of limit depends on it.]
So Happy π day, but remember, that π is not a number, but an equivalence class of many, often trivial, but nevertheless interesting and important, algorithms.January 3, 2017
Amazon announced today that The Man in the High Castle has been renewed for a third season. The good news comes following last month's release of the show's sophomore season, and makes it only the second Amazon original drama to reach the third season mark.
A new showrunner is coming on-board for Season 3, filling a void left after Frank Spotnitz departed the series early in production of Season 2. Taking over going forward will be Eric Overmyer, who previously worked on Amazon's longest-running series, Bosch.
The Man in the High Castle is an original production of the streaming service and has become one of its more popular offerings. Loosely-based on the 1962 Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, the dystopian drama takes place in an alternate history where the United States has lost World War II and is now partitioned into three zones: a Japanese-occupied west coast, a Nazi-controlled east coast, and a neutral buffer zone that separates the two.
Look for Season 3 of The Man in the High Castle in 2018.Australia to sign Paris agreement on climate change
Posted
Australia will be among the first countries in the world to sign the Paris agreement on climate change, with a "very senior" representative being sent to a signing ceremony in New York later this month, according to government sources.
Erwin Jackson, deputy chief executive of the Climate Institute welcomed the news saying, "it's signalling the conviction of the Government to the world that they're now moving to implement the historic agreement that was forged in Paris".
The Paris agreement, brokered after years of talks, aims to limit the release of greenhouse gases so that global warming is kept below 2 degrees Celsius, with a stretch goal of keeping it below 1.5C.
Mr Jackson said "there wasn't very much doubt that Australia would sign the agreement".
When the new treaty was agreed, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop hailed it as a "pivotal moment" indicating Australia's support.
"What Paris demonstrated is there is strong global momentum to move away from old inefficient power sources to clean modern energy," Mr Jackson said.
The United Nations will hold a high-level signing event on April 22 at its headquarters in New York.
Historic climate deal Deal to limit global warming to "well below" 2C, aiming for 1.5C
Greenhouse gas emissions need to peak "as soon as possible", followed by rapid reduction
Deal will eliminate use of coal, oil and gas for energy
Fossil fuels to be replaced by solar, wind power
Developed countries to provide $US100b a year from 2020 to help developing nations
Read about more highlights of the deal
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited heads of governments to partake in a formal signing ceremony.
France, Canada, the United States and China have all indicated they will be sending senior government representatives to the occasion. Dozens of others are expected to attend.
"By implementing the Paris agreement, we will be building the future we want — a future of shared opportunity that leaves no-one behind on a planet that is protected and nurtured for the benefit of all," Mr Ban said in a statement.
The agreement will stay open for signing for a year.
Ratification is the next step.
For some countries this involves passing legislation in their parliaments, but for Australia, the treaty needs only to be tabled in Parliament and considered by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties.
Kelvin Thomson, deputy chair of the committee, said: "We then hold an inquiry and table a report with recommendations in the Parliament."
"The Government can then move to ratify the agreement," he said.
He said as yet, nothing had been referred to the committee on the Paris agreement.
Topics: climate-change, environment, international-law, australiaAN AMERICAN tourist was allegedly stabbed to death by three Thai musicians after he refused to stop singing at a bar in a popular tourist resort, police say.
Bobby Ray Carter, 51, died after he was stabbed twice in the chest while his son Adam, 27, suffered a stab wound to his arm, during a fight with members of the house band from the Longhorn Saloon early on Wednesday at Ao Nang beach in Krabi.
Police said the three musicians were arrested at the scene and confessed to stabbing the Americans.
Carter had joined the musicians on stage for a singalong, but a row broke out when he refused to stop singing as the band took a break.
On its website, the Longhorn Saloon advertises "jam with the band" as one of its attractions, along with "good music, funfunfun and friendly staff".
"He and his son quarrelled with all three musicians because he wouldn't stop singing despite the musicians taking a break," said Lieutenant Colonel Attapong Seanjaiwuth of Krabi tourist police.
"He then demanded the money he had already given as a tip back. But the real fight broke out outside of that pub. He was stabbed twice and died while on the way to local hospital."
Thailand has come under scrutiny in recent months over its treatment of foreign tourists, who are a mainstay of the economy.
Tourists have registered a series of complaints with authorities over their treatment ranging from jet ski scams, drink spiking, robbery and assault to even police extortion.
A dozen European ambassadors recently raised the issue with local authorities on a visit to the resort island of Phuket, where a 59-year-old Australian woman was killed in June 2012 in a robbery.
Earlier in July an American man was slashed to death by a taxi driver in Bangkok after an apparent argument over the fare.
A record 22 million foreigners visited Thailand last year. Although most did not encounter any serious problems, diplomats say tougher action is needed to ensure their protection.OAK Racing led a P2 sweep of the top three positions in opening practice for Sunday’s Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Gustavo Yacaman pedaled the No. 42 Morgan-Nissan to a best lap of 1:10.928 early in the 60-minute session.
Yacaman’s quick time edged out the pair of Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03bs, which were second and third on the time charts.
Ryan Dalziel was quickest of the ESM entries with a 1:11.277 lap, while Johannes van Overbeek recorded the quick time aboard the No. 2 entry, which was third.
The No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette made a late session improvement to fourth, with Christian Fittipaldi reeling off a 1:11.322 lap to go quickest of the DP contenders, while Richard Westbrook’s No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing machine completed the top-five overall and in class.
The ever-improving DeltaWing Coupe posted the sixth quickest time overall, thanks to a 1:11.561 lap by Andy Meyrick.
GT Le Mans was led by BMW Team RLL’s John Edwards, who clocked a 1:16.019 lap time in his No. 56 BMW Z4 GTE.
Edward’s time eclipsed the No. 91 SRT Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R of Dominik Farnbacher by 0.020 seconds, with the No. 3 Corvette C7.R of Jan Magnussen making it three different manufacturers in the top-three.
Spencer Pumpelly, meanwhile, was quickest in GT Daytona, leading an Audi 1-2-3 in class.
The Flying Lizard Motorsports driver reeled off a 1:19.679 lap time to edge out the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing R8 LMS of Christopher Haase by 0.097 seconds.
The session only saw one red flag, which came early on for the No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi, which stopped on track.
Friday’s second and final practice session is on tap for 4:05 p.m. ET.
RESULTS: Practice 1Get the biggest Weekday Swansea City FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Swansea City are reportedly targeting Wales international Hal Robson-Kanu - but want to haggle down Reading's £4m valuation.
Winger turned striker Robson-Kanu, 26, has just one year left on his contract at the Madejski Stadium and is in hot demand having played a significant part in helping Wales top qualifying Group B for Euro 2016 and surge into the top 10 of FIFA's rankings.
The former Arsenal FC trainee has 23 caps and two goals for his country and played in the Royals team that lost out to Arsenal in last season's FA Cup semi-final.
More: Live Transfer News and Gossip
Mirror Football say the Swans have tabled at least two bids already but Reading are holding out for £4m.
If Robson-Kanu does not get a move this summer, he is likely to let his contract expire and move on a free next summer.
More: Wales 10th - What a farce!
More: Download our Fantasy Football appAndrew Sendejo and Mike Remmers will not be on the field when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams.
Head coach Mike Zimmer spoke to the media after practice on Friday and declared his starting strong safety and right tackle out for Sunday's game. Sendejo has not practiced all week with a groin/hamstring injury, while Remmers suffered a setback in his return from his concussion that will keep him out.
Anthony Harris and Rashod Hill are expected to get the starts for each player, respectively.
(The Minnesota Vikings are 7-2 and welcome the hot Los Angeles Rams to Minneapolis in Week 11 --Don't miss out on the action. Sign up for our FREE newsletter today!)
Outside of that, Zimmer said veteran defensive end Everson Griffen is questionable, but is still expected to play.
Sunday's game kicks off at 12 p.m. CT from U.S. Bank Stadium.
Follow Vikings on 247Sports' Anthony Broome on Twitter and FacebookBernard: Prepared to delay a possible move to Europe
The highly-rated Atletico Mineiro midfielder is being tipped to join the growing ranks of South American stars in the Premier League this summer.
The 20-year-old is, however, reluctant to walk away from his current employers ahead of a Copa Libertadores campaign.
He claims there is no chance of him completing a switch until that trophy quest has come to a close, but concedes that his long-term future will lie away from Atletico.
Bernard told Globo Esporte: "There is no chance I will leave before the Libertadores.
"I have made that clear to Atletico. If they want to sell me, do so after the Libertadores. I want to make history at this club.
"There is nothing right now, just speculation.
"The club's president has said I am unlikely to stay, that it will be hard to keep me, so I am waiting on a decision.
"If he decides something, we will sit down and talk and decide what is best for everyone."
Atletico president Alexandre Kalili is reluctant to be drawn on Bernard's future at this stage, telling Superesportes: "I won't talk about this. I will only talk when he is sold."The BBC has suspended a DJ who argued "librarian-type, moustached" women should be banned from breastfeeding in public, after thousands of people complained.
Alex Dyke, a DJ on BBC Radio Solent, said breastfeeding was the same as having sex in public, and suggested women should be compelled to don a hat warning others what they were doing.
Saying “yummies mummies” would never be seen breastfeeding because “they know it’s not a great look”, he told his Hampshire and Dorset audience all men were repelled by the act unless they were “wimps who are scared of their wives”.
He went on to suggest only women who were good looking should be permitted to do it, saying the only people who currently indulge in public breastfeeding “look like Brownie pack leaders” and "have moustaches".
Dyke has now been suspended by the BBC pending an investigation, and a recording of the show removed from iPlayer.
A spokesman for the corporation said: "Following unacceptable comments made on air yesterday Alex Dyke has been suspended pending an investigation, so he will not be on air tomorrow.”
The show’s social media pages are now under siege from angry listeners who objected to Dyke’s rant, posting photographs of themselves breastfeeding and sticking their fingers up in protest.
The National Childbirth Trust condemned the "outdated, ridiculous and potentially damaging" comments, while a petition called for Dyke to be sacked has already received more than 5,000 signatures.
@bbcradiosolent @bbc some embarrassingly outdated and ignorant views expressed on your show today by #alexdyke. The bbc should be ashamed. — sophie brinkworth (@sophiebrinkles) August 12, 2015
Made the mistake of listening to Alex Dyke's breastfeeding rant on @BBCRadioSolent So angry. Shockingly inaccurate and offensive. — Sian (@pickettywitch) August 12, 2015
Clearly, Alex Dyke representing the BBC / @BBCRadioSolent is a liability - but so is their digital communications protocol. — Laura Waddell (@lauraewaddell) August 13, 2015
The BBC said it had made it clear to the DJ that his comments were “ill-judged”, claiming he has apologised for any offence.
Speaking on his show on Thursday morning, Dyke highlighted the "huge reaction" his comments had received, promising a "breastfeeding special" on his Friday morning programme and saying he hoped people would contribute.
Two hours later, he read a statement saying: "Yesterday on the show I spoke about breastfeeding. The comments I made during the broadcast were unacceptable and I would like to apologise for any offence caused."
Scores of women claimed they had made an official complaint to the BBC, with some calling for Dyke to be sacked.
I'm shocked but now is the time to say I want the #TopGear job! I'll be fantastic! @JeremyClarkson @BBCRadioSolent pic.twitter.com/gtG3t9RUrU — Alex Dyke (@ALEXDYKE1) March 25, 2015
The BBC refused to disclose the number of complaints they had received, saying they would not reveal public figures when there had been “evidence of lobbying or media coverage”. The comments have received no media coverage until now.
A spokesman said: “It has made it clear to Alex that his comments were very ill judged and he has apologised for any offence caused."
Speaking on his morning radio show on Wednesday, Dyke conducted a protracted phone in discussion about how breastfeeding in public “must be stopped”.
Photo: ALAMY
Among his numerous impassioned comments on the subject included comparisons to public sexual intercourse and urinating, as well as insulting his “hormonal” female callers.
“Time has moved on,” he said. “Couldn’t mums just stay at home and do it? You wouldn’t get yummy mummies breastfeeding in public.”
When a listener challenged him, asking whether he believed it was only appropriate for women to do it if she is good looking, Dyke replied: “Kind of. Not because I want to gawp.
“What I’m saying is those kind of women wouldn’t do it because they’re very image-conscious and they know it’s not a great look.”
Photo: MamaBeanParenting.com
He added: “I think most men are with me. I just think guys like you are just the wimps who are scared of your wives. We’re all very conscious of what we should be saying, but men don’t like it.”
The show has received hundreds of complaints via social media, as well as parenting forums.
One mother said: “Alex, do you really think your misogynistic anti-breastfeeding rants are appropriate BBC material?”
Another wrote: “Shocked and disgusted on your views regarding breastfeeding. Even more shocked that the #BBC lets you air such tripe. Sexist out of date stupidity. Complained to the BBC.”
Rosemary Dodds, senior policy adviser at NCT, said: “We’re disappointed about these outdated, ridiculous and potentially damaging comments. No mother should ever be made to feel guilty, judged or ashamed about feeding their baby, whether by breast or bottle.
"Mums feel under enough pressure already about their feeding decisions and they should be fully supported and certainly not looked down on or criticised for simply feeding their child in whichever way they want, in public or in private.
"The Equality Act which became law in 2010 states that mothers cannot be discriminated against, asked to leave a venue or treated unfavourably because they are breastfeeding when out and about in Britain.
"This is something we campaigned for over a number of years as mums should be able to feed their babies whenever and wherever they need to.”Part I, Interview with John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, authors of MINDHUNTER
MINDHUNTER
John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
Gallery Books, Media Tie-In edition
October 24th, 2017
MINDHUNTER a bestselling book and now a Netflix original series, take people behind the scenes of some of the most gruesome and challenging cases. FBI profilers gather up crime scene evidence to help predict the type of personality who commits serial murders. Through interviews with some of the most ghastly killers such as Charles Manson, Edmund Kemper, and the Son of Sam, to mention a few, Douglas determines their motives, attempting to figure out why they did what they did and why in such a particular manner.
Elise Cooper: The Netflix show has Dr. Wendy Carr as a consultant, was she based on anyone?
John Douglas: She did not exist, but was based upon Dr. Anne Burgess, who is more of an academic type. She came down to meet with another agent that was investigating rape. After she heard about what we were doing she wanted to learn more about how we looked at a crime scene and the way a victim was attacked. Unlike in the show, she was never a member of the Behavioral Science Unit. She had a completely different profession than the character in the show. She was actually a forensic nurse who did co-author some books with me.
EC: Did you actually have trouble with the FBI accepting the unit as shown in the show where you were displaced to the basement?
JD: Yes, it is correct. We had pull back on what we could possibly learn from interviewing serial killers. Even when we started to teach profiling we got resistance and there was an attitude of ‘what is this BS?’
EC: What about the ways the killers were portrayed in the show?
JD: It is amazing how the casting had them look so much like the killers. Maybe the time line was different but the conversations were accurate. For example, Richard Speck who killed eight student nurses did throw a live bird into the fan, but it happened before we got to the prison. I did open the interview with him using street language, which had him open up because he thought I was as crazy as he was.
EC: The show mentions Lawrence Bittaker. Can you tell us about him?
JD: He met Roy Norris while serving time together and discovered their mutual interest in dominating and hunting young women. After being paroled in 1979 they kidnapped, raped, and tortured five girls. They bought a van, nicknamed it, ‘Murder Mac,’ insulated its interior, and then went on the hunt, videotaping what they did. Bittaker’s nickname became ‘Pliers Bittaker.’ After they were caught I interviewed Bittaker with a female agent, Mary Ellen O’Toole. Interestingly, he would never look at her when she asked a question.
EC: You mention in the book that Charles Manson was also paroled?
JD: In his young adult life he committed a series of robberies, forgeries, pimpings, and assaults. He was paroled in 1967 after serving for some of these offenses. I do not think of him as a routine serial killer. I was interested in finding out how someone could become this satanic messiah. He found lost souls and was able to institute a highly structured delusional system that left him in complete control of their minds and bodies by using sleep deprivation, sex, food, and drugs. People forget he was not even at the Sharon Tate murders because he was afraid it would violate his parole. He spoke of ‘Helter Skelter’ from the Beatles White Album, having a vision of the coming apocalypse and race war that would leave him in control.
EC: He just died, but do you think he ever should have been paroled?
JD: No. The biggest threat would have been from the misguided losers who would gravitate to him and proclaim him their G-d and leader. When I think of Manson and his flock of wandering inadequate followers I immediately visualize the violent crimes they perpetrated against innocent people. The crime scenes were horrific and it’s difficult to imagine what was going through the victims’ minds, as they each knew they were going to die a violent death. Imagine Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant and begging for her life and that of her unborn child. So why do any of them deserve parole when they initially received the death penalty but unfortunately a Supreme Court ruling changed their death sentence to life imprisonment. Therefore, life imprisonment means just that. No parole. No matter how much they conformed to prison rules and were considered model inmates and “found religion”. Manson and his followers will all again meet one day in hell.
EC: Can you please explain the book quote, ‘I can speak for myself, I would much rather have on my conscience keeping a killer in jail who might or might not kill again if sprung, than the death of an innocent man, woman, or child as a result of the release of that killer?’
JD: Many thought that the rapist or killer would burn out and they would just stop. They ignored that these were actually crimes of power and manipulation. I remember a guy in California who chopped the arms off of a young girl and went to prison. After a number of years he was thought to have been rehabilitated and was released. He then goes to Florida where he brutally kills a woman. Eventually, I started to go before Parole Boards telling them ‘all you have done is incarcerated a body, but what you haven’t taken away from them is what is going on in their minds.’ They remember and fantasize about the crime. I tell them they have no business making decisions regarding probation or parole if they have not looked deeply at the crime scene photographs, the victim, circumstances of the case, police reports, and the autopsy.
EC: Edmund Kemper, known as the Coed Killer, also received a type of parole. Please discuss his case.
JD: He killed his grandparents and was committed to the Atascadero State Hospital for the criminally insane. Let out in 1969 this six foot nine, 300-pound man started preying on coeds in 1972. He killed them, carried the bodies back to his mother’s house, had sex with them, and buried them face-up in the yard. Eventually he called the police and confessed to the murders. He was convicted on eight counts of first-degree murder. I was struck by his intelligence, a 145 IQ, how huge he was, and the amount of hostility he had built up in him. He was not cocky, remorseful, and was cool and soft-spoken. BTW: The hospital scene is not true and I never felt intimidated by him.
EC: What do you want the viewers and readers to understand?
JD: I hope the public realizes we cannot catch all the perpetrators. As profilers we provide clues. We cannot apply the same method to every case. Certain cases are easier to solve than others. For example a rape case with a surviving victim can provide us with verbal, physical, and sexual evidence. I also do not think law enforcement should rely on polygraphs. Dennis Rader, the BTK Strangler; Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer; and Robert Hanssen, someone in the FBI’s leadership who spied for the Russians, all passed the polygraph. After that they were not considered persons of interest for some time.
THANK YOU!!
Part II on Wednesday, December 6th.
We are giving away copies of Mindhunter!
Email with the subject heading – “Mindhunter Contest” to jon@crimespreemag.com
Include your name and address.WARNING: Video contains offensive language
Courtesy: YouTube
Robert Johnson told local news station ABC11 he was recording police after their arrival at a local bar where a friend got in an altercation with the staff, back in February.
He claims he kept a "safe distance - just videotaping," before an officer told him they would take his phone.
Johnson reported to ABC11: "He said that he needed my phone for evidence cause I was videotaping the arrest, but I know that wasn't right, so I kept taping."
The officer allegedly took his phone: "He grabbed my other hand that was not in a cast and twisted it back and was trying to slam me on my face which eventually happened."
In the video, you can hear someone ask Johnson -- reportedly that same officer -- "how do you stop your phone?"
Johnson was then arrested for resisting and obstructing an arrest. A spokesperson for the police department reportedly acknowledged the officer made a mistake, but offered no further details. Johnson's charges were eventually dropped and he got his cell phone back. Yet, as he was already on probation following a 2013 assault, the arrest still shows up online. He tells ABC11: "It looks bad if I try to get a job, I go to school, it just ruins a reputation...you should never get your phone taken or taken to jail just for videotaping an arrest."
Watch Jesse Ventura's take on police brutality in this episode of Off The Grid:Late this week, Canadian Bitcoin holders filed a class-action suit against defunct online Bitcoin exchange MtGox. The suit named MtGox, its affiliates, and its two major shareholders, Mark Karpeles and Jed McCaleb, as well as Japan's second largest bank, Mizuho Bank, where MtGox kept an account.
In the US, a class-action suit that was filed in late February was amended late Friday afternoon to name another primary plaintiff as well as several new defendants, including “John Doe defendants” and Mizuho Bank. MtGox KK filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in February, shielding it from lawsuits in the US, but MtGox's executives, its parent company Tibanne KK, and its US subsidiaries are not protected, Reuters notes.
MtGox found itself in dire straits last month, when it appeared to have lost 750,000 bitcoins belonging to its customers as well as 100,000 of its own Bitcoins after weeks of DDOS attacks and “transaction malleability” problems. In total, MtGox is estimated to have lost $468 million worth of bitcoins. In mid-February, the exchange halted all withdrawals, and plaintiffs in both Canadian and US cases suspect large-scale fraud.
Hoodwinked in Canada
The proposal for the class-action suit in Canada names four plaintiffs who are demanding $500 million from the defunct company, its affiliates, and its shareholders on behalf of “all persons in Canada who paid a fee to Mt. Gox to buy, sell, or otherwise trade bitcoins.” The class will also include “all persons in Canada who had bitcoins or fiat currency stored with Mt. Gox on February 7, 2014.” The complaint accuses MtGox (which originally stood for "Magic the Gathering Online Exchange") of negligence, breach of contract, breach of trust and/or fiduciary duty, fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation, conversion, and unjust enrichment.
The filing gives no estimate of how many Canadians may have lost bitcoins in MtGox's fall, but it does briefly describe the four plaintiffs, who are each owed some combination of bitcoins, US dollars, and Canadian dollars.
As defendants, the complaint names MtGox Inc, Mt. Gox North America Inc., Mt. Gox KK, and Tibanne KK. Tibanne is the parent company of Mt. Gox KK, and Mt. Gox KK is the parent of MtGox Inc and Mt. Gox North America Inc. The complaint also names Mark Karpeles, who is the CEO and the sole shareholder of all of the companies except for Mt. Gox KK, of which he owns 88 percent. Jeb McCaleb holds 12 percent of the rest of Mt. Gox KK's shares, and he is also named in the complaint.
Finally, Mizuho Bank is also named as a defendant. The complaint states its inclusion is because “All non-bitcoin currency received by the Mt. Gox Defendants from its users was held in an account or accounts with Mizuho Bank Ltd.
“Conspiracy spearheaded by Mt. Gox’s top executives”
In the United States, the class-action suit that was filed in late February (Gregory Greene v. Mt. Gox Inc et al ) was amended to include a number of other defendants, including MtGox Chief Marketing Officer Gonzague Gay-Bouchery and John Doe firms that “upon information and belief, knowingly rendered professional services to Mt. Gox Defendants in furtherance of the fraud alleged in this Complaint.” The filing also named one new plaintiff, Joseph Lack. Lack claims to have lost $40,000 through MtGox.
Friday's amended complaint takes a much stronger tone in alleging fraud perpetrated by MtGox executives than it had before.
“Rather than safeguard users’ property, Mt. Gox—aided and abetted by Mizuho and John Doe Defendants—devised a scheme whereby they stole the money and bitcoins of its users, claimed that the property had been lost due to security flaws, and then sought bankruptcy protection so as to buy time for it to hide and transfer the stolen bitcoins and money,” the complaint reads.
Specifically, the plaintiffs allege that MtGox was still taking customers' money and assuring them that it would be operationally strong as late |
Doug Michels, Founder and Vice President
Steven Sabbath, General Counsel
Kimberlee Madsen, Assistant Negotiator
********************** As is SCO's wont, they phrase this in such a way to make it seem to a newbie that this is a list of Novell witnesses, some who ended up helping SCO, but it isn't. As SCO acknowledges, Novell didn't call these witnesses. These were witnesses SCO called, who happened to have previously worked for Novell, not current employees, and not called by Novell to testify. By the way, Ms. Madsen is a paralegal, not that there's anything wrong with that. But "Assistant Negotiator" might be a bit of a promotion and confusing to those new to this story. She is the paralegal who testified that she never heard anyone mention copyrights at any of the meetings she attended: Brakebill: At any point in time did Novell, anyone from Novell, say to you, "We're going to transfer the UNIX copyrights to Santa Cruz"? Madsen: No, I don't recall that. It was assumed by everyone that, of course, the copyrights were accompanying. Brakebill: There were no express words from anyone from Novell to you saying Novell is going to transfer the UNIX copyrights to Santa Cruz, correct? Normand: Objection, asked and answered. Madsen: That's correct.... Brakebill: Again, you didn't have any discussions with anyone at Novell where they told you that UNIX copyrights were being transferred, correct? Normand: Objection to form and asked and answered. Madsen: I don't recall any conversations with Novell pertaining to copyrights. Brakebill: Were you part of any conversation between Santa Cruz representatives and Novell representatives where Santa Cruz put the question to Novell, "Can you transfer the UNIX copyrights to us?" Normand: Objection to form. Madsen: No, I don't recall that. Brakebill: Are you aware of any conversations that may have taken place between Santa Cruz representatives and Novell representatives where anyone from Santa Cruz asked Novell to give them the UNIX copyrights as part of this deal? Normand: Objection to form. Madsen: No, I do not recall any conversation regarding the copyrights. It was assumed that the copyrights came with the business, but I do not have any specific recollection about a conversation regarding copyrights. Brakebill: So it's fair to say that you were assuming that the UNIX copyrights were being transferred? Normand: Objection to form. Madsen: I don't believe that was my assumption alone, but yes, I was assuming that. Let's give Ms. Madsen her SCO promotion. Now we have the "Assistant Negotiator" for the APA testifying that she never heard anyone even discuss copyrights one way or another. That is fatal to SCO, I think, because my understanding is that with copyrights, there has be a writing, a clear writing, to transfer copyrights, and if it isn't clear, at least you need witnesses to testify that it was discussed and everyone agreed as to the copyright transfer, with specificity. Otherwise the copyrights stay where they were. That would be with Novell. Instead, the "Assistant Negotiator" says it didn't happen that way. And on the other side, Novell has presented the 1995 Board minutes of a board meeting held the day before the APA was signed that state unequivocally that no copyrights were to transfer under the APA. The minutes have one resolution that reads in part like this: Novell will retain all of its patents, copyrights and trademarks (except for the trademarks UNIX and UnixWare), a royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license back to UNIX and UnixWare for internal use and resale in bundled products, Tuxedo and other miscellaneous, unrelated technology. So Novell did discuss copyrights, and it resolved that they would not transfer. And on the other side, the Assistant Negotiator says no one discussed copyrights at all, that she ever heard tell. Here's what Judge Kimball wrote about some other SCO and Novell witnesses in the order SCO is appealing regarding Amendment 2, the part of the APA that SCO is relying upon: David Bradford, Novell's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, oversaw the negotiation and drafting of a contract between Novell and Santa Cruz. Decl. David Bradford at ¶ 4. During the negotiations of the APA, he discussed with Braham the need to increase Novell's protections in the transaction, including but not limited to retaining Novell's intellectual property rights in UNIX and UnixWare. Id. ¶ 9. Bradford testified that the exclusion of copyrights was intentional and "should any person suggest otherwise, they are mistaken." Id. ¶ 12. Bradford reviewed the terms of the APA with the Novell Board of Directors at a meeting held on September 18, 1995, the day before the APA was signed. Id. ¶ 13. Bradford received the final APA on the day it was executed and was responsible for reviewing it and approving it for final signature by Frankenberg. Id. ¶ 17. Bradford wrote a memorandum reflecting his approval of the APA. Id. He testified in this litigation that he still agrees with the statement that the APA is "an accurate reflection of the business and legal terms and conditions negotiated between the parties." Id. James Tolonen, Novell's Chief Financial Officer from 1989 through 1998, testified that he was actively involved in the preparation of the APA. Tolonen Decl. ¶¶ 3, 7. Tolonen interacted with Bradford, who he described as the "point person" heading up Novell's negotiation team, and Braham. Id. ¶¶ 8, 9. Tolonen reviewed drafts of the APA and reviewed the final version of the APA to ensure that its terms were consistent with the intent of the deal. Id. ¶¶ 9, 10. Tolonen testified that "[a]s reflected in the plain language of the executed [APA], Novell intended to retain and did retain, as an 'Excluded Asset,' all copyrights, including all UNIX and UnixWare copyrights." Id. ¶ 11.... Jim Tolonen, Novell's Chief Financial Officer and Novell's business executive assigned to Amendment No. 2, confirms that it was never Novell's intent to transfer copyrights by way of Amendment No. 2. Decl. Jim Tolonen at ¶ 13, 14. He states that he would not have signed it if he had believed it would do so. Id. ¶ 15. He testifies that Amendment No. 2 was also not meant to "clarify" what the parties intended to transfer in the original APA. Id. ¶ 14. Rather, he states that Novell intended to retain the UNIX and UnixWare copyrights in the APA, and Amendment No. 2 confirmed that Santa Cruz would be allowed to continue to use the Novell-retained copyrights as it had been doing as was required to exercise its rights under the APA. Id. ¶ 16. Sabbath has no recollection of negotiating the copyright portion of Amendment No. 2. SCO relies on the testimony of Robert Frankenberg and Ed Chatlos regarding Amendment No. 2. However, both men had left Novell before Amendment No. 2 was negotiated and had no involvement in the negotiation of the amendment. Frankenberg Dep. at 86; Chatlos Decl. ¶ 4. SCO relies on the testimony of several other individuals involved in the business, but none of them admits to being involved in the negotiations of Amendment No. 2 or to having any specific recollection of the negotiations with respect to the transfer of copyrights. How rosy do SCO's prospects look to you now? Even if they could get the case remanded back to Utah for a jury trial, how can they win against all that? They literally haven't got a single witness that I've seen put forward that they can use to rebut the clear story Novell presents. No doubt that is why Judge Kimball ruled as he did. SCO is presenting to the bankruptcy court that if they can just win the appeal, it's a slam dunk for them after that. I disagree. ********************************
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Transferred its UNIX copyright registrations to Santa Cruz, which transferred them to SCO in 2001. SCO has possession of the registrations.
Modified the copyright notices on the UNIX source code existing at the time of the APA to reflect the change in ownership of the copyrights from Novell to Santa Cruz.
Reported to the APA transition team that "the following changes have been made" to existing UNIX code at the request of Santa Cruz: "SCO copyrights added to documentation and software."
Admitted that "All of the technology and intellectual assets" in existing UNIX source code "will be transitioned to SCO sometime after December 1, 1995."
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Announced in a joint press release that "SCO will acquire Novell's UnixWare business and UNIX intellectual property."
Notified its customers that Novell had transferred "its existing ownership interest in UNIX System-based offerings and related products" to Santa Cruz and referred to Santa Cruz as "the owner" of the UNIX software. These UNIX assets were identified as "All Releases of UNIX System V and prior Releases of the UNIX System."
Admitted that Santa Cruz had purchased the UNIX business "lock, stock and barrel."
Contemporaneous with the APA and its amendments, Santa Cruz: Shipped countless UnixWare products with a Santa Cruz copyright notice on the product discs, without objection from Novell.
Announced in its 1995 Annual Report that it had acquired "certain assets related to the UNIX business including the core intellectual property from Novell." Wilson Sonsini, the law firm that represented Novell in the APA, was Santa Cruz's counsel in connection with the 1995 Annual Report.
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Stated through its investment banker that, under the APA, Santa Cruz "will obtain the IP " for UNIX, UnixWare, and all UNIX-related products.
" for UNIX, UnixWare, and all UNIX-related products. Recited in a 1998 agreement with Microsoft that "SCO has acquired AT&T's ownership of the copyright in the UNIX System V operating system."
As UNIX copyright holder, brought a complaint against Microsoft before the European Commission in 1997, representing that it had "acquired ownership of the copyright to UNIX," and referring to itself as "the copyright owner of UNIX."
operative
Breach of Contract and Unfair Competition.
SCO also brought claims against Novell for breach of contract and unfair competition based in part on Novell's wrongful exercise of its rights under Article 4.16(b) of the APA in defense of IBM. For its part, Novell sought a declaration that its Article 4.16(b) rights extend to
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Article 4.16(b) grants Novell the right to "amend, supplement, modify or waive any rights" under certain licenses called "SVRX Licenses" in the APA. The scope of Novell's rights therefore turns on the meaning of the term "SVRX Licenses" as used in the contract. Novell argued, and the district court on summary judgment ruled, that the term "SVRX Licenses" unambiguously includes IBM's Software and Sublicensing Agreements. But that is not what the APA provides. Article 4.16(a) identifies the "SVRX Licenses" by pointing to a list in Item VI of the Assets Schedule:
Following the Closing, Buyer shall administer the collection of all royalties, fees and other amounts due under the SVRX Licenses (as listed in detail under Item VI of Schedule 1.1 (a) hereof and referred to herein as "SVRX Royalties).
All contracts relating to the SVRX Licenses and Auxiliary Product Licenses (collectively "SVRX Licenses") listed below :
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In addition, the district court confused the introductory sentence of Item VI with the list that appears under that sentence. Like all other Items in the Asset Schedule, Item VI identified assets being transferred to Santa Cruz under the APA. In that context, Item VI identifies "all contracts relating to the SVRX Licenses" listed below it as assets that Santa Cruz was purchasing. Instead of independently listing the "SVRX Licenses" over which Novell was retaining waiver rights, Article 4.16 cross-referenced a portion of Item VI - the list. By its own terms, the clear language of Article 4.16 applies only to the SVRX Licenses "listed below" the introductory sentence of Item VI - not to "all contracts relating to" the list.
Finally, the Software and Sublicensing Agreements, such as those executed by IBM, are separately listed as assets sold to Santa Cruz without any reservation of rights for Novell, under Item III of the Assets Schedule:
All of Seller's rights pertaining to UNIX and UnixWare under any software development contracts, licenses and any other contracts to
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which Seller is a party or by which it is bound and which pertain to the Business... including without limitation... Software and Sublicensing Agreements.
Messrs. Frankenberg, Chatlos, Thompson, Mattingly, Mohan, Wilt, Michels, and Sabbath, and Ms. Madsen all testified that Article 4.16(b) was not intended to apply to Software and Sublicensing Agreements. William Broderick and John Maciaszek, executives in Novell's UNIX licensing group, specifically testified that Novell used the term "SVRX Licenses" to refer to other agreements that Novell and AT&T used in licensing individual SVRX products under the terms of the Software and Sublicensing Agreements.
SCO also showed that Novell and Santa Cruz previously resolved in SCO's favor the very same dispute concerning the scope of the Article 4.16(b) rights. In April 1996, without informing Santa Cruz, Novell and IBM entered into a so-called amendment of IBM's Software and Sublicensing Agreements granting IBM limited rights to distribute AIX source code.
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Novell's CEO, Mr. Frankenberg, did not challenge those assertions, and indeed, over the ensuing six months of negotiations, Novell did not once invoke its Article 4.16(b) rights, as it did in 2003. Instead, Novell and Santa Cruz resolved the issue by executing Amendment No. 2 to the APA and two related agreements. Pursuant to this resolution, Novell paid Santa Cruz $1.5 million for a release of claims against Novell for its execution of the unauthorized amendment and Novell also agreed that it "may not prevent SCO from exercising its rights with respect to SVRX source code in accordance with" the APA.
Copyright Infringement Claim.
SCO also brought a claim for copyright infringement against Novell based on its distribution of Linux products through its wholly owned subsidiary SuSE Linux, which Novell acquired in 2004 with a $50 million investment by IBM. In addition, Novell's distribution of Linux was also a partial basis for SCO's breach of contract and unfair competition claims. The
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5. The Strength of SCO's Claims Against IBM.
In May 2006, Dr. Jeffrey Leitzinger concluded that "IBM has received over $12 billion in Linux-related revenues and over $4 billion in Linux-related profits" since 2000.
Dr. Leitzinger also concluded at that time that "SCO lost $753 million in profits and ongoing business value" since 2000, "in connection with IBM's unauthorized disclosures of SCO's intellectual property, technology, methods and concepts." Consistent with Dr. Leitzinger's opinion, Professor Avner Kalay, another expert, concluded that "the market value of the asset that SCO lost through the alleged breach of contract by IBM" was "between a low of $597,845,000 and a high of $717,414,000" at the onset of the breach in February 2000.
As to damages resulting from IBM's unauthorized distribution of AIX after the termination of its Software and Sublicensing Agreements, Professor Christine Botosan concluded that "IBM generated actual AIX related revenues of $9,373.51 million during the
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In addressing damages resulting from IBM's misuse of SCO code provided in Project Monterey, Professor Botosan concluded that "IBM generated actual AIX related revenues of $9,490.55 million" and "AIX related profits of $4,694.82 million," between October 1, 2000 and June 13, 2003, the date SCO terminated IBM's Software and Sublicensing Agreements. Professor Botosan calculated damages only through June 13, 2003, to avoid double-counting damages already included in her analysis of the copyright infringement claim for AIX.
Contract Claims.
AT&T's legal department created a Software Agreement and a Sublicensing Agreement that imposed strict requirements on licensees' use, export, transfer, and disclosure of the UNIX-derived software. The cornerstones of these protections were Sections 7.06(a) and 2.01 of the Software Agreement. Section 7.06(a) of the Agreement states in relevant part:
LICENSEE agrees that it shall hold all parts of the SOFTWARE PRODUCTS subject to this Agreement in confidence for AT&T. LICENSEE further agrees that it shall not make any disclosure of
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any or all of such SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ( Including methods or concepts utilized therein ) to anyone, except to employees of LICENSEE to whom such disclosure is necessary to the use for which rights are granted hereunder.
AT&T grants to LICENSEE a personal, nontransferable and nonexclusive right to use in the United States each SOFTWARE PRODUCT identified in the one or more Supplements hereto, solely for LICENSEE'S own internal business purposes and solely on or in conjunction with DESIGNATED CPUs for such SOFTWARE PRODUCT. Such right to use includes the right to modify such SOFTWARE PRODUCT and to prepare derivative works based on such SOFTWARE PRODUCT, provided the resulting materials are treated hereunder as part of the original SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
33
SCO also brought claims against IBM for breach of its Sublicensing Agreements. IBM's Sublicensing Agreements authorized it to distribute binary-code versions of its UNIX-derivative products - AIX and Dynix - provided that IBM complied with the requirements of the Software Agreements. In light of IBM's breaches of its Software Agreements, SCO terminated IBM's Sublicensing Agreements in 2003. When IBM continued thereafter to distribute AIX and Dynix, SCO brought claims for breach of the Sublicensing Agreements based on those ongoing distributions.
IBM has not disputed the facts that underlie SCO's contract claims: AIX and Dynix are UNIX-derivative works, and IBM dumped substantial portions of AIX and Dynix into Linux and disclosed the methods and concepts found in UNIX, AIX, and Dynix in developing Linux.
Instead of disputing these facts, IBM has primarily argued that the protections in the Software Agreement apply only to the literal source code from the licensed UNIX product, and not to the methods and concepts and other intellectual property embodied in the code, or to any part of code physically written by IBM or Sequent in developing AIX and Dynix. That is not remotely what the Software Agreement says, and IBM's interpretation gives no meaning to entire provisions. Section 2.01 required IBM to use the UNIX product "solely for [its] own internal business purposes" on specified CPUs, and Section 7.06(a) required IBM to keep "all parts" of the UNIX software confidential, including specifically the "methods and concepts"
34
Copyright Infringement.
In addition to the fact that over 440,000 lines of source code in AIX are literally copied from SVr4, IBM itself placed "Origin Codes" on 179 files in AIX to signify that the files were derived from UNIX System V. Those files form the most important part of the AIX kernel. They form the heart of AIX functionality; it is impossible for AIX to function on any level without them.
The structure of AIX 4.3 is substantially similar to the structure of SVr4. AIX includes approximately 90% of the SVr4 system calls. In addition, AIX brings together several elements in a manner similar to SVr4, such as the system calls, file system, shared memory, sockets, files, and pipes, as well as the fact that AIX is structured as a monolithic kernel.
The structure of AIX 5.3 is substantially similar to the structure of SVr4 in the same way as AIX 4.3, which compels the inference that all versions of AIX
35
between those two versions share the same similarity in system calls and structure.
Dr. Thomas Cargill concluded that "it would be an astonishing coincidence if the selection, arrangement, and coordination of elements in Linux were developed independently from the remarkably similar selection, arrangement, and coordination of elements in SVr4."
Linux was developed through systematic copying of SCO's copyrighted material. Linux Torvalds, the person who conceived Linux, started with a "UNIX variant." He then referred to the manuals for the Sun Microsystems version of UNIX: "That's how early development was done. I was reading the standards from either the Sun OS manual or various books, just picking off system calls one by one and trying to make something that worked."
In a presentation touting the UNIX-derived strengths of Linux, IBM admitted that "UNIX was a pre-write to Linux" and that Linux is "a UNIX-like operating system." IBM described Linux as "an independent UNIX OS implementation, that complies with the standard specifications that define the basic UNIX
*********************** SCO seems not to realize that they undermine themselves by the second quotation. In saying that IBM described Linux as "an independent" implementation, it is saying that it is NOT a derivative of UNIX or anything else. So the statement does not prove that IBM "admitted" that Linux is a derivative of UNIX. In fact, it proves the opposite, that IBM said it wasn't a derivative. ***************************
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environment," as a "community-developed version of UNIX," or simply as "derived from UNIX." IBM has also repeatedly admitted that it copies Linux onto its machines, contributes to the Linux code base, and provides and promotes Linux products and services - all violations of the Copyright Act if SCO is found to be the owner of the relevant UNIX copyrights. Instead of disputing that it has engaged in its undeniable Linux-related activities, IBM has primarily argued that SCO is not the owner of the relevant UNIX copyrights because Novell retained them under the Asset Purchase Agreement by which it transferred the UNIX business to Santa Cruz, SCO's predecessor, in 1995 (the "APA").
Unfair Competition.
SCO's unfair competition claim was based primarily on IBM's conduct in connection with Project Monterey, which was supposed to be a joint venture between IBM and Santa Cruz to develop a UNIX-based operating system and related products for a new Intel 64-bit chip in the late 1990s. Through a trail of smoking-gun e-mails and other IBM internal documents, SCO showed that IBM made a conscious decision to abandon the project, concentrate instead on a competing Linux solution, and keep SCO in the dark about this decision. IBM led SCO to believe that IBM intended to continue the project to the benefit of both partners. This deprived SCO of the opportunity to find other partners, to upgrade its UNIX products to compete with Linux, and to avoid wasting the company's resources on Project Monterey.
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B. Cause" Does Not Exist Under Section 1112(b)(4)(B) Because the Estates Have
Not Been Grossly Mismanaged.
It is no secret that the Debtors filed bankruptcy, among other reasons, to stay alive long enough to allow SCO to prosecute an appeal of a seriously prejudicial ruling by the district court in Utah.
*********************** Judge Kimball is certainly not prejudiced against SCO, although some trolls are pushing that thought and SCO executives have been busy saying negative things about him to the media. All that means to me is that if the case is sent back to Utah, SCO may try to get a different judge. If a judge is "prejudiced", it can be grounds tNottingham council says it is treating damage to name plaques and decorative lights on plots at High Wood cemetery in Bulwell as a hate crime
Damage caused to graves in the Muslim section of a cemetery in the wake of the Tunisia terror attack has been condemned as an attempt to divide communities.
Nottingham city council said it was treating the damage to at least 10 plots at High Wood cemetery in Bulwell as a hate crime.
Nottinghamshire police have stepped up patrols at the cemetery and other sites after name plaques and decorative lights on Muslim and non-Muslim plots were damaged at the weekend.
The council’s deputy leader, Graham Chapman, said: “We totally condemn what has taken place at High Wood cemetery. This irresponsible act of hatred achieves absolutely nothing.
“We will be increasing security at the cemetery and, although we cannot guarantee solving this hate crime, the council will be working with the police to do our utmost to track down the perpetrators.”
Ch Supt Mark Holland confirmed that the focus of the damage appeared to be on Muslim graves, and said the incident was very upsetting for the families affected.
He said: “Nottinghamshire police has been liaising closely with the Muslim community in Nottinghamshire since the events in Tunisia and we have been in close contact following the reports of these events. I am sure everyone in Nottinghamshire will be united in their condemnation of these actions and we would urge anyone who knows anything about this incident to contact police immediately.”
Anyone with information that could identify those responsible is asked to call Nottinghamshire police on 101.Share 110 Shares
Finally, the third major excuse for the country not progressing is on the verge of being crossed out from the history of this sad Republic. The passing on second-reading of the controversial Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) in theory paves the way for measures to be put in place to control galloping population growth in wretchedly impoverished Philippines. The first two excuses — subjection to colonial rule and lack of “democracy” were dealt with in 1946 and 1986 respectively. The Year 2012 marks the third major “victory” in Filipinos’ on-going “fight” versus the “oppression” they perceive to be hobbling their march to prosperity — freedom from the ravages of over-population.
In a country like the Philippines where every new child born is more likely a liability than an asset to the economy, the solutions are obvious. Though packaged as “reproductive health” improved access to artificial contraception is really all about reducing the birth rate — specially amongst people who are not in a position to honour commitments to raise productive citizens.
After all, the only real underlying principle behind poverty is quite simple:
Poverty is the outcome of entering into commitments one is inherently incapable of honouring.
The RH Bill and the presumed existence of tenets within it that will make artificial contraception widely available to Filipinos is the Philippines’ biggest shot at arresting its people’s unfettered signing up to contracts they, for the most part, fail to understand and, as such, are likely to breach. Each child born, after all, involves its parents’ signing a hypothetical contract that said child will (1) not be a menace to society, (2) contribute a net positive added value to the economy and (3) be an overall nice, decent, and pleasant person.
In an ideal world where prospective parents are clear on the stipulations of this hypothetical social contract they’d sign up to as they set out to produce offspring, we’d rest assured that we are facing a future of progressively improving our chances of building a country that is free from crime, is prosperous, and populated by a great people worthy of earning the respect of the global community.
This of course is not an ideal world we live in and the country created by Filipinos known as “the Philippines”, in particular, is among the least-perfect of the lot. The moving forward of the RH Bill is a momentous achievement as it brings the prospect of controlling the impact of those among us who irresponsibly enter into commitments they consistently fail to understand on those of us who are more adept at thinking things through properly.
The moving forward of the RH Bill is a promising outcome as it proves that Filipinos and the politicians who represent them are showing tentative signs that they are capable of freeing themselves from the inbred primitivist ideology of the extremist brand of Roman Catholicism propagated by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. More important is the broader implications to Philippine society in this symbolic socio-cultural leap. It is a manifestation of a major crack developing in the shackles that have for so long held the Filipino mind captive to the influence of medieval institutions that seek to undermine her sense of personal responsibility.
The future of the RH Bill rests in the system — the process of getting it passed across the desks of Filipinos’ popularly-elected politicians. Time and again, the system has proven that where there is political will just about anything can be passed — including even the most shoddily-written, most ill-thought-out, and most irrelevant of legislation. The RH Bill may not be the best of its kind Filipinos will be getting but, hey, pwede na yan. It’s a start. The solution to chronic impoverishment in the Philippines is an obvious one, and the RH Bill in its current form is the single biggest shot at the moment to implementing that solution.
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WhatsAppJoin us in catching up on the big headlines from Week 7 and looking ahead to the action this coming weekend. This month our HGC Digest will be expanded to cover all of the important news out of Latin America; Taiwan; Southeast Asia; and Australia and New Zealand, as each of these regions are in the process of determining who will be worthy of competing on their behalf at the HGC Finals in November.
The First to Crown a Contender
The first team to qualify to the HGC Finals are the Deadlykittens from Southeast Asia, with their triumphant win over regional rivals Resurgence this past weekend. In SEA, teams completed in two separate single-elimination open qualifiers to determine the top eight teams that would play in the SEA Finals. After a shaky start in the upper bracket, the Deadlykittens rallied through the lower to the grand finals where they dominated Resurgence 4-0. More info about the SEA Finals can be found here. Congratulations to Deadlykittens for earning their spot at BlizzCon!
Team Dignitas Have Regained Their Footing
After missing out on qualification to the last Western Clash, Team Dignitas now seem back in form, going 2-0 this past weekend against Team Good Guys and Team expert. James ‘Bakery’ Baker & Co. are currently 7-4 and safely leading the pack in pursuit of the second auto-bid to BlizzCon (behind Fnatic, who are all but certain to clench the No. 1 seed). Defeating Team expert 3-2 was enough to reestablish Team Dignitas' resurgence in the European region. Interestingly, Dignitas had Joshua ‘Snitch’ Bennett on Genij for four out of the five battlegrounds, revealing their current draft priority.
“Genji is very often a Hero that sets the pace of the game,” Bakery said. “That's something that we value a lot as team. High priority on Genji also forces the enemy team to draft around him, which is something we like to use to give the rest of our draft more space and flexibility.”
Like a Rolling Stone
Roll20 brick-walled both Lag Force and Superstars this weekend, continuing a 12-battleground win streak into Week 8, the longest streak across every HGC region currently. Gale Force Esports seems to be the only North American team on the same level as Roll20 right now. With these two squads set to square off in Week 9, it’s clear that GFE and R2E are on track for two of the three spots at the HGC Finals.
HGC Taiwan is Underway
We will have our second team locked in for the HGC Finals by the time the weekend rolls around, as HGC Taiwan is nearing the end of its Season 4 bracket. The semi-finals will be held Sept. 6 with Team Face Check vs. Loli Meow, and Soul Torturers vs. DeathFinallyFront. The winners of these two matches will play each other in the grand finals on Sept. 7, with an HGC Finals spot on the line. You can find more information on HGC Taiwan here.
Latin America Heats Up
The format has changed for many of our non-league regions. For Latin America, teams competing to qualify for the HGC Finals are split into four groups, with two belonging to the northern region (Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Central America) and two for the southern (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia).
Group play for the North will take place Sept. 5–6, and the South from Sept. 7–8. The top teams from each will compete in a sub-regional over Sept. 9–10. The final four remaining teams will travel to São Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 30 to duke it out on LAN for a single spot at the HGC Finals in November. More information on Copa America can be found here.
Australia & New Zealand Culminates in Sydney
The ANZ Season 4 finals are currently underway. Teams in the region have been playing each other weekly since the division kicked off in early August. Teams NMD, Crimson Esports, Dark Sided, and fan favorites Nomia have qualified to attend the ANZ Lan Finals in Sydney, Australia, on the 30th of this month. You can find more information on the ANZ finals here.
L5 vs. Tempest– Saturday, Sept. 9, 2:00 a.m. PDT / 11:00 a.m. CEST
L5 sits in second place now behind MVP Black, with Tempest in third. This important matchup between these two teams will play a key role in determining who will have an auto-bid to BlizzCon and who will have to fight through the HGC Playoffs' stepladder bracket against three other hungry South Korean teams. The last time these two teams met, at the Eastern Clash, L5 walked away with a narrow 3-2 win.
Team expert vs. Fnatic – Sunday, Sept. 10, 11:00 a.m. PDT / 8:00 p.m. CEST
This is a rematch between our first- and second-place teams from the most recent Western Clash. Fnatic looked dominant in their play against Tricked esport this past weekend, while Team expert have been in recovery mode since losing to Team Good Guys in Week 6, and Team Dignitas this past weekend. At the Western Clash, Fnatic defeated Team expert 3-0 in the semi-finals, and 4-0 in the grand finals. It’s safe to say that Fnatic is still the favorite to take first seed in Europe at the HGC Finals.
Gale Force vs. Team Freedom – Sunday, Sept. 10, 2:00 p.m. PDT / 11:00 p.m. CEST
Our top two North American teams from the most recent Western Clash will square off as well this weekend. Team Freedom have managed to hang onto the third-place spot since returning home from Ukraine, despite a 3-0 loss to Roll20 in Week 6. On the other hand, Gale Force Esports sit safely at the top of the standings after seven weeks of play. The only loss that Gale Force Esports has suffered this season was at the hands of Team Freedom, 3-1 in Week 3 of Phase 2.
Will history repeat itself? Make sure to tune into the games this weekend at playheroes.com/esports—and check back tomorrow for a feature story on one of the HGC's most infamous melee assassin players.Lenin Internet Archive
“Democracy” and Dictatorship
Written: December 23, 1918
First Published: January 3, 1919 in Pravda No. 2
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Volume 28 (p. 368-72)
Transcription\Markup: Brian Baggins
Online Version: Lenin Internet Archive (marxists.org) 2000
A few numbers of the Berlin Red Banner and the Vienna Call (Weckruf), organ of the Communist Party of German Austria, that have reached Moscow, showed that the traitors to socialism — those who supported the war of the predatory imperialists — the Scheidemanns and Kautskys, Austerlitzes and Renners [All who were far right German Social-Democrats] — are getting the rebuff they deserve from these genuine representatives of the revolutionary workers of Germany and Austria. We extend warm greetings to both papers, which epitomise the vitality and growth of the Third International.
Apparently the chief question of the revolution both in Germany and Austria now is: Constituent Assembly or Soviet government? The spokesmen of the bankrupt Second International, all the way from Scheidemann to Kautsky, stand for the first and describe their stand as defense of "democracy" (Kautsky has even gone so far as to call it "pure democracy") as distinct from dictatorship. In the pamphlet The Proletarian Revolution and Renegade Kautsky, which has just come off the press in Moscow and Petrograd, I examine Kautsky's views in detail. I shall try briefly to give the substance of the point at issue, which has become the question of the day for all the advanced capitalist countries.
The Scheidemanns and Kautsky's speak about "pure democracy" and "democracy" in general for the purpose of deceiving the people and concealing from them the bourgeois character of present-day democracy. Let the bourgeoisie continue to keep the entire apparatus of state power in their hands, let a handful of exploiters continue to use the former, bourgeois, state machine! Elections held in such circumstances are lauded by the bourgeoisie, for very good reasons, as being "free", "equal", "democratic" and "universal". These words are designed to conceal the truth, to conceal the fact that the means of production and political power remain in the hands of the exploiters, and that therefore real freedom and real equality for the exploited, that is, for the vast majority of the population, are out of the question. It is profitable and indispensable for the bourgeoisie to conceal from the people the bourgeois character of modern democracy, to picture it as democracy in general or "pure democracy", and the Scheidemanns and Kautskys, repeating this, in practice abandon the standpoint of the proletariat and side with the bourgeoisie.
Marx and Engels in their last joint preface to the Communist Manifesto (in 1872)[A] considered it necessary to specifically warn the workers that the proletariat cannot simply lay hold of the ready-made (that is, the bourgeois) state machine and wield it for their own purpose, but that they must smash it, break it up. The renegade Kautsky, who has written a special pamphlet entitled dictatorship of the proletariat, concealed from the workers this most important Marxist truth, utterly distorted Marxism, and, quite |
called on Trump to make 'a direct apology', but is still backing him for president
Pence released a statement on Saturday saying: 'As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump'
It comes after Trump is again vowing to continue his campaign even though he says the "media and establishment want me out of the race so badly."
Trump vowed in capital letters on Twitter Saturday to "never drop of out the race." He also pledged to "never let my supporters down."
Many Republicans have called for Trump to abandon his campaign in the wake of the release of a 2005 video in which he makes lewd remarks about women and appears to condone sexual assault.Lianne Sanderson kept England Women on course to defend their Cyprus Cup crown, netting both goals in a 2-0 win over Canada in the Group A decider.
The 26-year-old opened the scoring inside the first minute before slamming home a second just after the half-hour mark to cap an impressive first half from Mark Sampson’s side and secure a place in Wednesday's final.
The Three Lions controlled proceedings from the off and could have been even further ahead before the break, with Ellen White and Toni Duggan missing decent chances.
England Women 2-0 Canada The Cyprus Cup
Group A
Monday 10 March
Nicosia, Cyprus
It mattered not, though, as Sanderson’s double clinched a third straight win over the Olympic bronze medallists.
England now await the conclusion of Group B to find out who they will take on in the final.
Sampson had fielded two entirely different line-ups for the first two group games, but he reverted to the starting side that defeated Italy 2-0 on the opening day.
And just as they did in those two matches, his side dictated the play from the off and made a dream start when Sanderson put them ahead after just 50 seconds.
Canada kicked off only for the Three Lions to take up possession almost immediately. The ball was worked out to the right where Birmingham City’s Carney jinked her way to the by-line and stood up a cross to the back post, which Sanderson duly converted from close range.
With the wind in their sails, England’s lead was almost doubled by new Notts County signing Ellen White in the fourth minute, but Emily Zurrer cleared her effort off the line.
As the pace of the game settled, Fara Williams lost possession in midfield, forcing Lucy Bronze to play a back pass across her own area, which almost let in Josee Belanger. But pressure from captain Steph Houghton and goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain put the striker off and she fired her shot wildly off target.
Mark Sampson's side reach Cyprus Cup final
That blip aside, England were putting together a number of neat passing moves, one which almost led to a second goal just before the half-hour mark.
Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs chipped a ball into the box which Sanderson cushioned into Duggan’s path but Rhian Wilkinson, on her 150th appearance for Canada, slid in to hook it behind for a corner.
However, the reigning champions’ progressive approach was eventually rewarded with a second goal and it came courtesy of Sanderson once more.
Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod came off her line to deny Duggan a clean shot at goal and the rebound fell kindly for the Boston Breakers striker who rifled home a low shot from 15 yards to give her side some breathing space.
And it could have been more had White been more accurate with two efforts late in the first half. The first was headed tamely into McLeod’s arms while the second was blazed over from 18 yards.
Canada came into the game more in the second half but without looking like threatening to any great degree.
Karen Carney set up Sanderson's first
Indeed, it was a fairly disjointed match after the break with neither side able to create many clear-cut chances. Bronze’s blushes were spared, though, after Christine Sinclair curled a shot wide following the Liverpool defender’s loose pass inside her own box.
As is often the case in this friendly tournament, both sides made wholesale changes in the second half, keen to give minutes to as many players as possible and this played a large part in disrupting the game’s flow.
Sampson’s charges were gradually forced to defend for large spells, and although they rode their luck a few times they managed to hold firm for a third successive clean sheet – and a place in Wednesday’s showpiece.
England (4-3-3): 1 Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal); 2 Alex Scott (Arsenal), 6 Steph Houghton (C; Manchester City), 5 Lucy Bronze (Liverpool), 3 Demi Stokes (University of Florida); 8 Fara Williams (Liverpool), 7 Karen Carney (Birmingham City), 10 Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal); 11 Toni Duggan (Manchester City), 9 Lianne Sanderson (Boston Breakers), 20 Ellen White (Notts County)
Substitutes: 4 Anita Asante (Malmo) for Sanderson, 64, 9 Natasha Dowie (Liverpool) for White, 72, 18 Jill Scott (Manchester City) for Nobbs, 80, 17 Gemma Davison (Liverpool) for Duggan, 86
Subs not used: 13 Carly Telford (Notts County), 14 Laura Bassett (Chelsea), 22 Eniola Aluko (Chelsea).
Goals: Sanderson, 1, 32
Canada:1 Erin McLeod, 2 Emily Zurrer, 6 Kaylyn Kyle, 7 Rhian Wilkinson, 8 Diana Matheson, 9 Josee Belanger, 12 Christine Sinclair (C), 13 Sophie Schmidt, 14 Kadiesha Buchanan, 19 Adriana Leon, 20 Marie-Eve Nault
1 Erin McLeod, 2 Emily Zurrer, 6 Kaylyn Kyle, 7 Rhian Wilkinson, 8 Diana Matheson, 9 Josee Belanger, 12 Christine Sinclair (C), 13 Sophie Schmidt, 14 Kadiesha Buchanan, 19 Adriana Leon, 20 Marie-Eve Nault
Substitutes: 11 Desiree Scott for Leon, 46, 5 Robyn Gayle for Nault, 46, 17 Brittany Baxter for Kyle, 61, 10 Rebecca Quinn for Zurrer, 61, 3 Nkem Ezurike for Wilkinson, 79.
Substitutes not used: 21 Stephanie Labbe, 33 Karina LeBlanc, 15 Rachel Quon.EXCLUSIVE: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon‘s Michelle Yeoh is heading into the final frontier with Star Trek: Discovery. Sources confirm to Deadline that the upcoming CBS All Access iteration of the fabled franchise will see Yeoh playing a Starfleet Captain.
However, before you start mapping out the deck of the Discovery, sources close to the production tell us exclusively that Yeoh actually will be the leader of another ship. We hear that Yeoh has been cast as Han Bo and her ship is the Shenzhou. The Yeoh-run spacecraft is set to play a big role in Discovery‘s first season.
Asked for comment, Star Trek: Discovery producer CBS TV Studios declined to confirm Yeoh’s casting,
Yeoh is the first revealed cast member on the series, which marks the return of Star Trek to scripted television for the first time since Star Trek Enterprise ended its run in 2005.
Casting Yeoh, one of Asia’s biggest stars of the past three decades, underscores the global appeal the producers of Star Trek: Discovery are going for with the new series, which is being distributed by Netflix in 188 countries outside of the U.S. and Canada.
Major plot and character details about Star Trek: Discovery have not been revealed. It is known, however, that it will take place about 10 years before the events of the original series, and that the lead character will be a young woman, likely non-white, serving as a lieutenant commander aboard the Federation starship Discovery, known to her crewmates as “Number One.” This raises the possibility that the character is second in command on the ship, as “number one” is the designation given to two previous Trek first officers: Majel Barrett’s character on the original Star Trek pilot “The Cage” and William Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
This will be the first Star Trek series where the main character is not the commanding officer, though not all main characters have been full captains; the Avery Brooks-portrayed Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine started with the rank of commander before being promoted to Captain in Season 3. Series co-creator and producer Bryan Fuller frequently has emphasized the show’s commitment to diversity, confirming at TCA last summer that there will be at least one gay character, and also has said there will be both familiar and new alien races.
Fuller co-created Star Trek: Discovery with Alex Kurtzman and served as showrunner until last month when he stepped down from the role, handing the captain’s chair to his number twos, Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts. Earlier this fall, Star Trek: Discovery‘s launch was pushed from January to May 2017.
News that Michelle Yeoh had come aboard Star Trek: Discovery first was revealed in an interview with consulting producer Nicholas Meyer, published by Coming Soon, which provided no information about her character.The new Bundesliga campaign is not due to start until 26 August and the withdrawal symptoms are pretty severe, but my new role as Official Fantasy Bundesliga Scout has offered me some welcome relief.
From shoe sizes to the number of goals scored in training, Official Fantasy Bundesliga Scout Florian knows everything there is to know about every single member of the Bundesliga's all-star cast. He claims to have discovered Fritz Walter and Franz Beckenbauer, and now he wants to share his talent-spotting prowess with you.
It's my job to trawl through the transfer market and handpick the lesser-known players who have all the necessary qualities a coach looks for, but who tend to get overlooked. Here's my opening gambit…
Watch: How to play the Official Fantasy Bundesliga:
Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, FC Augsburg (7 Million)
Although I can't give you much help on the pronunciation, I cannot speak highly enough of Jeffrey Gouweleeuw as a player. The former AZ Alkmaar captain put in some solid performances after joining FC Augsburg during the winter break, and I'm pretty sure the Dutch defender has more to give in his second season at the club. I can also see him taking on much more responsibility. And at that price, he's a real bargain.
Official Fantasy Bundesliga: Top 10 defenders“We want to make sure that sponsors are not putting the labor aspect in the primary position, when it should be the cultural aspect,” Mr. Ruth said in an interview Wednesday.
The department will tighten rules requiring sponsors to protect the health and safety of students and to prevent too many of them from working in the same place — a situation that could rob them of opportunities to interact with Americans. State Department officials said they were also considering a ban on most factory and industrial jobs for the students.
Over the past decade, about one million foreign university students came to the United States through the popular Summer Work Travel program.
Mr. Ruth said the department had decided to ban Cetusa, a measure that took effect on Monday, after the five-month investigation revealed a “scope and severity and pattern of noncompliance.” The lapses he cited echoed the complaints of the foreign students at the plant in Palmyra, Pa., who found themselves forced to work grueling night shifts lifting heavy boxes of Hershey’s candies for take-home pay so low they sometimes went hungry.
State Department officials found “an almost complete lack of cultural activities” for the students sent by Cetusa to the plant, and a “laxness” about their health and safety. The strains of the packing jobs and injuries that resulted were overlooked by the company, officials said.
Students’ complaints were routinely ignored and in some cases were met with “unacceptable threats and intimidation” that their visas could be canceled, officials said. The investigation also raised questions about whether the students had been overcharged by Cetusa for housing, the officials said.
Rick Anaya, the president of Cetusa, which is based in California, did not respond to requests for comment by telephone and e-mail.
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Although a nonprofit, Cetusa, which sponsored more than 5,000 students last year, stands to lose at least $5 million in annual fees for the summer program. The company also created businesses providing health insurance to the students. State Department officials are reviewing Cetusa’s participation in three other academic exchanges. Under formal rules, the company could reapply after two years, but a return in that time appeared unlikely.
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Several foreign students who worked at the packing plant, now back in their home countries, said they were excited to learn of the impact of their outcry.
“I hope this sends a clear message to other recruiters like Cetusa, that we will not be your captive workers,” said Harika Duygu Ozer, a medical student who spoke via Skype on Wednesday from Istanbul. For many students, their experience last summer in the United States turned into a disturbing immersion in the realities of the American workplace but also an eye-opening lesson in the possibilities of public protest.
Under the summer program, which was started in 1963, about 103,000 foreign university students, using a visa known as J-1, came to this country last year for up to four months to work in mainly unskilled jobs and then to travel. Most come from China and from former Soviet-bloc nations in Eastern Europe, with some from Latin America. The State Department prizes the program as a way to reach young people abroad who may not be able to afford travel to the United States without work here to defray costs.
Mr. Ruth said the department would increase its oversight staff for the program, currently about 40 people, by about 15 employees. Most of the new rules will be unveiled in coming weeks and in place for this year’s summer season, he said.
The ban of Cetusa was hailed as a victory by the National Guestworker Alliance, a labor group that helped organize the Palmyra protest and demanded that the State Department take action against the sponsor.
Saket Soni, director of the alliance, said the decision was “a blow against a larger trend of labor recruiters using guest workers to hollow out industries and undercut wages all over America.” The alliance has continued protests against the Hershey Company, demanding to be allowed to organize foreign students employed at its amusement park in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Soni and other critics remained skeptical that the State Department would make deep changes in the program.
“The fundamental problem is that it provides a basket of incentives for employers to ignore American kids and hire foreign kids instead,” said Jerry Kammer, a senior research fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, a group that favors reduced immigration.
In a report in December, Mr. Kammer calculated that sponsors in the program earn more than $100 million in fees annually. He said it was governed by a “flabby regulatory regime” that required no effort to recruit Americans and no test of employers’ claims to need foreign workers.
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“As we review the program,” Mr. Ruth said, “we are very much keeping in mind the impact it might have on American employment.”June 02, 2016 U.S. Election Thread 2016-03 - Yves Smith On "Not Hillary!" Not Hillary! Yves Smith of the Naked Capitalism explains why many of her progressive acquaintances will either not vote, or vote for Trump in the upcoming U.S. election. I recommend to read this in full. For starters two excerpts: Hillary's experience is one of failure. And she did not learn from it. Hillary has a résumé of glittering titles with disasters or at best thin accomplishments under each. Her vaunted co-presidency with Bill? After her first major project, health care reform, turned into such a debacle that it was impossible to broach the topic for a generation, she retreated into a more traditional first lady role. As New York senator, she accomplished less with a bigger name and from a more powerful state than Sanders did. As secretary of state, she participated and encouraged strategically pointless nation-breaking in Iraq and Syria. She bureaucratically outmaneuvered Obama, leading to U.S. intervention in Libya, which he has called the worst decision of his administration. And her plan to fob her domestic economic duties off on Bill comes off as an admission that she can’t handle being president on her own. And the conclusion: The Sanders voters in Naked Capitalism’s active commentariat also explicitly reject lesser-evilism, the cudgel that has previously kept true lefties somewhat in line. They are willing to gamble, given that outsider presidents like Jimmy Carter and celebrity governors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura didn’t get much done, that a Trump presidency represents an acceptable cost of inflicting punishment on the Democratic Party for 20 years of selling out ordinary Americans. The Clintons, like the Bourbons before the French Revolution, have ensconced themselves in such a bubble of operative and media sycophancy that they’ve mistakenly viewed escalating distress and legitimate demands from citizens as mere noise.
...
If my readers are representative, Clinton and the Democratic Party are about to have a long-overdue day of reckoning. To vote for the far right because the former center (left) has lost its bearing is a somewhat dangerous gamble. The U.S. has a relative stable, inertial system with lots of checks and balances that make this move less risky than similar moves underway in Poland, Germany or France. But unless the center left/right politicians recognize that they have lost their former majority there is no chance they will shun the neoliberal globalization nonsense they impose on their constituency. Voting for a stronger movement towards a genuine left is be a better strategy than voting for the far right. But notorious lack of unity within the left, center-right control over the media and the absence of a successful current archetype will keep a majority away from taking that step. I agree that the day of reckoning is a long-overdue day. But it may not bring the reckoning we want. Posted by b on June 2, 2016 at 03:36 AM | Permalink Comments next page » next page »Please enable Javascript to watch this video
RAYTOWN, Mo. -- One metro city is about to drastically cut its police force.
Budget problems are forcing the police chief in Raytown to take dire action.
This issue will be front and center when the Raytown Board of Alderman meet Tuesday night at city hall. The city is cutting $3-million from the police department’s budget.
In an open letter to Raytown citizens, Police Chief Jim Lynch laid out the cuts he will have to make due to a lack of funding. He plans to let 30 employees go – 17 police officers, 10 full-time office workers, and three part-time workers, reducing the total full-time staff from 77 to 50.
He is also ending all community activities such as the safety fair and coffee with a cop, eliminating all civilian jail personnel, and reducing the number of detectives on the force.
Fox 4 reached out to the Raytown city administrator, who told us the police department’s submitted budget would’ve eaten up more than half of the revenues the city receives from property and sales taxes. He said they are making cuts across the board – though none as drastic as those to the police department.
He responded, “Public Safety is absolutely critical; however, the Board of Alderman also recognizes the need to budget within the means of the current revenues received by the city…No one on the Board of Aldermen is pleased with this option, however an entity cannot sustain itself spending more than it receives.”Row of blackberries with new trellis and older blackberries in front.
Blueberry bushes. Had bees flying all around the flowers.
Blackberries and blueberries together
All six hop plants. Glacier, Willamette, 2 Goldings, Tettnang, and Fuggle.
An example of the drip irrigation on the Fuggle.
Gravity fed from rain water. Very useful when I can only get up there to check on them about once a month.
The Norton variety requires a "geneva double curtain" style trellis because it is so aggressive. There will be two top trellis lines and each vine will alternate which line it attaches two so that it will have more room. The T-Posts have been attached and now all I need to do is secure them and run the wire across which should be pretty easy.
The Niagra variety is doing the best. No idea why. No sure if it is the location of the row or the variety itself.
The best vine that I have. It is a Niagara and it hurt to prune it because it looked so good but it is for the best. If you can see, it has about 5-7 shoots coming of the 2 main canes on the trellis line. These will eventually hang down. Each shoot has been pruned to about 3-5 buds which have created shoots which will eventually produce grapes clusters. (fingers crosses, but I have had much smaller vines produce grapes clusters in the past so I'm feeling good about it)
Complete vineyard
April is always a busy time. Since I had a Saturday available, I decide to make a trip up the farm in Rhineland on April 25, 2015 to check on the growings on there. I wanted to make sure that all of the plants for the year were getting off to a good start. My major concerns were the hops, blackberries, and grapes. Throughout the last few years, with the help of some wonderful volunteers, I have almost completed all of the trellises needs for growing the fruit at the farm. My major project was to finish the trellis for the Norton grapes since they need a "Geneva Double Curtain" style trellis because of their aggressive nature. I also wanted to do some pruning and mulching as well. (and some turkey hunting).The first step was to tweak a few parts of the newly built blackberry trellis. I originally had two plants from Matuz that were donated. I used one sucker to replant last year. This spring I planted another sucker and two more plants from Matuz for a total of six blackberries plants on the new trellis.My father (Der Vater von Der Brauer) also acquired 6 blueberry bushes from a local nursery that was closing down. They are planted next to the blackberry trellis.Next step was to check on the hops. All hops had sprouted and were a few feet high except for the the Golding variety that was newly planted last year. I pruned the hops back so that there will be 3 vines per plant. I also set up the drip irrigation system for the summer. I know it is early but a few years ago there was a very dry May and I didn't have the system set up yet and it ruined the plants for the rest of the year.The last project was the grapes. A few weeks ago I had the help of a "red bearded man" to build 2 more of the grapes trellises. This has definitely been the toughest part of all the projects at the farm. It has been difficult and expensive to find and buy the equipment and it has been the most labor intensive. The trellises are about 90% complete. All that needs to been done now is to string the wire across the posts for the Norton variety.The grapes are doing well for this time of year. The Niagara variety is doing the best. One Niagara vine is completely attached to the wire and I am now pruning it as a mature vine. One of the Vidal Blanc vines snapped off in a storm last year and it did not survive the winter. The only place I have found, only sells them in groups of 5 and I really don't want to do that again because I have done it in the past and it costs too much. If anyone finds a single Vidal Blanc vine at a home and garden store please let me know!After driving up late the night before and getting up early to turkey hunt, Der Brauer took a much needed nap in the late afternoon while listening to the rain hit the tin roof in the cabin.-Der Brauer1/2 cup teff flour
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp grape-seed oil
2 tsp walnut butter (or other seed or nut) (see recipe)
2 tsp agave (optional)
1/2 cup water [or seed or nut milk (see recipe)]
1/2 tsp Sea moss blend
Method:
Preheat the pan with olive oil on low heat. Mix olive oil, almond butter, irish moss blend, agave and water. Mix flour in a different bowl with sea salt and cinnamon. Combine both mixes into a doughy mixture. Leave the batter to sit, covered for 5-10 minutes. Keep on low heat pour into the pan, cook for about 15 minutes on one side and flip when possible. Cook other side for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pancake from stove top and cool for 5 minutes. Serve with agave. *teff flour is very sensitive to heat and the flour is to be handled carefully.
Yields 1 pancake.
Similar Recipes:
Spelt Pancakes
Chickpea Pancakes (gluten-free)
Spelt Waffles
Yields 1 pancake.Similar Recipes:
More often than not when you see the gluten-free label it'll likely be substituted by starch of some kind. When it comes to gluten-free pancakes that's often the case. Instead of making a gluten-free mix of starchy flours today we'll simply use Teff. Teff is predominately grows in Ethiopia and Eritrea it is a gluten-free grain and is the main ingredient in Injera, the Ethiopian flat bread. What's great about these pancakes is that you won't need xanthan gum nor any hard to find ingredients. Matter of fact this recipe is not too different than our Spelt flour pancakes. Find teff flour at stop & shop or whole foods market. Teff can also be used as a flour substitute in our portobello mushroom pattiesHillsborough GOP Representative Rachel Burgin
The Florida House today discussed measures to restrict abortion access in the Sunshine State — and lots and lots of questions were posed to GOP proponents of abortion-related measures by outnumbered Democrats.
Hillsborough County Representative Rachel Burgin was the recipient of half a dozen verbal shots from Democrats as she defended her bill (HB 1379), which would limit abortions if a fetus is "viable," which could be in the second trimester; require that abortion clinics be owned by physicians; and require doctors to receive ethics training. Democrats, including St. Petersburg's Rick Kriseman, blasted her for proposing such a bill, repeatedly asking what it had to do with creating jobs?
Burgin responded forcefully that the House voted on pill mill legislation last week that also didn't have anything to do with creating jobs, but they did so because it was an important issue, and said this one was as well.Now, under proposed changes, Mr Morrison will have discretionary power to determine the fate of these asylum seekers.
Only five years ago then Labor immigration minister Chris Evans likened the responsibility to "playing God", saying he had too much power and the workload was too immense. As a result, the act was changed 18 months ago.
In a speech to the House of Representatives in December, Mr Morrison said the bill was not backing away from providing protection for people with ''genuine'' need. He argued the current bill had been ''adding another product to the people smugglers' trade and allowing advantage to be taken of our nation's generosity''.
But this week's Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights concluded that the government's proposed changes not only risked violating Australia's non-refoulement obligations, but also contravened other rights under international law, such as the right to an effective remedy, the right to a fair hearing, and the right not to be arbitrarily detained, said Professor Jane McAdam, director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at the UNSW.
The Taskforce is one of nearly 30 groups that have written submissions to the Senate committee voicing their opposition.“Enough” with the multivitamins already.
That’s the message from doctors behind three new studies and an editorial that tackled an oft-debated question in medicine: Do daily multivitamins make you healthier?
After reviewing the available evidence and conducting new trials, the authors have come to a conclusion of “no.”
“We believe that the case is closed -- supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful,” concluded the authors of the editorial summarizing the new research papers, published Dec. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough.”
They went on to urge consumers to not “waste” their money on multivitamins.
“The ‘stop wasting your money’ means that perhaps you're spending money on things that won't protect you long term,” editorial co-author Dr. Edgar Miller, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, told CBS News’ chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. “What will protect you is if you spend the money on fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, low fat dairy, things like that..exercising would probably be a better use of the money.”
The strong message was based on a review of the findings from three studies that tracked multivitamins link to cancer protection, heart health, and brain and cognitive measures.
Vitamin and mineral supplements are taken by an estimated half of all Americans.
Study: Multivitamins fail to reduce heart problems
The first study, which was released online Nov. 12 in Annals, was a review of 24 studies and two trials on more than 350,000 individuals that looked at vitamin supplementation’s role in preventing chronic disease. The review was conducted to find evidence that can be used to update vitamin treatment guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of medical experts who recommend the government on treatments.
That review found no evidence that vitamin and mineral supplementation would reduce heart disease in pill takers. Two of the trials found a small, “borderline-significant benefit” in cancer risk reduction, but only in men. Overall, the panel concluded there was no solid evidence for or against taking vitamins and minerals alone, or that a multivitamin to prevent heart disease or cancer. More strikingly, it found enough evidence to recommend against taking beta-carotene or vitamin E for preventing both diseases, finding they not only didn’t help but the former may raise risk for lung cancer for already at-risk individuals.
Study: Multivitamins can lower cancer risk
“In the absence of clear evidence about the impact of most vitamins and multivitamins on cardiovascular disease and cancer, health care professionals should counsel their patients to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that is rich in nutrients,” the Task Force concluded
The next study, published Dec. 16 in Annals, looked at cognitive health and whether long-term use of multivitamins would have any effect. Researchers assigned almost 5,950 male doctors aged 65 and older to take either a daily multivitamin or placebo for 12 years in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial,
Based on the results of memory tests, the researchers found the multivitamin did nothing to slow cognitive decline among men 65 and older compared to placebo takers.
“These data do not provide support for use of multivitamin supplements in the prevention of cognitive decline,” wrote the authors, led by Dr. Francine Grodstein, an epidemiologist who studies aging at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
It’s worth noting this study only looked at cognitive test results, not actual development of dementia.
The
third study looked specifically at multivitamins and minerals role in preventing another heart attack, or myocardial infarction. They looked at more than 1,700 people who had a heart attack at least six weeks earlier, and randomized them to receive daily high-dose multivitamins and minerals or placebos for five years.
Having a heart attack raises risk for another attack, or cardiovascular event like stroke or premature death, so if multivitamins could reduce risk, they could be a boon to public health.
The researchers found no difference in rates of another heart attack, chest pain, the need for hospitalization, cardiac catheterization, or rates of stroke and early death between vitamin-takers and placebo-takers. But, they said the conclusions should be taken with caution, because several participants stopped taking vitamins early.
The authors of the editorial say the evidence is clear about multivitamin supplements, except for vitamin D, which has been shown to be both effective and ineffective for preventing falls and fractures in elderly. More studies are needed specifically looking at vitamin D, according to the editorial's authors.
“Sales of multivitamins and other supplements have not been affected by major studies with null results, and the U.S. supplement industry continues to grow, reaching $28 billion in annual sales in 2010,” wrote the authors of the editorial summary, led by Dr. Eliseo Guallar, a professor of epidemiology who specializes in heart disease prevention at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “We should translate null and negative findings into action. The message is simple: Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified, and they should be avoided.”
Last year, Pfizer agreed to remove "breast health" and "colon health" claims from some of its Centrum multivitamins following pressure from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which said their claims of cancer prevention were misleading.
A dietary supplement industry group slammed the editorial and studies.
“The editorial demonstrates a close-minded, one-sided approach that attempts to dismiss even the proven benefits of vitamins and minerals," Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsibile Nutrition, said in a statement. "It’s a shame for consumers that the authors refuse to recognize the real-life need for vitamin and mineral supplementation, living in a fairy-tale world that makes the inaccurate assumption that we’re all eating healthy diets and getting everything we need from food alone.
One expert agreed some nutrient-deficient people may still benefit from multivitamins.
“There might be an argument to continue taking a multi(vitamin) to replace or supplement your not healthy diet,” Dr. Robert Graham, an internal medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, added to CBS News.
LaPook also notes that vitamins can benefit people with certain conditions, like celiac disease -- where the body cannot properly absorb nutrients -- and pegnancy, where folic acid helps prevent birth defectsAccording to multiple reports, the Cubs signed Dioner Navarro to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million. Navarro is expected to back-up Welington Castillo next season.
Navarro spent last season in the Reds’ system with a majority of the year spent at the Triple-A level. In 24 games with the Reds, Navarro put together a.290/.306/.449/.755 line with three double and two home runs. The Cubs are expected to announce the signing late Thursday.
Dioner Navarro reportedly inked a Major League contract and with the addition of Navarro, the Cubs 40-man roster stands at 38 players. The 28-year old catcher (February 9, 1884) had a breakout season in 2008 with Matt Garza and the Rays. Dioner Navarro finished the year with a.295/.349/.407/.757 line in 120 games with 19 doubles and nine home runs. Navarro has not been able to repeat his 2008 season and after a failed year with the Dodgers in 2011, Navarro had to sign a minor league contract with the Reds to remain in the game.
Dioner Navarro’s Page on Baseball-ReferenceThe stories of Massa’s accident three days have been everywhere. But how much do we really understand about how hard a blow Massa suffered when he was struck by that spring?
F1 Fanatic guest writer Kareem Shaya tries to put the crash into perspective.
In all the discussion of Felipe Massa’s qualifying accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix, there have been few real efforts to quantify what happened. Massa was hit hard enough to be knocked out and suffer a fractured skull, and that?������s essentially all we know. So let?������s figure it out. How bad is it, exactly, if an 800-gram coil spring hits you in the head at 160 mph?
The punch it packs is worse than being shot. Bullets are deadly because they penetrate the body, but in terms of kinetic energy, most don?������t hold a candle to what hit Massa.
Below is a list of kinetic energies of common projectiles. The bullet energies assume point-blank range (and are calculated using numbers from Alpine Armoring). All the energies are calculated using the old kinetic energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity^2 formula you learned in school.
– 100 mph fastball from Nolan Ryan: 145 joules
– Barry Bonds?������ swing (33 oz. bat at 70 mph): 458 joules
– 9mm handgun: 513 joules
–.44 Magnum handgun: 1,510 joules
– The spring that hit Massa (800 grams at 160 mph): 2,046 joules
– AK-47 (7.62mm round): 2,599 joules
– 12 gauge shotgun slug: 3,580 joules
– The wheel that killed Henry Surtees (an estimated 12 kg at 120 mph): 17,267 joules
Before we talk about those figures, it’s worth remembering that the Massa and Surtees accidents were real-world situations, and as such, the numbers above may be imprecise. Massa was moving at 160 mph, but if the spring was traveling at high speed in the same direction as his Ferrari, or if it ricocheted off of his car before striking him, the estimate of 2,046 joules will be too high. If, for instance, we change the spring’s collision speed to 120 mph, its kinetic energy drops about 44% to a still-frightening 1,151 joules |
Moadamiya, which abuts Darayya, a regime military officer, accompanied by Russian officials, told town representatives on Wednesday that defenders would have to give up their weapons and be sent to Idlib, but anyone who was willing to submit to regime control could stay.
Col. Ghassan Bilal said now that the regime had separated Moadamiya from Darayya, “There will be no more meetings.” If locals did not accept the deal, the opposition Smart news agency reported, he threatened to set the city on fire. A town spokesman said 45,000 are trapped there, along with possibly 2,800 rebel fighters.
The evacuation began Friday, with hundreds of civilians piling into buses to be evacuated to regime shelters. The monitoring group Physicians for Human Rights called the evacuation a war crime. “Nothing about this evacuation is voluntary, and nothing about this evacuation is legal,” said Widney Brown, the PHR programs director. “Under international law, both forced evacuations and besiegement, in which Moadamiya’s thousands of civilians are being deprived of vital food and medicine, are war crimes and crimes against humanity.” In Al Waer, the regime fired napalm-like incendiaries, which produce orange flumes that intensify when doused with water.
Al Waer, a neighborhood in Homs where there are 80,000 civilians according to the Syrian opposition, has been under heavy attack since March, first from snipers, then mortars, artillery, missiles and air assault, local medical personnel reported. The regime tried out a new weapon on public locations as well as private dwellings, dubbed a cylinder missile, which consists of 300–400 kilograms of TNT. Launched from nearby areas, it can destroy a four-story building.
Starting August 23, the regime started firing napalm-like incendiary weapons at the town, which produce orange flumes that only intensify when doused with water. The targets included a shelter for the displaced, a school, the medical center, and the local hospital. An agreement has apparently been reached in Al Waer as well. “I failed them, and it is really sad to think of what they went through over these years.” —Jan Egeland, UN official
What the Assad regime chalks up as a morale-boosting success is simultaneously a signal failure for the US-led Friends of Syria Group, the international coalition that has provided pro-Western rebels with just enough arms and support to survive; as well as for the United Nations, which has been ordered by the Security Council to deliver food and medical supplies to the people under siege.
The UN, which has managed to deliver food and medicine only once in four years, “failed the people of Darayya, we all failed the people of Darayya,” Jan Egeland, a senior UN official, said in Geneva on Thursday. “I failed them, and it is really sad to think of what they went through over these years.”
A siege, he told reporters, “is not broken by the population giving up after starvation and after bombing. A siege is lifted by humanitarian access and freedom of movement, in and out, by the civilian population.” Ready to Fight Back? Sign Up For Take Action Now
The evacuation of Darayya was also an abject setback for the world’s governments, which are party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and other instruments of international humanitarian law. A fundamental principle of the convention is that civilians are not to be made the object of attack in war, a lesson incorporated from the Holocaust and World War II.
Aleppo first came under siege around July 10, when the Assad regime, with Russian air support along with Iranian-led Hezbollah and other militias, cut the Castello road. At the time, it was the only secure route into eastern Aleppo, and they stopped the traffic by destroying at least 20 vehicles and their occupants as they tried to enter or leave the city. Amid Syrian-regime barrel bombing of civilian districts, along with Russian aircraft targeting at least six health facilities, Russia proposed setting up evacuation corridors so that residents could flee the city safely, a move that other UN Security Council members rejected.
On August 6, 27 days into the siege, rebel forces attacking from southern Aleppo linked with rebels based south of the city and freed the Alramousa road, which leads to eastern Aleppo. After several days of fighting, commercial traffic, ambulances, and private cars began to traverse the narrow road, marking a temporary end to the siege.
Within 10 days, regime aircraft began targeting the Alramousa road, and doctors based in eastern Aleppo reported that Russian jets were “hunting” the cars of civilians trying to flee the city.
By August 20, the road was impassable, rebel media activists said, and by August 27, regime forces, trying to regain lost territory, set up mortar positions on the hills above the road, giving them complete control over it. “The regime and its allies were destroying everything on the road, even though they knew they were carrying civilians…”
It is now “a death road, like the Castello road,” Dr. Abdo Mohammadain told The Nation in a WhatsApp message Thursday from inside Aleppo. He said he had tried to drive the road twice, around August 24, first by ambulance and then by private car. “It was raining mortars, some landing just 20 meters from us, and we had to turn back because the driver didn’t think we would make it,” he said of the first attempt that morning.
On the second attempt, he said, aircraft were attacking cars, which were crashing and burning, causing accidents and blocking passage. “The regime and its allies were destroying everything on the road, even though they knew they were carrying civilians or transporting food or fuel for electric generators,” he said.
Stunning as these setbacks are, they receive little notice from the Obama administration, which is still hoping to convince Russia to observe a cease-fire and impose one on its Syrian ally. Not only has the president failed to comment, but US efforts to end the fighting, with a diplomatic drive that features carrots but no sticks, seem to be going nowhere.
Even as Russian aircraft destroyed a half-dozen medical facilities in Aleppo and other parts of northern Syria last month, the administration refused to pin responsibility on its negotiating partner. Human Rights Watch produced careful documentation in late July of Russia’s use of cluster bombs against Syrian civilians earlier that month, but the US government refused to confirm the data. The worst terror in Syria is not from the Islamic State but from state-sponsored attacks on civilians, backed by Russia.
Far from taking the lead in organizing protection for civilians in Syria or allowing defenders to acquire arms so they can protect themselves, the administration strategy appears to be focused on reaching a deal with Russia on jointly bombing terrorist targets in Syria, a deal that would be accompanied by a national cease-fire. The problem with the strategy is in the different definitions of terrorists used by Moscow and Washington. It’s hard to see how they can reach an accord.
The worst terror in Syria is not from Islamic State extremists or the Al Qaeda affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra (which recently split from Al Qaeda and changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham), but from state-sponsored attacks on civilians, backed by Russia. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, a nonprofit often cited by the US government, estimated Thursday that regime bombing has driven 7 million people to seek refuge abroad and displaced 6.3 million within Syria.
The US government, once the world’s leading champion of humanitarian law, is not completely silent but has been reduced to pro forma statements. “The United States deplores the regime’s attempt to besiege Aleppo city and demands that full access to the city be maintained,” said Michael Ratney, the US Special Envoy for Syria.
Another official said Washington is focused on “ending the civil war by finding a political solution that advances a transitional government structure.” But he added that this can’t advance “until we get a meaningful cessation of hostilities applied nationwide, so we can get better humanitarian access to more Syrians in desperate need.” And this requires lifting the siege of Aleppo. “That’s why the secretary’s focus has been on these negotiations,” the official said, referring to Secretary of State John Kerry’s thus-far fruitless talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The words will comfort no one in besieged Aleppo.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the news that the evacuation of Moadamiya began on Friday.By Jack Ashby, on 12 August 2013
130 years ago today, 12th August 1883, the last ever quagga died.
As custodians of one of the only quagga skeletons in existence, we consider it our responsibility to commemorate the tragic passing of this, the least stripy of the zebras.
Given that we have marked quagga day annually, what can I tell you that regulars wont already know? Potentially, quite a lot – things that I’ve only found out today as I write. Before I get to that, for those who don’t come pre-quagga’ed:
Quaggas were a South African Zebra with a stripy front end and a brown back end.
Quagga skeletons are “the rarest skeletons in the world“ [1].
They were driven to extinction due to farmers killing them to stop them grazing the land they wanted for their livestock; and for their unusual pelts.
The last individual died in a zoo in Amsterdam, probably years after all of her wild relatives
This is our quagga:
Isn’t she a beaut?
The Grant Museum quagga is the only such skeleton on display in the UK. I have occassionally considered making it my life’s mission to see all the quagga skeletons in the world. I normally come to the conclusion that there are nobler missions I should focus on first [2]. However, should one choose to undertake such a mission (or indeed if a TV producer agrees that Jack Ashby’s Great Quagga Quest is a winning concept), you would need to know where they all are. There is no point in travelling to the quagga’s former home. Sadly no skeletons remain in South Africa, which brings to mind the whole issue of repatriation that has never really been a feature of zoology museum politics.
Anyway, since I’ve worked at the Grant Museum, I’ve always referred to the Quagga Project‘s list of known quagga specimens, which says there are seven skeletons world-wide. I’ve used this information for years to write labels, books, websites, articles and blogs. It is the only list I’ve come across (though I personally don’t think the Project’s goal of selectively breeding not-very-stripy plains zebras to “re-create” quaggas is the best use of resources). They list the following instutions as having quaggas:
Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt Universität, Berlin Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden, Netherlands British Museum (Natural History), London, England University College, London, England Peabody Museum, New Haven, USA Museum National d’ Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, USA
Aside from the out-dated names of some of these collections, in researching this post I am experiencing some doubt as to its accuracy. I can find no mention of a quagga skeleton on the websites of 1, 2, 3, 6 or 7. The only ones I’ve found evidence to exist are ours and the Peabody’s. Is it possible that there are in fact even fewer than we once believed?
I confess to writing this on Sunday, and so am not in a position to get a response from my colleagues at these institutions to confirm whether or not they have specimens before this is published. Needless to say that’s what I’ll be doing now (what better a day to do it?), and will report back on what I find. If anyone has set eyes on another quagga skeleton, please comment below (don’t worry about skins – there are quite a few of them in museums).
It’s possible that these museums simply haven’t thought to mention that they have a quagga skeleton (they may not realise their rarity), but the world should prepare itself for this animal to be even more extinct than we previously realised.
Please, join me in raising a glass and remembering the passing of the last quagga 130 years ago today. Lest we forget
1. I should confess that I’m quoting myself here. Click the link to read why.
2. I had previously prioritised seeing all species of Australian quoll in the wild, but having got that under my belt I’m working on finding every egg-laying mammal in the UK. The benefit of chasing dead animals is that you don’t have to wear camouflage or get up at 4am.
Jack Ashby is the Manager of the Grant Museum of Zoology.Now to some other myths. People usually hear about foreigners getting in the eye of this organisation, but it really doesn't mean that "Norway is kidnapping foreign kids". Majority of organisation work is regarding their own cizens. If I am correct cases with foreigners involve only around 1-2% percents. And the other psychosis is regarding "they will take your child away" thing. But only in around 10% of cases a child is taken away. And it does NOT happen randomly as "innocent" parents claim. Your kid WON'T be taken away because of freaking teeth brushing or eating incorrect food. These are complete lies. The ONLY cases in which kid can be taken away is if it have been PROVEN that kid have been sexually or physically abused. Yes you can be watched by organisation for a minor things if some people arround you notice odd things, but certainly nobody takes your child for that. The watching period is somewhere around 5-7 months, so don't let those parents fool you that their kid has been taken away by some minor thing. There have been some cases where period have been shortened to 4 months, but it is extremely rare and usually in such cirmustances when parent try to get kid illegally over the border or stuff like that.Heung-Min Son to Tottenham: What you need to know
Hueng-Min Son is a South Korea international
With Tottenham having completed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen for forward Heung-Min Son, we profile the South Korea international.
The 23-year-old earned admirers at Hamburg and continued to impress with Leverkusen, but how will he fare in the Premier League?
Here's what you need to know about the attacker…
Immediate impact
Son joined Hamburg's youth academy in 2008 as a 16-year-old and went on to score on his Bundesliga debut against Cologne in October 2010. That came as no surprise to then team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy. "After a training session, you can see that he is something special," the Dutchman told Bild. "Son is the future. With him, HSV will have a lot of success. He is young, has a good head, and even at the age of 18 is making a significant impact in the Bundesliga."
Son scored three goals in the Champions League group stage last season
Move to Leverkusen
After three seasons in the Hamburg first-team, Son became Leverkusen's record signing in the summer of 2013 and soon made his presence felt – netting a hat-trick against his old club in November of that first season. Son helped Leverkusen to consecutive top-four finishes in each of his two seasons at the club and was the team's top scorer in last season's Champions League with three group stage goals.
Heung-min Son scores for Leverkusen
Consistent goalscorer
Indeed, Son has proved to be a remarkably consistent goalscorer throughout his time in Germany and that's reflected by the fact that he is one of only four players to score 10 or more Bundesliga goals in each of the past three seasons. The other men in that distinguished group are Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Max Kruse, so the Korean is in good company.
Son Heung-Min in action for South Korea
More to him than goals
And yet, there's more to Son than goals. "He does not only score beautiful goals, but also makes them," said Franz Beckenbauer. "He's a super player. I really like the way he plays - fast and dynamic." Comfortable playing wide or centrally, FIFA's technical committee highlighted Son for praise in their 2014 World Cup report, describing him as "physically imposing, influential in left midfield, mobile" and someone who "creates good goalscoring opportunities".
He's a super player. I really like the way he plays - fast and dynamic. Franz Beckenbauer
Anything else we need to know?
Son is a Manchester United supporter having grown up idolising Cristiano Ronaldo and compatriot Park Ji-Sung, but a more potentially significant concern for Spurs fans could be his looming military service. Koreans are obliged to serve a two-year conscription by the age of 28 and the law only exempts athletes who win a medal at an Olympics event or finish first in competition at the Asian Games. Son is yet to achieve either.A reptile store owner was arrested for slapping his employees with a bearded dragon lizard.
And you hate your boss when he gives you gruff about stuff.
According to a Broward Sheriff's Office arrest report, Benjamin Siegel, 40, owner of Ben Siegel Reptiles Inc. in Delray Beach, was arrested on battery and cruelty to animal charges on Friday after he allegedly hit some of his employees with a live lizard multiple times.
Continue Reading
The report says the incident was caught on a store surveillance camera.
See also: Edward Archbold Dies After Eating Dozens of Roaches and Worms in Deerfield Reptile Shop
The victims told police that Siegel placed the lizard in his mouth and began hitting the employees with it. He also threw Gatorade on the employees.
According to the report, Siegel threw the large lizard into the air and swung it around multiple times.
"The defendant did unnecessarily torment the animal, handling the animal in a cruel and/or inhumane manner and intentionally committed an act to the animal which results in excessive and repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering to the animal," the report says.
Benjamin Siegel via BSO
Siegel was charged with one count of cruelty to animals and two counts of battery. He appeared in bond court on Monday where he was held on $4,500 bond.
A clerk at the store told New Times they would not comment on the incident.
This isn't the first time Siegel's reptile store has been in the news for something strange or unfortunate.
In 2012, Siegel Reptiles, which is located at 3314 W. Hillsboro Blvd. in Deerfield Beach, hosted a roach-eating contest that ended up killing contestant Edward Archbold after he choked on the dozens of roaches and worms during the contest.
According to the BSO at the time, Archbold began to "regurgitate" the roaches and bugs soon after winning the contest. He then collapsed in front of the store and was pronounced dead at Broward Health North. Four weeks later, the Broward Medical Examiner reported that Archbold had died of "asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents."
The contest held by Siegel's Reptiles was for a free python.
Siegel Arrest by Chris Joseph
Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
Follow @NewTimesBrowardHowdy folks! I love reading the comments people leave now. I didn’t want to initially, but now I’m addicted. So rest assured, if you comment on HoopsHype… I dey see am ooooo. So shall I begin with a great big “Merci beaucoup” for the compliments. And as far as me punching an old opponent 10 years ago. Well, let’s just say one would have to be more specific. I punched a lot of guys. Wait for it… Bud dum bump. But seriously, I was what I was, 10 years ago when I was 19 (again, wait for it) and today I am who I am. So my apologies, not for being a punk, or a thug, or angry. I was just a jerk. That’s it in its simplicity. Luckily for me, my kids and my wife are now with me to wring the jerkness out of me. That and the experiences that continue to project themselves on who I have become and will be.
OK… Just to reassess. Point of the blog. Seriously, man! How whack would it be if it were just about some guy who didn’t quite “make it” in his basketball dream? That’s got to be the miniscule precursor to a much bigger picture, right? I mean I am writing this on HoopsHype, so basketball is kinda required. And trust me, I get as bored writing about the D-League as you guys probably do reading about it. So at the end of this I promise to give in to the request about Ime Udoka and his Gladiator moment in Algeria. (Hey! Don’t scroll down yet) But I must repeat, and I promise I won’t mention it again, this blog is about a journey, a life journey that I have had the privilege of experiencing because of one sport – hoops. The key word is life, which includes other people. And as long as this life includes other people my half-autistic ass will never allow this blog to be boring. Material is always readily available.
Quick quib…
Why do I call myself half-autistic? (I actually prefer quasi-servant’s but most will understand autistic better). I heard a doctor describing servant’s on Discovery Channel while in China. That was the only station I had in English. The doctor said the only difference between an everyday person and a servant’s is the majority look out the window and the mind has learned over years of one’s life to immediateley discern what is important and what is useless to one’s cognoscence. In other words, the majority look out and see that car, maybe those birds and that badass yella chick. Oops. Anyway a servant’s sees everything! Every blade of grass, every bird, every car, every tree and every badass yella chick. But anyway all that info confuses a servant’s and they find it difficult not to be distracted and interact with others. Too much info taken in and retained. That’s why for me every little thing is a discussion. A story. An interesting piece of info. My wife swears on it with a straight face. I probably should be a bit offended.
These experiences, like the D-League, are essential for someone like me. I don’t want to be typical. And rest assured if I had played in the NBA out of college, my jerkdom would have reached new heights and I would have been exactly that, typical. Chris Mihm, Mo Evans, Chris Owens, James Thomas. Just reeling off names I almost got into a fight with while at Texas. Yes, it is embarrassing. I was so damn lucky at Texas. Any other school would have kicked me out. As luck would have it (God yes, but I feel God grants His “luck”) I had coaches like Tom Penders or Rick Barnes. And no offense to those two, but I attribute the greatest blessing while at UT to Deloss Dodds. You’ll never hear his name and he’ll never look for the spotlight. But he cares more about the kids at the university and their future than he does about his own job. Great man. So beacuse of those people I have seen incredible things and people. My career could have easily ended my freshman year at Texas as it did for many guys. But it didn’t. Those people and those experiences have prepared me for anything. Even the D-League at this age.
We have started off 5-1 and CJ Watson is still playing like an NBA PG. It is a trip how no matter how many times he blows by the other PGs, they keep pressuring him. Here’s some advice: back up, nimrods. Yeah, he can shoot too but, geez, they can’t stay in front of him either. Better just hope he misses. (BTW, last game against Tulsa my genius idea wouldn’t have worked well. Check the stats).
Is this the same D-League I was in in ’02 and ’03? Man, we fly everywhere and the guys here haven’t paid for a meal yet. The city is nice and they wash your practice gear for you! Believe me, that was not a given back in the day. The D-League has come a long way. There is a CBA team in the same city as ours and they have been using every chance to demonstrate how much better they are than the D-League team in town (us). But honestly speaking… And seriously, no bias, cause I really don’t care… But the D-League has taken it to a new level. I mean, sorry guys. It’s not even close as far as having a pro atmoshphere and our dad would kick yall’s dads butts too.
I’m playing alright, I suppose. But not as well I was taught. Rick Barnes took me and showed me things that made it easy for me to score anyway anyhow. He’s made me a lot of money. So for me not to be doing better right now frustrates me. I mean if I’m gonna be here I might as well play like one of the oldest guys in this league. It’s gotta be, “Oh Gabe is killing? Well, geez, he should be.” And that should be all when it comes to hoops. Because let’s be honest, I have nada to gain and mucho to lose. If I play well… I’m supposed to. If I play poorly… Overseas teams? I’m dead.
Because, keeping it honest, do you really think guys like me aren’t thinking about those overseas teams that can pay the D-League buyout and pay you 250K+ on top? Shhiiiiii. I like money too. And it may seem superficial to be playing with that on my mind, but it’s true. I didn’t come here for that but… Oh, wait. I don’t ever think I talked about why I’m even here. I mean really talked about it.
Short version…
Nigerian National Team. After my recovery from a torn quad-tendon. I played well and even better against Dirk Nowitzki when we lost to Germany by 1 to advance to the Final 8 in the World Championship. Yes, Nigeria. People in my ear, try NBA one more time. “NO.” Try Gabe, try Gabe, try Gabe! No No No… Fine! Took me to the losing weight thing. At a burly muscular 271lbs… I tried everything. Fad diets, running, no weights. After months I was 258lbs and I was running on the track in Houston freaking Texas! Twice a day! Let me tell all those athletes that have heard about the no/low carb diet… Trash it. Doesn’t work and it’s unhealthy.
Anyway, I did some research and I figured out how to lose weight and be a beast on the court and in everything I do. Diet. I have gone from the Micky D’s diet to a raw organic diet. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. So I was in this incredible shape, cut from Charlotte and the offers I had overseas obviously were taken by other guys. So I figured what a waste it would be to be at this level athletically and just not play. So here I am. Da D League. Ha! What if I did get a call up? I’d swear it was a joke and probably hang up on the person calling. How appropriate, right? Ha! I am, however, glad I’m here. Because I get to appreciate things that I probably would take for granted. And I get to expand my mind by challenging what everyone else says a person my age should be doing. When I’m in practice and I am outrunning 23-years-old guys and seeing guys ice their knees afterwards and I’m not even sore, it just teaches me what I’m feeling… is.
It simply is. My mind and its strength are far more important than the stregnth of my body. Despite what NBA people are accustomed to saying, I would much rather have a guy willing to learn to do something than a guy who “should” be able to do something. The guy willing to learn will always, always achieve it. If you don’t believe it, please just watch one of Idan Ravin‘s workouts. You know, the guy working out Carmelo Anthony in the Jordan commercial. If he’s training anything, it’s your mind. Your mind takes you anywhere. Can I defend like Bruce Bowen? No, but I can learn to. Can I shoot like Derek Fisher? No, but I can learn to. Can I run like Luol Deng? Nope, but I can learn to. Can I score like Kobe Bryant? No, chill out! Are you nuts? Hell no. Let’s not get dumb. But you get the pic. The more I achieve things phyically due to mental discipline, the more I see the mind really is the most important tool in basketball.
I remember at Jordan camp when I asked MJ how he did it. He just said discipline to do it over and over again. He told me things I listened to and things I didn’t listen to. One of the things I ignored was “take care of your body.” Anyone remember how old Jordan was when he won his sixth ring? 35. And he was still going. It’s no secret. It just takes discipline to do the right things over and over again.
I love hearing Gregg Popovich and George Karl coach. They both say something you don’t hear many coaches, NBA or overseas, say. “You don’t need to do it fast. Just do it perfect.” And they win. Give either one of those guys players that listen… They will find a way to win.
The mind is what I am learning to hone here in the D-League. So if you see me playing better, my mind is getting stronger. Human beings can, I really believe, use their minds to manifest something tangible. I read a biography on Albert Einstein where he was asked if he believed in God. His response was crazy! He said the universe is so perfect in its harmony of creation the laws of physics demand there be a creator. And he said in his studies he has seen such things in the physical (that which is seen) that indicate the existence of the meta-physical (that which is unseen). So am I saying we are walking around with ghosts? I’m saying just ask… What if? Because if I can use my mind to manifest something I achieve physically, I’d hate to miss out on it. Thank you, D-League. You have made me an alchemist/weirdo.
THE IME UDOKA STORY
It’s a trip when you get to know people. Ime was so quiet and I figured he was just some guy who could play with a Nigerian father. Well, folks in S.A., don’t be fooled. That dude in an Afr-I-CAN! I mean damn! The only thing non-African about him is his accent. We went to Nigeria, man… When they brought out the food I figured uh oh… He aint eatin’ th… What the?! Ime was tearing that Fu-fu (thank Jay-Z for everyone knowing what that is now) to shreads. I asked him about his adornment of the vittles. He said that’s all he ate growing up. Imagine my surprise when I saw he must have grown up doing the African ju-jitsu too.
When the National Team went to Algeria for the African Championships in Algiers, every team was on edge because the Top 3 squads got the invite to the World Championships. So after we lost to Angola in the semis and had to play Algeria for the third spot, they knew, we knew, everyone knew they had no shot. First quarter… Tactics. African ball, man. Trust me: as corrupt as can be. Despite all the cheating from the three-man (North African) refereeing crew they just couldn’t beat us. So the coach sent in their best player, who was injured but came in with a purpose. I think his name was Ali Bidane or something. We had the ball out of bounce under. He guarded me. As the ref handed us the ball, he turned, looked at me as if there was not a game going on. And pop! Not an elbow, not even a signature yours truly gutter. He decked me right in the jaw. I couldn’t believe it. And come on. I freely admit when I throw cheap shots. I wouldn’t hide it if I started to. I mean, I’m in the middle of basically middle eastern country playing the local team. I know better (read on to see my contradiction). He nailed me, we turned it over, and yes, my Rodman 101 class did well. I looked up court, saw both refs back and calmly asked him in by most polite French, “Pardon me sir, I object to you striking me.” Next thing you know… Both teams on the court going at it. Wow.
Imagine my surprise! (My cheeks hurt). That wasn’t the real brawl. After we won was the real issue. After the game, they were waiting for us to come out of the locker room. And seriously, I didn’t start it. Kingsley Ogwudire was in front of our team in an all-out tirade in his best Arabic. The next thing you know, there were three Algerian players on him. Everyone was engaged in combat save me, if you can believe it. And lo and ehold… Ime! He was taking people out like in Mortal Kombat. Finish him! Incredible. I was so out of it as I had five guys I was fighting (oh yeah, the crowd jumped in as the fight spilled over to the court of the championship game of Senegal and Angola).
In the middle of the whole thing I heard Ime, literally in mid-swing of another opponent say,”Watch back, Gabe” and he calmly, I mean calmly, smeared a guy who, as I turned to see his warning, jumped from the stands with a chair to probably kill me or knock me out to where the crowd would have. I mean, Ime caught the guy in mid air with a fist and calmly continued his dispacthing of oncoming people. He and other guys (yes, me too) were whoopin’ so many people the crowd backed up. True to the letter! But Ime had the most notches by far. As we retreated to the locker room to kind chants of, “You cudly blackies! We highly doubt your ability to leave this gym with lives intact” in French, (it might have been a bad translation) all I could do was marvel at Ime. This guy, I thought, was a quiet American guy was standing there – all his stuff gone (gym bag, wallet, shoes, jersey) – with a stick in his hand we tore off the walls of the locker room in the middle of North Africa quite literally with our lives on the line… laughing. All the while I was texting my wife that I loved her and might have a hard time seeing her again while she was watching the whole incident on BBC News. And Ime… laughing. He is and always will be my 9ja broda. Ime… Wetin happen bros? Abi na notin. Notin dey happen. To this day I don’t know how we got out of there. But that night we ate like kings at the Nigerian Embassy. And Ime was with us… Killing his Fu-fu.
Tell me how I could have seen a thing like that if I had made the NBA out of college! You just can’t make this stuff up.
Shalom.PRESS RELEASE 5th February 2014 – SCUF UTILITY PATENT ISSUED FOR CONTROLLER BACK FUNCTIONS/ PADDLES.
Scuf Gaming through Ironburg Inventions (Invention/ Patent subsidiary) is issued Gaming Controller Utility Patent; No 8,641,525 by USPTO, which relates to the activation of functions controlled on the reverse of a controller, named and referred to as Paddles by Scuf Gaming and now commonly known as such by the Gaming industry.
Duncan Ironmonger, CEO & Co-Founder Scuf Gaming/ Ironburg says; “Today is a very special day for all the SCUF Team, but especially myself and Simon Burgess who Co-Founded Scuf Gaming. We have been waiting several years for this Utility Patent to be issued and since the beginning we had the vision of Paddles becoming the de facto on a controller. We felt gamers needed to utilize more of their hand in a safe and ergonomic way, using only 2 fingers and thumbs to control 20+ functions makes little sense at the top level. Prior to SCUF paddles, the middle fingers of the hand were left redundant so we thought – lets use them! SCUF Paddles can increase the use of your hand by up to 100%. By using up to 4 paddles on the underside of your controller, you are able to improve your hand movement and perform move advanced moves.
“From our humble beginnings in early 2011, we have grown from grass routes into a Company which employs over 75 people and is respected and known by core gamers all over the World. We earned a very loyal Pro Gaming user base where over 85% of the Worlds Top Console gamers use SCUF for shooter games. We have invested millions of dollars into research and development and educating the Gaming World on safe ergonomic use of the controller at the top level. It is very rewarding to now be able to further protect that investment so we can continue to grow Scuf Gaming and create more innovative products.”
With over 4 patents issued and another 12 pending, Scuf Gaming/ Ironburg specialize in creating gaming accessories to help improve your gaming experience. Duncan Ironmonger continues “Our controller ethos is centered around designing accessories that increase hand use in a SAFE natural way while improving comfort and reducing latency in an intuitive and ergonomic way – we call it SCUFOLOGY! – I would like to take this opportunity to thank ALL our partners, employees and customers – the people who have helped us get to where we are!”
About Scuf Gaming:
At Scuf Gaming, the primary focus for SCUF controllers are the functional features which go towards improving your game. Scuf Gaming offer many unique features which empower every gamer to personalize their controller to suit their gameplay. From paddles to trigger mechanisms to the shapes and sizes of thumbsticks, every part of a SCUF controller is about improving core performance so you can become the best gamer you can be! Scuf Gaming also offer many other accessories and products “TACTICAL GEAR FOR ELITE GAMER”.
Visit www.ScufGaming.com for more information |
violinist Joshua Bell purchased it for just under US$4,000,000.
The instrument, which is now known as the Gibson-Huberman was the focus of the 2012 documentary The Return of the Violin by director Haim Hecht which featured interviews with musicians such as Joshua Bell, Zubin Mehta, Holocaust-survivor Sigmund Rolat and many other musicians.[10][11]
Honours [ edit ]
The town of Częstochowa renamed it's orchestra as the Bronislaw Huberman Philharmonic in honor of its native violinist.[12]
Recordings [ edit ]
Huberman made several commercial recordings of large-scale works, among which are:
Students [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Henry Roth, Bronislaw Hubermann, in Violin Virtuosos, From Paganini to the 21st Century, Los Angeles, California Classics Books, 1997, pp. 70–79
, in, Los Angeles, California Classics Books, 1997, pp. 70–79 Jean-Michel Molkhou, Bronisław Hubermann, in Les grands violonistes du XXe siècle. Tome 1- De Kreisler à Kremer, 1875-1947, Paris, Buchet Chastel, 2011, pp. 51–54
Further reading [ edit ]Getty Images
The Cowboys thought Dez Bryant was in “great shape,” despite his staying away from voluntary workouts and OTAs.
But Thursday, they saw for themselves.
According to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the franchise-tagged wide receiver showed up at OTAs Thursday and participated in individual drills.
That’s a bit of a surprise, considering he hasn’t signed his $12.823 million franchise tender.
But apparently, Bryant wanted to be around the team, and see his teammates. He apparently went through individual drills, but didn’t do any team drills. Considering what happened to Ryan Clady and Dante Fowler, it’s prudent to not push himself with so much money on the line.
Bryant’s not even required to attend mandatory minicamp since he hasn’t signed yet, but his showing up today is at least a sign of good faith.
Whether it’s a sign of progress toward a long-term deal, or whether Bryant just wanted to get out of the house remains to be seen.Hey There Polished People!
Here in my area of the US we have entered the rainy season. 😦 I’m really a summer girl, but I actually don’t mind the rain too much. I just hate being cold, but since my husband has been making us cozy fires every night in the wood stove I haven’t been too cold lately. I’ll hate the rain more in February when it’s been raining for 5 months straight and I’m tired of it. I guess if you wanna live where it’s nice and green you gotta have that rain!! You know what’s good about rain? Cute rain cloud nails! Wanna see?
Rain Cloud Nails
How To Get These Nails:
Base coat. Paint your nails with 2-3 coats of Essence I Like Bad Boys. Apply a coat of Seche Vite and allow your nails to dry and harden thoroughly. When your nails are ready- use BM 312 and SH Blue By to stamp the cloud design on your nails. Apply a coat of Seche Vite and you’re good to go dancing in the rain! 😉
These nails are particularly appropriate for today because I’m going camping till almost Thanksgiving (my husband calls it hunting cuz that’s what he’ll be doing, I call it camping cuz I’ll be reading, possibly painting my nails, snacking and napping in the trailer, haha) and it’s supposed to rain the entire time! Hopefully it wont be too bad and we can get a campfire going because that’s always fun. Until I get back, I may be a little slow to respond to comments but please don’t let that stop you! Comment away and when I have a little cell phone signal I’ll be checking in and responding to all your wonderful comments that I just love reading so much!! 🙂
These nails were quick and simple. I probably could have used these for delicate nail day, actually. I just love Essence I Like Bad Boys. It’s this light dusty blue color with bright blue microglitter throughout. It’s LOVELY!! It has the same awesome formula as the others I’ve tried and that brand just hasn’t stopped impressing me! 🙂 Let me know what you think of these nails and if you’re a summer sun or a winter rain person! As always thanks for reading and till next time- Happy Polishing!! 😀
AdvertisementsTAIPEI (Reuters) - Coral reefs off the southeast coast of Taiwan have turned black with disease possibly due to sewage discharge, threatening fragile undersea ecosystems and tourism, a study released Friday said.
The discovery on a problem long suspected but seldom documented shows that coral is suffering widely in waters up to five meters (16.4 feet) deep and 300 meters offshore from two outlying islands, said researcher Chen Chao-lun of Taiwan’s state-funded Academia Sinica.
“This is a large distribution and we had no previous information,” said Chen, whose began doing research with local environmental groups in 2007. “If you snorkel, you’ll see it’s black. If it’s all black, there won’t be too many tourists.”
Coral reefs, delicate undersea structures resembling rocky gardens made by tiny animals called coral polyps, are important nurseries and shelters for fish and other sea life.
They also protect coastlines, provide a critical source of food for millions of people and are potential storehouses of medicines.
Taiwan’s study did not pinpoint a cause for the diseased coral, but untreated sewage may a factor, Chen said.
On Green Island, a tourism hotspot and one the sites surrounded by diseased coral, garbage and excrement are dumped into the surrounding azure waters while reefs are often plundered by coral-robbing tourists, officials and long-time divers say.
The Taiwan researchers have sent their report to the government and plan to check for problems in other offshore areas known to support coral, Chen said.
Coral covers about 400,000 square km (154,000 sq miles) of tropical ocean floor. The biggest is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a collection of 2,900 reefs along 2,100 km (1,300 miles) of Australia’s northeast coast in a marine park the size of Germany.Don’t be an easy target, keep your coins safe.
WhalePanda Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 5, 2016
We’ve all heard stories about people losing (some of) their coins by having their exchange account hacked. I’m not a security expert, and I don’t claim to be one. I do however see many people not taking their security very seriously.
Kraken wrote a blogpost about this a while ago… And even though there is a lot of information in it, for most of us it seems a bit over the top. Burner Phones, Google Voice (not available outside of US),… Yeah I don’t use that or even have access to that.
I’m not saying you have to become a tinfoil hat guy, but there are some basics that can make everything a lot more secure.
Don’t keep coins on an exchange that you don’t actively trade.
I’ve heard this one so many times: “Oh you kept coins on an exchange and it got hacked? Well that’s kind of your fault.” Wrong. If you actually trade those coins and you’ve used all of the security measures provided by the exchange, it’s really not your fault. How are those people who say you shouldn’t keep any coins on an exchange going to sell them/buy more? They need buy/sell orders, they need liquidity. Active traders provide liquidity and they are crucial.
Good practice here is to send your profits once every 2 week or once per month to a hardware wallet. If you make profit obviously… Many don’t.
The Password
A password needs to be unique and complex. Please don’t reuse passwords, many of us who aren’t security experts have been doing that for years. Easy to have the same password for your Gmail, Twitter, Facebook,… Even though that’s just bad practice it probably won’t immediately make you lose a lot of money if those get hacked. If your exchange account gets hacked, it’s so much worse.
Since no one can remember all those different complex passwords it’s best to use a good password manager. I personally use Dashlane and am happy about it, I have some friends who use Lastpass and that works fine too. Dashlane offers the ability to generate complex passwords which can come in handy.
Obviously you do need to have a masterpassword for it. One that you save nowhere and don’t write down. Best practice would be that it’s a sentence (20+ characters) that you memorize and that only makes sense to you. Additionally you can add 2FA to Dashlane.
The Email
Don’t use hotmail/outlook or Gmail for things that need to be secure and private like an exchange account. Just don’t. I still use them… But only for personal things since everyone already has those addresses and now it’s just annoying to switch. You know how you get ads in Gmail related to the subjects you’ve written or received mails about? How does that happen you think? Do you really trust Google or Microsoft with your emails?
Good options here are Protonmail and Hushmail. They both provide extra layers of security and don’t forget to turn on your 2FA for this one as well.
Make sure that you need to confirm all your withdrawals from exchanges by email.
The 2FA
Don’t use SMS for 2FA. That’s the easiest one to “hack”. Instead use other 2FA tools like Authy. I‘ve been using it for a while now and it’s really handy since it allows you to back everything up easily and it’s easier when you switch phones. Make sure to use 2FA everywhere possible. On the exchange, on your email, on your password manager,…
The Hardware wallet
There are quite a few options for hardware wallets out there: Trezor, Ledgerwallet, keepkey,… I personally have 2 Trezors and will be looking to buy the new one when it’s released. Trezor also started supporting some of the bigger altcoins like ZCash and additionally you can use it as a 2FA device which is a really cool feature. And of course the lovely Alena Vranova is my crypto-crush.
The Exchange
I personally don’t trade on the smaller (read: scammier) crypto exchanges (and potentially easier target for hackers). The big ones have plenty of security options available, even though some might not always be visible. One option I try to use everywhere if it’s available is the fixed withdrawal address. This option allows you to withdraw your coins to only 1 specific address. Ideally this address is of course a very secure one, like on a hardware wallet. If you try to change that address there is usually a period of time that all withdrawals are locked.
This option is for example also available on Poloniex if you do the enhanced verification (which means >$25,000 limit) with a skype interview with a compliance officer. Even though it’s not visible (yet) on the website itself.
Conclusion
If you stick with these security measures you’re pretty safe. If you’re an altcoin trader and keep local wallets, it’s always best to run them in a VM. Other than that use common sense, don’t get too relaxed. I’ve heard people say that setups like the one I described are “annoying because I can’t execute a trade quickly”… Well it’s a risk/reward thing, what’s more important? Missing a trade or losing all your coins?6 Japan Observations
1. The history issue is not going away anytime soon. China has every reason to perpetuate it: Stoking the fires of the past provides Beijing with a ready tool in its strategic competition with Tokyo. As for South Korea, even if Japan did a "full Germany" in atoning for its past, it is not clear what would satisfy Seoul.
2. Tokyo has resigned itself to the above. It is engaging in clever diplomacy — building up more trust and diplomatic space outside South Korea and China before pushing full throttle on the national security changes it needs to make. Its outreach to Southeast Asia, including substantial aid to the typhoon-hit Philippines has been eagerly welcomed. It will next turn to deep engagement with Europe.
3. Relations with the United States are uneven. Japan has much gratitude for U.S. statements that the Senkaku Islands fall under the mutual treaty alliance (accompanied by Hillary nostalgia), and the United States has been supportive of Japan’s plans to form a National Security Council. But, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to the Chidorigafuchi cemetery for World War II dead was considered too clever by half by Japanese officials. The intent was to send a message to Japan to reckon with its past and stop visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. But as an important ally and friend, Japan would prefer that the United States express its desires privately. And, apparently, Japanese officials were not consulted about this move. China will have a propaganda field day with it.
4. Unlike Vegas, what happens in the Middle East does not stay in the Middle East. As fellow Shadow Government blogger Mike Green wrote, there is deep concern that the United States warned Syria against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing when Bashar al-Assad used them. I speculate that a bad Iranian nuclear deal will do grave harm to U.S. credibility in Asia as well. Japan is completely dependent on the United States to protect it against weapons of mass destruction. Both North Korea and China have them and view Japan as a rival if not an enemy. It is simply not possible to cordon off one part of the globe and say that you are focusing on another. As Asian energy consumers more deeply engage the Middle East and weapons of mass destruction spread, what happen there matters to the United States’ Pacific allies.
5. Abenomics, which makes all else possible, is in danger of petering out. Without serious corporate changes and restructuring, it will appear as though Tokyo simply primed the pump. For a variety of reasons, Japan needs more productivity. While exporters have benefited, the bad old ways of corporate cross-ownership and protection of majority shareholders remain. This will stifle attempts to inject vitality and dynamism into the economy.
6. The Japanese are excited to have Caroline Kennedy as the U.S. ambassador, as they should be. A new post-Cold War generation rules Washington, without the memories of what the U.S.-Japan alliance accomplished. Political leaders across the aisle need to educate themselves about how important the alliance is for this century’s problems. Kennedy has a great opportunity to reintroduce Japan to a new generation of political leaders. And given the respect her family engenders across the United States, she can help inject new vitality into the U.S.-Japan relationship more broadly.Fox Business host savaged for claiming "there are no allegations against" Trump Maria Bartiromo said comparing Al Franken's accusations to Trump is "apples to oranges" and "not the same at all"
Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo made the claim on Friday that "there are no allegations" against President Donald Trump, despite him facing accusations from at least 16 women who all have said he sexually harassed them, or engaged in inappropriate conduct.
In a panel discussion Bartiromo and her guests were ripping into Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who was accused of groping and forcing a kiss on radio host Leeann Tweeded during a USO tour in 2006.
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Bartiromo then asked one of her guests, Christopher Lu, the former assistant to President Obama, whether or not he agreed with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who recently said that former President Bill Clinton should have resigned when his inappropriate relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky surfaced.
Lu explained that Clinton would have likely been "seen under a different political lens" if it had come up in the current environment.
"We say that" different standards would be applied today for Clinton, Lu argued, but he also pointed out that the infamous Access Hollywood tape about President Donald Trump, and the allegations against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, have surfaced.
"You need to look at this all in a whole," Lu said. "How do you measure allegations with a photo versus allegations involving a yearbook? What are the standards when you're looking at a political election versus legal proceedings."
"What do you mean how do you differentiate?" Bartiromo shot back. "There's a picture [of Franken]."
Lu pointed out that there are several allegations against Moore and "probably an equal number that have made allegations against the president."
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"So if they deny the allegations, yet you have other evidence and you have their testimony — I'm inclined to believe all of the womens' testimonies," Lu said.
"Just to be clear, there are no allegations against the president," Bartiromo claimed.
After Lu clarified that the allegations were from before he was elected president, Bartiromo argued, "He said during the campaign that wasn’t true. In fact, didn’t he say also that, you know, all of this will come to light and there will be a lawsuit? I mean… we’re talking about a situation where we have a picture with the guy’s hands on her breasts. You can’t compare the two, Chris."
Bartiromo insisted "it's not the same at all" and it's like comparing "apples to oranges."
After the segment CNN's Brian Stelter tweeted that what Bartiromo said was "really strange" considering numerous women have alleged Trump engaged in misconduct. Bartiromo then blocked Stelter on Twitter, according to screenshots he published.
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I’ve always had a cordial relationship with @MariaBartiromo. I can only assume that this tweeted observation is why she suddenly blocked me... ♂️ pic.twitter.com/p6PEGTiBGk — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 18, 2017
She also blocked Huffington Post journalist Yashar, who tweeted that the Fox Business host had "just erased sixteen women."
3. Wow @brianstelter she blocked me too after my two tweets above. pic.twitter.com/7gmtpLMcBj — Yashar Ali (@yashar) November 18, 2017
It's not clear if her blocking spree continued, but she sure felt the wrath of the Twitter mob.
So much gaslighting, it’s a wonder @ChrisLu44 survived the carbon monoxide poisoning. (@MariaBartiromo, girl. What has happened to you.) https://t.co/QaUs9UONLb — shauna (@goldengateblond) November 18, 2017
I remember when Maria Bartiromo was considered a serious journalist. Would love to see her bring her nonsense and state tv sensibility to 4 pm on MSNBC — Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) November 18, 2017
According to Sarah Sanders (and Maria Bartiromo) sexual assault allegations don't count if you deny them. So it's all good. https://t.co/QLk0bMctru — Joe Remi (@JosephRemiB) November 18, 2017
Ha! @MariaBartiromo blocked me on Twitter after I ripped her inane criticism of @NFL protests and Colin @Kaepernick7. Maria, when some media folks get on your nerves, just do what I do: ignore them. Or mute them. Blocking is just weak. https://t.co/hwPTBUTXpn — rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 18, 2017
Crazy - uh - and what did u say about me? https://t.co/H1kgQiXKo6 — Gretchen Carlson (@GretchenCarlson) November 18, 2017
A reminder that at least 15 women have accused Donald Trump on the record of unwanted physical contact. Listen for the patterns in their stories. #inners pic.twitter.com/thoTR3OyXv — All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) November 18, 2017
Watch the full segment below:Today we announced a major step forward in the execution of our vision and product strategy. We've closed a new $50 million strategic investment round co-led by Goldman Sachs and IDG Capital Partners.
And for the first time, we're giving Circle customers the ability to hold, send, and receive US dollars as well as bitcoin -- instantly, securely, and with no fees. In addition to sending and receiving dollars, customers can also enjoy the benefits of the Bitcoin network without the risk of price volatility.
New Investors
Goldman Sachs and China-based IDG Capital Partners were joined by all of Circle’s existing investors in the round, including Breyer Capital, General Catalyst Partners, Accel Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Fenway Summer, Digital Currency Group, Pantera Capital, and strategic individuals.
We could not be happier with our new strategic investors. They bring unique, powerful capabilities and capital that will help us continue building a new kind of global consumer finance company, one based on open platforms, open source software, and ubiquitous mobile devices.
Why did Goldman Sachs invest in Circle?
Tom Jessop is a Managing Director in Goldman Sachs’ Principal Strategic Investments Group. That group focuses on strategic investments and related business development initiatives within the financial technology space. Commenting on the investment, Mr. Jessop explains:
“As the financial services industry continues to become more digital and open, we see significant opportunities in companies and solutions that have the promise to transform global markets through technical innovation. We think that Circle’s product vision and exceptional management team present a compelling opportunity in the digital payments space.”
What is the Connection to China?
IDG Capital Partners likewise brings a strategic capability to Circle as we bring our products and services to China. We believe in a hybrid digital economy in which value moves freely around the world and converts into other currencies -- including both crypto and fiat currencies -- seamlessly, safely, and instantly. People will transact and trade both locally and across the globe more freely and more securely than has ever before been possible. And that means growing our platform to include important economies and currencies such as US Dollars and Chinese Yuan.
IDG Capital Partners, a leading China-based venture capital firm, brings an exceptional and long history of investing in Chinese Internet and consumer tech companies, including Tencent, Baidu, Ctrip, CreditEase, and Xiaomi, and an even longer history in helping Western companies navigate and bring products and services to the China market.
Quan Zhou, Managing Director of IDG Capital Partners and Circle board member, explains:
*"Consumer finance is undergoing a profound transformation with the rise of mobile payment applications and a growing appetite for financial products from non-traditional providers. We feel that Circle is strongly positioned to capitalize on these trends. We are very excited about our investment and look forward to helping launch the company in the Chinese market where consumer adoption of innovative digital payment products is growing at a tremendous rate." *
China is today the center of innovation in mobile apps and digital finance. We have a lot to learn from them, and we’re excited to bridge the dollar economy to the yuan economy using global digital currency. This will take time, as companies and services like Circle’s must address a complex and evolving legal and regulatory landscape in China.
New Dollar Features
We’re also introducing new US dollar features that enable customers to hold, send, and receive dollars. Customers with dollar accounts gain all of the benefits of digital currency -- instant, secure and free payments to anyone in the world -- without holding or explicitly converting dollars into bitcoins. Dollar account balances held by Circle customers are FDIC-insured.
Circle’s robust support for Bitcoin also gets even better. If customers choose to hold dollars instead of bitcoin balances, they can still pay any person or merchant who accepts payment in bitcoin, without ever holding bitcoin themselves. Circle will handle instant conversion from dollars into bitcoin at the time of the payment. The reverse is also true: customers can accept bitcoin and expect Circle to convert it instantly into dollars in their Circle accounts. This gives customers the benefits of bitcoin payments without the risk of price volatility.
This way, customers can choose to view Bitcoin not as a new currency to replace the dollar, but as an Internet payment network that enables secure, instant, global and nearly free payments.
However, those who wish to view Bitcoin as an asset and hold bitcoins with Circle may still do so: Customers holding bitcoin balances will enjoy our full insurance from hacking, data penetration, and other theft; free settlements; robust smartphone apps and excellent support and service.
Whether customers choose to hold dollars or bitcoins, they can send and receive either one, and they can deposit and withdraw their Circle balances to their external bitcoin wallets as well as to their U.S. bank accounts and credit/debit cards.
When can I start using US Dollar capabilities in Circle?
We are enabling customer accounts selectively, and we will add more every week until the feature is generally available. We’re looking forward to your feedback!
-– Jeremy Allaire & Sean NevilleSerial Position Effect
Saul McLeod, published 2008
Some of the strongest evidence for the multi-store model (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968) comes from serial position effect studies and studies of brain damaged patients.
Experiments show that when participants are presented with a list of words, they tend to remember the first few and last few words and are more likely to forget those in the middle of the list.
This is known as the serial position effect. The tendency to recall earlier words is called the primacy effect; the tendency to recall the later words is called the recency effect.
Murdock (1962)
Procedure
Murdock asked participants to learn a list of words that varied in length from 10 to 40 words and free recall them. Each word was presented for one to two seconds.
Results
He found that the probability of recalling any word depended on its position in the list (its serial position). Words presented either early in the list or at the end were more often recalled, but the ones in the middle were more often forgotten. This is known as serial position effect.
The improved recall of words at the beginning of the list is called the primary effect; that at the end of the list, the recency effect. This recency effect exists even when the list is lengthened to 40 words.
Conclusion
Murdock suggested that words early in the list were put into long term memory (primacy effect) because the person has time to rehearse each word acoustically. Words from the end of the list went into short term memory (recency effect) which can typically hold about 7 items.
Words in the middle of the list had been there too long to be held in short term memory (STM) (due to displacement) and not long enough to be put into long term memory (LTM). This is referred as a asymptote.
In a nutshell, when participants remember primary and recent information, it is thought that they are recalling information from two separate stores (STM and LTM).
Glanzer and Cunitz (1966)
Procedure
Glanzer and Cunitz presented two groups of participants with the same list of words. One group recalled the words immediately after presentation, while the other group recalled the words after waiting 30 seconds. These participants had to count backwards in threes (the Brown-Peterson technique), which prevented rehearsal and caused the recency effect to disappear. Both groups could free recall the words in any order.
Results
The words at the end of the list are only remembered if recalled first and tested immediately. Delaying recall by 30 seconds prevented the recency effect.
References
Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Chapter: Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In Spence, K. W., & Spence, J. T. The psychology of learning and motivation (Volume 2). New York: Academic Press. pp. 89–195.
Glanzer, M., & Cunitz, A. R. (1966). Two storage mechanisms in free recall. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 5(4), 351-360.
Murdock, B. B. (1962). The serial position effect of free recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 64(5), 482–488.
How to reference this article:
McLeod, S. A. (2008). Serial position effect. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/primacy-recency.htmlMy native South Korea is something of a star performer. With per capita income of around $20,000 (on a par with Portugal), it is not one of the richest countries, but we are talking about a country whose income was less than half that of Ghana's until the early 1960s. With an annual per capita income growth rate of just under 4%, it is one of the fastest-growing OECD economies.
Once a byword for hyper-exploited sweatshop labour, churning out cheap transistor radios and trainers, the country now possesses the only thing that stands between iPhone and world domination (the Samsung Galaxy). It is also a world leader in industries such as shipbuilding, steel and automobiles.
The country is, per capita, the third most innovative in the world, after Japan and Taiwan, when measured by the number of patents granted by the US patent office. It has one of the world's highest university enrolment ratios, and schoolchildren who rank in the top five in virtually all standardised international tests.
So, when things seem to be going so swimmingly, why are Koreans clamouring for big changes in the run-up to the general election next week? Because they are desperately unhappy.
According to a recent World Values Survey, Koreans are the second unhappiest people (after Hungary) among the citizens of the 32 OECD countries studied. Worse, its children are the unhappiest in the rich world, according to a survey of 23 OECD countries done by Yonsei University in Seoul. In 2009 the country topped the international league table for suicides, with 28.4 suicides per 100,000 people. Japan was a distant second with 19.7. But Koreans never used to be this unhappy. Until 1995 its suicide rate was, at about 10 per 100,000 people, just below the OECD average. Since then it has almost tripled.
The answer to the Korean puzzle can be found in the consequences of the economic reform implemented after the country's 1997 financial crisis. In the UK-US mould, the stock market was fully opened to foreign investors, putting the larger, listed companies under pressure from international shareholders, making them increase short-term profits by minimising investments. The ability of smaller, unlisted companies to invest was severely curtailed by a dramatic reduction in credit availability. Deregulation allowed banks to rush into more lucrative consumer loan markets, reducing the share of loans to business.
The resulting dramatic fall in investments has led to a substantial fall in economic growth from 6%-7% (in per capita terms) per year to under 4%. With lower growth, few well-paid jobs are created. When combined with the relaxation of labour laws after 1997, this has given employers a decisive upper hand over their workers. Many employees were sacked and re-hired as "agency" workers, doing the same jobs at lower wages. The proportion of the workforce without a permanent contract rose from an already high 50% to 60%, the highest in the OECD.
Not that having a permanent contract gives you much protection these days. Most of the companies that used to (informally) provide "lifetime employment" for their core workers have ended the practice, with older staff put under pressure to make way for younger, cheaper workers.
And all of this is being played out in the absence of a decent welfare state – the country has the second smallest in the OECD, after Mexico (measured by welfare spending as a share of GDP). Given this, people live in constant fear of unemployment, forced retirement, and major illnesses, which expose them to a life of penury.
This "fear factor" also partly explains the country's excessive educational zeal. Pupils study hard, thinking that better educational qualification may give them a layer of protection in an unforgiving labour market. But since everyone is studying hard, they have to run faster to stay in the same place. The result is the combination of long study hours (double that of Finnish children, who do equally well in international tests), and enormous mental stress.
Moreover, increased job insecurity has driven the best Korean students into "secure" professions, like medicine and law, leaving science and engineering deprived of top talents. If this trend continues, the country's ability to innovate will be damaged.
The sad tale of my country should serve as a salutary warning to Britain and other European countries that are embarking on major cuts to welfare. They believe that such cuts will reduce budget deficits and make their economies more productive by making people compete more vigorously. However, the Korean story shows that insecurity actually makes people less, not more, productive, and also desperately unhappy. Surely, that is not what they want.
• Follow Comment is free on Twitter @commentisfreeA week ago, I found myself in Cancún, Mexico for the first time in my life. As a lifelong professional geek whose associates could very well have been the original inspiration for The Big Bang Theory, Cancún was pretty far down the list of places I wanted to visit. No, I was there to bear witness to the best and brightest that the cryptocurrency ecosystem has to offer. I was there to attend the third Ethereum developers conference, or Devcon3, an annual gathering of the who’s who of the Ethereum ecosystem, a great pow wow to share what everyone is working on, gather ideas, and gossip.
Why I Went
I believe, as every generation before me did, that we live in the most important time in human history, ever. I am a self-professed futurist who grew up dreaming of a world radically improved by technology, I always knew that we were at a crossroad as a species and the choices we make today will have profound implications, for better or worse. When I first discovered Ethereum more than a year ago, I was enamored by the ambition of its founder’s vision. However, having lived and worked in Silicon Valley for the past few year and seen how much horse shit finds its way into the sausage-making, I was also very skeptical of its reality.
Always in pursue of the truth, I diligently kept up with the news, had a fun time making Ethereum Pixels, a toy decentralized app (DApp as the cool kids call it) on the Ethereum blockchain, and wasted countless hours in dozens of cryptocurrency discussions groups, but it felt like something was missing. While I was impressed by the surprising usability of Solidity and web3.js during my brief foray into Ethereum development, I felt a foreboding sense of dread. There was something off about what the marketing websites claimed and what could be done in reality. There were too many missing pieces, too many unanswered technical questions, and too many cocksure 15-year-olds who made a few hundred thousand dollars betting on nothing more than hopes and aspirations telling me that the answer to all our prayers were buzzwords like “sharding” and “the Tangle”.
At the heart of everything is a very simple question: is there a reasonable confidence that smart contracts and blockchains will become efficient enough to actually power the future decentralized Web 3.0 or is the whole thing just a pipe dream fueled by excess capital and mass delusion? The truth was out there, but it was frustratingly elusive. I knew what the wunderkind investors’ answer to the question was going to be, but I needed to hear it from the people who actually have some technical insights. So, I decided to make the trip to Devcon3 to see for myself once and for all just how much of this is all real.
A week later today, my experiences at the event left me with a string of mixed feelings.
The Event
There is something incongruent about Cancún as a venue for a developer conference. Upon arriving at the heart of the hotel zone where the convention center is located fresh off my red-eye flight from SFO, I got the visceral feeling that the whole place had been invaded by some foreign power. I am not talking about the Hard Rock Cafes, Hooters, or the suntanned American tourists who came all the way to a foreign country to experience their own culture — those are practically native at this point. No, I am referring to the geek squads out in force in their cryptocurrency and Rick and Morty T-shirts. The juxtaposition of the sunny beach party setting that is Cancún with the cypherpunks in sandals looking to undermine the global economic order was so comical in my mind that I imagined William Gibson would give it a second thought if it were a scene in his novel. (To be fair, I spent most of my days there wearing a number of video game apparels, so I cast this rock while retaining full ownership of the glass house I inhabit.)
The conference, to be frank, was not very well organized. The registration and badge pick-up process was a slow pen-and-paper affair that could really use some help from this decentralized trust thing that I hear is all the rage these days. I’ve definitely been to many old boring industry conferences charging way less than $900 per ticket that figured out how to do things better with some simple use of mobile technology. The convention center’s Wi-Fi connection worked intermittently, probably the one cardinal sin for a venue hosting an event for technologists. There was no handy program guide, so everyone relied on the Ethereum Foundation’s official site for the day’s schedule, which of course was promptly taken offline by the traffic. People eventually resorted to taking cellphone pictures of the two TV screens that were cycling through the day’s program.
High-tech low-tech solution to a low-tech high-tech problem
Perhaps it would be correct to attribute a lot of the problems to the growing pains of more than doubling in size, but I honestly think it is also a sobering reminder that for all the fancy web animations and millions of dollars raised, the Ethereum ecosystem remains a rag-tag group of unprofessional hackers and hustlers who are trying to make something happen.
The external perception of the Ethereum Foundation as a strategic dealmaker confidently charting the course of the global economy is quickly dispelled when you catch a glimpse of the people running the show. Yes, they are mostly good sincere people with a very specific vision of the future and great technical chops, and they are trying their best, but that does not preclude or excuse them from being misguided or incompetent in other important ways that matter. I think the latest Parity wallet snafu (can you say deja vu?) is testament to that inconvenient truth.
The Talks
I must first say that the talks I enjoyed the most throughout the four days of the event were mostly the technical ones. I really enjoyed Patrick McCorry’s talk discussing the challenges of doing cryptographic calculations on the blockchain (tl;dr very expensive |
Thomas RB 5'9, 198 Jr. 3 stars (5.6) 0.8494 23 156 3 6.8 3.8 60.9% 1 1 Austin Grammer QB 18 70 1 3.9 4.4 22.2% 0 0 Richie James WR 5'9, 171 So. 2 stars (5.3) 0.8200 12 146 1 12.2 11.7 66.7% 1 1 Ruben Garnett RB 5'9, 175 So. 3 stars (5.6) 0.8503 10 45 1 4.5 1.8 60.0% 0 0 Jordan Willis FB 5 37 0 7.4 2.0 100.0% 0 0 Chase Pennycuff FB J'Vonte Herrod RB 5'11, 231 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8348 Terelle West RB 5'10, 185 RSFr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8289
Receiving Corps
Player Pos. Ht, Wt 2016
Year Rivals 247 Comp. Targets Catches Yards Catch Rate Target
Rate Yds/
Target %SD Success
Rate IsoPPP Richie James WR-H 5'9, 171 So. 2 stars (5.3) 0.8200 146 108 1346 74.0% 29.8% 9.2 67.1% 51.4% 1.64 Ed'Marques Batties WR-X 131 82 1048 62.6% 26.7% 8.0 55.0% 42.7% 1.76 Terry Pettis TE 6'5, 228 Sr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7000 45 29 612 64.4% 9.2% 13.6 46.7% 51.1% 2.53 Demetrius Frazier WR-H 5'10, 198 Sr. 3 stars (5.6) 0.7800 32 28 191 87.5% 6.5% 6.0 56.3% 43.8% 1.10 Shane Tucker RB 6'0, 204 Sr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8167 28 16 133 57.1% 5.7% 4.8 67.9% 35.7% 1.28 Rod Ducksworth WR-Z 6'0, 167 Sr. 2 stars (5.3) 0.7800 25 12 159 48.0% 5.1% 6.4 56.0% 48.0% 1.18 Christian Collis WR-Z 21 16 217 76.2% 4.3% 10.3 66.7% 57.1% 1.63 Jordan Parker RB 17 15 68 88.2% 3.5% 4.0 35.3% 17.6% 1.62 Derek Barnes WR-X
14 8 84 57.1% 2.9% 6.0 57.1% 50.0% 0.96 Austin Grammer QB
13 9 111 69.2% 2.7% 8.5 38.5% 61.5% 1.26 Sean Smith TE 6'7, 243 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7656 4 2 23 50.0% 0.8% 5.8 25.0% 25.0% 2.18 Tristan Walker WR 5'9, 161 Jr. 2 stars (5.3) NR 3 2 12 66.7% 0.6% 4.0 100.0% 33.3% 0.86 Ty Clemons WR 5'11, 176 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8256 3 1 2 33.3% 0.6% 0.7 66.7% 0.0% 0.00 Lucas Hamilton TE 6'5, 262 Jr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7983 Isiah Upton WR 6'0, 185 RSFr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8000 Ricky Blair WR 6'3, 185 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8056 Jermel Walker WR 6'1, 180 Jr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.7933 Ty Lee WR 5'9, 175 Fr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8289 CJ Windham WR 6'2, 185 Fr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.8133 Reginald Henderson WR 6'2, 205 Fr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8123
4. Receivers want to play in this offense
James and Batties made for one hell of a receiver duo. They combined for 201 receiving yards against Jackson State, 316 against Illinois, 177 against Vanderbilt, 185 against WKU, 184 against Louisiana Tech, 234 against FAU, and 214 against WMU. James was typically the possession guy, while Batties made a few more big plays, but the roles reversed frequently. And with Batties gone, there's no guarantee that someone will effectively step into his role.
The next two wideouts on the returnees list -- Demetrius Frazier and Rod Ducksworth -- combined to average just 6.1 yards per target last year, and the Blue Raiders will rely on quite a few newcomers.
That might not be a bad thing. JUCO transfers Ricky Blair (three-star per the 247Sports Composite) and Jermel Walker (three-star via Rivals) signed in February, as did the freshman trio of Ty Lee, CJ Windham, and Reginald Henderson. Isiah Upton, a three-star redshirt, could also join the rotation.
In the absence of known quality, you want quantity. It increases the likelihood that a couple of reliable weapons will emerge. MTSU has it in the receiving corps, and I haven't yet mentioned big-play tight end Terry Pettis, who averaged 21 yards per catch and torched Marshall (five for 126) and Charlotte (four for 167).
Now... if only MTSU could run the ball. Brent Stockstill didn't have a lot to offer (3.3 non-sack carries per game), and the trio of Shane Tucker, Jordan Parker, and Desmond Anderson managed to combine a paltry per-carry average (4.0) with nine fumbles. [UPDATE: Tucker is out for the season with injury.]
Youngsters J'Vonte Herrod (sophomore) and Terelle West (redshirt freshman) were well-regarded recruits. Maybe someone will blossom.
MTSU's lack of rushing success (73rd in Rushing S&P+) held back a wonderful passing game (22nd in Passing S&P+). Will that be the case again?
Offensive Line
Player Pos. Ht, Wt 2016
Year Rivals 247 Comp. 2015 Starts Career Starts Honors/Notes Jaylen Hunter LG 12 15 2015 1st All-CUSA Darius Johnson LT 6 43 Daniel Stephens C 6'2, 304 Sr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7433 13 25 Josh Chester LG 6'3, 300 Sr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7000 5 20 Maurquice Shakir RT 6'3, 322 Sr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7444 12 12 Chandler Brewer RG 6'6, 310 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8057 11 11 David Adams LG
2 6 Carlos Johnson LT 6'3, 300 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8026 3 3 Hunter Rogers RT 6'7, 328 Sr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7000 1 1 Robert Behanan LT 6'3, 285 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7659 0 0 Conner Trent RG 6'5, 306 Jr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7433 0 0 Deandre Ford OL 6'6, 378 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7793 0 0 Josh Fannin OL 6'3, 310 RSFr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8226
Angelo Owens OL 6'4, 305 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7793
Ty Watkins OL 6'1, 307 Jr. 2 stars (5.3) 0.7000
Treyton Peters OL 6'6, 315 Fr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8250
5. Keeping defenders out of the backfield
As the nine fumbles suggested, running backs were responsible for a lot of MTSU's struggles. The Blue Raiders were able to keep defenders out of the backfield for the most part (38th in stuff rate) and were decent in getting a short-yardage push (52nd in power success rate), but they were unable to get backs downfield with regularity (82nd in opportunity rate).
It seems the line was at least solid, and that was despite quite a bit of shuffling, nine players starting at least one game, and freshmen accounting for 14 starts.
Despite losing all-conference guard Jaylen Hunter and 2014 all-conference tackle Darius Johnson (who played only half the season), I wouldn't expect too much of a dropoff. The quick-passing nature of the offense keeps pressure off of the quarterback, and the line's size is spectacular for the C-USA level (average size of those with starting experience: 6'4, 311). So it's up to the backs to take advantage.
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Defense
Q1 Rk 116 1st Down Rk 115 Q2 Rk 105 2nd Down Rk 84 Q3 Rk 27 3rd Down Rk 113 Q4 Rk 116
6. Whatever you did in the third quarter, do it more
Defense is usually the bigger issue in Murfreesboro. MTSU has ranked higher in Off. S&P+ than Def. S&P+ in five of the last six years, and while some have been pretty close (114th vs. 115th in 2011, for instance), the last couple of years have seen the same structure: an offense that ranks in the 60s and a defense that ranks in the 80s or 90s.
After slipping to 98th in 2014, Derrick Nix's defense improved to 87th last year. And the September and November renditions of this unit were even better.
Still, the No. 87 ranking was driven mostly by big-play prevention against the run, nice redzone defense... and strangely awesome third-quarter performances. Opponents had a passer rating of 143.5 in the first half and 84.0 in the third quarter. They moved the ball at will, then got outflanked coming out of halftime. In the fourth quarter, opponents figured things out again.
Halftime adjustments don't mean nearly what we think -- coaches are adjusting all game, and by the time guys get down the elevator from the press box to the locker room, the coaching staff only has about five minutes -- but apparently MTSU was the exception. The Blue Raiders were spectacular at making halftime adjustments and mediocre at everything else.
Defensive Line
Name Pos Ht, Wt 2016
Year Rivals 247 Comp. GP Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks Int PBU FF FR Steven Rhodes DE 6'3, 248 Sr. NR NR 13 29.0 3.8% 6.0 2.5 0 0 1 0 Chris Hale DE 6'4, 266 Sr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7578 12 23.0 3.0% 6.5 4.0 0 0 1 0 Raynard Felton DT 6'4, 278 Sr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8054 13 20.0 2.6% 3.5 0.5 0 2 1 0 Shaquille Huff DT 6'1, 318 Sr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8267 13 19.0 2.5% 6.0 1.0 0 0 1 0 Alexandro Antoine DE 12 13.5 1.8% 2.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Patrick McNeil DT 13 11.0 1.4% 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 Jimal McBride DT 6'2, 319 Sr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.8151 13 10.5 1.4% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Justin Akins DE 6'4, 257 Jr. 3 stars (5.6) 0.8246 13 10.0 1.3% 2.0 1.5 1 0 0 0 Derious Bennett DT
10 7.0 0.9% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Peter Bailey DE 6'4, 252 Sr. 2 stars (5.3) 0.7994 12 5.5 0.7% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Ykeem Wells DE 11 4.5 0.6% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Patrick Stewart DT 6'2, 266 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7000 6 2.0 0.3% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Jahmal Jones DE 6'3, 238 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7000 Darrius Liggins DE 6'4, 239 So. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8154 Malik Manciel DT 6'3, 265 RSFr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.7933 Trae Philpots DE 6'4, 240 RSFr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7400 Rakavian Poydras DT 6'1, 280 Fr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8403 Chris Myers DE 6'6, 235 Fr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8056 Jordan Gonzalez DE 6'5, 225 Fr. 2 stars (5.3) 0.8019
Linebackers
Name Pos Ht, Wt 2016
Year Rivals 247 Comp. GP Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks Int PBU FF FR T.T. Barber WLB 13 75.5 9.8% 11.5 4.0 1 3 0 0 Cavellis Luckett MLB 13 58.5 7.6% 5.0 0.5 0 1 1 0 Trey Wafford SLB 13 43.5 5.7% 7.5 3.0 0 3 0 0 D.J. Sanders SLB 6'0, 213 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7956 13 36.5 4.8% 0.5 0.0 1 1 1 0 Darius Harris MLB 6'2, 224 So. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7583 13 34.5 4.5% 1.0 0.5 1 1 1 0 James Roberson WLB 13 13.5 1.8% 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 0 Chris Melton LB 6'1, 205 So. 2 stars (5.3) 0.7694 13 13.5 1.8% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Myles Harges LB 6'2, 228 Sr. 2 stars (5.3) 0.7874 2 2.0 0.3% 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 0 Kory Lamberts LB 6'2, 235 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7859 Detric Bing-Dukes LB 6'2, 250 So. 3 stars (5.6) 0.8241 Caleb Felton LB 6'1, 200 Fr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.8033
7. Depth, at least
Compared to conference mates, MTSU did well in the department of defensive injuries. The nine linemen who averaged at least 0.7 tackles per game missed only a combined four games. Of the eight linebackers who averaged at least a tackle a game, only one missed any time. The secondary succumbed a bit -- of the 11 DBs averaging one tackle per game, only two played in all 13 games -- but the bar was low. Everybody in C-USA got wrecked to some degree.
But even without major injuries, MTSU still played a ton of guys in the front seven, and that could pay off in 2016. Quality matters more than experience, but even while losing two primary contributors on the line and four at linebacker, the Blue Raiders return a good amount of experience.
Now to find out if there are any play-makers. The loss of TT Barber at linebacker hurts, and Stockstill signed a pair of JUCO defenders (Kory Lamberts and Detric Bing-Dukes) to account for it. That all three linemen who logged at least six tackles for loss return is good, but six isn't a large number.
Secondary
Name Pos Ht, Wt 2016
Year Rivals 247 Comp. GP Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks Int PBU FF FR Quay Watt SS 13 61.5 8.0% 1 0 0 3 0 1 Kevin Byard FS 12 54.5 7.1% 1 0 4 6 0 0 Michael Minter CB 6'0, 184 Jr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.8033 11 49.0 6.4% 6 1 1 9 1 0 Jeremy Cutrer CB 6'2, 170 Sr. 4 stars (5.8) 0.8827 10 28.0 3.7% 3 1 3 13 0 0 Jamarcus Howard CB 12 25.0 3.3% 2.5 0 2 3 0 0 Xavier Walker SS 9 23.5 3.1% 0 0 0 5 0 0 Alex Dale FS 5'10, 192 Sr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8088 13 18.5 2.4% 2 1 2 2 3 0 Dontavious Heard CB 6'1, 196 Sr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8017 11 17.5 2.3% 1.5 0 0 3 0 0 Jared Singletary CB 9 12.0 1.6% 1 0 0 1 0 0 Chris Brown CB 6'1, 178 Sr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.8126 10 11.0 1.4% 0 0 0 0 0 0 Darryl Randolph CB 5'11, 184 So. 2 stars (5.3) 0.8044 13 7.5 1.0% 0 0 0 3 0 0 Richie Bisaccia S 6'0, 193 Jr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7000 4 4.5 0.6% 0 0 0 0 0 0 Houston Brown CB 8 2.0 0.3% 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jovante Moffatt CB 6'0, 190 So. 2 stars (5.3) 0.7300 13 2.0 0.3% 0 0 0 0 0 0 Vernon Walker S 6'0, 175 RSFr. 2 stars (5.3) 0.8074 Khalil Brooks CB 5'11, 190 RSFr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7859 Charvarius Ward CB 6'1, 185 Jr. 2 stars (5.2) 0.7711 Tyshawn Brown S 6'1, 185 Fr. 3 stars (5.5) 0.8426 Kylan Stribling CB 5'11, 185 Fr. 2 stars (5.4) 0.7893
8. Got safeties?
Playing a lot of guys in the secondary wasn't a choice. The lineup of available bodies was ever-changing. That can mean good things; for instance, MTSU now returns five cornerbacks who made at least 7.5 tackles last year. Starters Michael Minter and Jeremy Cutrer are the best play-makers on the team (combined: nine tackles for loss, four interceptions, 22 break-ups), and there is lovely depth.
Safety is a different story. Five safeties averaged at least one tackle per game last year, but the top three are gone, leaving senior Alex Dale and little-used Richie Bisaccia.
Three-star freshman Tyshawn Brown was one of the jewels of a good recruiting class, and perhaps he's ready to contribute. But unless a corner or two changes position, one aspect of the secondary is a lot more seasoned than the other.
Special Teams
Punter Ht, Wt 2016
Year Punts Avg TB FC I20 FC/I20
Ratio Matt Bonadies 6'1, 195 So. 31 41.3 3 4 10 45.2% Trevor Owens 31 36.2 2 7 4 35.5%
Kicker Ht, Wt 2016
Year Kickoffs Avg TB OOB TB% Canon Rooker 5'11, 173 Jr. 78 60.6 19 2 24.4%
Place-Kicker Ht, Wt 2016
Year PAT FG
(0-39) Pct FG
(40+) Pct Cody Clark 56-56 8-10 80.0% 4-6 66.7%
Returner Pos. Ht, Wt 2016
Year Returns Avg. TD Jeremiah Bryson KR 18 23.7 0 Ed'Marques Batties KR 11 22.6 0 Ed'Marques Batties PR 19 3.9 0 Jeremiah Bryson PR 2 12.0 0
Category Rk Special Teams S&P+ 111 Field Goal Efficiency 77 Punt Return Success Rate 38 Kick Return Success Rate 43 Punt Success Rate 125 Kickoff Success Rate 118
9. A special teams rebuild
If you have to rebuild your special teams unit, you might as well be rebuilding a bad one. You're less likely to miss the guys who left. Unfortunately, only the better aspects of the unit have to be replaced.
MTSU's return game, led by Jeremiah Bryson and Ed'Marques Batties, was solid and steady, and place-kicker Cody Clark had a nice leg even if he missed a couple of easy kicks. They're all gone. Meanwhile, punter Matt Bonadies and kickoffs specialist Canon Rooker are back; MTSU ranked 125th in my punting ratings and 118th in kickoffs. Granted, the legs weren't necessarily the problem -- Bonadies, for instance, averaged 41 yards per punt and had quite a few downed inside the 20 -- but MTSU ranked 86th in punt return average allowed and 105th in kick return average allowed.
Coverage will be difficult to fix, and now the Blue Raiders have to find new return men.
2016 Schedule & Projection Factors
2016 Schedule Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 3-Sep Alabama A&M NR 42.6 99% 10-Sep at Vanderbilt 69 -9.5 29% 17-Sep at Bowling Green 60 -11.1 26% 24-Sep Louisiana Tech 84 1.8 54% 1-Oct at North Texas 128 10.1 72% 15-Oct Western Kentucky 45 -6.4 36% 22-Oct at Missouri 47 -12.9 23% 29-Oct at Florida International 113 4.8 61% 5-Nov UTSA 116 12.4 76% 12-Nov at Marshall 75 -8.2 32% 19-Nov at Charlotte 123 7.2 66% 26-Nov Florida Atlantic 100 6.9 66% Projected wins: 6.4
Five-Year F/+ Rk -21.1% (99) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 93 / 102 2015 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -4 / -2.3 2015 TO Luck/Game -0.7 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 68% (80%, 55%) 2015 Second-order wins (difference) 7.3 (-0.3)
10. Challenges early, wins late
Special teams concerns aside, MTSU should feature a familiar recipe: The Blue Raiders should boast a consistently strong offense and a defense with questions. Last year, that meant an 0-3 record against Power 5 teams (with two close losses) and a 7-3 record against everybody else.
This year's schedule is interesting. It features a rugged set of September challenges (at Vandy, at BGSU, Louisiana Tech) and a back-to-back projected top-50 opponents in October (WKU, at Missouri). But it also features four games against teams projected 100th or worse in the final five games.
With an early upset or two, MTSU could be looking at a run at 10 wins. But a 2-6 start, with lots of pressure heading into November, is also on the table. This is easily the trickiest schedule of any C-USA team previewed so far, and it presents an interesting set of opportunities and threats for the best C-USA team I've previewed so far.Windows 10 Mobile flagships this year have been strangely limited in availability, with the Alcatel Idol 4S being limited to T-Mobile USA,and the HP Elite x3 not being sold in any carriers. That may change in the near future.
Microsoft has pushed out an update to the Windows Device Recovery Tool adding support for the Telstra HP Elite x3, the Alcatel Idol 4S T-Mobile, and Open Market variants of the same, as well as the Lenovo Softbank phone that no one really cares about.
The most interesting part of this is the support for the Telstra HP Elite x3 and open market Idol 4S. While neither of these two variants currently exist on the market, the update hints at plans to release them for sale. This means that in the future Australian businesses and fans will be able to pick up the HP Elite x3 from Telstra carrier stores with a regular contract instead of an outright purchase, and that Windows fans on non-T-Mobile carriers will be able to pick up the Idol 4S and us it on the carrier of their choice.
We’ve reached out to Alcatel and HP on these points and will be updating the post if necessary.
The Alcatel Idol 4 and HP Elite x3 are the best Windows phones you can buy this year, and you can read our reviews of them here and here.Yasin Mohamed Ali, 56, of Toronto appeared by video in an Ottawa court Wednesday to face a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
Ali did not resist when he was arrested outside Parliament Hill's Centre Block in Ottawa on Tuesday by the Parliamentary Protective Service.
Ali, a permanent resident of Canada, will be held in custody until his next court appearance on Friday, when he will be assisted by a Somali interpreter. His defence attorney also asked that Ali be assessed by a doctor.
The RCMP said Wednesday that the investigation is continuing, but added that there is no reason to believe the incident was politically motivated, or an attempted terrorist attack.
"I understand it is less a concern around so-called national security considerations than it is a mental health issue," RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson told reporters Wednesday. "There's a history of behaviours that are odd.
"We'll see more details as we go along but the best information that we have right now is that it's mental health, bad judgment, a crazy behaviour issue," Paulson said.
Meat cleaver tucked in pants
Sources have told CBC News that on Tuesday, Ali obtained a tour ticket from the parliamentary visitor centre on Wellington Street, and then entered Centre Block through the public entrance at the base of the building.
Security guards asked a man to remove his overcoat as he was about to pass through the metal detector.
The man reluctantly opened his coat, at which time the guards spotted a large meat cleaver tucked into the waist of his pants.
Ali has no known connection to the Ottawa area. He was staying at the Ottawa Mission homeless shelter, according to Riad Tallim, the Crown prosecutor assigned to this case.
According to court documents, Ali was convicted of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest in Toronto in 2000. At a later date, he was convicted of breach of probation.
1st public scare for new Hill police service
The Parliamentary Protective Service was created in the wake of the Oct. 22, 2014, shooting on Parliament Hill.
Rona Ambrose and Andrew Scheer talk about changes in Hill security 1:09
That day, gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau ran on to the grounds, hijacked a ministerial car and stormed Centre Block with a hunting rifle and knife, after having shot dead Canadian Forces Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial across the street.
Following the attack, there was criticism about confusion and lack of security co-ordination during the incident.
The RCMP had been responsible for security on the grounds of Parliament Hill, while the House of Commons and Senate had separate protective services inside the building.
The Parliamentary Protective Service, which assumed control of Hill security in June, reports to the RCMP National Division, "with accountability to the Speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate."
The April federal budget committed $36 million over two years to improve security on Parliament Hill.Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White went on ESPN’s First Take in April and said the team’s 2013 motto was “Super Bowl or bust.”
After Sunday’s 27-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins dropped the Falcons to 1-2 on the season, the idea of Atlanta playing in MetLife Stadium in Super Bowl XLVIII seems far-fetched.
The Falcons jumped out to an early 10-point lead Sunday and squandered it. A combination of red-zone mistakes and inefficiency allowed Miami to stay in the game long enough for Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill to orchestrate a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons have some problems. Combine those problems with a horde of injuries and a 3-0 NFC South foe in New Orleans, and Atlanta is looking up at a massive hill to climb just to make it into the playoffs, much less land in the Super Bowl.
So what’s going on with the Falcons?
This team blows early leads
Dating back to the playoffs last season, the Falcons have blown, or almost blown, five double-digit early leads.
Before Sunday's loss, Atlanta jumped out to a 21-0 lead in Week 2 but held on to win and had a 10-0 lead on the Saints early before being knocked off in Week 1.
In the 2012 playoffs, Atlanta was up by 20 on the Seattle Seahawks and 17 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons needed a late miracle to beat Seattle and couldn’t get it done against the 49ers.
Atlanta has to figure out how to jump out early and blow some team away instead of taking its foot off the gas when it gets a lead, and it will have to be consistent in its approach.
In its three games, the Falcons have outscored opponents 31-0 in the first quarter and then been outscored 74-40 in the final three quarters.
Far too few red-zone touchdowns
According to the website Team Rankings, Atlanta ranks 24th in the league in red-zone touchdowns. The team has scored touchdowns just 50 percent of the time the offense has driven inside the 20-yard line.
Against the Dolphins, Atlanta had five red-zone possessions. The Falcons scored just two touchdowns and converted two out of three field goals.
This high-powered offense drives the ball well between the 20-yard lines, but it has trouble crossing into the end zone. Too many field goals and not enough touchdowns could be the ultimate demise of this team.
Atlanta’s offensive line has trouble in short-yardage situations. Late in the second quarter, the Falcons had the ball on Miami’s 11-yard line and a first down. On 1st-and-3, running back Jason Snelling was snuffed for zero yardage on run plays. Atlanta only put three points on the board even though the offense had the ball on the 2-yard line on third down.
Penalties hurt
Last season the Falcons had the fewest penalties in the NFL, with only 3.3 per game for 25.3 yards.
The 2013 season has been a different story. Through three games, Atlanta has been penalized 16 times for 131 yards. Even though the Falcons still rank 11th in the league, penalties are up 62 percent from last year. This is not like a Mike Smith-coached team.
In his tenure in Atlanta, Smith's Falcons have never finished lower than ninth in the league in penalties assessed and twice have been the least penalized team in the league.
Injuries aren’t to blame
Starting running back Steven Jackson may miss anywhere from two to four weeks with a hamstring injury. But the Falcons didn’t miss him on Sunday.
Jacquizz Rodgers and Snelling combined for 139 yards on the ground and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. They also totaled six receptions and a touchdown catch.
The offensive line fared well without Sam Baker, who missed Sunday’s game with a knee/foot injury. For the first time all season, Matt Ryan wasn’t sacked, and offensive tackle Lamar Holmes looked good in his transition from the right to the left side.
Injuries had a negative impact in the middle of the field. The Falcons had trouble stopping the run once a ball-carrier broke past the line of scrimmage. This is where Atlanta missed Kroy Biermann and Sean Weatherspoon. The Falcons also had coverage issues in the middle of the defense.
Better tackling from the linebackers and safeties will clear some of this up, and the emergence and further growth of Joplo Bartu will help in coverage.
The last thing any team wants to look at when it is 1-2 and in desperate need of a win is the New England Patriots on a Sunday night nationally televised game. But that’s what the Falcons have staring at them in Week 4.
If Atlanta can fix these three problems, there’s a chance of altering the course of this season. But the “Super Bowl or bust” motto needs to be crumpled and thrown away. This team has to find a way to sneak into the playoffs and hope that a couple of things go right.
First, the Falcons must grab an early lead and keep it handily. This is extremely important to their psyche. Then, they have to figure out how to score touchdowns in the red zone.
After that, knowing Smith, the penalty issues will be fixed and the team should probably get Jackson and Weatherspoon back from their injuries before the playoffs. At that point, it can pull White's mantra out of the garbage and again put it into motion.
But unless the Falcons fix these three issues, they aren’t going to even make the playoffs.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and statements were obtained firsthand.
Knox Bardeen is the NFC South lead writer for Bleacher Report and the author of “100 Things Falcons Fans Should Know & Do Before they Die.” Be sure to follow Knox on Twitter.OPD releases photos of persons of interest in Emilio Nevarez murder |
Villiers. If he is freed of the responsibility, do they turn to KL Rahul, Travis Head or Kedar Jadhav?
Rahul's IPL numbers aren't impressive. While he is best suited in the top three, would the team risk having him open with Gayle or prefer the lower-order hitting ability of Jadhav?
Where does that leave Shane Watson? Do they slot him in the middle to shore up the batting or have him as a floater? And how will they manage Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan, who delivered last year at crunch moments, in a robust batting line-up?
The go-to men
Kohli's appetite for runs continues to get bigger. He scored 273 in five matches at the World T20, and was adjudged Player of the Tournament. He single-handedly carried India's batting hopes, and would be expected to do more of the same, even though Gayle, de Villiers and Watson offer him some support in what is largely a blink-and-miss format. Kohli contributes more than just as a batsman. His fitness and freshness will go a long way in dictating Royal Challengers' campaign.
Bargain buy
Travis Head, who set himself a base price of INR 30 lakhs, was bought for INR 50 lakhs. The Adelaide Strikers batsman, who was released by Delhi Daredevils, has since made his Australia debut in the home series against India. His form in the BBL, where he finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer with 299 runs at a strike rate of 155, makes him a like-for-like replacement for Gayle, who has been plagued with a number of injuries in the recent past.
Availability
The team is yet to announce a replacement for Starc, while they are waiting for a medical update from Badree, who has flown back to Trinidad to see a shoulder specialist.
Coaches
Head coach - Daniel Vettori, assistant coach - B Arun, batting coach - Trent Woodhill, bowling coach - Allan Donald, physiotherapist - Evan Speechley, strength and conditioning coach - Shankar Basu
Quotes
"We will miss Starc. It's difficult bowling at the Chinnaswamy and so whenever we had him in the team we knew we had those four overs up our sleeve. That's a loss but it's an opportunity for the likes of Adam Milne and Kane Richardson to step up and fill in that slot. We are also hoping Badree recovers from his shoulder injury and gets back to the team as soon as possible."
Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Daniel Vettori
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Introducing PlanetKit
6 minute read
PlanetKit is my new side project combining Rust, graphics, and an as yet vaguely defined idea. (More on that last bit later.) I’m planning to use it as a test bed for a bunch of semi-related experiments and maybe even eventually build a playable game on top of it. Right now it’s little more than a graphical “Hello, world!”:
You might then reasonably ask why am I blogging about it now? I have a few reasons:
I’ve been intending for a while to try writing about something as I work on it—from the start—to see how it changes the way I work. I recognise the most likely outcome is that very few people will even notice this project, and that’s fine. My hypothesis is that writing about it publicly as I go will influence how I work on it more generally, so while it would be nice to attract some interest, it’s far from being essential to the experiment. In total unabashed contradiction to the huge caveat in my first reason, I’ve been rolling around in my head for a while a stupidly ambitious idea for a community-oriented game development project. All the reasons Michael Gattozzi discussed in his post on blogging about Rust. If you haven’t yet read it, I highly recommend doing so!
Where are we now?
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
Learned how to use Piston and GFX, largely ripping off code from the Piston project’s cube example and filling in the gaps with this article on GFX’s programming model.
Played around with the simplex noise provided by noise-rs. I’ve actually mostly removed that code now, but I’m going to drop it back in shortly as the basis for procedurally generating planet surfaces and interiors.
Dropped in a colorful icosahedron. Learned a tiny bit of GLSL, mostly through trial and error. I should probably read a book on this or something soon.
Tried to build using Emscripten. It doesn’t work yet (see below) but I’m super enthusiastic about where this is headed. If I can get an Emscripten build working, then I’ll make it part of my process to always have a recent snapshot of all PlanetKit runnables hosted somewhere.
Tiled the surface of the icosahedron with cells. You can see these are currently rendered as quads, but they will eventually be mostly hexagons, plus the obligatory 12 pentagons.
Here’s another gratuitous screenshot of what the planet looks like from the inside—mostly just to break up this wall of text.
You can get the latest code from the PlanetKit GitHub repository. Whenever I find time to work on this thing, I’ll be pushing everything up there as I go.
If you want to try running it, clone the repo and…
cargo run
That should do it. If it doesn’t work, please file a bug.
Challenges so far
It took me a while to figure out how to use GFX. I still don’t really understand how to use it effectively. Specifically, I’m not sure how I should approach dynamically creating, destroying, and rendering lots of heterogeneous objects in my scene. I imagine I’m going to have to bite the bullet on this pretty soon. I’ll write about my experience.
While Emscripten support in Rust looks really promising, it doesn’t seem to actually work at the moment. I got a CLI-only “Hello, world!” app building and running in Chrome, but ran into this bug when I tried to build PlanetKit.
What’s next?
Next up is rendering the cells as hexagonal prisms, and taking a first stab at terrain by throwing some simplex noise at a voxmap.
Ugh, get to the point. What’s this idea?
Oh, right. That. The idea I mentioned earlier is actually a mishmash of several different ideas that don’t seem to be entirely incompatible. I haven’t yet figured out how to combine them into a coherent plan or philosophy, but in the spirit of releasing early, I’ll put some bullet points out there for comment:
Draw heavy inspiration from the way Mozilla runs its communities, and try to apply it to a game technology project. Rust’s code of conduct in particular appeals to me, as does their collaborative approach to planning and reviewing changes. Encourage people to file issues for everything: bugs, feature requests, questions about why the project exists, etc.
Release early (done), release often. Always ask whether a given unit of work could be broken down into smaller units that could be discussed, built, and delivered separately. The goal here is to maximise interaction and transfer of knowledge, and drastically lower the barrier to entry for contributors by carving off small, well-defined tasks for other people to do wherever possible.
Make documentation as important as running code. If I can’t take an arbitrary struct or function and understand where it fits into the puzzle—at very least a link off to some other page/file that will provide some context—then that’s a bug. The goal here is to minimise the barrier to entry, and to use the code as a teaching tool.
Instead of trying to rally people around a single game that must please everyone, focus on pushing shareable tech down as far as it can go, and encourage everyone involved to have their own game project, even if they’re also involved in another.
Wait, what? Everyone would have their own game project? Who has the time for that, you crazy person?
I wrote way more than I intended to on this point, so I’ve moved most of it to a separate draft post for later. The short version is this: the simple case of “I want to start a game where people jump around on a planet” shouldn’t need to be more than 100 lines of code all told. And then as I slowly develop ideas about how this game should actually work, I should be able to gradually specialise components—I shouldn’t need to throw the whole thing away to rebuild the “real” way.
When I realise that having the main character flying is going to be central to my game, I’d swap out the ExampleComplexHuman I started with for a custom implementation that pieces together many of the same bits that comprise ExampleComplexHuman but can also take off, fly, land, etc., and then maybe if I’m in a really good mood, I’ll contribute these behaviours back for other people to use. Or I might just decide that I want to remove some behaviour from ExampleComplexHuman, and follow much the same process to achieve it.
The key design decision here would be to offer for every abstract concept both a trivial implementation (the human is a grey cuboid that can move around, jump, and fall) and at least one sample complex implementation (full skeletal animation, ability to hold both either separate light objects in each hand, or one heavy object with both hands). The goal here is to push large parts of these more complex implementations down into reusable libraries, so that their uses in specific games would then look more like configuration of visual appearance, physical characteristics like mass and max speed, and any custom behaviours that are totally specific to that game.
This doesn’t completely explain the model I’m going for, so I will make a separate post about this. With code.
Wrapping up
This initial post has ended up rather nebulous. Subsequent posts will focus on specific details, and will include code, diagrams, and compiler output. I promise.Students and administrators at a California community college recently held a series of workshops welcoming illegal immigrant students to campus.
According to the school’s newspaper, the Dreamers Club at Cerritos College held the four-hour event on August 5 with the intent on assisting freshmen students who are slated to start the fall semester in the coming weeks.
"We hope to continue adding workshops throughout the semester and have a DREAMERS Welcome done annually."
[RELATED: Illegals demand subsidized healthcare, housing from Columbia]
The newspaper noted that the workshop contained information sessions about classes, presentations by immigration attorneys, and other resources.
“I’ve been getting a lot of help today,” one student told Talon Marks. “I’ve been helped applying for the AB application.”
Student government president Karen Patron told Campus Reform that the “Dreamers Welcome Day” was “beneficial to current and incoming students.”
"I am happy to see that our campus is supportive of our undocumented students,” she said. “This event is beneficial for our current and incoming students; they were informed on the resources available for them on campus. At the same time, we were able to educate the parents about the processes and applications their students would have to complete."
[RELATED: Columbia pledges to shelter illegal immigrants from Trump]
Patron also emphasized that the Dreamers Club was not the only group involved in organizing the event, saying it received assistance from several school departments.
"This event was not solely done by the Dreamers Club, it was a collaborative effort with our AB540 Taskforce, Financial Aid, Counseling, Adult Education, and the PUENTE Program on campus,” she explained, saying, “We hope to continue adding workshops throughout the semester and have a DREAMERS Welcome done annually.”
According to the school’s website, the AB 540 Taskforce—named for a 2001 state law allowing immigrants to receive in-state tuition if they attended high school in California—”is a working group of staff, faculty, and management who meet regularly to discuss the challenges of undocumented students and implement strategies to reach out to this population of students to increase awareness of resources and success in college.”
[RELATED: Maine offers in-state tuition to illegal immigrants statewide]
Jose Fierro, the president and superintendent of the college, voiced his support for the event in a tweet Saturday featuring a photo of event organizers setting up booths.
“Getting ready to welcome our students,” he tweeted, affixing the hashtags “#dreamers @cerritoscollege #saturdaymorning #studentsuccess #highered #diversity.”
Patron and other student leaders have also been highly critical of President Trump’s immigration policies, such as taking a tougher stance on sanctuary cities and increasing deportation actions.
In early March, then-president of the Dreamers Club Luis Guzman told the college paper that the new administration’s immigration policy “is very concerning from my perspective as an immigrant.”
[RELATED: College prez: Students might ‘drop out from fear’ after election]
Patron also asserted that the prospect of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids make her feel unsafe on campus.
“I do not feel safe,” she said, noting that “I could be here one day and the next day be sentenced for deportation.”
Cerritos College did not immediately respond to Campus Reform’s request for comment.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @nikvofficialFor the common opossum species, the "possum", of North America, see Virginia opossum. For things called "possum", see possum (disambiguation)
The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), also called the southern or black-eared opossum or gambá,[2] is a marsupial species living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Pacific Ocean to the central coast of Peru), including the Lesser Antilles,[2] where it is called manicou.[3] It prefers the woods, but can also live in fields and cities. The common opossum is sometimes used by humans for food on islands in the West Indies.
Habitat and shelter [ edit ]
This opossum is found in tropical and subtropical forest, both primary and secondary, at altitudes up to 2200 m.[2] They use a wide range of nest sites. Most commonly they will create one in the hollow of a tree; however, they will also dig a burrow or nest in any dark location if nothing else is suitable (which often gets them in trouble with humans).
Description [ edit ]
Physical appearance and weight [ edit ]
Skeleton, Natural History Museum of Genoa
The common opossum is similar in size to a house cat. The fur of the opossum is actually yellow in the under-fur, but is hidden by the longer black guard-hairs that cover it, while the tail, fingers, and face are lighter "with the tail being without fur, somewhat similar to a giant rat tail." It can measure nearly 20 inches long. It has large ears that are usually black, and its face is usually a pale peach in color, with black whiskers and eyes that reflect reddish in light. With a body length of nearly a foot, and a tail that can reach almost two feet, the common opossum is one of the larger members of its family. An adult can weigh more than three pounds.
Behavior [ edit ]
Their activity is mainly nocturnal and terrestrial, with some arboreal exploration and nesting. Outside of mating they are usually solitary. They are considered pests due to their somewhat raccoon-like behavior. Raiding trash cans, nesting in locations that are not suitable, and causing mayhem if encountered within a human living space, they are often trapped and killed.
Diet [ edit ]
Common opossums have a broad ability to adapt to environmental changes, and their teeth allow them to eat many different types of food, which is obtained mostly on the ground. They can eat small insects, small animals, fruits, vegetables, and also carrion. Their ability to digest almost anything edible gives them a broader range than a human.
Reproduction [ edit ]
The female will have 5-9 offspring between one and three times per year after maturity. The mother raises the young by herself.
Lifespan [ edit ]
The common opossum lives for around 2.5 years.
Classification [ edit ]
They are members the genus Didelphis, which contains the largest American opossums, and the order Didelphimorphia, to which all western hemisphere opossums belong.INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue doesn't know if Draymond Green's hit on LeBron James during the Golden State Warriors' 126-91 thumping on Monday was "dirty."
However, Lue believes Green was looking to put the Cavaliers on notice.
"Was it a statement? I think so," Lue said when asked about the play following Wednesday's practice. "He didn't want to let LeBron get in the open court and get a dunk or layup and he took a hard foul. He wanted to try to send a message to our team."
Lue said shortly after the game that he "didn't really see" the play and needed to look at it on film.
The collision happened with about seven minutes remaining in the first half, as James raced out in transition, crossed half court and got decked by Green, causing James to crash to the court.
Ruled a flagrant foul 1 after a lengthy review, the hard foul also led to another skirmish between Green and members of the Cavaliers, which is a common occurrence when the two teams meet. Green and Richard Jefferson were both issued technical fouls after exchanging words.
"It's easier to do when you're up 25," Lue said. "When you're down and you're complaining about every call when you're down -- when we played earlier this season -- it's different. Both teams are the same. We get off to fast starts and we're running, having fun, high-fiving and they did the same thing the other night so both teams are the same. When we're playing well it's hard to put us out. When they're playing well it's hard to put them out also. It's easier to do when you're up 25 than when you're down."
In the locker room after the game, the Warriors downplayed the collision, with head coach Steve Kerr saying it "looked like a normal foul." James shrugged it off on the court and then again after the game, believing his football background helped.
While the Green-James play will likely come up again, adding more fuel if the Cavs and Warriors meet in the NBA Finals, Cleveland had to move past it.
"Tough game. Obviously it didn't go the way we wanted it to," Kyle Korver said after being a part of the rivalry for the first time. "But no one around here is panicking. Obviously we have a lot to get better at, but no one seems overly worried so I'm not going to be either. Just kind of follow their example and their lead, keep on trying to assimilate and get better.
That's the same message coming from Lue, even after offensive issues plagued them for a majority of the road trip.
"When we left our mindset was to go 4-2," Lue said. "You know, we went 3-3. And, you know, the last game wasn't our best game, but it is what it is. We were one game down from where we wanted to be going into this trip, so, not a big deal. We can make that up."Three members of the English press pack must pack away their dictaphones © Getty Images
Australia's tougher immigration laws are set to see three English tabloid journalists expelled and unable to cover the death throes of England's disastrous Ashes tour.
John Etheridge from The Sun, one of English cricket journalism's most experienced operators, has been refused licence to stay, as has Dean Wilson from the Mirror and Paul Newman of the Daily Mail.
Etheridge said that Cricket Australia had tried to negotiate on their behalf but that "all avenues have been exhausted".
All three journalists were travelling on a working visa which had been recommended by the Australian visa department.
They are the only three members of England's travelling press pack who had opted to cover the entire tour, including the warm-up matches, and so had gone beyond 90 days. "We had hoped to stay long enough to see England win a match," Etheridge said.
With all solutions seemingly exhausted, Etheridge has even appealed directly to Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott on Twitter.
.@TonyAbbottMHR Why are 3 English cricket writers being forced home early from tour becaus immigration dept refuses to issue visa extension? — John Etheridge (@JohnSunCricket) January 22, 2014
Newman tweeted disconsolately: "Cricket Australia and the ECB have done all they can to help us but I guess, in Australia particularly, rules are rules..."
Seven England players plus members of the support staff will also go beyond 90 days. They are travelling on a different visa. Australia has yet to evict them.
David Hopps is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Hindustan Times via Getty Images MUMBAI, INDIA - JULY 29: People enjoy after heavy rain at Gateway of India on July 29, 2015 in Mumbai, India. Heavy rains caused major waterlogging in many areas, leaving residents and commuters stranded, and causing a huge traffic gridlock. Waterlogging in many areas has led BEST to divert bus routes and trains being stalled as tracks are under water. The temperature here dropped to 28.5 degrees Celsius due to the rain, according to the weather department. (Photo by Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
The Hindu, the Chennai-headquartered broadsheet, is launching a Mumbai edition, a first in its 137-year history. The daily has hired Sachin Kalbag, currently editor of Mumbai tabloid MidDay, as the resident editor in the city.
“Yes, we are launching a Mumbai edition end of November. It will be a national edition, with a similar structure as the Delhi edition," said The Hindu editor Malini Parthasarathy, "It will have much more lifestyle and entertainment content targeted at the younger readers, but we are not trying to be a hyper-local newspaper in Mumbai.”
But why now, when the paper has never had an edition in India's commercial capital?
“It’s a decision led by the needs of our readers as well as advertisers. We already have a bureau there and a small readership. The Hindu Businessline has an edition there. We are adding some senior editorial staff and a desk. I think in a few years it can be a very significant edition, rivalling Delhi,” she added.
Kalbag, who has been the editor of MidDay since 2011, will move next month and a search for a replacement has begun at the Dainik Jagran Group-owned daily.
In Mumbai, The Hindu will compete for readers of English dailies with The Times of India, Hindustan Times, DNA, The Indian Express, Asian Age, Mumbai Mirror and Mid Day, apart from smaller papers such as the Free Press Daily and The Afternoon Despatch and Courier.
Mumbai is India’s largest advertising market. It is also a thoroughly competitive and saturated newspaper market. Bennett Coleman and Company, whose titles, The Times of India, The Economic Times and Mumbai Mirror, accounts for a large chunk of market share, dominates it. (Disclosure: HuffPost India is published in association with The Times of India Group.)
Print advertising in India is a Rs16,875 crore industry, accounting for 34.5% of the total advertising market (Rs48,976 crore), according to GroupM estimates. Digital advertising is still less than 10% of the pie, although it is expected to grow rapidly with the proliferation of mobile devices and Internet usage.
“In India print is still the cash cow. Internet is growing but it is nowhere near what it has got to in Western economies. But we are very serious about the internet. We are starting a blog with external contributors. We are also moving towards an integrated newsroom,” Parthasarathy said.The Raiders second preseason game is coming up in a few hours so it's time to take a look at those players who have the most to prove tonight.
The first game shook out a lot of the position battles and gave us a good indication of some of the talent the Raiders have on this team. Players like Rod Streater showed up big time to prove their worth to this Raiders team. The defensive line also came to play, holding to Cowboys to zero yards rushing through the first quarter. Technically, the Cowboys had three yards but the Raiders gave those yards to them on third and 24.
There were, as always, a few mistakes that need to be cleaned up and those players need to shake those mistakes off and move on.
Juron Criner
Criner has had the kind of hype in this year's camp that Denarius Moore had last year. But Moore came out and backed it up on the field. Criner caught one pass in Monday's game. It was the one he dropped that has him having to now prove himself. It is one thing to flash great hands in practice but it that flash disappears in the bright lights of the stadium, it is meaningless. Fans want to see what we have been raving about in camp and OTA's and minicamp before that. And tonight is the night to show it.
Mike Goodson
Another player who has received rave reviews in camp. He has surprised his coaches as well as Reggie McKenzie with how good he has been. He didn't play in the first preseason game as he was recovering from the neck injury he received in the first week of camp. Now he is set to take the field and prove the Raiders got a steal when they traded for him. Darren McFadden will probably only see 2-3 series and then it is up to Goodson to carry the load for while. Taiwan Jones is still out so this game is when the coaches will get their best look at what Goodson brings to the table.
Carson Palmer
It may seem odd to have such a veteran on this list. But the Raiders have a new offense and Palmer has to prove he can run it. He threw an interception on the Raiders' first series Monday which is something that has plagued him of late. He has to prove he can not throw interceptions. He is in no danger of losing his starting job if he has a bad performance. But if he can't prove he can run this offense, be efficient, connect with his receivers, and not turn the ball over, he will have a lot more work between tonight and the third preseason game.
Jacoby Ford
Ford has to prove that last week's performance was an aberration. He had one of his worst games as a Raiders last week. In just a quarter of work, he dropped two passes, didn't do Palmer any favors on the interception, and bobbled a punt. He has to show that he cares about how terrible he played. That means getting back to the basics or hard work and focus. He looked complacent out there. That may not be the case but until proven otherwise, what are we supposed to think?
Demarcus Van Dyke
After showing up big time in camp the first week, he looked terrible in the first preseason game. Which DVD is going to show up this week? If it isn't the first-week-of-camp DVD, he could be in a bit of danger as far as his roster spot is concerned. Pat Lee has been outplaying him and Lee also contributes on special teams. So does Bryan McCann. If Van Dyke can't outshine those two, the team will not choose him over them.Silicon Valley is still the epicenter of the tech startup world, but there's a long list of cities looking for a piece of the entrepreneurial pie.
Not surprisingly, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif. — both within the Silicon Valley region — are the top two cities, respectively, for venture capitalist investments in tech startups, according to National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), based on data from Thomson Reuters and the MoneyTree Report by PwC. The rankings were first posted to CIO.com.
SEE ALSO: 8 Startups to Watch in 2013
But right up against those likely contenders is New York City at No. 3, which has become an increasingly popular stomping ground for budding businesses — thanks in part to companies such as Google and Facebook setting up offices in the city, as well.
Rounding out the top Boston at No. 4 and Los Angeles at No. 5.
"Venture capitalists will go to where the entrepreneurs are — and there is a great deal of startup activity outside of Silicon Valley," a NVCA spokesperson told Mashable. "Those regions with thriving VC ecosystems tend to have strong universities where technology is developed and research is completed and commercialized."
"There is also a supportive community of service providers able to help startups get off the ground," the spokesperson added. "Once a foundation is formed, it feeds upon itself and grows organically."
For a full look at the top cities — and some may surprise you (Pittsburgh?) — check out the list below:
1. San Francisco
2. San Jose, Calif.
3. New York City
4. Boston
5. Los Angeles
6. Washington D.C.
7. Seattle
8. Austin
9. Philadelphia
10. Chicago
11. Oakland, Calif.
12. Atlanta
13. Pittsburgh
14. Denver, Colo.
15. Boulder, Colo.
What other cities are making a big impact on the tech startup scene? Let us know in the comments below.
Image via Flickr, JoisyShowaaHey there,
2017 has been a big year. For the world, for me personally, and for the D&D campaigns that you support. Let's take a look at what happened this year, D&D wise.
Hardcore Heroes came to an end.
Frozen Frontier was started.
Fatal One began.
Misscliks Devotion had a full and amazing run while trying something totally different and new.
Misscliks Risen started up, had a full season and was so successful that WotC renewed it for a 2nd, which is going right now.
The stream of Annihilation was a thing.
Heroes Graveyard started on the official WotC channel, finished up and was so successful that WotC renewed it for a 2nd season.
Dicing with Death saw some interesting characters and has taken a bit of a back seat.
I built a pretty amazing studio to work from.
We had some good tech upgrades to the stream, specifically with audio controls.
The Regalgoblins shop opened up.
Going into the new year, we've got big plans already
I will be running a short (3 session) Divinity Original Sin 2 / D&D hybrid game for Larian Studios.
Heroes Graveyard season 2 will be coming up with some changes. Namely I'll be the only DM, the casts will rotate less, and a more coherent story will be coming out if it.
Misscliks will be getting a new show.
The studio will be slowly getting upgrades as I figure out exactly how it ought to be.
It's been a big year, and I couldn't have done it without you. You patrons, along with the twitch subs, are what makes this possible. Without your support all this wouldn't be possible. The campaigns would all come to a close, and that would be that.
So thank you. Thank you for your support, both financial and emotional. I hope you enjoy the art and entertainment that you fund.
Happy New Year
Neal Gallery 'Koibu' Pass EricksonIt’s Wednesday and you know what that means? Well sure it’s new comic book day, but it’s also time for another adventure with the Comic Issues Podcast.
On today’s exciting episode of Comic Issues, join our heroes as we tackle the Future Foundation. Hold a casting call as make our picks for an Excalibur Movie. Then discuss those all so lovable but lame Superheroes.
Play the Podcast Below | Download the MP3 | Subscribe via iTunes | RSS Feed
Excalibur Casting Call
Also contained in this week’s episode is a special Triva question worth 50points.
Congrats to our winner of last weeks Triva: Mommonja
With the points collected from the Triva questions it brings you one step closer to Leeching some Loot from Pixelatedgeek.com
Drop us a line and let us know what you think? Is this your picks for an Excalibur Movie? Who would you cast?The 1990 Cincinnati Reds posted a record of 91-71, finished 5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, and then beat National League MVP and Cy Young winners Barry Bonds and Doug Drabek, and the Pittsburgh Pirates to move on to the World Series where they swept the Oakland A’s with American League MVP and Cy Young winners Rickey Henderson and Bob Welch.
According to Baseball Reference, the top 12 players on the 1990 Reds roster by Wins Above Replacement (WAR) were:
Jose Rijos – World Series MVP
Barry Larkin – 2012 Hall of Fame inductee
Chris Sabo
Rob Dibble – co MVP National League Championship Series
Norm Charlton
Tom Browning
Eric Davis
Randy Myers – – co MVP National League Championship Series
Jack Armstrong
Mariano Duncan
Billy Hatcher, and
Hal Morris
The team was well balanced in all aspects of the game. The offense lead the league with a.265 team batting average. The defense led the league with the fewest errors allowed, 102, and tied the San Francisco Giants for first in team fielding percentage at.983. The pitching staff trailed only the New York Mets staff of Doc Gooden, David Cone, Frank Viola, and Sid Fernandez with 1,029 strike outs and finished the season with the second best ERA of 3.39 to the Montreal Expos 3.37.
A second key to the team’s success was its ability to play small ball. The 1990 Reds hit only 125 home runs, two below the NL team average of 127, but they trailed only the Chicago Cubs in hits with 1,466, and only the Pittsburgh Pirates in doubles with 284. They were fourth in the league with 166 stolen bases and were caught stealing only 28% of the time. The 1990 MLB averages for stolen bases was 14 per player and for doubles the figure was 24. The 1990 Reds featured 5 players above the average in doubles and four above the average in stolen bases:
Chris Sabo – 38 doubles, 25 stolen bases
Billy Hatcher – 28 doubles, 30 stolen bases
Eric Davis – 26 doubles, 21 stolen bases
Barry Larkin – 25 doubles, 30 stolen bases
Paul O’Neill – 28 doubles, 13 stolen bases
Mariano Duncan was just below the league averages that year with 22 doubles and 13 stolen bases.
Finally, the Reds pitching staff consisted of big-game shut-down artists who made the likes of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Jose Canseco, and Mark McGwire of little to no consequence in the League Championship and World Series. The A’s were limited to only 3 home runs, a batting average of.207 compared to their.254 average for the year, and OPS of just.574 compared to their.727 for the year. Jose Rijos lowered his season WHIP of 1.162 to just.913 in 15 innings to earn 2 wins and the MVP trophy for the World Series. He struck out 14, gave up only 9 hits, and allowed only 1 earned run for an incredible ERA of 0.59. Likewise, the Pirates team BA fell 65 points to.194 in the League Championship Series. Bonds batted a paltry.167 and struck out 5 times. Bonilla managed a.190 BA, but OPS of only.530. Randy Myers picked up 3 of the 4 saves striking out 7 and giving up only 2 hits in 5 2/3 innings for a WHIP of.882. Rob Dibble struck out 10 in 5 innings of relief, yielded only 1 walk, and gave up no hits for an insane WHIP of.200!
Remember and celebrate the 1990 Cincinnati Reds season and world championship with a team card pack from Big Bubbos for just $9.00 with free shipping! Each team pack includes 20 cards with at least 10 of those being from the top 12 players of the season. Team packs consist of Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck, and Score brands and all cards are in excellent condition. Send an email to bigbubbo@yahoo.com for a specific list of cards per pack.
Cincinnati Reds 1990 team card pack 20 baseball cards from 1990 featuring 20 players from the world champion Reds! Free shipping! Add a second team pack for just $6 more. $9.00
Thanks for reading and please consider subscribing to my blog, liking my page on Facebook, and/or following me on Twitter: @Big_Bubbo.
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Like this: Like Loading... RelatedIf you’re a psychologist, the news has to make you a little nervous—particularly if you’re a psychologist who published an article in 2008 in any of these three journals: Psychological Science, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, or the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition.
Because, if you did, someone is going to check your work. A group of researchers have already begun what they’ve dubbed the Reproducibility Project, which aims to replicate every study from those three journals for that one year. The project is part of Open Science Framework, a group interested in scientific values, and its stated mission is to “estimate the reproducibility of a sample of studies from the scientific literature.” This is a more polite way of saying “We want to see how much of what gets published turns out to be bunk.”
For decades, literally, there has been talk about whether what makes it into the pages of psychology journals—or the journals of other disciplines, for that matter—is actually, you know, true. Researchers anxious for novel, significant, career-making findings have an incentive to publish their successes while neglecting to mention their failures. It’s what the psychologist Robert Rosenthal named “the file drawer effect.” So if an experiment is run ten times but pans out only once you trumpet the exception rather than the rule. Or perhaps a researcher is unconsciously biasing a study somehow. Or maybe he or she is flat-out faking results, which is not unheard of. Diederik Stapel, we’re looking at you.
So why not check? Well, for a lot of reasons. It’s time-consuming and doesn’t do much for your career to replicate other researchers’ findings. Journal editors aren’t exactly jazzed about publishing replications. And potentially undermining someone else’s research is not a good way to make friends.
Brian Nose |
secrets in Washington, but it is likely that recent versions of the brief covered developments including the resumption of Russia’s bombing campaign in Syria and the disruption of an alleged Islamic State terrorism plot in France.
During a Facebook Live discussion, Washington Post national security correspondent Greg Miller explained how the intelligence community views the Obama administration and President-elect Donald Trump. (Priya Mathew/The Washington Post)
The briefings have for decades been made available well before Inauguration Day to newly elected presidents as a way of deepening their understanding of foreign developments. Spy agencies are also eager to cultivate a relationship with the executive who will serve as their most important customer and set their priorities for the next four years.
Former intelligence officials and experts said that presidents-elect have adopted varied approaches to how and when the daily brief is delivered, but that Trump is getting fewer than most at this stage.
“His pace is not as frequent as most recent presidents-elect, but it is not unprecedented over the decades-long scope of these briefings,” said David Priess, a former CIA officer and PDB briefer during the George W. Bush administration.
After his election in 2008, President Obama took part not only in regular intelligence briefings but also scheduled “deep dives” on key subjects including Iran’s nuclear program and covert CIA operations, including the accelerating campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan.
“During the transition, President Obama was an avid consumer of intelligence,” said retired Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who was CIA director when Obama was elected.
President George W. Bush’s first briefing was delayed until Dec. 5 because of the Florida election recount. But Bush, whose father had served as CIA director, asked for daily briefings for the remainder of the transition.
President Bill Clinton got his first post-race briefing on Nov. 13, 1992 — 10 days after the election. He received daily intelligence briefings almost every working day of the rest of the transition time in Little Rock
[Intelligence community is already feeling a sense of dread about Trump]
“The last three presidents-elect used the intelligence briefings offered during the transition to literally study the national security issues that they would be facing and the world leaders with whom they would be interacting as president,” said Michael Morell, former deputy CIA director, who supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the campaign.
“The president-elect is missing out on a golden opportunity to learn about the national security threats and challenges facing our nation,” Morell said, “knowledge that would be extremely valuable to have when he takes the oath of office and when he steps into the Situation Room for the first time.”
Richard Nixon was the first president-elect to be offered the PDB after his win in 1968, but he is regarded by many as among the newly elected commanders in chief most hostile toward the CIA, routinely spurning agency analysts.
Priess, author of “The President’s Book of Secrets,” said Nixon refused to sit down with CIA briefers during the transition. To try to get the document to Nixon, intelligence officials resorted to dropping sealed copies of the PDB each morning with Nixon’s secretary.
After Nixon’s inauguration, his aides returned the briefing books still in their unopened envelopes, Priess said.
Nixon, however, met several times during the transition with then-CIA Director Richard Helms, and had significant background in global affairs and U.S. intelligence capabilities, having served eight years as vice president to Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Trump has yet to meet with Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. or other top intelligence officials — aside from an unofficial meeting with embattled Adm. Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, who is rumored to be a top candidate to replace Clapper. Trump has greeted a parade of other officials auditioning for Cabinet positions, but also met with Indian business partners, television news anchors and figures in the entertainment industry.
Read more:
As U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley would face world’s most intractable problems
What Trump may not know about the generals he is eyeing for top positions
Trump’s pick for national security adviser brings experience and controversyEvery Yankees offseason feels momentous, because they’re the Yankees and, in their universe, big names constantly must be replaced, retained or pursued.
This Bronx Hot Stove round possesses a vibe quite unlike any other, however. Remember the “Seinfeld” episode that introduced Year 2000 celebrations known as the Newmanium and the Kramennium?
Welcome to the Cashmanium.
Brian Cashman is entering his 18th season as the Yankees general manager. In my estimation, this 2014-15 revamp sports his fingerprints more than all of its predecessors.
Cashman, in an interview Friday, didn’t agree with my assessment.
“We’re just trying to improve ourselves and get better,” he said. “Every move is designed to that purpose.”
However, he added, “We’re trying to plot a new road to another championship. I think we’re more diverse and have more flexibility.”
And those are trademarks of what Cashman has tried to accomplish, particularly since he took full control of the Yankees’ baseball operations following the 2005 season.
As we all know, plenty of moves fizzled and the team’s farm system hit a very rough patch, and that’s why the Yankees enter 2015 having missed the playoffs in two consecutive completed seasons for the first time since 1992-93.
Then again, not a single team of baseball’s 30 has enjoyed a seamless run in the past nine years. Even the Dodgers have learned in the prior two seasons that moving on up to the Yankees’ payroll neighborhood doesn’t guarantee you a parade. They’re trying a new road, too, this winter, bringing over Andrew Friedman from the Rays to run their show.
The Yankees’ reputation as big-game hunters can be overstated. They spent huge following 2008 (A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira) and 2013 (Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Masahiro Tanaka), both times after missing the playoffs and both times with massive dollars coming off their books.
Their books didn’t enjoy such relief this winter, especially not with Alex Rodriguez ($21 million, plus a $6 million bonus if he hits six home runs) returning to the payroll following his 2014 suspension, so that’s why Jon Lester and the still-free Max Scherzer and James Shields haven’t been serious considerations.
Because there isn’t as much money to spend in Yankees Land, and because the Core Four, all of whom reached ownership’s radar regarding contract negotiations, are all retired now, the result of this winter’s efforts looks more like a baseball team than a TV show.
These are GM-level moves, following the course (of a relatively static payroll) set by managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner.
That, of course, doesn’t mean it will work, and for sure, there are industry folks who wonder if Didi Gregorius can hit enough to support his defense, and whether respected Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild can turn the hard-throwing Nathan Eovaldi into an asset in an American League starting rotation.
Yet this plan has been bold, intriguing and — given the Yankees’ history of what Post colleague Joel Sherman referred to last year as “a caveman way to build a roster” — refreshing.
So far, since the completion of the 2014 season, the Yankees have completed six trades in which they gave up six players (Manny Banuelos, Francisco Cervelli, Shane Greene, Shawn Kelley, David Phelps and Martin Prado) and received nine (Johnny Barbato, David Carpenter, Eovaldi, Domingo German, Gonzalez Germen, Gregorius, Garrett Jones, Chasen Shreve and Justin Wilson).
They also picked up a compensation draft pick and $10 million in spending room when they pulled off the de facto trade of letting free agent David Robertson (who rejected a qualifying offer) go to the White Sox for $46 million over four years and signing reliever Andrew Miller for $36 million over the same time period.
Last offseason, amid their massive free-agent signings, the Yankees totaled three trades in which they gave up two players (David Huff and Chris Stewart) and received one (Dean Anna). In the 2012-13 Hot Stove period, the Yankees made exactly zero trades. (Thanks to MLB.com for its transactions database.)
From Cashman’s vantage point, his front office’s process hasn’t transformed. It is his inventory that has improved and therefore changed the optics.
“The public, they don’t see the efforts of the deals that don’t come through,” he said. “Our system just got closer [to producing major leaguers]. We’ve got guys closing the gap. This winter, we’ve made some moves because we have some younger players, controllable players, who are moveable pieces.”
For instance, Cashman said, the Yankees signed Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson to one-year deals last year, and Kevin Youkilis to a one-year deal for 2013 — three gambits that were busts — only after trade ideas for other players didn’t come through.
We aren’t accustomed to seeing the Yankees swap major league guys without obvious replacements already in place.
That is what they did with Greene and Prado, though. Eovaldi came aboard two weeks after Greene left — the Yankees also have lost Hiroki Kuroda and Brandon McCarthy from their 2014 starting rotation — while this past week, Stephen Drew agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal to try to resurrect his career as the Yankees’ second baseman, an assignment that would blow up the proposed Jose Pirela-Rob Refsnyder platoon at second base before it ever began.
It has been fluid, and we all can see that the Yankees hardly look like a certain playoff team even after their considerable retooling has given them a high-end bullpen, better defense and a lefty-heavy lineup in an AL East that no longer employs any elite southpaw pitchers.
They are banking heavily on good health from Tanaka, Michael Pineda and CC Sabathia, and on rebounds from Beltran, McCann and Mark Teixeira.
They are letting A-Rod report to spring training with the knowledge that he easily could produce more off-field ugliness than on-field value.
Nevertheless, the Cashmanium continues. He will keep looking for upgrades, albeit not at the highest budget level, and it won’t stop even when the season begins.
Last July’s acquisitions of Drew, Prado and Chase Headley, whom the Yankees re-signed as a free agent, jump-started this movement and also secured another contract for Cashman.
“I’m glad I still have this opportunity,” Cashman said. “I look forward to taking it 110 percent seriously and giving it our best shot as we move forward, as we try to move to another championship. As soon as this year.
“The proof will be when the dust settles,” he said.
Right now, it’s at least interesting to see some novel particles of dust emerging from Yankee Stadium.Jill Filipovic is a journalist based in New York and Nairobi and the author of the forthcoming book, "The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness." Follow her on Twitter. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) Last week, Lena Dunham told listeners of her podcast "Women of the Hour" that she wishes she had had an abortion. In context, she was talking about abortion stigma, and that when she was asked to share her abortion story, she had nothing to say, having never terminated a pregnancy. She felt some internalized stigma around the issue, worked through it, and "Now I can say that I still haven't had an abortion, but I wish I had."
Why abortion opponents latched on to Dunham's comments is obvious: Abortion, in their view, is an evil thing, usually done out of ignorant female desperation or wicked female selfishness.
Less obvious is why the feminist left responded with such contempt. Sure, what Dunham said was clueless -- most women who have had abortions, it's safe to say, would have preferred to avoid the situation altogether, either by not getting pregnant in the first place or by not having a pregnancy go tragically wrong. But Dunham's comments weren't mean-spirited, bigoted or harmful in any real way. They were more akin to the insensitivity of saying "I wish I could get the stomach flu so I'd fit into this dress" -- obnoxious, especially if uttered to someone who actually has the stomach flu, but not the kind of thing that merits a week of public berating.
The problem doesn't seem to be with Dunham's comments -- the problem is with Dunham herself. And sure enough, Dunham is a wildly imperfect woman, artist and feminist. Her show "Girls" started out extra-white, despite being set in the diverse melting pot of Brooklyn. Earlier this year, she published a series of bizarre comments about football player Odell Beckham Jr., attributing to him an entire internal monologue about her sexual appeal (or lack thereof).
There are real, public mistakes Dunham has made, and no shortage of valid critiques. Dunham is a prominent young woman, a public figure who speaks on behalf of an ideology about which many of us care deeply; of course she should be held accountable for bad acts or for displaying internalized racism, no matter how unintentional.
But that's not the same as raking her over the coals every time she says something clueless or makes a decision that's imperfectly feminist. Note the time spent on the Dunham abortion comments controversy versus that spent focusing on Casey Affleck, an Oscar nominee accused of sexually harassing his colleagues. Note all the bright artistic young men given space to experiment and create without every one of their comments parsed, and certainly without the expectation that they represent all men, perfectly, at all times. Note that there are so very few women directing films in Hollywood and many bright, talented (and recognizably bankable) men of all ages have never worked or rarely work for female directors.
It's almost as if we're more comfortable demanding absolute perfection from women while giving men a broad pass.
None of which means we should look the other way when prominent women behave badly. But "behaving badly" should be the line -- things like harassment or bigotry, not uttering something on a freewheeling podcast that merits little reaction beyond an eye roll. This is especially true in a political climate where hostility to reproductive rights -- and hostility toward women generally -- is climbing, and where liberals and feminists need all hands on deck to defend against the coming encroachments on our rights and liberties. Spending our time parsing a stupid but largely harmless comment is, in the aggregate, damaging -- there are only so many hours in any given day, and spending even a few of them channeling our anger toward Dunham seems, in this instance, counterproductive (to say the least). It also sends a toxic message to other girls and women: To speak publicly, you must be perfect, and if you screw up, even in the most minor of ways, you will be publicly harangued far more brutally than your male peers.
It's satisfying to position oneself as the "best" feminist -- the one who would never say something so silly, who would never make an insensitive remark, who proves just how virtuous she is by slamming the women around her who are less good. That is more satisfying still when the object of your feminist derision is someone richer and more powerful than you, who can be easily melted down into a warped plastic caricature of an actual human woman.
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It is harder to be brave and to put oneself out there fully, with the messy and ugly bits under the florescent light of public scrutiny. And it is harder still to ignore the distractions and the noise that pull us away from the real feminist goal: Rights and liberties for women, even under an incoming administration that seeks to curtail them, and will surely have the power to succeed.How (not) to exterminate a book.
As a book freak (bibliophile is just too refined to describe my love for certain bound publications) I have been researching the case of a particular poetry volume for a few years now. Recently, Xeni posted on the U.S. government's purchase and destruction of upwards of 10,000 books that reminded me of the case I am researching and I found the parallels between the two instances eerie. I am going to request a suspension of Godwin's law for the time that you read this piece as the unintentional but unavoidable comparison to the Nazis cannot be hidden.
Gottfried Benn: German poet, medical doctor, and Nazi sympathizer, published a collection of his poems in May 1936 entitled "Selected Poems - Ausgewählte Gedichte". Although authorized for publication under the Nazis, upon a closer reading of the poems the authorities quickly changed their minds. The Black Corps - Das Schwarze Korps, the official weekly propaganda newspaper of the SS, vilified the publication by calling Benn a Selbsterrreger (Self-agitator or Masturbator). Some of his early expressionist poems were deemed to be inappropriate for a Nazi audience and the newspaper advised him, "Give it up, poet Benn, the times for such disgusting things (Ferkeleien - literally 'acts of piglets') are permanently gone".
This created such a furor over the poetry volume that the book was banned at the beginning of the summer of 1936. The copies in existence were systematically rounded up and destroyed by the government.
Unlike previous instances of Nazi book burning that were largely symbolic but did not represent a complete extermination of a particular work, this instance of publication, review, recall, and destruction eliminated almost all of the original first editions printed.
However, despite this swift and sharp reaction on behalf of the authorities, Benn's book was not simply erased from memory as one might expect, but replaced. As early as November, a new first edition with the same title appeared that subtracted five poems from the collection and added seven other poems. It was not Benn's poetry alone that was offensive, but merely a number of poems (Zipped PDF). They were: "D-Zug", "Mann und Frau gehen durch die Krebsbaracke", "O Nacht", "Synthese", and "Untergrundbahn".
Gottfried Benn remained in Germany during WWII but was forbidden to publish on his own until after the war. For years, his Nazi sympathies have been juxtaposed with his poetic contributions. Despite that larger debate on the merits of his work, the case of his 'exterminated' book remains a truly interesting example of how Government control of publication is both horrifying and strange. Despite the desire of the Nazi government to exterminate the book and replace it with a revised version, a number of copies of the original 1st edition have of course survived. However, I would currently estimate the number to be under twenty. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer stated recently, "Someone buying 10,000 books to suppress a story in this digital age is ludicrous." Even without the digital age, it has always been ludicrous to believe that one can to control the flow of information.SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - A 19-year-old woman who was shot multiple times during a Roseland neighborhood home invasion and shooting that killed four other people last year died Monday.
Shakeyah Jackson died at 6:54 p.m. Monday at Oaklawn Respiratory and Rehabilitation Center, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Tuesday found she died of complications from a gunshot wound to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide.
The home invasion was a botched robbery of a drug dealer that happened Dec. 17, 2016 in the 100 block of West 105th Street, prosecutors said earlier this year.
Lionel Parks, 29, visited Elijah Jackson’s home twice that day, chatting with Jackson and smoking marijuana with him, prosecutors said.
When he returned a third time that day, Parks and an unnamed friend were armed with handguns and forced their way inside the house, prosecutors said. The pair ordered the occupants to lay facedown on the floor as they ransacked the house for guns and drugs.
Before leaving, Parks and the second gunman executed Elijah Jackson; his pregnant sister, Shacora Jackson; Shacora’s 19-year-old daughter, Nateyah Hines; and 46-year-old Scott Thompson.
Shakeyah Jackson suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the attack, and had remained in a coma, prosecutors said. She lived in the home where the shooting occurred.
Thompson’s 22-year-old nephew survived by playing dead as he lay on the floor beside his uncle.
Parks remains held without bond at the Cook County Jail, according to court records. He is next scheduled to appear in court Thursday.Introducing de Valera – The East Clare by-election and the rise of an Irish political leader
By David McCullagh
The East Clare by-election is remembered, a century later, because it announced Éamon de Valera’s arrival on the national stage. Looking back at it with the knowledge that he dominated Irish life for the next half century, we tend to see that arrival as inevitable. But there was nothing inevitable about de Valera’s election in Clare – because there were plenty of other potential candidates, and because he was reluctant at first to run.
Lots of people in Clare – including a lot of priests – wanted Eoin MacNeill to be the by-election candidate; so did Arthur Griffith. Many Volunteers in the constituency were completely opposed to MacNeill, because of his countermanding order in 1916, and thought local Rising veteran Peadar Clancy was the man. And many of the prisoners just released from English jails preferred Thomas Ashe. As it happened, Ashe declined to put his name forward, and the national election committee was wary of choosing Clancy, a local but relatively unknown candidate, after the very narrow victory of Joe McGuinness, a similarly low profile local man, in South Longford. De Valera, as the recognised leader of the released prisoners, was acceptable to the Volunteers and had at least some national profile.
On the day of his release from jail, along with the rest of the convicted prisoners, de Valera was handed a telegram informing him he had been selected as the candidate for East Clare. But he had opposed the Volunteers getting involved in elections when McGuinness was nominated for Longford; and now he insisted that he wasn’t interested in politics and wanted to stick with his work for the Volunteers. But on the boat bringing him back to Ireland, Patrick McCartan advised him wait a week before deciding, to give him a chance to see “the new spirit in the land”.
And when the prisoners arrived back in Dublin they discovered that new spirit for themselves, receiving a huge welcome from massive, enthusiastic crowds – which clearly showed that there might be the public support to offer a political route to independence.
Impressed by the evident change in the popular mood, de Valera overcame his doubts and accepted the nomination. But he made one interesting precondition – he insisted on taking Eoin MacNeill with him. Again, a lot of advanced nationalists were horrified at this, because they regarded MacNeill as a traitor; but it was smart politics, because MacNeill was very close to the clergy, and was a reassuring presence on the election platform for moderates. In order to overcome the suspicion of the rest of the released prisoners, MacNeill committed himself to seeking a Republic – and that was the demand put forward by de Valera in Clare, a demand which hadn’t been made explicitly in Longford or Roscommon. De Valera, who wore his Volunteer uniform, also made it crystal clear that he stood by the events of Easter Week.
But he was careful in what he said – while he repeatedly said the Rising was justified, he also made it clear that it wasn’t going to be repeated. In his first speech of the campaign, in Ennis, he said he subscribed to every word of the Proclamation, 'and to assert it in arms, were there a fair chance of military success, I would consider a sacred duty… At the moment a military assertion of it is not feasible – but you men of Clare can assert it by your votes…'
So, radical appeal – but not too much radical appeal.
The Parliamentary Party were on the run, having lost by-elections in Roscommon and Longford; the organisation in Clare was completely run down, as there hadn’t been a contested election in 22 years; their candidate was Patrick Lynch, a barrister and Crown Prosecuter. He was a popular local man – one Sinn Féiner said: 'he has defended one half of the murderers in Clare and is related to the other half'. But he was successfully portrayed by de Valera as a representative of the old order and as a job hunter, with suggestions that he was only running because he wanted to be appointed Attorney General for Ireland.
There was a lot of violence during the campaign, much of it apparently coming from Lynch’s supporters, and the constituency was flooded with Volunteers from around the country – the list of participants is like a Who’s Who of the War of Independence. The Volunteers were a highly visible and well-disciplined presence, parading in uniform, drilling with hurleys (they were unarmed), canvassing votes, collecting money, and bringing people to vote on polling day. The local commander, Paddy Brennan, had enough men to control Ennis on election day, with fifty in the town hall, 30 each at the court house and four other locations, and another 50 as a reserve.
From campaign headquarters in the Old Ground Hotel, Dan McCarthy organised the canvass with military precision. Despite McCarthy’s initial doubts, it turned out that de Valera was an enthusiastic candidate, happily addressing five public meetings a day, and demonstrating a curious facility for holding his audience, despite his lengthy speeches – a skill that would stand to him in future years. He also demonstrated a puritanical streak, ordering the bar in the Old Ground Hotel to close on polling night, an order that didn’t go down too well with thirsty election workers.
He was expected to win, but the margin was much bigger than expected – 5,010 votes to just 2,035 for Lynch. The pro-Party Cork Examiner said it marked the passing of the old order; de Valera himself said it would show the world that 'if Irishmen have only the ghost of a chance they will fight for the independence of Ireland. It is a victory for the independence of Ireland, and for an Irish Republic.'
The Rising made de Valera a leader in prison; prison leadership made him a candidate in Clare; and Clare made him a national figure. In October he was unanimously elected the President of the new Sinn Fein party, and went on to the career we all know about. And Paddy Lynch, the alleged place-hunter, became a convert to Sinn Fein, opposed the Treaty - and in the 1930s became de Valera’s Attorney General.
David McCullagh's new book, De Valera: Volume 1, Rise (1882-1932) will be published by Gill Books in October.Giovanni Aldini (April 10, 1762 – January 17, 1834), was an Italian physicist born in Bologna. He was a brother of a statesman.
He became professor of physics at Bologna in 1798, in succession to his uncle Luigi Galvani (1737–1798).[1] His scientific work was chiefly concerned with galvanism, anatomy and its medical applications, with the construction and illumination of lighthouses, and with experiments for preserving human life and material objects from destruction by fire. He wrote in French and English in addition to his native Italian. In recognition of his merits, the emperor of Austria made him a knight of the Iron Crown and a councillor of state at Milan, where he died. He bequeathed a considerable sum to found a school of natural science for artisans at Bologna.[2]US whistleblower Edward Snowden asked for asylum in Russia, but later withdrew the request after President Putin urged him to cease "anti-American activity," according to the President's spokesperson.
“Snowden did ask to stay in Russia. However, when he found out Russia’s position on the matter and the associated conditions he decided not to stay in Russia,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Snowden is still held up in a Moscow airport and has issued asylum bids to 15 countries, the spokesman added.
Peskov told press that Russia does not relinquish political asylum seekers to countries with the death penalty.
“Snowden, by sincere conviction or for some other reason, considers himself to be a human rights activist, a fighter for the ideals of democracy and human freedom. Russian human rights activists and organizations, as well as their colleagues abroad acknowledge this. For this reason, extraditing Snowden to a country like the US where capital punishment is enforced is impossible,” Peskov explained to press.
Furthermore, Peskov stressed that Snowden is currently in the transit zone area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and had never crossed the Russian border. He added that the Russian authorities are not engaged in active dialogue with the former CIA employee and “have never collaborated with Snowden.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Monday that Snowden could stay in the Russian Federation on the condition that he ceased all anti-American activity. Furthermore, Putin affirmed that Russia has no intention of extraditing Snowden as “Russia has never extradited anyone.”
However, Snowden is no longer in a position to harm the US, as all the information he has, has already been leaked to journalists and so it is up to them when and if further revelations that are damaging to the US are released, James Corbett, an independent journalist and editor of the Corbett Report, told RT.
As such, Putin’s comments - that he stops leaking information - are on face value meaningless.
“It’s a question of what we make of the offer itself and really I think there’s not much more to it than political blather that’s aimed to shore up the Moscow Washington relationship, rather than anything to do with Snowden and what he’s talking about,” said Corbett.
The former CIA employee, responsible for releasing troves of NSA classified data to the press, is stuck in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo for the time being. The whistleblower has applied for asylum in 21 countries, according to the organization WikiLeaks, who claims to be helping Snowden get political asylum.Table of Contents:
As James Randi continues his recovery from heart surgery, he's asked Hal Bidlack to line up some stellar guest writers for Swift.
This Week's Swift was written by Robert Todd Carroll.
Hal Bidlack introduces this week’s column, written by Robert Todd Carroll
This week we are pleased to bring you a column from a good friend of JREF, and a participant in the very first Amaz!ng Meeting. Professor Robert T. Carroll is a full-time teacher at Sacramento City College, where he has been a member of the philosophy department since 1977. Bob teaches classes in Logic & Critical Reasoning; Law, Justice, & Punishment; and Critical Thinking About the Paranormal. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California at San Diego in 1974, with a doctoral dissertation entitled The Common-Sense Philosophy of Religion of Bishop Edward Stillingfleet (1635-1699). Bob has written an important textbook, Becoming a Critical Thinker, published in 2000. A second edition was published in 2005. Bob is best known to us from his heroic and ceaseless work on The Skeptic’s Dictionary.
In book form, The Skeptic's Dictionary was published in August 2003 by John Wiley & Sons. Bob runs the terrific website www.skepdic.com, a boon to anyone interested in critical thinking skills. I highly recommend you visit Bob’s site, and set aside a few hours. You will be pulled in, enthralled, amused, and excited by the content Bob has brought together. His report on TAM4 is available here.
This week, Bob takes us into the world of alternative medicine. Thanks, Bob, for your hard work this week for Mr. Randi, and for your many, many important insights into the world of the chimera. And so without further ado, Here’s Bob!
-Hal Bidlack
IT MAKES YOU SICK
The following comments will make it all too apparent that every minute Randi is away from his keyboard or a lectern another bit of quackery rears its ugly head. Get well soon! One of the worst things about being laid up with any kind of physical problem is that it brings out the savior in many people. The advice on health from well-meaning self-anointed shamans can be quite stressful at times. I'm reminded of the words of folk singer U. Utah Phillips (who has coronary heart disease) when he moved to the New Age hotspot of Grass Valley, California: "They've got so many healers there, it makes you sick."
a new use for magic mushrooms
Andrew Weil, the guru of "integrative" medicine (a fancy word for integrating quackery into conventional medicine), was recently featured in a large newspaper ad for Macy's line of Plantidote™ Mega-Mushroom Facial creams. We're asked to "discover his latest skincare wonder," which consists of blended mushrooms and other goodies such as ginger, turmeric, and holy basil. Here is what Weil has to say about holy basil:
Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) is an herb native to India, where it is known as tulsi. It is sacred in the Hindu religious tradition and is regarded as one of the most important plants used in Ayurvedic medicine. If you go to India, you will see holy basil growing in profusion around Hindu temples. It comes in red and green varieties, both with a strong, pleasant aroma. More clove-like than that of culinary basil, holy basil has been used for centuries to treat a variety of medical conditions including heart problems, asthma, bronchitis, arthritis and eye disorders.
In the past decade or so a number of scientific studies have looked at holy basil for various treatment purposes. All of these studies have been done in animals, usually laboratory mice and rats, so we can’t be certain that results will translate to humans. Findings from these various investigations suggest that holy basil might have some effects as a painkiller, a COX-II anti-inflammatory agent, an antioxidant, and as a treatment for bacterial, fungal and even viral infections. There is also evidence (again, only from animal studies) that holy basil might help control blood sugar. (Weil)
Since we can't be certain holy basil will be useful as an antioxidant, it ought to go into our facial cream. That makes sense.
For $60, you can get 1.7 oz. of Plantidote™ Mega-Mushroom Face Cream which, according to Dr. Weil, "can help skin stay calm." So, if your skin keeps jumping up and down, this might be just the product for you.
The mushrooms in this facial sauce include reishi, known as Ling Zhi in Chinese. Reishi is an herbal mushroom known to have "miraculous health benefits," according to the reishi.com website.
1. It is non-toxic and can be taken daily without producing any side effects.
2. When it is taken regularly, it can restore the body to its natural state, enabling all organs to function normally.
3. It is an immune modulator; it regulates and fine tunes the immune system.
An immune modulator is exactly what you need if the natural state of your face is the state of calm. For those who want a little more evidence with their mushrooms, unfortunately the website does not mention the many scientific studies that have been done that have demonstrated how reishi mushrooms regulate and fine tune the immune system.
Another mushroom in the mega-mushroom concoction is cordyceps, "a Chinese fungus traditionally grown on the bodies of caterpillars," according to Weil. He says this mushroom has several uses, including: "enhancing athletic performance by strengthening the lungs; overcoming general weakness and fatigue; tonic for physical stamina, mental energy, sexual vigor, longevity." Sounds like it might excite the skin, rather than calm it, but if it's good enough for caterpillars, it ought to be swell for humans. Caterpillars seem to have calm skin, don't you think?
Then there is Hypsizygus ulmarius, also know as elm oyster. According to Weil, this mushroom is edible and cultivated as a food mushroom in Japan. He says he chose it for his special facial cream because:
Many common skin problems, including sensitivity, puffiness, extreme dryness, hyperpigmentation, lines and wrinkles are the end results of inflammation that may be otherwise imperceptible. I chose Hypsizygus ulmarius and the other mushrooms used in these products because they have a long history of enhancing health, boosting resistance to stress, and promoting healthy longevity.
Does he mean that these mushrooms have a long history of satisfied customers and healers? In the absence of convincing scientific studies, this satisfaction may be accounted for by the placebo effect and subjective validation. I wonder, too, if mushrooms didn't get some of their reputation for miraculous health benefits from magical thinking about their shapes, colors, textures, and the kinds of places they grow.
Lest you think that Weil is in this for the money, consider this: he donates all of his after-tax profits from the sale of these products to himself! Yes, he proudly announces that all the after-tax profits go to the Weil Foundation, established to integrate quackery with 21st century medicine. What a guy!
Gary Craig's Center for EFT
Gary Craig is a healer who would fit well in any New Age borough. He is so happy he's found the cause and cure for almost everything and he can't wait to help you cure whatever ails you. He loves you and cares for you. How do I know? He says so on his website:
I hope this doesn't sound too grandiose but you just walked into the most successful health innovation in the last 100 years. Based on impressive new discoveries regarding the body's subtle energies, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) has been astonishingly successful in thousands of clinical cases. It applies to just about every emotional and physical issue you can name and often works where nothing else will. (EFT)
Subtle energies, for those who haven't heard, is the scientific name for chi (prana, ki), those mysterious energies that are in constant need of balancing, harmonizing, unblocking, channeling, funneling, and transferring in order to maintain perfect health. If you doubt Gary's word, you can read the testimonials from dozens of people who have been cured of everything under the sun by this fabulous therapy. You'll feel welcome at Gary's site. He's loving and caring, as are all his staff. And you matter. He treats the person, not the disease. Let's cut to the chase. Basically, Gary's discovered what traditional healers have known for millennia: if you can relax people, they become suggestible and you can relieve their stress, ease their minds, and allow their bodies to heal themselves. Gary's discovery came when he found out he could cure people by using acupuncture without the needles. He stimulates |
party” groups. Whereas screeners were merely alerted that a designation of 501(c)(3) status “may not be appropriate” for applications containing the word ”progressive” – 501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited from conducting any political activities – they were told to send those of tea-party groups off IRS higher-ups for further scrutiny. That means the applications of progressive groups could be approved on the spot by line agents, while those of tea-party groups could not. Furthermore, the November 2010 list noted that tea-party cases were “currently being coordinated with EOT,” which stands for Exempt Organizations Technical, a group of tax lawyers in Washington, D.C. Those of progressive groups were not.
Werfel purposely misrepresented the scandal yesterday to reporters.
He knew progressive groups were given a pass yet withheld this information. Danny Werfel is no better than his predecessors.
More… We also know that although three liberal groups were asked follow-up questions when they applied for tax-exempt status – The IRS DID NOT Give Liberal Groups Same Scrutiny as Conservative Organizations.that read: 'Sorry for the smell'
Neighbors say smell was so bad they have been unable to sleep at night
Young couple were clearing the property when they noticed a foot
A young couple moving into their first New York apartment together were horrified to discover a dead body wrapped up in a shower curtain - along with a note from his killer.
The 18-year-olds, who have not been named, made the grisly discovery after they noticed a terrible smell coming from a cupboard, NY Daily reports.
When they went to investigate they found the rotting corpse of the apartment's former tenant.
Ex-con Sidney Harris, 64, was found wrapped in a plastic shower curtain and blankets inside his Arthur Avenue home, in the Bronx at about 9.40pm on Monday.
Ex-con Sidney Harris, 64, (picture left, in a police mugshot, and right) was found wrapped in a plastic shower curtain and blankets
Next to the body was a note, left by the killer, apologizing 'for the smell.'
Authorities have not determined how long Harris' body had lay at the property but neighbors had reported that the stench emanating from the apartment was so bad they had been unable to sleep at night.
An autopsy revealed Harris had died of multiple skull fractures from repeated blows to the head.
Another tenant, thought to be the building manager, told police that he had decided to rent out the apartment after he had not seen the tenant for some time. He believed that the 64-year-old was at the hospital and 'wouldn't be back,' police sources said.
A young couple moving into their first New York apartment, in Arthur Avenue, (pictured) made the grisly discovery after they noticed a terrible smell coming from a cupboard
He offered the apartment to the couple, both 18, on the condition they agreed to clean it out.
They had been clearing his possessions away when they discovered a foot sticking out from what they took to be a pile of blankets in a cupboard.
Investigators also discovered blood in the apartment. Police are now hunting the killer.The Disney Channel recently made history when they aired their first ever gay kissing scene on their children's cartoon show, Star vs. The Forces of Evil. The act made plenty of folks happy, but apparently, Boosie BadAzz wasn't one of them.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, the Baton Rouge rapper posted a screenshot of the scene, captioning it, "This is why I don't want my kids watching these fucking cartoons."
Boosie's remark falls right into line with comments he made during an interview with DJ Vlad last year. During the conversation, Boosie explained his belief that homosexuality was being forced onto children by the mainstream.
“They tryna make everybody fucking gay,” the Nicki Minaj advocate said at the time. “They putting it on our culture. They’re putting it everywhere. Gay stuff is everywhere. I think that they’re just trying to do it to make a monetary gain. They’re not doing it for the gays. They’re not really fans of the gays. They’re doing it for monetary gain, man. "They try to make money off these people, man. You got cartoons that have gays. On Cartoons! These are kids. Let kids make their own decision if they wanna go that way. [A] six and seven year old, five year old shouldn’t be turned onto gay cartoon when their mind not even developed yet. What if they like how that cartoon talk? Now, you’re forcing them to be gay. Every TV show is gays. They’re kissing each other. It’s out of hand.”
Later in the interview, Boosie explained that he didn't hate gay people, he just felt that no one should "force" homosexuality onto children."60 Minutes" exposed the deep divisions that linger among Americans nearly a year after the presidential election. In her debut Sunday night as a "60 Minutes" special contributor, Oprah Winfrey traveled to Michigan to moderate a heated focus group. In a portion you will see only on "CBS This Morning," Winfrey spoke with one participant, Jeff VanderWerff, who said the biggest danger to America is "we've lost the ability to debate freely."
"To sit down and have intense, passionate, rational debates. And you know what? People may have feelings hurt. And we may really not like each other when we're done. But when we stop having that ability, when we lose the ability to debate ideas, the republic is over," VanderWerff told Winfrey.
"Is there a way for us all to reach some kind of common ground where all sides can be heard and that is possible? And if we could do that at this table, why isn't it possible for Congress?" Winfrey asked.
"Well, the thing is, if -- Oprah, if I wanna sell you a bushel of apples for $20 and you only wanna pay me $10, it does me no good if I say, 'No, the price is $20,' and I walk back to my truck. And it does you no good if you say, 'Well, I'm only willing to pay $10.' At some point we have to come together and figure out how we're gonna get to $15, at some point," VanderWerff said.
"Twelve dollars," Winfrey responded.
"Fair enough!" VanderWerff said with a laugh. "And that's what bothers me about Congress is you've got people over here saying, 'No way ever.' And you've got people saying, 'No way ever.' When you have a conversations with people… you take the hot button issues off the table. You look for the common ground. You look for the common denominator. And then you work from there."
The day after our tabletop talk, we visited VanderWerff, a fourth-generation farmer, at one of his orchards outside Grand Rapids. Winfrey asked him what he thought of the discourse around the table.
"You know, I thought it was, I thought it was really good, really interesting discussion. Got to visit with a lot of people that I wouldn't normally interact with in my day-to-day life," VanderWerff said. "So it was... eye opening."
"We were talking last night about whether or not your Congress gets you, whether or not the president gets you. Do you think most of America gets what it takes to do what you do out here every day?" Winfrey asked.
"Unfortunately, I believe the vast majority of Americans really have no clue what it takes to do a lot of what we do out here. Everything you see behind us, all these apples were handpicked. Every apple in the United States is hand-harvested. There are no machines for this. So we depend on migrant labor, on skilled migrant labor to come in and do this. We have had over the years dozens of American, you know, domestic American citizens show up and say, 'Yeah, I'd like to pick apples.' Most of 'em don't make it through a day," VanderWerff said.
"So how are the immigration laws gonna affect you being able to get workers to do this?" Winfrey asked.
"Personally I think we probably oughta let more people into this country at some point. But we have to have a handle on who's coming in, when they're coming in, where they're coming from, all these things," VanderWerff said.
"So if President Trump were here right now, what would you advise him about immigration?" Winfrey asked.
"I would advise the president to continue the path to securing the border because we have to have a secure national border because we have to have a secure national border. I agree with him – " VanderWerff said.
"Does that mean building the wall?" Winfrey asked.
"I think it does mean building a wall. But it has to be a wall with as he said he said during his campaign, I think it was a big, beautiful door in it, or something to that effect," VanderWerff said. "We need immigrant workers to come into this country for a variety of skills and positions. And we allow them to come in and to fill jobs that we have here."Israel has reacted furiously to the UN Human Rights Council’s vote to send a team to probe Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank. The council has urged Tel Aviv to reverse its policy in the region.
On Thursday, the 47-member council adopted a resolution condemning Israel’s announcements of new settlement homes and ordering an investigation into the effects of the Israeli settlements on the human rights of Palestinians. It was passed with 36 votes in favor, 10 abstentions and only one – the US – against.
“This resolution seeks to respond to the humanitarian and human rights challenges this illegal Israeli practice has created in the occupied territories,” said the Pakistani envoy presenting it.
The UN Human Rights Council resolution calls on Israel to “take and implement serious measures” such as confiscating arms to prevent acts of violence by Israeli settlers. The council, which met in Geneva, also passed four other resolutions critical of Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the resolution and responded by saying “This council ought to be ashamed of itself,” the Jerusalem Post reports.
“This is a hypocritical council with an automatic majority against Israel,” he said.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the resolution “yet another surrealistic decision” and accused the council of promoting a one-sided political agenda.
The United States, which was the only nation to vote against the resolution, said it was “deeply troubled by this council’s bias against Israel.” A US envoy quoted by AFP stated “Steps like this do nothing to promote a just and lasting peace,” adding that they only serve to “push parties apart.”
In late February, Israel approved a plan to construct 500 new homes in a settler outpost in the northern part of the West Bank. The international community criticized the move saying the action is illegal. The UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay, said the Israeli settlement activity is deeply linked to tensions in the region.
More than 310,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and some 200,000 live in a dozen settlement neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.Less IMDb only changes name and profile pages that use IMDb's new layout. If you changed your preferences in IMDb to keep using the old layout, switch back to the new one.
Less IMDb reads and rearranges name and title pages. We don't change any of the underlying data, so if you ever want to see the full page, just switch Less IMDb off.
Does Less IMDb work on uk.imdb?
Yes! Be sure Less IMDb is updated to 1.0.7 or higher.
Does Less IMDb work on iPhones and iPads?
Nope. There's not an extension system for the iOS version of Safari. But IMDb has a free app that might serve your needs.
Is LessIMDb still supported?
Not really. We have, however, made the source code for both the Safari and Chrome extensions available under the MIT open-source license.
You can download them here.If you care about Alzheimer's disease research, you should read the New York Times corrections page today (Sept. 16). Most of the corrections there are boring matters of a misspelled name, a wrong title or a wrong dollar figure. But today there is a lengthy 3-paragraph correction on a front page story from August 10th that seemed to imply that a perfectly accurate test for predicting Alzheimer's disease years in advance is at hand.
Maybe not.
The original story seemed too good to be true when I briefly scanned it from vacation (the online story has been revised to reflect the correction, so you can't see what it originally said). Some media critic bloggers argued the story went too far in the way it presented its conclusions. Stories by wire services were much more circumspect. Now--a full month later--the New York Times seems to be acknowledging as much.
Here's the correction:
An article on Aug. 10 about spinal fluid tests in Alzheimer’s research left the incorrect impression that the test can predict the disease with 100 percent accuracy in all patients. (That impression was reinforced by the headline.) In fact, the test was found to be as much as 100 percent accurate in identifying a signature level of abnormal proteins in patients with memory loss who went on to develop Alzheimer’s — not in identifying patients who “are on their way” to developing the disease.
The article also misinterpreted an element of the researchers’ findings. Among a group of patients who had memory loss and developed Alzheimer’s within five years, every one had protein levels associated with the disease five years before; it was not the case that “every one of those patients with the proteins developed Alzheimer’s within five years.”
And the article misstated the source from which the finding of 100 percent accuracy was drawn. It came from a separate set of patients that the researchers examined to validate the protein signature they had identified in an initial group. (In the initial group, as the article noted, nearly every person with Alzheimer’s had the signature protein levels.)
One problem is that the 100% finding in the original study was from a subset of the study that used a tiny sample of just over 50 patients. Hardly definitive. Another problem is that the 100% figure referred only to a measure called sensitivity--the ability of a test to catch everyone who will get a disease. It doesn't address a second crucial measure called specificity that relates to how many people who come up positive on the test won't get Alzheimer's at all.
This is important because drug companies are now moving to test drugs that block amyloid plaques from developing in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers, and Elan and others are racing to test such drugs. This is going on amid much controversy over the true causes of the disease.
The current thinking is that Alzheimer's drugs will work best in people with very early stages of the disease, or who have mild cognitive impairment and are at risk for getting Alzheimer's. How to identify those patients for clinical trials has been a big question. If those patients are identified using a test that also snares too many people that will never go on to get Alzheimer's, patients in drug company trials could be exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals for years with no possibility of benefiting from them. It is not a far-out concern. Eli Lilly last month halted a trial of one of its Alzheimer's drugs because it appeared to make the disease worse.
Research into predictive tests is good and absolutely should continue. Researchers need to make sure the tests are fully validated in 1000s of patients before they are used to make predictions about the futures of real people.INTRODUCTION
Skin aging is a complex phenomenon in uenced by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Variations in age of onset, severity, and specific concerns are observed across the spectrum of racial/ethnic populations. According to the US Census Bureau Projections, by 2044 more than half of the United States (US) is projected to belong to a non-white racial and ethnic group.1 As the minority population continues to grow, minorities represent an expanding cohort seeking cosmetic procedures. As such, understanding structural and functional differences of the skin and aging process in different skin types is of increasing importance.
Structural and Functional Differences
Darkly pigmented skin is characterized by larger, more numerous melanosomes that contain more melanin and are more singly dispersed throughout the epidermis compared to lightly pigmented skin. The increased melanin content and widely dispersed melanosomes in darker skin provide photoprotection.2 In a 1979 study by Kaidbey et al using cadaveric skin, the mean protective factor from Ultraviolet (UV) B radiation in black skin was found to be 13.4 compared to 3.4 for white skin; and the mean rate of UVB transmission into the dermis was 5.7% in black skin compared to 29.4% in white skin.3 While increased melanin is advantageous in delaying the onset and/or reducing the severity of photoaging in darker skin, labile melanocyte responses contribute to a greater risk of pigment alteration - a feature of both photoaging and a common sequela of inflammation and injury.4 There are also structural differences in the dermis and epidermis that can potentially influence variations in aging. Notwithstanding inherent limitations of limited studies with small sample sizes, the stratum corneum in black skin (compared to white skin) has been reported to have more layers that are arranged more compactly.2,5 Additionally, broblasts have been reported to be larger, more numerous, and more frequently binucleated or multinucleated in black skin vs white skin, generating compact collagen bundles that are arranged more parallel to the epidermis.2,5 The heightened broblast activity is thought to contribute to the lower incidence of facial rhytides, but increased risk of keloids in black skin and other darker skin types.
Aging
In general, signs of aging occur at a later age and are less pronounced in ethnic skin. Facial wrinkles and ne lines appear later in African Americans than in Caucasians and may not appear until late in the fth or sixth decade.4 In a multi-national, cross-sectional, web-based survey study assessing ten facial features of aging across different racial/ethnic groups and Fitzpatrick types, white women self-reported more signs of moderate and severe facial aging than Asian and Hispanic women beginning in the fourth decade.6 In more than 30% of study participants aged 40-49, white individuals reported to have forehead lines, glabellar lines, crow’s feet, nasolabial folds, and puffiness under the eyes, in contrast to the presence of nasolabial folds and puffiness reported by Asian women and nasolabial folds in Hispanic women.6 In this study, black women did not describe signs of facial aging until the fifth decade and these were limited to nasolabial folds and forehead lines.6 When comparing the severity of facial features against photo-numeric rating scales, the mean severity of crow’s feet lines were most severe in Fitzpatrick skin type I and least severe in Fitzpatrick skin types IV and V.6 Hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone are of greater concern in individuals with skin of color compared to patients with lighter skin types, among whom ne lines and wrinkles are more frequent concerns. Patients with skin of color are additionally more prone to develop and become preoccupied with the ac-
↑ back to topUnfortunately, sometimes it feels like the news cycle is glutted with stories of unarmed people who have died in encounters with police. A new study suggests that journalists reporting on these incidents are not telling the whole story, oftentimes because they don't know it themselves. According to research conducted by the Ruderman Family Foundation, half of people killed by police are have disabilities.
The groundbreaking report was co-authored by professor David M. Perry and disability activist Lawrence Carter-Long. Their study was one of the first and most comprehensive of its kind to take on the issue of police brutality and the media's coverage of it. The researchers focused on high-profile incidents, both those deemed illegal and incidents where officers involved were eventually exonerated. While the incidents themselves have received massive amounts of attention from media outlets, advocacy groups, community organizers, protesters, activists, politicians, and lawyers, the study reveals shocking numbers on how often these reports omit key facts. The omissions, besides revealing either inaccuracy or value judgement — or both — in reporting, have failed to call attention to the root cause of police brutality and instead have focused on a symptom: the brutality itself.
This study shows that coverage of police violence more often than not fails to call attention to (or report at all) the role that disabilities plays in an incident. Even if half the Americans killed or injured by police officers do have some kind of disability, that person's disability (and the effects it could have on his or her actions) is left out of reporting, which cleaves the issue from the action around it. There is a lot of talk about intersectionality when it comes to gender and racial inequality, but little attention is given to the crucial intersection of disability and race and class, which, unfortunately, have been overlapping factors in these cases.
Information about the most recent, well-known people killed in encounters with police illustrate the study's findings. Freddie Gray, a name that has become synonymous with police brutality, was a victim of lead poisoning, which is known to lead to developmental disabilities, according to the Washington Post. Some law enforcement officials claimed that Eric Garner “almost definitely…would not have died” if he had not been obese. Though the quotation brings his disability to the fore (which is unusual), it's done as an attempt to justify his death.
In another high-profile case, Sandra Bland had epilepsy and was jailed without her medication. Some have hypothesized that the hormonal side effects of that mistreatment are what led to her death, which was reportedly a suicide. The difficulty in this research — and something the study makes glaringly clear — is that there is no count or system to track how often and why police officers use force against Americans with disabilities. There is no data, and there is no federal requirement to record that information. Researchers looking for patterns or looking for solutions have to think more systemically because any comprehensive analysis is nearly impossible given the scale of the law enforcement system.
So how can law enforcement agencies begin to address this issue? Jay Ruderman, the president of the foundation that ran the study said, “Training is a necessary first step. Reforming the system follows closely behind. The rights of people with disabilities must be respected just like any other American citizen.” Requiring a kind of therapy training for police officers may help reduce these instances of violence. If they are better informed about how disabilities can affect people and how those disabilities present themselves, officers may be better equipped to act in an escalated situation (or to avoid escalation altogether).
Many Black Lives Matter activists have also said that recruiting officers from the communities they will serve may also help alleviate this issue. Knowing your neighbors helps you know when someone is actually a threat. Outreach builds empathy, so any sort of engagement with the community at large or the disabled community would help build those bridges.
But there are ways to address this issue outside of how the incidents themselves are handled. For example, including more characters with disabilities in shows and films would help foster more understanding and empathy. Entertainment in the U.S. is skewed toward an ableist point of view so that anything divergent is viewed as out of place, or even, as this study shows, criminal. Media can strive to stop using "disability" as a metaphor for deviance and monstrosity; those images and tropes, no matter how silly or harmless-seeming, have a lasting effect on actions and the way people with disabilities are treated.
Leaders in the community for people with disabilities have gone to great lengths to outline preferred language; and it's time that everyone began using it. While racial injustice is a hot-button issue, it's not the whole story. If people make efforts to publicize information about people with disabilities and the inequality those people face, it will help spotlight the issue and galvanize action for change. At least, that's the hope.Bashrun - X11 application launcher based on bash
Note: This version of Bashrun is deprecated. The 0.x series is no longer actively developed. Bugs will be fixed only if they are reported, and no new features will be added. It may eventually cease to work in the future.
Please consider using Bashrun2 instead.
Bashrun provides a powerful application launcher by running a specialized bash session in a small terminal window, conveniently providing bash features like tab-completion and history.
Additional features include user configurable rules for automatically launching certain commands in a new terminal window, looking up manual and info pages, performing dict and google queries, defining bookmarks for webpages or piping command output to the clipboard.
Users can add new functionality by defining arbitrary rules for rewriting commandlines based on regular expression matches and file test operators. This makes new features like file associations or web shortcuts trivial to implement.
For more information please see the Manual and FAQ. View some Screenshots here.
Download
The latest stable release is bashrun-0.16.1.tar.gz. See the Changelog for details.
It is recommended to also install xdotool (>=1.20100416.2809). Bashrun can use xdotool to keep running in the background, reducing startup time and saving resources.
ArchLinux users may install bashrun and xdotool from the community repository.
Installation
$ tar vxf bashrun-0.16.1.tar.gz
$ cd bashrun-0.16.1/
$ su -c './install.sh'
Bashrun will install into /usr/local by default. Use the --prefix option to install to a different location. You may also run the install script as a non priviledged user, e.g. to install into your home directory.
License
Bashrun is licensed under the GNU General Public License.
The sourceforge project page can be found at http://sourceforge.net/projects/bashrun
(c) 2008-2010 Henning Bekel <h dot bekel at googlemail dot com>Move could be a bid to draw attention away from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's party purge
Jacky Chen / Reuters A North Korean soldier aims his rifle at a Chinese tourist boat as he and other soldiers stand guard on the banks of Yalu River, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, December 16, 2013.
A member of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee claimed Tuesday that North Korea might be preparing to conduct a fourth nuclear test and another missile launch, the Yonhap news agency reports.
Cho Won-jin said that a nuclear test could be used to draw attention away from the high-profile execution last week of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s uncle, Jang Song Taek.
The fresh allegations follow provocations from the North Koreans on Monday, when hundreds of propaganda leaflets were dropped into South Korea threatening the “annihilation” of the South Korean 6th Marine Brigade on Baeknyeong Island.
Baeknyeong is South Korea’s northernmost island. In 2010, a South Korean navy ship, the Cheonan, was torpedoed in waters off the island by North Korea, killing 46 crew.
[Yonhap]YouTube announced Thursday that it will begin live streaming content at 60 frames per second, an important boost that will make it a better platform for streaming video game footage.
For now, the feature is exclusive to browsers compatible with HTML5 — the newest versions of most modern browsers should work fine. In browsers that work with YouTube’s HTML5 player, users will also be able to skip backwards in a livestream and catch up at 1.5x or 2x normal speed.
The changes appear squarely aimed at helping YouTube compete with Twitch, the gaming-focused live-streaming video site Amazon bought for $970 million last year. Twitch can broadcast live-streams at 60 FPS and has amassed a huge following of gaming fans, as well as partnerships with console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft. Google was reportedly interested in snapping up Twitch to help expand YouTube. Instead, the two sites will be competitors as live streams of e-sports and other gaming content become more popular.
Contact us at editors@time.com.No. 13 Stanford women’s volleyball (16-6, 10-4 Pac-12) defeated Colorado (12-11, 4-9) and No. 19 Utah (17-8, 8-6) on the road this Friday and Saturday, bringing its win streak to five and placing the Cardinal in a three-way tie with UCLA and Washington for first place in the Pac-12. Stanford has swept four of its last five matches, and with six games left, the team will seek to maintain momentum as it closes out its regular season slate.
Stellar play from freshman outside hitter Kathryn Plummer, freshman middle blocker Audriana Fitzmorris and fifth-year senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku paced the Cardinal in both matchups.
In particular, Plummer put up an impressive showing against the Buffaloes, leading all players with a career-high 20 kills. Freshman setter Jenna Gray also registered a career high, controlling the offense with 44 assists.
Although Stanford failed to sweep Colorado, the Cardinal were able to outhit the Buffaloes.203 to.150 and tallied 55 kills to Colorado’s 44.
While Colorado took the first two points of the match and jumped out to a 5-4 lead, Stanford quickly battled back, notching seven straight points to gain control of the set. The Cardinal were able to maintain their lead to take the first set 25-19.
Stanford kept rolling through the second set, defeating Colorado 25-16, but the Cardinal hit a snag in the third set, as their attack percentage dropped to just.097 while the Buffaloes’ soared to.407. Stanford reclaimed momentum in the fourth to take the match with a final line of 25-19, 25-16, 14-25, 25-20 and moved into a tie for first place in the conference.
On Saturday, the Cardinal maintained their first-place tie as they swept the Utes 25-22, 25-20, 25-16. Plummer once again paced the squad, tallying 19 kills and 10 digs for her team-leading sixth double-double. While they recorded fewer total kills, Ajanaku and Fitzmorris were remarkably accurate, hitting.500 and.438, respectively.
Stanford was slow out of the gates and the teams were neck-and-neck for much of the first set, but the Cardinal were able to pull ahead thanks to some costly attack errors by the Utes. The second set was nearly as close, and the score was tied at 19 apiece before the Cardinal turned a 7-1 run into a set win. In the third, the Cardinal finally found their groove, jumping out to a 12-6 lead. Stanford was able to hold the Utes at bay to cap its fourth sweep in five games.
Up next, Stanford will play host to No. 25 USC on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and No. 9 UCLA on Saturday at 7 p.m. Last time the Cardinal faced these teams in a weekend, they split the series, but with a five-game win streak at their heels and home-court advantage, the Cardinal will look to maintain their place at the top of the conference standings. Thursday’s matchup with the Trojans will be televised on ESPNU.
Contact Olivia Hummer at ohummer ‘at’ stanford.edu.The script can be download from TechNet Gallery or from GitHub Gist
Configure PostgreSQL server
postgres
Log off from Windows and log in as postgres, navigate to C:\Users\postgres\AppData\Roaming\ and create a folder named postgresql. Inside postgresql create a file named pgpass.conf with the following content:
localhost:5432:*:pgbackup:pgbackup-pass
The pg_basebackup tool will look for this file to fetch the password.
Backup-Postgres.ps1 and modify the following variables to match your configuration:
Openand modify the following variables to match your configuration:
# path settings $BackupRoot = 'C:\Database\Backup'; $BackupLabel = (Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss'); # pg_basebackup settings $PgBackupExe = 'C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\9.3\bin\pg_basebackup.exe'; $PgUser = 'pgbackup'; # purge settings $ExpireDate = (Get-Date).AddDays(-7);
Now it's time to schedule the backup, open Windows Task Scheduler and create a new task. Setup the task to run whatever the user is logged on or not with highest privileges, use the postgres user for this. Add a recursive trigger, I've set mine to repeat every day indefinitely. You should carefully chose the best time to start the backup and that's when the server is less used. You should specify in the settings tab the rule Do not start a new instance if the task is already running, this will prevent running multiple backups in parallel.
Go to the Actions tab and add a new action:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Jobs\Backup-Postgres.ps1"
Restore cluster from base backup
In order to restore a base backup with multiple table spaces, you'll have to extract each table space archive to it's original path. Since Windows doesn't have native support for tar.gz you can use the 7zip command line.
With 7zip you can extract a tar.gz archive without storing the intermediate tar file, 7zip can write to stdout and read from stdin using the following command:
7z x "base.tar.gz" -so | 7z x -aoa -si -ttar -o "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\9.3\data"
data
recovery.conf
data
postgres
standby_mode = 'on' primary_conninfo = 'host=localhost port=5432 user=postgres password=PG-PASS'
pg_hba.conf
recovery.conf
recovery.done
pg_hba.conf
Create a local Windows user named. It doesn't need to have administrator rights, but it should haveto the backup folder.1) Stop Postgres server2) Delete thefolder content and all table spaces content (if you have enough free space, you should make a backup copy of the current data and table spaces)3) Run the 7zip command and extract each archive to its corresponding folder4) Create afile infolder with the following content, specifying thepassword:5) Openfile and comment all existing rules, this will prevent external clients from accessing the server while in recovery.6) Start Postgres server. When Postgres starts it will process all WAL files and once recovery is finished thefile gets renamed to7) Restoreto its original state and restart Postgres.After getting used to the restore process you could automate it with PowerShell.Antonio Felix da Costa has admitted his F1 "dream" is probably over.
Last year, the young Portuguese was the cream of Red Bull's driver development programme and apparently destined for a Toro Rosso debut in 2014.
But just as da Costa's Formula Renault 3.5 campaign faltered, Red Bull decided instead to pluck teen Daniil Kvyat straight out of GP3.
Perhaps bolstered by the success of its daring choice, the energy drink company has now controversially decided to put 16-year-old Max Verstappen into F1 next year straight from F3 and karts.
In the meantime, Antonio Felix da Costa is acknowledging that his F1 dream may be over.
"At the start of the season I had hoped still to go into Formula One," he told Speed Week.
"But although I am only 23 and it's a bit young to give up a dream, I had to decide what to focus on, and that is DTM," da Costa said.
Still with Red Bull backing, he has raced a BMW in the premier German touring car series this year, scoring only 4 points so far.
But he insists that seeing first Kvyat and now Verstappen race ahead of him into F1 is "not hard" to cope with.
"I enjoy DTM very much and from the beginning it has gone well," da Costa said, "so I have decided to concentrate on this.
"If I was to spend ten years here, I would be happy," he insisted. "This is my goal.
"Max is a very, very good racing driver, and I could not have achieved at 16 what he has achieved. He is clearly a special talent," said da Costa.
"At the same time I am very sorry for Carlos Sainz jr," he added. "He was developed by Red Bull, they invested a lot in him, and he is now ready for promotion to the premier class.
"I hope he gets the chance and that we will see Max and Carlos on the grid next year."
In the meantime, da Costa is focusing not only on DTM, but also the all-new Formula E series, even though a clash last weekend meant he had to sit out the season opener.Sonik Profile Joined August 2011 Canada 15 Posts Last Edited: 2011-11-17 05:37:25 #1
The best part is there are two locations to watch the action while having a bite to eat and some drinks along with other local Starcraft fans.
The Major League Gaming season finals will be here in less than a week, where the best Starcraft 2 professional players compete for a first place prize of $50,000.00!!!The best part is there are two locations to watch the action while having a bite to eat and some drinks along with other local Starcraft fans. NoodleCraft 4
Details
Where: Oodle Noodle Downtown. 10842 Jasper Avenue
Event: MLG Providence, all 3 days!
When: (MST)
November 19 3:30pm 'till whenever the games finish
November 19 11am 'till whenever the games finish
November 20 11am 'till whenever we have a champion.
Anyone and everyone of all ages are welcome to come down, watch some starcraft, and eat some tasty noodles. The store has 4 flat screen tvs showing the games in HD.
Due to the small size of the venue, we'll be focusing on a single stream, however we have no problems switching between streams if there's something you want to watch in particular. Just ask the friendly staff!
Oodle Noodle Downtown. 10842 Jasper AvenueMLG Providence, all 3 days!(MST)Anyone and everyone of all ages are welcome to come down, watch some starcraft, and eat some tasty noodles. The store has 4 flat screen tvs showing the games in HD.Due to the small size of the venue, we'll be focusing on a single stream, however we have no problems switching between streams if there's something you want to watch in particular. Just ask the friendly staff! Rouge Lounge
Check out Championship Sunday in Rouge Lounge's newly renovated bar.
When:
Sunday November 20, 2011
1:00PM until 11:00PM
Where:
Rou |
this contest we would like to show our appreciation for the outstanding work of our modding community.
We say thanks for your trust in our work and for your patience. We are confident that the upcoming patch will be worth to wait!Corey Lewandowski, the controversial Donald Trump campaign manager turned CNN commentator, resigned from CNN on Friday afternoon.
The resignation is effective immediately. A CNN spokeswoman confirmed that Lewandowski is no longer serving as a contributor to the network.
Lewandowski has stayed in close touch with Trump and some top Trump aides since being fired from the campaign in June. This week there has been media discussion about Lewandowski possibly taking a role in the Trump administration.
Lewandowski did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier on Friday, Lewandowski was seen arriving at Trump Tower, where the president-elect is holding transition meetings.
Lewandowski was one of the most controversial additions to CNN in many years. He was hired just three days after being ousted from the campaign. He became a familiar face during CNN's election coverage, frequently sparring with liberal commentators like Van Jones and Christine Quinn.
Lewandowski brought unique first-hand experience running a historic presidential campaign. But some viewers -- and even some CNN staffers -- felt Lewandowski never should have been hired at all.
Lewandowski was bound by a non-disclosure agreement that impeded his ability to criticize Trump publicly. He also received severance payments from the campaign.
CNN President Jeff Zucker stood by the decision to hire Lewandowski, pointing out that it was critical to have ideological diversity on the airwaves.
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"I think it's really important to have voices on CNN who are supportive of the Republican nominee," Zucker told Variety in August. "It's hard to find a lot of those. Our competitors tried to hire him too."
On Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, as Trump stunned the country by defeating Hillary Clinton, Lewandowski was in CNN's Washington, D.C. studio to provide perspective.
"I don't think in January of 2015, when I signed on to become Donald Trump's campaign manager to lay the foundation, anybody thought at that time Donald Trump was going to be elected President of the United States tonight," he said.
With pride in his voice, he said, "That is what is going to happen. It's unequivocal, the numbers are there. He is going to be the President of the United States."US vice-president Mike Pence will be guest of honour at an Ireland Funds St Patrick’s Day dinner attended by Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Washington next month.
Mr Pence, whose grandfather emigrated to the US from Co Sligo in the 1920s, has accepted an invitation to be “honoree” at the annual $1,000-a-ticket event.
The news comes amid opposition calls for Mr Kenny to register Irish opposition to the new US administration’s immigrant ban by pulling out of the annual St Patrick’s Day shamrock ceremony at the White House. Mr Kenny has declined to say whether he will invite President Donald Trump to Ireland.
Ireland Funds chief executive Kieran McLoughlin confirmed Mr Pence’s attendance, saying the organisation’s committee wanted to honour a sitting vice-president with Irish roots and to use the opportunity to make the case for Ireland and the charities it funds.
“We are an avowedly bipartisan, non-political organisation, and that is evidenced by the fact that last June we recognised [then vice-president] Joe Biden at our event in Dublin,” Mr McLoughlin said. He said previous honorees at the St Patrick’s Day dinner included Bill and Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Paul Ryan and senators John McCain, George Mitchell and Tim Kaine.
Irish America
Mr McLoughlin said Irish America reflected “the broad range of opinion that exists within the United States”, and that members of congress from both parties would be attending the March 15th dinner in Washington.
Mr Pence, a devout Christian and staunch conservative, has been an unwavering opponent of abortion and has a long record of opposition to gay rights. As governor of Indiana, he oversaw the introduction of some of the most sweeping anti-abortion restrictions in the US and signed into law a Bill that made it legal for businesses to refuse service to gay people.
Irish officials see Mr Pence as a potential ally in the Government’s campaign for immigration reform that would help tens of thousands of undocumented Irish in the US. As a congressman, Mr Pence angered some conservatives by advocating a compromise deal which would have required undocumented immigrants to “self-deport” and then come back into the US legally if they had a job.
Mr Pence said his interest in the immigration debate sprang from the experience of his grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, from Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, who arrived at Ellis Island in 1923.Worcester has been ranked 65th in the nation in a new list of the best places to live compiled by U.S. News & World Report, beating cities such as Philadelphia and Providence.
The U.S. News & World Report's 2016 Best Places to Live list includes the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas. Denver, CO took the top honors, followed by Austin, TX and Fayettville, AR. According to U.S. News & World Report, the ranking evaluated areas based on the factors that most people use when selecting somewhere to live: the area's value prospect, quality of life, job market health, whether or not people want to live in an area and whether an area is attracting new residents.
Portland, Maine narrowly beat out Boston as the northeast's highest ranked area with the 29th spot on the list to Boston's 30th. Worcester holds down the second highest rating for Massachusetts at 65th, beating Springfield at 74th and the city's rival Providence at 92nd.
The 2016 Best Places to Live ranking was determined in part by a public survey of thousands of individuals across the U.S. to find out what makes a place desirable to live in. The methodology also factors in data from the United States Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as U.S. News rankings of the Best High Schools and Best Hospitals.On Monday, the National Institutes of Health released a fifty-eight-page report on the future of neuroscience—the first substantive step in developing President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative, which seeks to “revolutionize our understanding of the human mind and uncover new ways to treat, prevent, and cure brain disorders like Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.” Assembled by an advisory panel of fifteen scientists led by Cori Bargmann, of Rockefeller University, and William Newsome, of Stanford, the report assesses the state of neuroscience and offers a vision for the field’s future.
The core challenge, as the report puts it, is simply that “brains—even small ones—are dauntingly complex”:
Information flows in parallel through many different circuits at once; different components of a single functional circuit may be distributed across many brain structures and be spatially intermixed with the components of other circuits; feedback signals from higher levels constantly modulate the activity within any given circuit; and neuromodulatory chemicals can rapidly alter the effective wiring of any circuit.
To tackle the brain’s immense complexity, the report outlines nine goals for the initiative. No effort to study the brain is likely to succeed without devoting serious attention to all nine, which range from creating structural maps of its static, physical connections to developing new ways of recording continuous, dynamic activity as it perceives the world and directs action. A less flashy, equally critical goal is to create a “census” of the brain’s basic cell types, which neuroscientists haven’t yet established. (The committee also devotes attention to ethical questions that could arise, such as what should happen if neural enhancement—the use of engineering to alter the brain—becomes a realistic possibility.)
The most important goal, in my view, is buried in the middle of the list at No. 5, which seeks to link human behavior with the activity of neurons. This is more daunting than it seems: scientists have yet to even figure out how the relatively simple, three-hundred-and-two-neuron circuitry of the C. Elegans worm works, in part because there are so many possible interactions that can take place between sets of neurons. A human brain, by contrast, contains approximately eighty-six billion neurons.
To progress, we need to learn how to combine the insights of molecular biochemistry, which has come to dominate the lowest reaches of neuroscience, with the study of computation and cognition, which have moved to the forefront of fields such as cognitive psychology. (Though some dream of eliminating psychology from the discussion altogether, no neuroscientist has ever shown that we can understand the mind without psychology and cognitive science.) The key, emphasized in the report, is interdisciplinary work shared as openly as possible: “The most exciting approaches will bridge fields, linking experiment to theory, biology to engineering, tool development to experimental application, human neuroscience to non-human models, and more.”
Perhaps the least compelling aspect of the report is one of its justifications for why we should invest in neuroscience in the first place: “The BRAIN Initiative is likely to have practical economic benefits in the areas of artificial intelligence and ‘smart’ machines.” This seems unrealistic in the short- and perhaps even medium-term: we still know too little about the brain’s logical processes to mine them for intelligent machines. At least for now, advances in artificial intelligence tend to come from computer science (driven by its longstanding interest in practical tools for efficient information processing), and occasionally from psychology and linguistics (for their insights into the dynamics of thought and language). Only rarely do advances come from neuroscience. That may change someday, but it could take decades.
It would have been useful for the report to include more discussion of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, which has its own half-billion-dollar budget for neuroscience, provided by its founder, Paul Allen. Whereas the BRAIN Initiative is still only a proposal, the A.I.B.S. has, for the past decade, been building brain maps and sharing them freely. Because its recent proposal for a series of “brain observatories,” described last year in Nature, presaged Obama’s BRAIN Initiative in many ways, it arguably deserves more comment and analysis. (Full disclosure: I’m speaking at the Institute next week.)
But these are quibbles. There are plenty of reasons to invest in basic neuroscience, even if it takes decades for the field to produce significant advances in artificial intelligence. If the projects outlined in the new report deliver half of what they intend, they will revolutionize both science and medicine by giving us the first clear understanding of the circuits that underlie brain function. With those discoveries, we may see the first major advances in decades in the treatment of mental illnesses and brain injuries. More than that, we stand an excellent chance of gaining a significantly richer understanding of ourselves.
Gary Marcus is a professor of psychology at N.Y.U., the author of “Guitar Zero,” and a co-editor of the forthcoming book “The Future of The Brain: Essays by the World’s Leading Neuroscientists.”
Illustration by Nishant Choksi.Image copyright Reuters
A Texas mosque has received nearly $1m (£800,000) in donations after it was destroyed in a fire over the weekend.
More than $900,000 had been raised to rebuild the Islamic Center of Victoria as of Monday afternoon, according to a GoFundMe page.
Texas officials have yet to determine the cause of the blaze, which happened in the early hours of Saturday.
The mosque was gutted just a day before an attack on a Quebec City mosque left six people dead.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Islamic center raised more than $900,000 just two days after it burned down
"It's sad to stand there and watch it collapse down, and the fire was so huge," said Shahid Hashmi, the mosque's president.
"It looks completely destroyed."
On Sunday, hundreds of supporters gathered at the site of the fire - 125 miles (200km) south-west of Houston - in a show of solidarity.
"Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the tremendous support we've received," said a statement on the GoFundMe page.
"The outpouring of love, kind words, hugs, helping hands and the financial contributions are examples of the true American Spirit."
Emergency crews responded to the Islamic centre in the early hours of Saturday after a petrol station clerk saw smoke, according to the Victoria Advocate newspaper.
The building was engulfed in flames by the time officials arrived, but no one was found inside, according to Victoria Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Cowan.
Victoria Fire Chief Taner Drake said on Sunday the investigation into the fire could take months.
Authorities have urged community members not to jump to conclusions about how the fire started.
On Sunday, gunfire erupted at a Quebec City mosque, leaving six people dead and several others wounded.
Canadian police have charged one suspect in what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has characterised as a terrorist attack.Vintage race bikes sound good in theory. But unless you’re handy with a spanner and have access to an underground parts network, they’re likely to drain your bank account faster than a weekend in Vegas.
So wouldn’t it be good if you could have a race replica that starts at the push of a button? And doesn’t require a fleet of mechanics to keep it running?
That’s the thinking behind the latest release from Giovanni Magni—son of the legendary MV Agusta engineer Arturo, and current custodian of the Magni factory.
The Filo Rosso is powered by the 3-cylinder MV Agusta Brutale 800 engine, encased in a classic double-cradle frame. It’s got 125 eager Italian horses on tap, and weighs only 145 kg (320 pounds). Which means it’ll be fast enough to embarrass all but the most exotic of modern machinery.
The rest of the spec sheet is equally mouth-watering. The forks are classic Cerianis, and the 18” wheels are magnesium alloy. There’s a twin-disc Brembo brake setup at the front, thankfully, and modern Dunlop rubber at both ends.
The star of the show is the bodywork, though. You’ll be able to specify the bike in “café racer” trim—minus the fairing—but we’ll take the extra metallurgy, thank you.
Being hand-beaten aluminum it won’t weigh much, and it looks simply stunning in the classic MV Agusta red and silver livery. Just like the original 500 Three racebikes did some forty years ago, fettled by Magni Snr and ridden by Giacomo Agostini to seven consecutive championships.
There’s no word on price yet, and some of the components may change before limited production starts. But the Magni factory has been producing delectable short runs of sporting machinery since the 1980s, so the project is in good hands.
Interested? Please form an orderly queue at www.magni.it.Editor's note: This article appears in the March 12 issue of ESPN The Magazine.
Years from now -- when it's routine to see him dropping three-pointers over the outstretched arms of clumsy, lumbering big men and SportsCenter regularly features him spinning on the block and posterizing clawing defenders, when his uncanny passes draw comparisons to those of Bill Walton and Chris Webber -- we'll point to a cold November morning in Denver as the NBA birth of Andrea Bargnani.
It was a Sunday, and the Raptors were coming off back-to-back road games. Coach Sam Mitchell had wanted to give his team the day off, but they were 2-7, losers of five straight and playing softer than smooth jazz. So he "invited" six big guys, including his tentative and unproductive No. 1 draft pick, to join him at a local health club.
You couldn't really call it a practice; there was no shooting, dribbling or passing to be seen. With patrons watching from stationary bikes and weekend warriors playing pickup on adjacent courts, Mitchell put one ball beneath the basket and two players at the foul line. One man's job was to get the ball, the other's was to keep him from touching it. By any means necessary.
"It was like a fight," Bargnani says three months later. "Nothing dirty, just a tough, physical practice. It was the right thing to do."
After Bargnani and his teammates banged bodies for nearly two hours, Mitchell pulled the rookie aside. This was the type of aggressiveness he wanted to see, he told him. The next night in Utah, Bargnani was unrecognizable, nearly quadrupling his then-season average with 15 points.
"From then on, he's played like a man," says star teammate Chris Bosh.
* * * * *
Last June's critics didn't expect such compliments to be lobbed Bargnani's way when the Raptors made him the first Euro ever taken at the top of the draft. At least not this soon. In spite of Dirk's dominance and the capable contributions of imports like Mehmet Okur and Boris Diaw, many incoming Euros suffer the indignity of being compared to high-lottery busts Darko Milicic and Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Twice-bitten scouts won't soon forget that, blinded by overseas hype, they once overlooked Bosh, Carmelo, D-Wade and Amaré for those two. So when Bargnani's name was the first one David Stern called, a common sentiment was, Who'd the Raptors leave on the table by banking on the next Euro-bust?
The skeptics have been shamed. With a stroke as pure as bottled water, Bargnani is already one of the league's top sixth men and Brandon Roy's chief competition for Rookie of the Year honors. During the Raptors' surge to the top of the Atlantic, Bargnani averaged 13.5 ppg on 50% shooting in February. Fact is, not even his biggest supporters expected so much so soon. Before the season, if he hadn't done enough to earn a spot in the Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend, Raptors management wouldn't have been the least bit discouraged. But there he was in Vegas, foiling Andrew Bogut with a nasty scoop shot and earning raves from none other than the big German himself.
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Nowitzki, sitting in the bowels of the Thomas & Mack Center, first scoffed at the rush to compare the two: "Every tall, white shooter who comes over is going to be compared to me." But then he made the parallel himself. And he finds himself lacking. Dirk says that at 21, the newcomer is better than he was: "Sky's the limit for him."
Another prodigy confirms it. "He's like a junior Dirk," LeBron says after Bargnani's 18-point, seven-rebound effort in a one-point loss to the Cavaliers in their first game after the break. "He's going to be a very, very, very impressive player in this league."
More than skill level separates Bargnani from the Euros who have come before him. For one, Raptors management has surrounded him with a strong support group that's made playing in Toronto the next best thing to playing in Italy. While team president Bryan Colangelo claims it's all coincidence, he signed two of Bargnani's former teammates -- Spain's Jorge Garbajosa and Slovenia's Uros Slokar -- and named Bargnani's former GM at Benetton Treviso, Maurizio Gherardini, the club's assistant GM. With five other international players on the squad, Bargnani, who speaks English well, has no problem finding a teammate to converse with in Italian, too.
Critics have also ignored the fact that while Milicic and Tskitishvili played sparingly in Europe and thus were drafted solely on potential, Bargnani has been a key player in the top ranks of European basketball.
You'd never know Bargnani was a future force (or even a nouveau riche pro jock) by visiting his Toronto digs. Sure, he lives on prime downtown real estate on the shore of Lake Ontario, but a request for a tour of the tiny two-bedroom apartment draws embarrassed laughter from the big man. "This is it," he says, spreading his arms in the den and nearly touching the dining room table.
Mom, Luisella Balducci, was a roommate through January, and she's to be thanked for whatever sparse furnishings Bargnani has. Since she returned to Italy, he's added a 46-inch flat-screen on the wall, and that's about it. There's an iPod sound system for music, a tan couch and love seat for lounging, a closet full of multicolor Air Force 1's, and a PlayStation 3 console. Problem is, with just one controller, he's forced to play his video games solo. "Every time I go to the store, they're sold out," he says innocently, never thinking that a person of his stature could have one hand-delivered to his door.
About the only hint that someone with special gifts resides here is on a wall near the bedrooms, where several framed, self-made collages featuring Bargnani's exploits, as captured by Italian newspapers, hang. There's a picture of him blocking Lamond Murray's shot in an exhibition game he played against the Raptors two years ago and a portrait of him attempting a ferocious dunk over three defenders, one of whom is grabbing his arm. "They called a charge on me," Bargnani says, smiling. "But see right there? He fouled me."
It's telling that there are no photos of Bargnani sinking soft jumpers or steering clear of contact. This is at heart one tough Euro. Curse at him, as Bosh did after Bargnani surrendered four straight offensive rebounds against Golden State on Dec. 17, and get instant improvement. Five of his 10 rebounds that night were offensive, and all five came after Bosh went off on him. Challenge him after he fails to grab a single rebound in a game, as Mitchell did Feb. 14, and get seven boards the next time out. Throw an elbow his way, as several opponents have, and you'd better duck. Unlike most Euro bigs, Bargnani yearns one day to set up in the post. He works on his inside game daily with assistant coaches and can't wait until he can regularly use his size advantage to exploit folks down low.
"He ain't no punk," Mitchell says. "He is Italian! Them Italians ain't backing down!"
He'll match your trash-talk, too. Even if you might not be able to understand a word of it. After being hounded by Mike Dunleavy, Bargnani faced him up, sank a jumper in his face and yelled something in Italian. During the next timeout, Raptors vet Darrick Martin ran to him to find out what he'd said. Bargnani just smiled.
The Raptors get a kick out of Bargnani's verbal mischief. Whenever he screams something after a dunk or in the heat of competition, the bench guys go crazy, then run to Slokar for a translation. He's often hesitant to give up the goods.
"He'll say, Andiamo!" Slokar says. "That means 'Let's go!' The other stuff? Let's just leave that where it is: on the court."
Everyone has a theory about where Bargnani gets his toughness and unusual swagger. Slokar believes it comes from his hometown. "In Europe, Roman people -- not necessarily Italians, but Romans -- are known for being confident," he says. "They're proud of their background." Others point to Bargnani's family backstory. The elder of two boys whose parents divorced when he was 13, perhaps Andrea was forced to develop a man-of-the-house persona early on.
Teammate Anthony Parker cuts through all the psycho-babble. He says, "He's absolutely fearless. Why? I think he was just born with it." Bargnani himself brushes off talk of his extraordinary self-confidence. "I'm just a normal person," he says. But the trait is real, measurable, in fact.
For years, NBA teams have used the Caliper Profile to evaluate potential draft picks. The Caliper is a personality profile used by numerous corporations and organizations to measure one's capacity to excel in specific situations. Over the past 24 years, Caliper has assessed more than 20,000 athletes, including NBA players from Detroit, San Antonio, Denver and Phoenix. Colangelo has long been sold on the system. When he heard how Bargnani measured up, he nearly dropped the phone.
Fans have embraced the Raptors' No. 1 pick. Ron Turenne/Getty Images
"They said his upside and potential were off the charts," Colangelo says from the tunnel of the Air Canada Centre as Bargnani drains a three against the Cavaliers. "They said, 'Out of all the athletes we've profiled, we've never seen anything like this.' "
The test showed that Bargnani is virtually oblivious to what others think of him. And his tremendous ability to block out such potentially negative pressures enables him to focus completely on the task at hand. So the expectations and anxieties that come with being the No.1 pick, or the only Italian-born player in the league, or even taking a game-winning shot, don't even register with him.
* * * * *
Skills? Check. Confidence? Check. But does he know how to play the game?
Rewind to a home contest against Atlanta on Jan. 5. Bargnani streaks down the right sideline on a break, heads toward the left block and receives a pass from Parker. In one motion, he catches the ball and throws a no-look bounce pass behind his back, past his defender and into the hands of Bosh, who is fouled as he attempts to finish with a dunk. The pass instantly earns YouTube status.
"That showed he's got a phenomenal basketball IQ," Martin says. "To see Bosh behind him and have the presence of mind to make that pass while he's running down the floor in transition? Some point guards can't see that."
The 35-year-old Martin, in his 12th season, has taken Bargnani under his wing. He's the one who coined the nickname everyone in Toronto uses: Big Rook. Bargnani likes it, but he likes what fans in Italy called him even better: Il Mago. Translation: The Magician.
"He's got a little ways to go before I call him that," Martin says with a laugh.
Yeah, it will be a cold November morning before that happens.
Chris Broussard is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.If any college football programs are in the market for a solid dude who can stand on the sidelines with the best of them, Jack Lenihan is their guy.
The 5-foot-11, 145-pound wide receiver at Barrington High School in Illinois might not be a force on the gridiron, but he’s certainly mastered the art of the hilarious recruitment tape. Lenihan’s highlight reel, which contains almost no highlights, shows the sideline star absolutely dominating the benchwarmer role with the help of some excellent graphics and dramatic music.
Our new favorite recruit does get on the field once, though, and boy does he shine! OK, maybe, he drops a lightly thrown screen pass, but that’s neither here nor there.
Check out the wonderful video below, and remember, the “Lenihan factor” is only interested in offers from Division I schools. Don’t waste your time, D-3 universities.PREP: 1,100 NSW men sign up to trial preventative HIV drug Truvada
Posted
More than 1,100 men in New South Wales have signed up to trial a new preventative HIV drug, which doctors say may help dramatically decrease the number of infections.
The Kirby Institute's trial, which aims to recruit 3,700 men, involves participants taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP), a drug which prevents HIV infection.
PREP is yet to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme but the Therapeutic Goods Administration recently licensed one brand, Truvada.
Professor Sharon Lewin of Melbourne's Doherty Institute said she hoped the NSW trial would help the drug become more accessible to Australians.
"The benefits are absolutely huge," she said.
"In other countries, particularly in the US, they've demonstrated that as you introduce Truvada for prevention they've seen a dramatic reduction in new HIV infections.
"We still have 1,000 new HIV infections a year in Australia and we would be hoping to see a dramatic decrease in that number."
Professor Lewin said she hoped the listing would lead to the drug becoming more affordable.
"The big hope is [for] PBS, our funding body, to subsidise these drugs and that could have a very, very significant impact on the epidemic," she said.
"If you were to buy it as an individual it would cost $800 to $1,000 per month, however it is also possible to get these drugs in what we call generic form meaning that they're made by a different manufacturer and those could be much cheaper, around $2 per day."
Professor Lewin, who has no affiliation with Truvada but has received grants from Truvada's maker, Gilead, to research Hepatitis B, said the drug would be cheaper when it goes off patent in a year or two.
She said cheaper versions of the drugs had already been imported by people who had bought them online.
Topics: health, aids-and-hiv, nswNorth Queensland captain Johnathan Thurston admits the refereeing blunders that robbed his team of premiership tilts the past two seasons "still hurt", but is confident this year's upcoming finals series will be one of the best ever.
Two years ago it was a missed knock-on by Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran in the lead-up to a Sea Eagles try that controversially fleeced the Cowboys of a preliminary final.
And then in the opening week of the finals last year, an irate Thurston famously accused the NRL of a Sydney conspiracy after a seventh-tackle try to Cronulla handed North Queensland another early exit in September.
But after a weekend where the game's officiating has again come under the glaring spotlight, the incumbent Kangaroos five-eighth jumped to the defence of the referees, and even said they had reason to believe they were in for one of the best finals series in recent memory.
"I make errors out there too, you know?" Thurston told reporters from the Cowboys' week-long camp in Cronulla.
"They're doing their best as well. The ladder's that congested, it's so hard to win football games. We've seen refereeing decisions cost you two points throughout the year.
"[But] I've got confidence that hopefully this will be one of the best finals campaigns that we can play, that we can be a part of. Hopefully we're talking about the footy and not the refereeing decisions."
With his side on the cusp of what would be their fourth straight finals appearance, Thurston said the pain of the two refereeing blunders in the past two seasons – particularly the seven-tackle call – still resonated in him today.
"It still hurts. It wasn't a great way to finish or end your season," he said. "But as much as it hurts, we were in situations there where we could've won those games and we just weren't good enough.
"Manly at the start of the year with the obstruction rule – that's another instance as well. It is frustrating, but there's nothing you can do about it. You've just got to try and put yourself in a position where the referees don't make those mistakes."
The 13-year pro empathised with the Eels, whose season goes on the line this week following their dramatic no-try in a loss to the Bulldogs last week when a ballboy failed to put the ball on the sideline after a 40-20.
But Thurston also defended the whistle-blowers, who are often overlooked each time a game goes by without a refereeing bungle.
"I can see why fans and players and coaching staff do get frustrated but then again, do we praise the referees when they're doing a great job?" he said.
"When they make a mistake, they make a mistake. Let's move on. There's nothing we can do about it now. It's in the past."
Thurston, 31, said his team needed to move on from the pain of last year's failed campaigns and heed the lessons from them.
"We can talk about the refs and that, but there were games last year we should have put away and we lost and we probably wouldn't have been in that position," he said.
"In semi-finals, everyone's hot under the collar, including referees, and obviously the players as well. In both instances we had opportunities to win those games and put them to the sword and we just weren't good enough. The referee decisions cruelled us but I can't sit here and blame them for it."Nokia's design head opened up recently about the future of Lumia devices, hinting that Nokia will continue to develop products with metal casings, thinner form factors, smaller components and bigger screen sizes.
According to the official Vodafone UK blog, Stefan Pannenbecker wasn't willing to talk specifics about what's in store but didn't mind leaving a trail of clues. Speaking first about the Lumia 925, the Nokia executive said every preceding Lumia had featured a unibody slab of bright polycarbonate. But in the future consumers can expect to see more devices that are metal.
"We’re not in a position where, because we’ve done a metal product, they’re all going to be metal from now on," the executive explained. "But we see that metal is a really nice asset."
Read: Nokia Lumia 925 review
From there, Pannenbecker talked about how the Lumia 925 packed a sterling PureView imaging hardware into a slender frame and that Nokia's intent for devices is miniaturisation with a compact design.
"We’re going to continue the design approach that we have, and evolve that," he added, although Pannenbecker noted that he also prefers big products with big screen sizes.
"Personally? I like a product like the 925 which is big, but that I can still use with one hand. At Nokia we like to give people some choice as to how they want to use the product.”
There's a lot of research that goes into deciding the best screen size, according to Pannenbecker. Still, whatever large screen sizes Nokia has up its sleeve, the executive said Nokia would try to minimise the footprint of the product by "optimising the way we build the screen and the frame around it".2/2 Nick Sifuentes, executive director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, weighs in on how New York, Newark, Hartford and Philadelphia/Camden ride when it comes to Amazon’s HQ2 mass transit criteria. (Provided)
2/2 Nick Sifuentes, executive director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, weighs in on how New York, Newark, Hartford and Philadelphia/Camden ride when it comes to Amazon’s HQ2 mass transit criteria. (Provided)
1/2 How transit in New York, Newark, Hartford and Philadelphia/Camden fare with mass transit in bid for Amazon’s HQ2.
1/2 How transit in New York, Newark, Hartford and Philadelphia/Camden fare with mass transit in bid for Amazon’s HQ2.
With Amazon now tasked with sifting through 238 proposals for its second North American headquarters, transit advocates took a closer look at how four tri-state bidding cities match up when it comes to mass transit, one of the online retailer’s criteria for HQ2.
Released Wednesday, a study titled “Primed and Ready?” from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) focuses on New York City; Newark; Hartford, Connecticut; and Philadelphia/Camden, New Jersey.
“Each does present a pretty decent case, and that’s why we picked them,” TSTC Executive Director Nick Sifuentes told Metro. “The Amazon bid is a great opportunity to talk about public transit and the need for public transit from an economic perspective. It’s an opportunity to shift the conversation to say public transit is one of the best things you can do to position your city to attract this kind of worker.”
In addition to investing more than $5 billion in the winning city, Amazon’s HQ2 is expected to create up to 50,000 jobs.
Here’s the good — and the bad — TSTC found when it comes to possibly moving those new people around these four cities.
New York City
Pro: “When it comes to public transit, New York has an incredibly strong bid,” Sifuentes said. “We’ve got the subway and bus system, the Long Island Rail Road, PATH, Metro-North and even future projects like the BQX that could be helpful.”
Con: “The fundamental challenge is the underfunding of the subway and bus system. That is a huge issue — it’s tough for a company to move to New York when the subway system is under immense strain,” he said. “I think it makes New York borderline uncompetitive.”
Newark
Pro: “You’ve got, in theory, one of the best transportation networks out there, with an airport nearby, very immediate connections to highways, the port, light rail and buses,” Sifuentes said.
Con: “New Jersey Transit is tremendously underfunded, especially on the operations side,” he said. “The fundamental irony of [Gov. Chris] Christie supporting Newark’s bid is he’s the one responsible for all the challenges, failing to do Gateway and failing to fund NJ Transit — the things that could potentially do Newark good.”
Philadelphia/Camden, New Jersey
Pro: “It is the existence of a pretty dense and somewhat interconnected network of light rail and bus networks,” Sifuentes said.
Con: “The largest challenge there is NJ Transit underfunding and making a system that’s interconnected to work well with the other players — SEPTA, PATCO, NJ Transit — there’s a lot of different cities operating there, so if they can streamline use of the systems, that makes those two competitive,” he said.
Hartford, Connecticut
Pro: “We have the development of a real bus network that’s actually going to be able to move significant numbers of people,” Sifuentes said. “When you do bus rapid transit right — with bus lanes, transit signal priority, all that good stuff — you’re actually able to move people pretty rapidly.”
Con: “The biggest challenge is Hartford has traditionally been a car-dependent city, and the idea of bringing in 50,000 people that are car-dependent is something that would be ultimately choking to Hartford’s growth,” he countered.In politics, the "revolving door" is a movement of personnel between roles as legislators and regulators, on one hand, and members of the industries affected by the legislation and regulation, on the other.[note 1] It has also been used to refer to the constant switching and ousting of political leaders from offices such as the Prime Minister of Australia and Japan
In some cases, the roles are performed in sequence, but in certain circumstances they may be performed at the same time. Political analysts claim that an unhealthy |
IRP allows for fairly easy programming of the radio.
Of course, it isn’t as simple as buying any Baofeng USB cable. There are apparently many cheap ($8-10) USB cables that use cloned or reverse engineered chipsets. This leads to a lot of driver incompatibility issues, flakey connection issues, etc. I found many blog and forum posts (which I won’t link to) mentioning various drivers to install to work around these problems, but I was not going to settle for that. I don’t have the time and patience to deal with driver issues (that’s why I have a Mac) and I don’t like the thought of downloading drivers from some random web site.
So I researched a bit and came across a genuine FTDI USB cable that can connect to Baofeng radios. Reviews said that no drivers needed to be installed manually for Macs and many versions of Windows, as the OS automatically recognized the cable.
Taking a $20 risk, I bought the cable and was rewarded with a plug and play experience in OS X 10.10.2 Yosemite. My Mac immediately recognized the cable according to the System Report (Apple Menu –> About this Mac –> System Report –> USB) as shown in this screenshot:
Now that I had the correct USB cable, I installed the latest daily build of CHIRP, which according to some posts I read was needed depended on the firmware build installed on the Baofeng UV-5R-2. The daily builds also enable new settings you can program, including setting the Squelch.
When I launch CHIRP, I plug the special USB cable into my Baofeng UV-5R-2. I then select the Radio menu and click on “Download From Radio”:
You are then asked for the basic settings to interface with the radio. Select the Port, which should be a usbserial option or similar (may be named differently depending on what USB cable you use):
And then select the Vendor and Model of the radio you want to sync. In my case, the UV-5R.
Then your Mac will download the memory of the Baofeng right into CHIRP, using what it calls “cloning”:
Since you may be a new ham (or a long absent ham, like me), you probably don’t know what repeaters are in your local area. On that same Radio menu I mentioned above, you can import data from various repeater directories (I use RepeaterBook) right into the Baofeng UV-5R.
Once you are read to upload your configuration changes, it’s a simple click on the Radio menu and selecting “Upload To Radio”. After a moment or two, you’re radio is programmed.
So for ~$50, I have a cheap 2-meter and 70cm radio that so far has been working fairly well even with the stock antenna. After getting used to the clunky menu system, I can hear repeaters as far as ~19 miles away from Manchester, NH, which is rather impressive performance. I’ll probably try to contact someone today and test out the signal strength.
I’ve also already ordered a new antenna for the radio for $15, a Nagoya NA-701 that is supposed to help out a bit more with reception. That is arriving today, so I’ll give it a try and report back on it. A good solid antenna will be needed when I go hiking in the mountains this summer. If this turns out to be a decent handheld rig for $75, that will keep my occupied for awhile!
Parts List:
Antenna
Software List:
KK7DS Python Runtime for OS X
Latest daily build of CHIRP for OS X.
Updated 2017-06-17: Updated Amazon links, added Parts and Software List to bottom of post.As you may have heard by now, Samsung and Jay-Z have teamed up to offer users of Galaxy S III, S 4, and Note II phones the opportunity to hear his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, three whole days before anyone else.
Samsung has its own music store that it could, in theory, use to drop this musical treasure trove into the hands of the Galaxy-toting masses, but the company instead chose to distribute the music through a Google Play app. That's strange enough on its own, but actually installing and using the software is a free master's class in how not to make an app.
Downloading most applications from Google Play prompts a permissions window that you have to click through before the application will install. The best apps don't ask for anything they don't need, and most restrict their requests to things that make sense. Yes, a Web browser will need Internet access. Yes, a photo-editing app will need access to your device's storage. Yes, a map app will need access to your GPS.
Jay-Z and Samsung's app, on the other hand, is positively PRISM-like in its requests for your information. All told, it asks:
To modify and delete contents stored on your phone
To prevent the phone from sleeping and view a list of all running apps
For your location, via the GPS
For full network access
To see who you're talking to on the phone
To run at startup
To test access to protected storage
To control the phone's vibration
To view accounts set up on the phone
It's not as if the app needs access to everything an Android phone can do, but it's a lot more than you'd expect from an app that exists solely to let you play 16 songs. If CyanogenMod's incognito mode didn't sound appealing before, maybe it will now.
Let's assume that you have no problem handing all of this stuff over to Jay-Z and Samsung. Tap accept and launch the app, agree to the typically wide-ranging and overlong privacy policy, and you'll finally get to listen to your music!
Or, wait. First you need to sign in with either a Facebook or a Twitter account. Then, you need to verify your age. Don't worry, though! If you enter an age that's too young (anything equal to or younger than 13 for the clean version, 18 and up gets you the explicit version) the phone will just tell you that you are "ineligible for this offer" until you enter a sufficiently high number. If you get it wrong, just keep trying!
After that you can finally get into the app, download the songs, and watch the preview videos. It's not a particularly attractive app, but it's at least functional. A feature that would have allowed you to send out canned Tweets or Facebook status updates in exchange for song lyrics has apparently been done away with now that the music is available—I could zoom in and out of the poorly-presented PDFs without polluting any of my social feeds.
The truly irritating thing is that once you download the songs through the app, it becomes an empty husk that you don't even need anymore. The app just dumps the (completely DRM-free) 160Kbps MP3s in the device's Music folder, where they can be played in the local music player app or copied to a computer via USB. There's nothing keeping you from taking these files and sharing them as you'd like, which is admittedly great for users but a bit mysterious from Samsung and the record label's perspective. We all knew this was a play for user data and social media attention, but you don't have to be so obvious about it.
This app's very existence is vaguely bewildering. The number of permissions it asks for verges on parody. Its (previous) ability to spam up your social feeds is obnoxious. Its presentation is perfunctory at best. It does nothing to protect the songs from downloading and sharing—of course, this would have happened with Samsung's cooperation or not, but if the point was "exclusivity," then somebody missed a memo somewhere.
Samsung probably considers this marketing campaign to be a success on the grounds that we (and the New York Times, among many others) are even talking about it in the first place. And, given that the entire Ars staff spent at least half an hour talking about it this afternoon, they're not wrong. If someone decided to run out and buy a Samsung phone based on this particular app and advertising campaign, though, let's just say we'd be surprised.
Listing image by Andrew CunninghamDonald Trump is once again confounding his critics. He is holding fast to a common sense view of politics that puts his opponents on constant defense and busts the monopoly they once had on shaping the American mind.
Trump’s tactics are plain to see for anyone who bothers to look. Over and over, he drives a wedge between the political and cultural elites and Americans who don’t share their views of morality and “patriotism.”
The president’s off-the-cuff comments on Friday at a rally for Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Luther Strange was a textbook example of Trump’s strategy in action. He riffed on an assortment of topics before setting his sights squarely on the National Football League.
Trump brought up NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem:
Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, “Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!”
Though it may cause some elite conservatives to cluck their tongues over Trump’s impropriety, this is the colorful language Americans (including even most of these elite conservatives) use all the time in break rooms, auto mechanics’ shops, and especially in the branches of our military.
Trump went on to point out how the NFL and the increasingly Leftist sports media have undermined the virtues that have attracted generations of Americans to the game of football. While Americans understand the safety concerns that come naturally in a sport where players run into each other at full speed, they know that reward comes with risk. Character, a manly self-assertiveness, and a chance to hone one’s natural abilities at the highest level are important elements of being a good citizen and a good human being.
As Trump noted:
The NFL ratings are down massively. Now the No.1 reason happens to be they like watching what’s happening…with yours truly. They like what’s happening. Because you know today if you hit too hard: 15 yards! Throw him out of the game! They’re ruining the game! That’s what they want to do. They want to hit. They want to hit! It is hurting the game.
These thumotic manly virtues—the traits that are typically unique to men—have been ridiculed and despised by the cultural literati. Men today are commonly depicted in the popular culture as buffoons who can’t do the simplest task and whose default mode in raising their children is failure.
But most Americans don’t buy the views set down by our cultural elites. They understand the virtues it takes to raise a family and that basic differences between men and women are grounded in nature. And they are more than comfortable with changing a tire, hanging drywall, or going on a weekend 30-mile backpacking trip.
After the rally, Trump underscored his tactic of using sports to drive a wedge between the elites and the rest of America:
Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Before Trump rolled up the red carpet, the Golden State Warriors were reportedly deep into thoughtful discussions about whether to attend a ceremony at the White House honoring the team’s 2017 NBA championship. But that was all a sham. They were never going.
As head coach Steve Kerr said in May, Trump is a “blowhard” who is “ill-suited” for the presidency. Stephen Curry, the team’s point guard and outspoken Hillary Clinton supporter, earlier this year quipped that he agreed that Donald Trump is an “asset” to the nation, but only “if you remove the ‘et.’” On Election Night, Curry tweeted his support of Van Jones’ observation that the results were a “whitelash against a changing country.”
Trump simply called their bluff. And in doing so, he again highlighted the differences between the elites and most Americans—whether they are Republican Party lifers, newly-minted Trump Democrats, or Americans who didn’t even vote for Trump but retain a morality antithetical to the ruling class. These Americans have had enough of constantly being lectured and told to repent of their manifest heresies against the orthodoxies of modern liberalism. They are fed up with having their way of life sneered at and disrespected by employees of the transnational corporations that dominate the U.S. sports-industrial complex.
The NFL, NBA, and the NCAA, along with ESPN, are long-time participants in helping the ruling class steamroll the people’s concerns and interests. From condemning North Carolina, where the people’s duly elected representatives passed a bill mandating that individuals use the bathroom that corresponds to their birth sex, to spreading disdain for Arizonans who approved of measures designed to stop the influx of illegal aliens streaming across their borders, these corporations represent the elite consensus that brooks no dissent. You’re either with them or against them. There is no other option.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement reacting to Trump’s comments is the height of the deep narcissism and self-loathing concealed beneath the thin veneer of the elite’s pseudo-morality. Goodell said Trump’s “divisive comments” show “an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL.” Goodell, who is generally despised by football fans, sportswriters, and players alike, is blind to the divisiveness incited by the very organization he leads. And that he thinks an entity like the NFL is automatically owed any respect at all is revealing. What exactly is it that places the NFL beyond reproach?
Trump wasn’t responsible for botching case after case involving NFL players who committed violence against women. It wasn’t Trump who stood against the attempts of the legislatures of Georgia and Indiana to pass laws strengthening religious liberty protections for those who object to gay marriage. It wasn’t Trump who talked a good game about “player safety” while simultaneously engaging in talks about expanding the NFL schedule to 18 regular season games.
Rather, Trump is reacting to the deep divisions Goodell and his ruling class cronies have sown through their seething contempt and obvious disrespect for Americans. Trump is not the cause of our current crisis. Trump didn’t politicize everything in American life. He is 63 million Americans’ answer to a politicization that constitutes an attack on everything they hold dear.
This politicization has been precipitated by the very political and cultural elites who are now raising hell against Trump’s move to box them out. They are angry over his attempts to break the chokehold they have been administering to the American body politic for decades. But Trump couldn’t care less about their gnashing of teeth. And neither should anyone else.
Like Lincoln who, before the 1860 election, helped drive a wedge between Senator Stephen Douglas’s Northern Democratic coalition and Deep South Democrats who were fanatically pro-slavery, Trump is attempting the same feat with a different set of coalitions. I’m not arguing that Trump is playing “4D chess,” as many NeverTrumpers flippantly suggest Trump supporters ignorantly believe. I don’t believe that Trump has planned out every single action and word in advance like some mastermind. This is obviously far beyond the capacity of human beings, the forked creatures who are a little lower than the angels.
But perhaps some conservatives have been so accustomed to losing in the political arena that they actually think 4D chess is what’s required to win it. Wrong. This basic political strategy that even people with minimal political skill have used for centuries to conquer and divide their political opponents while enlarging their own base of support. It’s called fighting. They might try it sometime.
Trump’s strategy of engaging the cultural bullies instead of cowering in their presence, so far, seems to be working to perfection. It also has the added benefit of drawing out the pretenders and posers who may talk a good game but are ultimately useless in combating the ruling class’s hegemony over American public life.
Exhibit A of this group is Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.):
btw, Trump wants you to kneel–because it divides the nation, with him and the flag on the same side. Don't give him the attention he wants. https://t.co/ic5Vc9oGyB — Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) September 23, 2017
Contra Sasse, Trump offers a view of America based upon a common patriotic love that aims to protect the rights of all citizens. To say he is dividing America—this critique from the same ruling class that divides Americans by race, sex, class, income, level of education, etc., every minute of every day—is a remarkable assertion. It speaks to the depths to which the ruling class mindset has been accepted by our political elites.
Former Democratic Representative Donna Edwards tweeted this gem:
On Sunday, I hope every @NFL player takes a knee in solidarity w @Kaepernick7 against the white supremacist who squats in our White House. — Donna Edwards (@DonnaFEdwards) September 23, 2017
Trump has put his opponents either in the position of showing their ruling class credentials or openly calling for disrespecting the country—moves that can only help his chances at reelection in 2020. Even more importantly, it will help to isolate those whose hostility to bourgeois morality and traditional cultural mores has helped the “pluribus” overwhelm the American “unum.”
May Trump succeed in letting the people reassert their sovereignty over those who would rule us without our consent. Republican government demands no less.McDonald’s workers balloted at Crayford (south east London) and Cambridge stores have voted by an incredible 95.7 percent for strikes, and their BFAWU bakers’ union has now named Monday 4 September as the first strike day.
A strike committee of workers met and decided to go for the date for their historic action–the first ever strike at McDonald’s in the UK.
The workers taking this bold step need the URGENT solidarity of the wider trade union movement. Please give generously now to their strike fund HERE
Please also rush messages of support, encouragement and solidarity for the workers to fastfoodrights@mail.com
Already, just by voting to strike and organising in the union, the workers have gained an impressive shift from McDonald’s–who have stated only now after the strike vote that by the end of 2017 they will implement the twice promised offer of a guaranteed hours contract to every UK McDonald’s worker. The workers and BFAWU rightly want this signed off, but it is a major victory for the some 80,000 workers at McDonald’s and shows what getting organised, joining a union and taking action can do.
The strike remains on, over a number of grievances at the two workplaces, and the workers are also fighting for £10 an hour minimum wage now, union recognition, and for the demand on scrapping zero hours contracts to be implemented.
What’s happening and how you can support?
Pass this #McStrike MODEL MOTION to back the strike
Give urgently and generously to the #McStrike Fund
Get the iconic #McStrike T-shirt the McStrikers are set to wear during their historic action HERE
Price & postage Standard £10.00 GBP
#McSolidarity £15.00 GBP
On the Saturday before the strike, 2 September, BFAWU is holding a protest at McDonald’s HQ in East Finchley, north London. We are calling on solidarity from the wider movement on this day, with banners, collections etc, brought along in support. Join and share the Facebook page for the protest HERE.
On the day of the strike, Monday 4 September, workers at the Cambridge site will picket from 6 – 7am, while workers at the Crayford site will picket from 6 – 7.30am.
The strikers and their supporters will then come together outside parliament at 10.30/11am for a rally, speakers include Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. Stay posted for details of what will be happening after the rally. We are asking for maximum support possible with banners and supporters gathering at the rally, and for local activists and anyone who can to show their support at picket lines where possible too.
Outside London, we are calling for solidarity protests/ leafletings at McDonald’s stores in localities (see list of those organised so far below and send us details of any your planning). Guidance for solidarity actions on the day:
HERE is a leaflet for workers in the store. A petition to gather contact details of workers interested in getting involved is HERE. Placards to use on the day are: #McStrike placard1 and #McStrike placard2 And a leaflet to give to passers by and the public is HERE
Mostly we’d like a visible presence with the materials OUTSIDE the store, with at some point a couple of activists going in to leaflet the workers on shift, and if they sign the petition, for any contact details to be sent to the campaign centrally so we can follow up. It’s important to make sure the workers know any presence is fully supportive of the workers.
Contacting local MPs, councillors, community campaigns and union branches etc is always good, and sometimes getting any supporters from there to say a few words on a megaphone outside is useful to show the broad base of support for the workers.
It’s always good to take pictures and short videos so they can be shared and give the workers taking action more confidence. We are @FastFoodRights on twitter, and will be using #McStrike and #FastFoodGlobal, so it’s good to have someone or a few people allocated to make sure pictures and videos are tweeted there so the impact of the solidarity action is greater. Please send the details of any local action once they are ready to fastfoodrights@mail.com and we will publicise on the website.
#McStrike #McSolidarity protests on 4 September:
LONDON
McDonald’s @ King’s Cross / Pentonville Road
At lunchtime, 12PM-2PM, there will be a McStrike solidarity demonstration with friends and comrades from different unions and community campaigns across Central London. It will be outside the McDonald’s in King’s Cross (302-304 Pentonville Road, Kings Cross N1 9XD). Come along to show some solidarity, to inform workers, customers and passers-bys about the strike. Together we can make this strike powerful in our communities too, and let McDonald’s workers know there is a strong movement with them! Join the Facebook page for the event HERE
MANCHESTER
5pm, McDonald’s Manchester
Picadilly Gardens Mcdonalds, M1 1LY Manchester
Join the Facebook page HERE
BIRMINGHAM
5 PM – 6 PM, McDonalds Unit 4 Cherry Street
Temple Row, Birmingham, B2 5AL
Join the Facebook page HERE
SHEFFIELD
Gleadless Valley branch of Heeley (Sheffield) CLP and Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise campaign are organising solidarity action for 4 September at McDonald’s branch in Heeley constituency, probably 2 stints one lunchtime and one tea time. See details HERE
LIVERPOOL
Join the Liverpool #McSolidarity protest, 4-6pm outside the McDonalds on Lord Street in the city centre (82/86 Lord St, Liverpool L2 1TL). Join the Facebook page HERE
OXFORD
6 – 7PM, McDonald’s, Cornmarket Street, Oxford, OX1 3HB
Join the Facebook page HERE
CARDIFF
5 PM – 7 PM, Mcdonalds, Queen street
12-14 Queen St, W2 4 Cardiff
Join the Facebook page HERE
BRIGHTON
6pm at the McDonald’s on Western Road and on London Road
BLACKPOOL
12 – 2PM outside McDonald’s in the town centre in Bank Hey St FY1 4PX
MILTON KEYNES
Milton Keynes Monday 4 September
from 12pm McDonalds, the Centre MK, 52-56 Midsummer Blvd.
Organised with Unite Community and MK Momentum
CALDERDALE
Calderdale Trades Council is organising a #McStrike #McSolidarity protest on:
Monday 4 September, Midday – 2pm, outside McDonald’s
22/24 Old Market, Halifax HX1 1TN
Please join us if you can. We also intend to leaflet workers at other McDonald’s branches in Calderdale afterwards.
CLACTON ON SEA
MONDAY 4th September 12.00 until 13.00 McDonald’s Clacton Town Center. Leafleting in Support of the McDonalds workers Strike.BFAWU bakers’ union has now named Monday 4 September as the first strike day.
TRURO AND FALMOUTH
#McSolidarity leafletings 8am to 10am: See details HEREThere are several indisputable facts that any whenwe knows about our beloved little teapot-shaped red soiled piece of Africa. For example:
The mightiest river on the continent is the Makabuzi, found to hell and gone past the Tobacco sheds out Waterfalls way;
That Rhodesians invented smart-casual when they introduced the safari suit to the world;
That the Rhodesian Air Force had the best pilots in the world, even if they had Zings on the aerials of their sky chorries.
Ag look man, I could go on and on hey? Rhodesia set such high standards in so many things, from biltong to orange juice and back again, with Tanganda Tips in the middle and a T-Bone at Guido’s after a bowl of clear soup right up there at the very top. Even the chops who lived gwara-free at The Trelawney and spent their days fixing motorbikes in the bathtub and their nights seeing how many spook and diesels they could puza before falling into a coma know all this and more to be true.
But here’s a fact many of you might not know: the 1970’s Great Rhodesian Bogroll Shortage was single-handedly caused by my old man, strue’sbob, cross my heart and hope to die, and here is exactly how this came to happen:- (well ekshly not exactly-exactly because at the time I had just discovered dagga and the Watt girls next door were burgeoning into beautiful young women so I was more than a bit distracted, but still, hey.)
Uncle Ian and his boyfriend PK van der Byl had driven Harold Wilson & friends kapenzi by declaring UDI, so the whole world decided to stop selling Rhodesia everything. This soon meant that when you wiped your bum it was with a sort of sandpaper that made your nought climb back inside you from fear. Chapped lips had a whole new meaning; the whole of Rhodesia (well, mukiwas anyway) started walking like John Wayne. This was especially inconvenient if you had eaten the peri-peri chicken at Guido’s for Sunday lunch. My old man – who as you know by now was a mild and gentle man – refused to suffer such indignities. He phoned everyone he knew and bought up their fancy goods permits. I have no idea what fancy goods means at all, especially in Rhodesia, where wearing socks was thought of fancy, but I do know that the term included bogroll.
Within weeks every cupboard at 4 Ridgelee Way Avondale Salisbury Rhodesia was crammed with soft 2-ply luxury toilet rolls from Down South. It was everywhere. Now, like all good sanctions busters, my old man always had proper scotch in the house and June had a seemingly unending supply of Chocolate Logs and peppermint Crisps, but this bogroll episode was a whole new thing; I had shamwaris pulling in just to have a kak.
But Les, who was patient and clever as well as gentle and mild, waited for a bit longer, keeping the noughts of Rhodesia in discomfort and then one day all the bogroll was gone and there was a new Mercedes-Benz in the driveway.Kentucky Governor Mocked for Proposing 'Prayer Patrols' to Combat Crime
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Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin drew stinging criticisms last week when he announced a plan to create volunteer "prayer patrols" to address the rising criminality in Louisville, the state's largest city.
Bevin said his plan calls for faith volunteers to be assigned in certain blocks of the city where they can prayer walk two to three times a week, CBN News reported.
"You know, you walk to a corner, pray for the people, talk to people along the way," Bevin said during a community meeting, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. "No songs, no singing, no bullhorn, no T-shirts, no chanting. Be pleasant, talk to the people, that's it."
The governor was prompted to make the proposal after the city was rocked by a series of killings in recent weeks, including the death of a 7-year-old boy who was hit by a stray bullet last week.
Some community leaders welcomed the governor's suggestion, but others mocked him for wishing to "pray away" the city's peace and order problem.
Among his critics were some faith leaders, including Pastor Joe Phelps of Highland Baptist Church, who called Bevin's proposal a "political ploy."
"I believe in prayer," Phelps told WHAS-TV. "[But] that's not the answer here and for him to reduce the problems of violence to getting people to go pray for a block is an embarrassment to Christianity."
Rev. Clay Calloway of the West Louisville Ministers Coalition, who delivered a speech shortly after Bevin spoke, suggested that there are more practical approaches to helping Louisville, according to CBN News.
"If you are serious about fixing violence in west Louisville, then you must have the courage to address its root causes of injustice and racism," he said.
However, other faith leaders approved of Bevin's plan.
"As a matter of fact, I will share this with my congregation when we meet on Sunday," Oliver Evans of Spradling Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church told Wave 3 News.
Bevin clarified later on social media that his low-cost, low-risk "prayer patrol" proposal is not meant to replace "economic, political and law enforcement solutions."
He underscored, however, that "prayer is powerful, and a people united in prayer will make a difference in their communities."
Mainstream media outlets also joined in blasting Bevin's plan.
"Turning to supernatural solutions to address earthly problems isn't a responsible approach to policymaking," wrote MSNBC's Steve Benen.
Huffington Post's Ed Mazza mocked the governor's proposal, saying the prayer patrols will be "roving bands of prayer police" who don't "report or stop criminal activity, but pray it away."Roald Dahl is remembered for his solitary, kind-hearted child heroes—Charlie, who visited a chocolate factory, and Sophie, who befriended a floppy-eared giant, among them—and their triumphs over bullying adults. But the beloved British children’s book author was also known for the distinctive language he used to create the vivid, often dark, worlds in which the characters lived.
To honor the centenary of his birth this month, the Oxford English Dictionary has updated its latest edition today (Sept. 12) with six new words connected to Dahl’s writing, and revisions to four other phrases popularized by Dahl’s evocative stories. In May, the Oxford University Press also published a Roald Dahl Dictionary complete with 8,000 words coined or popularized by the author.
There was linguistic method to Dahl’s mad use of language. “He was using very linguistic principles,” says Vineeta Gupta, head of children’s dictionaries at Oxford University Press. Dahl invented words based on old words, rhymes, malapropisms, and spoonerisms (swapping the first letters of words around, such as “catasterous disastrophe” from The BFG). Dahl also played with sound (“sizzle-pan” to refer to a frying pan in The BFG, for example).
Here are the new Dahlisms added to the OED, and the revised phrases, with notes on their origins.
New entries
Dahlesque
The characteristics of Dahl’s work—in the OED’s words, “eccentric plots, villainous or loathsome adult characters, and gruesome or black humour”—now have their own adjective. The term was first used in 1983 by the literary magazine Books Ireland.
Golden ticket
These refer to the tickets hidden in chocolate bars that granted access to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964). The first golden ticket, however, was awarded to 18th century painter William Hogarth, giving him admission to the Vauxhall Gardens in London, in recognition of his paintings of the venue.
Human bean
This is a mispronunciation of “human being,” uttered by the giant in The BFG (1982): “We is having an interesting babblement about the taste of the human bean. The human bean is not a vegetable.” The first instance of the phrase is over a century older, having been used in an issue of the British satirical magazine Punch in 1842.
Oompa Loompa
The diminutive factory workers who played music and danced in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were made more famous by the 1971 film adaption of the book, starring Gene Wilder. Gupta called the phrase “typical Dahlesque,” reflecting how the author played with sound to convey meaning.
Scrumdiddlyumptious
“Extremely scrumptious; excellent, splendid; (esp. of food) delicious.” Although the word was first found in The American Thesaurus of Slang in 1942, Dahl’s giant’s use of it planted it firmly in the minds of every child who read The BFG: “Every human bean is diddly and different. Some is scrumdiddlyumptious and some is uckyslush.”
Witching hour
Referred to in The BFG as ”a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every grown-up was in a deep deep sleep, and all the dark things came out from hiding and had the world to themselves.” We can thank Shakespeare for this evocative phrase: according to the OED, “witching time” first appeared in Hamlet (1604).
Revised phrases
Frightsome
Another word from The BFG, meaning to cause fright. It was first used by the Scottish poet and army officer William Cleland in 1689, in which he refers to “walled cities [and] frightsome forts.”
Gremlin
The OED updated its definition of this term to reflect that Dahl’s 1943 novel, The Gremlins, helped popularize it. The phrase itself originates in Royal Air Force (RAF) slang from 1929, referring to a menial or lowly person. By 1942 it was being used by the RAF to describe mechanical glitches—Dahl’s novel itself centers around mythical creatures who sabotaged aircraft, the inspiration of which is said to have come from Dahl’s time as a fighter pilot during World War Two. Writing in a 1944 edition of its journal American Speech, the American Dialect Society explained that “the gremlin seems to be extending its sphere of operations, so that the term can be applied to almost anything that inexplicably goes wrong in human affairs.”
Scrumptious
The OED dates this word, originally an English dialect term for “stingy,” back to 1823. In Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, published in 1961, the Centipede says: “I’ve eaten many strange and scrumptious dishes in my time.” Its shorter variant, “scrummy,” was first used in 1844.
Splendiferous
Remarkably fine; magnificent, splendid, according to the OED. In Dahl’s Danny, the Champion of the World (1975), Danny’s father refers to his own dad as a “magnificent and splendiferous poacher.” The state of being splendiferous is an equally superb word: splendiferousness.
Image taken by Jan Willem van Wessel on Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0)This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use
As of 2012, around 60% of all cinema screens worldwide have been converted from film to digital projectors. Over half of those digital screens are outfitted with stereoscopic (3D) projectors. By 2015, it is expected that almost every cinema screen will be digital and that film projection will all but die out.
Digital cinema is a lot more than just a digital projector, however — the film industry, as I’m sure you’re aware, is a multi-billion-dollar behemoth, and digital cinema is probably the biggest shake-up since the advent of 35mm film itself. There’s a whole framework behind digital cinema, from filming, to digitization, to distribution and projection, with some seriously cool tech along the way — which, of course, we’re going to dig into.
Filming
For the most part, movies are still predominantly shot using 35mm film stock. Cinematography is certainly moving towards digital cameras, but the legacy of film is so great — the equipment, the process, the human expertise — that it won’t disappear for a long time. With the rest of the movie making process being almost entirely digital — from editing, to distribution, to exhibition — digital footage is a lot easier and quicker to work with. Just as digital photography usurped film photography, digital video cameras are destined to replace film video cameras, with digital cameras from the likes of Canon and Red leading the way.
Digital intermediate
The irony of using film cameras, though, is that they’re all scanned into a digital intermediate anyway. Almost every big film of the 2000s was converted from film to a 2K (~2048×1080) digital intermediate — so even if you think that film has a higher resolution than 2K, or if the grain is somehow more attractive than pixels, tough luck. If the film is shot with a digital camera, then this scanning stage (which is quite expensive) can be skipped.
Once you have a digital intermediate, talented artists take care of the editing, color grading, and CGI (computer generated imagery).
Distribution
In 40% of cases (conventional projection cinema screens), the digital intermediate is then transferred back onto film, and copies are made (at a cost of thousands of dollars each) for each cinema that will be screening the movie. For digital screening, the digital intermediate is exported as a digital master, which includes all of the video, sound, and data required to project the movie correctly.
Now we get onto the techie bit of digital cinema. Before distribution to cinemas, the digital master is encrypted and compressed into a Digital Cinema Package (DCP), which is |
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As a trauma surgeon and a tactical medical specialist, I am often asked by law enforcement officers what caliber and type of handgun ammunition offers the most stopping power. I can't answer that question. Let me explain why.
The ammunition most commonly carried by law enforcement officers is a hollow-point configuration or expanding full metal jacket bullet, typically in one of five calibers, including.38/.357, 9mm,.357 SIG,.40 S&W, and.45 ACP. Other calibers are used in some departments. But for the sake of this discussion, let's stick with the most common rounds. These handgun rounds perform very differently based on a number of key factors that I'd like to discuss.
At most agencies it is typical for either the rangemaster or lead firearms trainer to choose specific ammunition (caliber and/or bullet type) based on the results of ammunition being run through a series of ballistic tests, most commonly the FBI's ballistic laboratory testing. Marketing by ammunition companies also influences how agencies choose the specific ammunition for front line officers to carry.
Unfortunately, the information that agencies are using to choose the ammo for their officers is generally based on hype as well as the flawed standardized testing using ballistic gel and measurements of the depth of penetration into ballistic gel, degree of bullet expansion, and other factors. Usually, actual data on human body wound ballistics is not available to agencies when they are choosing ammo for their officers.
What is most unfortunate is that the testing of modern bullets does not give a complete picture of what a particular ammunition configuration will do in the human body to incapacitate it in a timely fashion, in other words, stopping power. The testing results "infer" or "simulate" what is believed to happen in the human body, but I can tell you that from my experience operating on gunshot patients that this just is not the case.
So back to the question at hand about determining stopping power. If you are expecting me to tell you which brand and which bullet caliber and type to use for the best or most reliable stopping power, you are going to be disappointed. But I will tell you about the factors that determine stopping power.
Kinetic Energy
Most officers think that a larger bullet and higher velocity equal more "kinetic" energy, yielding more stopping power than a smaller bullet with the same velocity. Here's the reality:
We know that the equation for kinetic energy is KE = ½mv2 (KE is kinetic energy, m is mass of object, and v2 is velocity squared). This equation tells us how much energy will be derived from a combination of bullet grain weight and muzzle velocity.
Now we need to go back a step and define stopping power. Is it the ability of a particular ammunition to:
Immediately incapacitate a threat? Eventually incapacitate a threat? Slow down a threat? Render a person less able to remain a threat? Knock the threat to the ground?
I believe the definition of stopping power should be a particular ammunition's effectiveness to render a person unable to offer resistance or remain a threat to the officer, an intended victim, or self.
So how does ammunition accomplish this? You have two options. You can use a really large round at very high velocity like the 30mm cannon rounds from an Apache helicopter's M230 Chain Gun, which produces substantial kinetic energy, or you can place your shot where it has the most effect. Obviously, shot placement is the only realistic option for a law enforcement officer.
A.40 caliber bullet shot into the shirtless torso of a person causes a degree of injury due to the body absorbing the bullet's energy and dispersing it in front of and around the path of the bullet. The projectile also tears through the tissue. This means that the kinetic energy of this typically low-velocity (less than 1,500 feet per second) bullet will create both a permanent cavity and to a much lesser extent a temporary cavity.
But does this ammunition have acceptable stopping power? Only if it hits a vital structure that would "stop" the target from continuing the fight.
The Target Variable
Consider that the same ammunition shot into the torso of an officer wearing a ballistic vest involves the same forces, but they are dispersed over a greater surface area in order to dissipate those forces, which, hopefully, prevents penetration of the body and allows the officer to continue in the fight.
So is the stopping power the same or different for these two scenarios? The kinetic energy is the same, the tissue injury is different.
Another way to look at this is to think about a bowling ball as a projectile and how it might perform in two different scenarios. If someone shoots it out of a cannon into a brick wall, the large mass and high velocity will likely result in a significant hole in that wall. But if the same bowling ball is shot out of a cannon into a strong net made of Kevlar, it will likely have all of its energy taken up by the net and not allow penetration. It has the same energy to lose in its intended target but different targets yield different results. A bowling ball fired from a cannon has high kinetic energy and excellent stopping power that far exceeds any ammo you could carry on duty, but the effect it has on the target is still determined by shot placement and the nature of the target.
Real Gunshot Wounds
The point here is that no single ammunition that is typically used by law enforcement officers today can reliably claim to have superior stopping power.
I have seen a.22 caliber bullet completely incapacitate someone and a.45 ACP fail to achieve that result. People and animals shot with 10mm rounds and.357 SIG rounds have continued to run from the police. I have been on scene as a tactical medical provider when a suicidal person shot himself in the head with a.45 Colt round resulting in instant death. And I have seen the same results in suicides that used smaller calibers, including.22,.25, and.32. I have also seen people hit with 9mm,.40, and.45 without so much as staggering or slowing their verbal or physical activities.
So we come back to the original question: Which ammunition has the best stopping power? I can't answer that question. What I can say is that you should look for ammunition that reliably lives up to its claims of penetration and expansion but don't believe that these two factors alone are related to stopping power.
The ultimate stopping power rests with your training with your weapon system. Accurate hits in any reasonable caliber will "stop" a person if that person has experienced enough brain or spinal cord damage to interrupt regular neurologic impulses from reaching vital areas of the body or the person has hemorrhaged enough blood to lower his or her blood pressure where the brain no longer is able to function well. You can also stop a person if a major bone shatters after a bullet injures it, but does that stop the fight?
Stopping power is a marketing tool and should be dropped from our discussions of ballistic performance until such time as ammunition effectiveness is measured by more means than just the results of gelatin and barrier tests. When ammunition companies or regulatory agencies begin to use computer simulations, simulant tests, animal models, autopsy results, and trauma surgeon operation reports with hospital summaries to determine the effectiveness of their products, then we will know which ammunition can be labeled as having the "best stopping power." And this claim will be based on scientific data rather than incomplete ballistic testing.
Until then, shot placement with any commercially available ammunition will offer you the best chance of maximizing your duty ammunition's stopping power.
Sydney Vail MD, FACS, is an associate professor of surgery on the trauma faculty at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa. He also serves as director of tactical medicine programs for the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff's Office SWAT teams.In June 2011, eight days after the Winnipeg Jets completed the transfer of the Atlanta Thrashers to the Manitoba capital, Kevin Cheveldayoff was hired as the Jets first, and so far only, general manager. Cheveldayoff had a history with both owner Mark Chipman, dating back to their days competing against each other in the AHL, and with Jets’ assistant GM Craig Heisinger, going all the way back to Cheveldayoff’s junior playing days as a hard rock defenceman for the Brandon Wheat Kings. A former New York Islanders’ draft pick – 16th overall in 1988 – Cheveldayoff’s professional career ended because of a knee injury in the 1993-94 season.
The Jets have adopted a draft-and-develop philosophy under the Chipman-Cheveldayoff-Paul Maurice triumvirate, which often involves absorbing short-term pain to produce long-term gain. The Jets have been competitive in their first five years in Winnipeg – a 176-156-44 record under Cheveldayoff – but only made the playoffs once in...No, he’s just an old friend, he’s like a brother to me… (Picture: pojoslaw)
You might want to sit down for this, men.
Apparently nearly half of women in relationships have a back-up bloke – a man waiting in the wings in case things don’t work out with you.
A whopping 43 per cent of women have a Mr Plan B, according to a survey of 2,000.
Unsurprisingly, the most likely candidate is an ‘old friend’ – yes, it’s that guy who is ‘just like a brother’ to her.
Others might be ex-boyfriends or ex-husbands, colleagues or someone they have met at the gym.
Back-up bloke is typically someone she’s known for about seven years and there’s a one in three chance you’ve met him already.
MORE: 24 things all women think while giving a blow job
One in 10 have already confessed their undying love for her, and he would ‘drop everything’ for her, according to one in five women.
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Worryingly, one in four women say their feelings for him are just as strong as for you.
Fifteen per cent say their feelings were stronger.
However, one in three doubt anything would ever happen, so it’s probably fine.
A spokesman for OnePoll.com, which carried out the study, said: ‘For our research to establish that almost half of women in relationships have a Plan B is a worrying sign.
‘This news may cause a few men in relationships to think twice about not taking the rubbish out or choosing a night down the pub in favour of a cosy night in with his partner.’
Interestingly, 46 per cent of those surveyed suspected their husband or boyfriend might have a back-up woman of their own, although men were not polled to verify this.
MORE: 24 things all women think on meeting their boyfriend’s parents for the first time
MORE: Yay, they asked you out – but is it because it’s cuffing season?
Advertisement AdvertisementFor most Americans, the recent mass murder in Aurora, Colo., was an unspeakable human tragedy; if the story had any political dimension at all, it was guns and gun control (or the lack thereof). But for a vocal few in the misogynistic online world of “men’s rights” — and no, not all men’s rights activists are woman-haters — the takeaway was the evil of “male disposability.”
In the first few days after the shooting, a number of mainstream news venues, eager to find something uplifting to report on, focused on the heroism of some of the victims. “Three survivors of the Colorado movie-theater massacre escaped with minor wounds, but were left with broken hearts because their heroic boyfriends died saving them,” as The NY Daily News put it. “In final acts of valor, Jon Blunk, Matt McQuinn and Alex Teves used their bodies to shield their girlfriends as accused madman James Holmes turned the Aurora Cineplex into a shooting gallery.”
Less sentimental was The Wall Street Journals’ James Taranto, who, on July 24, let loose with this astonishingly sour and unchivalrous tweet: “I hope the girls whose boyfriends died to save them were worthy of the sacrifice.” Twenty-four hours later, after a deluge of negative comments appeared on his blog, he took down the tweet and issued an apology, in which he tortuously explained that he had merely been expressing his wish that the women would use “the gift of their survival well – to live good, full, happy lives.”
Taranto’s faux pas wouldn’t have even borne notice at A Voice for Men, one of the men’s rights websites the SPLC wrote about in the Intelligence Report last spring.
Under the headline “Three Cheers for Three Male Corpses. Heroes,” “John the Other,” identified as the site's managing editor, explained that those so-called heroes were merely victims of their biology (males are hard-wired to protect females) and social conditioning (which tells men, as John the Other explained, that “in order to be worthwhile, a real man, you’d better be prepared to die without complaint for the child, or the little old lady, or the drug addled slut in the next seat. They matter more than you. Your best and most honorable path ends in you on a slab in the basement of your city’s morgue”). Their sacrifice, he concluded, was merely a victory for misandry, the principled hatred of males. Had they not died, he added, “the preening, strutting, amoral whores of the mainstream media” would have described “them as cowards and shirkers; failed men for not doing their manly duty by dying for the convenience of others.” (Interestingly enough, one man who did flee the theater, leaving his wounded girlfriend and their two children behind—and then proposed to her hours later in the hospital—cut a wide swath through the talk show circuit.)
Over at the Spearhead, another site highlighted in the Intelligence Report, W.F. Price unleashed his ire on William Bennett, who, in an essay at CNN.com, had not only deigned to attribute the men’s actions to a code of honor, but cited a Slate essay by Hanna Rosin, the author of The End of Men. “Bennett gets it totally wrong on a number of points, which is about what you’d expect from a guy who relies on feminists to divine the motivations of young men,” Price complained. “They were solid men; the kind that families and communities have always relied on when the going gets tough. It wasn’t because they held some belief or political position, it was because they were men that they acted as they did. It is simply what men do, and that’s why they deserve honor, which Bennett is incapable of bestowing on anyone. No, instead of honoring these men, Bennett continues to measure them according to their utility to women.”
The Pigman, a self-described left-wing men’s rights activist, saw the lionization of the three men as so much propagandizing for “male disposability.”
“Cheering these men’s actions is as reprehensible as it is stupid and discriminatory,” The Pigman wrote. “Imagine if this was a cinema where roughly 50% of the patrons were black and the other 50% white, then imagine that everyone who decided to act as someone else’s bullet-proof vest just happened to be black and everyone who benefited from their sacrifice just happened to be white. Anyone with any sense would be thinking, ‘Well, this is clearly a society that teaches both blacks and whites that white people are worth more than black people.’ But because the disparity runs against not a politically protected group but against a group that enjoys neither the protection of the Right nor the victim status granted by the Left, not only does no one complain – they actually encourage the continuation of such disparity by praising the men who were foolish enough and unfortunate enough to fall for a lifetime of anti-male propaganda telling them to die for the nearest woman whenever the shit hits the fan.”
The feminist website Manboobz has collected these and many other gender-centric takes on the shootings, here, here and here.Microsoft's new CEO Satya Nadella made his third trip in as many weeks to San Francisco to announce the third piece in the puzzle that's Microsoft's future strategy: it's all going to be about data, he said.
It's all about the data
"The era of ambient intelligence has begun, and we are delivering a platform that allows companies of any size to create a data culture and ensure insights reach every individual in every organization," Nadella said.
He introduced SQL Server 2014, an application he said had been "born in the cloud," and one with which companies can analyze data with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The new build of SQL is designed to handle all data in-memory, a shift that would increase processing times by a factor of thirty, Nadella claimed.
He also announced a limited beta of the Microsoft Azure Intelligent Systems Service; a tool for analyzing data from – you guessed it – the Internet of Things. He cited Microsoft's own use of the service to pull in data from over two million sensors on the Redmond campus to manage real estate controls, but said any business could see a benefit.
Big Data also got a mention, in the form of the newly released Analytics Platform System from Microsoft. APS can pull in data from relational warehouses as well as code stored in Hadoop for analysis, and grew from Redmond's SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse.
Microsoft Office applications provide the interface for all this data, Nadella told the assembled press and customers, and gave Redmond the ability of provide one framework for collection, storage, analysis, and display of data across the enterprise.
Tuesday's announcements tied together the strands of Microsoft's future path, Nadella explained. Last month's Office for the iPad announcement took the application suite to all devices, while the thrust of Build 2014 was linking Azure into all Microsoft's existing portfolio.
Now Redmond is pushing tools for pure data, using both Office and Azure – and Microsoft will be eating its own dog food on this, Nadella said. From now on, Microsoft is going to be all data-driven, all the time, he said.
"This is the most paramount thing inside Microsoft," he said. "It's not going to happen without a data culture, with every engineer looking at usage data, learning from that data, and questioning what new things to test with our products, and move on the improvement cycle that is the life's blood of Microsoft." ®× Lafourche Parish Sheriff: Sex traffickers are not putting stickers on your car
THIBODAUX, La. – The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office has stepped in to clear up rumors that have been swirling around social media sites concerning small stickers and dots of paint on cars.
According to the rumors, which have generated significant concern both online and in the real world, sex traffickers are using stickers and other markers to identify the vehicles of people they plan to target.
In a Facebook post beginning with the words “RUMOR CONTROL,” the LPSO attempts to quell the growing concern.
“The white stickers on vehicle windshields are commonly used by companies providing services at automobile dealerships,” according to the post. “There is currently NO intelligence or evidence to suggest these dots and stickers are being used by sex traffickers.”
Stickers and small dots of paint are often placed on cars by service companies while the cars are at the dealership to signify that the car has already been photographed.
The sheriff’s office has contacted local car dealerships to confirm the innocuous use of the stickers.
The markers are often small and inconspicuous enough to go without notice until pointed out, according to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre.
“We have received calls from several concerned citizens after finding a sticker on their vehicle after reading the rumor on social media,” Webre said. “The reality is the sticker or dot is inconspicuous enough that you likely haven’t noticed it. While we have found the source of this rumor, we are not suggesting anyone let your guard down. All citizens would be wise to be cautious and aware of your surroundings at all times, especially when you are with your family, and especially during the holiday shopping season ahead. We’re simply informing you there is no evidence to suggest there is any truth to these rumors.”
The department has been employing a wide variety of memes and gifs to respond to comments from hundreds of people, many of whom are incredibly skeptical or flat out deny the sheriff’s explanation.On Wednesday’s edition of NBC’s “TODAY Show,” former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said she takes the “threat” posed “from the right” to the country, economic equality, and civil rights.
Hillary stated, “I get why people will say, ‘Well, hey, you know, there’s all this noise around her all the time.’ And some of it is of my own doing. I mean, I’m a person. I know that. But a lot of it is, for whatever reason, the idea among some that I really do take seriously the threat posed from the right to this country, to our economic equality, to our civil rights, I take it really seriously. It’s not just a political issue for me, and they are constantly trying to undermine me.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchettBrian McDermott is predicting some fun times for Leeds United under Massimo Cellino – and says life will never be dull under him.
McDermott is determined to be part of Cellino’s brave new world at United and feels that exciting times lie ahead for the club under the Italian.
He said: “I’m very pleased for the fans and club that Massimo is here because I didn’t know where this was going. It looks like light at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s been really worrying. It certainly won’t be dull with this man. He likes a bit of fun and we’ll see what happens.
“We had a three-hour chat on Thursday. He came to the training ground, we spoke about things and he texted me on Friday night to wish me well. I’m pleased he’s here.
“He’s a strong-minded man and he knows his own mind. I’ve been on a really tough run of results and you can say there are mitigating circumstances and there are. But this is a new beginning now. It could be really exciting times.”
Meanwhile, Gulf Finance House have confirmed to the Bahrain Bourse that the sale of the club to Eleonora Sport Limited is now complete.
In a stock exchange statement, GFH said it “expects positive impact on its financial position in the short and medium term”.PSN Video Store Boasts Impressive Numbers
It has been almost a full year since the PSN Video Store has been released, and a lot of things have changed. The amount of content has increased exponentially since launch, there’s greater support for HD movie rentals and purchases, and the statistics and figures regarding the PSN Video Store’s first year are very impressive.
Users have downloaded over 500 million pieces of content from the PlayStation Store, including game content and video services. When the Video Store first launched, immediately following Sony’s E3 conference last year, the store only had 300 movies and 1,200 TV shows. Now, the store boasts over 2,000 movies and 10,200 TV shows, from over 38 content providers. Recent estimations state that around 35% of the Video Store content is in HD.
Eric Lempel, director of operations for the PlayStation Network commented, saying that although having Sony Pictures as an initial partner was good, but other content providers, “had to be convinced that it was a good place to be and that their content was safe and secure. There were lots of discussions, a lot of roadshows, a lot of technical and business evaluations.”
How many TV shows and movies have you downloaded from the Video Store? Post your responses in the comment section below.
[Source]For a change of pace this week, I have handed over the reins of the Figuring Footy stallion (colt?) to other amateur footy writers. I'm interested to see what insights they can glean about the preliminary finalists using some of the tools and graphics introduced in my "Fresh Way" series so far.
First off we have two of my favourite sports writers around, Sean (@arwon) and Cody (@capitalcitycody) who write together at their blog, Hurling People Now.
The Swans Own The Corridor, And There's Nothing You Can Do About It
From junior footy on, the maxim is to reduce the angle to goal. Sure, kicking a checkside goal might be fun, but that's a sure way for your coach to give you an earful at quartertime.
When we got given the opportunity to ruin a much better site (THANKS ROB!), we thought about the strength of the Swans defence, and what we'd learnt in junior footy. For the uninitiated, since 2011 the Swans have been consistently entrenched in the league’s top 2 for conceding the most inaccurate scoring shots. With Figuring Footy's fantastic shot plot and contour maps, we thought we'd try to find a reason why this is so.
Upon first look, it hit us like a ton of inaccurate bricks across a goalface.
For the longest time, due to lack of better data, we've assumed that scoring accuracy is down to luck. We’ve even used an assumed regression to the mean in scoring shot luck to help project future season rankings.
We'd therefore consistently guessed that scoring shot luck against the Swans would normalise as it has for most teams over time, but it has not yet came back down. This was an assumption informed by knowledge of other sports such as basketball, but we couldn't prove it either way in footy because shot difficulty is a complete unknown just based on the basic match stats available in public databases (HI MATT!).
Generally from season to season, teams who concede more inaccurate scoring shots snap hard back towards the mean in the following seasons, but the Swans have avoided the trend:
And we think this chart goes some reason to explaining why:
As you can see in the title above, the Swans seemingly go to great lengths to deny the opposition scoring shots in the best possible positions, ie, close to goals and straight in front. Recall that this is the historical accuracy for a set-shot at every scoring location:
The "open-play" historical accuracy is even more centrally dominated. Sydney concede most of their shots in traditionally very difficult areas.
Now, let’s compare the Swans to an average team… let’s say the Cats:
As you can see, there’s a marked difference to conceded shot location, and to expected goals/SQP. You can see Figuring Footy's data seems to clearly show a pattern for the Swans here, and that's to push opponents out to the pockets and further out from goal, where decent chances are harder to come by. In fact, Sydney have conceded 45 more scoring shots this year than Geelong, and yet have conceded less goals.
What may cause chaos for Geelong on the weekend is the wider pockets of the MCG, and the Cats’ propensity to lead to the pockets:
If Geelong get stuck in the trap of leading into those wider pockets, after being denied space by the Swans, we may see a number of sprayed shots and centring kicks. While we're here, let's look at the Swans scoring shot locations:
You can see a heavy use of the corridor there, with a little red Franklin curve out to the left, reflecting his idiosyncratic movement patterns as highlighted in this previous Figuring Footy post. The Cats will have to work hard to deny Sydney opportunities from this central zone of the forward 50.
Geelong dominate the air
One way that Geelong may be able to gain the upper hand is to body up in the air, and take the hard grabs. Geelong conceded the fewest contested mark scoring shots this year, with their defence super strong against the high ball:
As you can see, a smattering of opportunities here and there, but crucially Geelong keep opponents from marking in that high-yield zone near goal. Geelong conceded less than half of the number of scores from contested marks than last-placed Essendon did this year. It's worth noting that Sydney was also second in this category, which is another factor in their stingy defence.
Up forward, Geelong are equally strong at grabbing contesting marks, and converting them into scores:
Without sounding like a broken record, Geelong were second in the league in scoring shots from contested marks as well. Sydney have been a more middling seventh in scoring from contested marks this year. With a smaller forward line dominated by Franklin who doesn’t take a huge amount of hard grabs, this isn’t totally surprising, but worth noting nonetheless.
Geelong’s contested mark scoring shots are dominated by one player: Tom Hawkins. He has clunked 29 this year – Menzel was the next highest on 14. This is where Hawkins has taken them:
You’ll notice a striking |
which caused the vibration.
Now, please refer to the above schematic. There are common devices in almost every home. One is the TV set. In the TV set is a very stable crystal oscillator on a frequency of 15.575 KHz. Some people can hear this high pitied "whine" coming from the TV. This frequency creates an ultrasonic field which covers your house and extends beyond the walls of your house. When you speak, the sound waves from your voice interact with this known [fixed frequency] field to create an interference pattern. This interference pattern can be detected by spy satellites and, from it, the voices in the room can be reconstructed. This is how the government listens to you in your home when it wants to.
Now that you know this, you can jam the spy equipment by installing "trashy" ultrasonic generators in your house. Try to find old ultrasonic bug repelers at a flea market or second hand store because the newer models have been "fixed" so as not to interfere with the spy equipment. This will produce so many random ultrasonic fields that the spy equipment will not be able to lock onto a stable pattern and so will not be able to reconstruct your voice.
Now, say you are in the middle of a lake fishing with your friend. No one is close to you. You think it is safe to talk. Well, think again. You see, you are most likely wearing an electronic watch. In it is a crystal on a frequency of 32.678 KHz. It is much weaker that the TV set but strong enough to make a field around you and someone close to you. So, spy satellites can tune in on you and hear every word you say. This is basically how the ultrasonic spy system works.
X-RAY SATELLITES
In case the government also wants to watch you in your home while it is listening to you, it can target your house with one of its X-Ray satellites. Of course, if you live in an old house painted with lead based paint they will have a fuzzy picture. Therefore, new laws not only outlaw lead paint but require the removal of any existing lead paint so they can get a clear picture. The system is very selective. For example, if you have a 50 story office building and you are interested in activities on the 17th. floor, you can "tune in" that floor and exclude the rest of the building. Clearly, this technology is similar to the new airport scanners which can be adjusted to gradually "strip off your clothes" layer by layer to see if you are hiding anything. The only difference with the satellites would be higher power and more selective focusing ability.
VENDORS
Government spies who are constantly slithering around the country killing and otherwise harassing helpless citizens use sophisticated electronic gadgets. This is not the same stuff you can go out and buy at some "spy store". This is stuff that regular people have never seen and have no idea exists. Unfortunately, gadgets brake sometimes and need service. What's a lonely spy to do - far from the home office - should this happen.
Well, fortunately, the government thought of that and established a network of repair centers. These repair centers go by the code name "vendors". So, if your spy stuff needs fixing, you know somewhere locally you can go to get the work done. Vendors use ordinary garden variety businesses as "fronts". Flower shops are popular because no would expect anything sinister there. In this case you would walk into the flower shop and say something like, "Hi, I am have some special trouble with my garden and I talked to Patty Petunia and she said she could help me." Obviously, there is no Patty Petunia but you have now given the correct code word and they will let you into the back room where the technicians work and you can get your stuff fixed or replaced or whatever it takes to get you back in shape to carry on your secret assignment.
NATIONWIDE DOUBLETHINK
Now, let's say the "vendor" in the spy fix it shoppe needs parts. Well, you need to go to a parts store. But, the parts you need are classified so the catalog is not going to have them in it. So you say, "I need some hard to find parts and Cathy Capacitor said you might have them." Now that you have said the correct code word, the man behind the counter will hand you a catalog which looks like the regular catalog but it will be the classified version which will list the secret parts you need. You place your order and pay with your Federal Credit Card.
We have used electronic parts as an example but the system of "two sets of everything", one for the "ordinary person" and another for the "special" person applies pretty much to all items and all major suppliers. There is one "public catalog" and a second "secret catalog" which you can see once you give the correct code word signal. Because "special" people may live and work side by side with "ordinary" people, there is a whole national language of code words so that the "special" people can get and do the things they need and the "ordinary" people will have no clue as to what is happening. It could be described as a sort of "cold war" of the secret government against the uninitiated masses or "the herd" as they are referred to in high circles.
CATHOLIC CONFESSION
This is one of the better kept secrets. For years now, priests have been passing on to the government anything you tell them in confession that they might find interesting. This is one of the major methods that the government uses to gather information. The Catholic Church has been very cooperative with the government in intelligence and it could almost be considered a secret arm of the government. Also, because of its power to scare people, it can help the government control people by, for example, telling people that it is a "sin" to try to avoid paying taxes.
As you may have guessed by now, the Catholic Church is a control organization and has nothing at all to do with anything remotely Spiritual. It is just a racket to get your money so that its elite members can have a great life without working.
THE STATE OF THE ART
INTRODUCTION
Here we wish to briefly go over the real state of the art in science. The "chosen" of the world have now had almost seventy years to evaluate and develop the seed knowledge that they were given for the benefit of all mankind. They have made good progress in the development of this knowledge although they only use it for their benefit and others detriment.
COMMUNICATIONS
Communications technology is one of the most perfected sciences. Instant global communications are available to anyone who wants to pay the cost and highly sophisticated global communications systems are available to the military and government.
Today's "secret agents" are supposed to be capable of uninterrupted worldwide communication via a dental implant. Additionally, they are supposed to have a second dental implant for self destruction. Both are said to be "non removable" whatever that means. The agents are fearless of death because they are promised new bodies if they should die.
This implant technology is also quite effective for the "puppets" the United States installs all over the world as "democratically elected leaders". In the past, when an installed puppet malfunctioned, it required a military invasion to remove the puppet and install a replacement puppet. This can be messy and costly as in the case of Panama and now Iraq. Now, with the self destruct implant technology and communications technology, when a puppet is installed he will have no choice but to obey orders because he will be monitored 24 hours a day and he can be killed in an instant by remote control if he gets out of line.
Radio transmissions may be cleverly encrypted to prevent the information sent from becoming known, however the fact that there is some kind of transmission taking place cannot be concealed. Since most people who are concerned with security have equipment which will detect that a radio frequency transmission is taking place, we assume that one of the NSA's secrets is that they have discovered some communications technology which does not use conventional radio frequencies. Such transmissions will not be detectable until someone in the private sector guesses how they work and lives long enough to publish the findings so that the new technology becomes public knowledge.
PHYSICS
Physics is complete. That is, there is no "uncertainty" left as to how things operate. Physics books available to the public end with all sorts of "uncertainty principles" and other assorted unknowns. This is to deliberately keep the average person in ignorance. For those a bit smarter, so called "String Theory" seems to be a fairy tale invented to send the curious off in the wrong direction. All of the mechanics of matter and the Universe have been worked out, tested and verified. There are real "complete" physics books in print, however you need a top secret clearance to get your hands on one.
MEDICINE
There is no known disease that does not have a safe an effective cure. There is no need for you to ever die physically unless you want to. The fact that these treatments and options are not available to you is due to government policy and secrecy.
Medicine has become an "industry" as opposed to some kind of "healing art" practiced by dedicated souls sworn to do their best to help you and to never hurt you. This may have once been true but the only thing that counts today is making money and the medical industry is very skilled at maximizing its profits.
Like any industry, the medical industry has and relies on "trade secrets". Trade secrets are things that, if known, would seriously impact the profitability of the trade. For example, an auto maker would prefer that you not know the actual cost of production of a vehicle. That way, you will be content to pay the designated price and feel you got a good deal.
The biggest trade secret of the medical industry is that there is really no need for a medical industry. If you had access to the secret vaccinations given to the elite ruling class, you would never get sick. If you had access to top secret cloning technology, you would never die. The only reason you would need medical help would be as a result of some accident or physical injury of some type. If that was the only reason people sought out a doctor, they would go broke.
Clearly, this is economically unacceptable. Therefore, it is important that people be deliberately allowed to become infected with diseases that are preventable and that new diseases be made in the lab and released to keep people sick and scared of dying so that they constantly run to doctors for "help", all the while not knowing they are actually the cause and not the solution.
Probably the two diseases that the medical industry absolutely loves best are AIDS and cancer. Both are man made and both have effective cures which are top secret. Drug companies know that they are not allowed to release the real cure without government permission. Of course, there is no economic motivation to do so because they could no longer profit from suffering people by inventing expensive "cures" which do not work and selling them at top dollar. These two diseases together fulfill many of the government's needs and desires. They kill people which is considered necessary for population control. They boost the economy because the drug companies and the medical industry can make a fortune selling the helpless people drugs and treatments that don't work and then "standing around" while the poor people slowly die in agony anyway.
The medical industry is extremely wealthy and has loads of lobbyists with bags of money to bribe congress and any regulators to get whatever it wants. What it wants is to stay in business and grow ever richer day by day. So, don't expect to see any improvements.
GENETICS
Much genetic information is now publicly available. In secret, the state of the art in genetic knowledge and capability is equal to or very close to the sophistication of the alien genetic scientists who manufactured the bodies we now use on the Earth tens of thousands of years ago. These alien people are the "god" or "gods" referred to in ancient books. There are no books written by the for real GOD.
SPACE TRAVEL
The US has space ships and space travel capability and limited experience in actual space travel. There are limits on where ships from Earth can go due to sanctions for willful and continuing violations of the Universal Laws. However, they sneak out every once and a while and visit uninhabited places or hook up with their little bug and reptile friends. One discovery of interest is that our solar system creates time within its space and other solar systems due the same. The field of control which our sun generates extends out some light years and larger suns would have larger spheres of influence. A solar system has a factor known in top secret physics as "time pressure". Time pressure determines what elements may freely exist within that system. Therefore, rare elements and elements that can only be man made and have very short "lives" in our solar system may freely exist and be common in other systems with a different "time pressure". This has been confirmed experimentally by traveling to other solar systems.
If Earth's government would clean up its act and respect Universal Laws, we could all enjoy the many new experiences available in other parts of the physical universe, but it appears that is not to be.
TIME TRAVEL
Time travel is a reality and has been perfected. The first thing they tried, of course, was to go change the past in the hope of changing the future. It does not work. Einstein predicted that it would not work and he was right. Changes you may make in the past have no effect at all on the present. So all those science fiction stories are just that - fiction!
A GOD'S LIFE
INTRODUCTION
Perhaps the most logical way to present this material is to take the theoretical case of a baby born to one of the ruling bloodlines of the Earth. Such a child would have a birthright or "divine right" to become a god. Let's go thru the stages of development of such a child.
CHILDHOOD
The young god is like any other naturally born baby. It does not remember its past lives and it is not consciously aware of much of anything at all. The child will, of course, be raised in an environment with every conceivable luxury. During these early years, members of the child's bloodline as well as those from other bloodlines will be watching. This is because, should this child be approved for godhood, it will live forever and become a new permanent member of their elite community.
Every once and a while there is an "error". A child develops humane thoughts and strange desires to work to change the world for the better. Obviously, this cannot be tolerated and such a child cannot be allowed to become a god. It may not be harmed, but it will be secretly excommunicated from the elite and will simply not be given the special knowledge of the gods. It will live a normal life and then die and be forgotten. This is just one of those problems when a child is born "naturally".
However, it is more likely that the child will show a tendency towards a desire for power and total disregard for "ordinary" people. Such a healthy sign would mean that, most likely, a new god has been born.
EARLY LIFE
Once the child reaches school age, there should be obvious signs as to whether this child will be initiated into the society of gods or not. If yes, the initiation sequences will begin.
Immunizations
The parents will order what is code named a "health kit" for the child. This consists of several bottles of liquid which the child will be told to drink or which will be gotten into the child somehow like mixing with food. The child will then be immunized for life against all known diseases including all special diseases which the government has created and released [like population control viruses such as AIDS] or that have been prepared and may be released in the future. Beyond this point, the child will never get sick. Child may or may not be told about this at the present time.
Special School
Obviously, child will never go to anything remotely close to a "public" school. Child is a future ruler of the world and is above all of those ordinary "trash" people. Child will go to a special school where other elite kids go and will develop friendships with other children, many of which may also be "young gods".
Attitude
Child will be watched for its attitude and method of handling interpersonal relationships. It is a future ruler and, as such, must show no weakness or compassion. If a male child has a problem with a girl and kills her [like the Kennedy's do], this would be a positive sign that he is "real god material" having demonstrated total ruthlessness and total disregard for human life. Special god training would probably be started immediately. As for the girl, well women are a "secondary inferior creation" so who cares. Bury her and forget it.
YOUNG ADULT LIFE
Now the young god in training is ready to start its special training which will place it forever above the ordinary person. Parents may take young adult to one of the secret libraries where the true history of the United States and the world is recorded. History books available to the general public are creative works of fiction at best.
In the secret libraries, child will learn about the FRUS [ F oreign R elations of the U nited S tates] books which contain the true history of the country. Child can read, for example, the secret indictment against President John F. Kennedy which was used to justify his murder. If child is into "spacey" stuff, he can read the true report of the Roswell UFO incident which is listed in FRUS as a legitimate event.
AUGMENTED COLLEGE YEARS
Obviously, child will be accepted and will attend one of the ivy league colleges. Child could go to Yale and get to join Skull and Bones but other colleges will do just as well. If child elects science as a major, the textbooks used in publicly accessible colleges will be insufficient because all state of the art science is secret. Therefore, the book companies which print watered down and obsolete stuff for the "ordinary" student also print correct state of the art books for those with proper clearances.
For example, an ordinary person obtaining a Ph.D. Degree in Physics would be left with a bunch of "uncertainty principles" and the general feeling that "we really don't know anything". Actually, Physics is a complete science and there is no "uncertainty" left at all. So, the classified books would cover subjects like "Temporal Science" and go thru the classified Einstein equations and thoroughly explain everything.
ADULT LIFE
By now the child has been confirmed as "god material" and will be instructed as to its special status and told that it will live here and participate in the ruling of the world forever. It will probably want to join some of the classic insider groups such as the Builderbergers or the Illuminati so it can have friends who are on the same level.
MARRIAGE
It will have been explained to the young god by this time that the elite bloodline must be preserved as it has been for thousands of years. Parents may have preselected an appropriate mate or suggested several approved possibilities. Love is irrelevant. Production of genetically correct children to preserve the bloodline is the primary purpose.
Should the young god totally reject this idea and choose a "commoner", it could be stripped of its future rights as a god and excommunicated from the elite circle it now enjoys. It would be unusual for the young god to make such a choice because by now it knows it is destined to live forever with every possible luxury if it conforms to the accepted rules of conduct.
OCCUPATION
The "elders" will decide how best to use the new god. It might be made into a Senator or even be selected to do some time as a US President. US Presidents are generally always from one of the ruling bloodlines of the world and are preselected by a committee of "elders" [for want of a better word]. Once the committee has selected someone, the press programs the general population in such a way that they elect the selected person. There have been errors in the programming process, notably in the case of President Kennedy who was not supposed to win. Such errors, however, are corrected.
"RETIREMENT"
Now, an older and wiser god, your work for your first lifetime as a god is coming to a close. You will have some retirement years where you will not have an active job. During these years, you will want to visit the secret underground cities and pick out some permanent accommodations where you will live when you are fitted with your new body. You will also get to meet the "residents" who will eagerly anticipate the day that you will join them.
What to do with the Wife
As a general rule, the wives of gods do not need to know about the underground or that their husband intends to live forever. There are plenty of young healthy females in the underground for recreation and it would be a drag to be stuck forever with the same woman even if she was fitted with a new young body. Therefore, wives usually do not have any knowledge about this.
The classic example is the retired CIA boss who went out fishing one day and went missing "floating down the stream". Later, the boat "floated back" with his dead body. Clearly, he was picked up by his buddies, taken to the underground and fitted with his new body. Then the "empty shell" was floated back so his wife could have closure. She had no clue.
LIFE IN YOUR SECOND BODY
Choosing a New Body
You have several choices in selecting a new body. You can choose a new identical body [clone]. You can choose to take someone's body away from them using the body swap machine [anyone joining the armed forces must sign over their physical body to the government and therefore the government has the legal right to do anything it wants to that body including removing the spirit from it and allowing it to be used by another spirit].
However, you will probably want to select a "manufactured" or "remanufactured" body. All natural bodies have some defects due to years of "tinkering" and radiation damage from the 1950's when they were popping nukes everywhere for tests. A "remanufactured" body means that a human body has been checked by genetic engineers for imperfections and all of them have been found and corrected. Such a body would guarantee you a "physically carefree" second lifetime.
Your New Life in the Underground
As a new god, you really do not have to do anything at all. The work of all the "ordinary" people of the world is for your benefit. You are entitled by "divine right" to anything you want. You have access to all available knowledge and technology. You can even go visit other planets or take trips in time if you want. Anything you desire will be provided.
However, once you settle in, since you plan to be here forever, you will most likely want to choose some activity to avoid becoming totally bored. There are many committees and study groups you can join where the future of the planet is debated and decided. As you develop seniority, which may not happen until your are on your third body or so, you may play a part in the ruling council of elders which is the actual negative core group which controls this planet. This would be your ultimate level of advancement within the world of the gods. Only the most evil and sinister can hope to reach this level. To do so is considered the ultimate accomplishment.
MANAGING THE HERD
INTRODUCTION
The United Nations refers to the collective peoples of the world as "the herd". They speak of such things as "how can we decrease the side of the herd" [population control] and so on. So, as a member of "the herd", you may be interested in some basic ways that are used to "manage you".
THE CAGE YOU LIVE IN
You live in a cage. You were born in this cage and you will die in this cage just like some pet bird or chipmunk or whatever. You may not have noticed this because the cage is rather large. However, it is a cage just as well.
Let's say you live in a major city and let's now look at the forces which control your life.
First, you are by no means a free person because you must "voluntarily" sell yourself into slavery in order to get your fiat [faith based] paper money so you can buy food to stay alive and some place to protect you from the elements.
The things you feel you know to be true were programmed into you by state controlled education and are reinforced every day by state controlled media.
"You are what you eat" and the only thing that there is to eat is processed food containing [god knows what] additives which you consume every day and you have no clue what they are or how they affect you.
In a large city, the air you must breathe may be sprayed with special chemicals designed to influence your behavior psychologically or damage you physically by causing cancer or some other dread disease.
In your neighborhood is a paid government informer who knows you and who may even be one of your friends.
Your phone is tapped and all your calls are recorded and saved for a specified amount of time. If you are "interesting", these records are saved permanently.
X-Ray satellites can watch you inside your home at any time. This is why lead paint was outlawed.
You cannot cross an international boundary without permission and some international boundaries are off limits.
In the future, you will need your National Identity Card and Internal Passport to leave your city and to cross checkpoints within your city. Your vehicle will electronically report its position to the government so that your movements can be logged.
If you have a cell phone, be advised that it is not only reporting your position but that it can be remotely turned on so that it transmits your conversations with whomever you are talking. Turning the cell phone off will not stop this. If you want privacy, you must remove the battery. Otherwise it can be secretly turned on and used as a listening device.
Above you is space. You know it is there but you have no idea what activities take place there and you cannot go there.
Below you is the underground. You don't even know it exists.
This is your situation - "love it" because you "cannot leave".
POPULATION CONTROL
The world population is "adjusted" based upon the needs of the ruling masters. As technology increases, less people are needed to do the slave jobs because machines now do these jobs. Therefore, the "surplus people" need to be eliminated.
Also, specific subgroups of the general population are evaluated for their work potential or "output" as slaves. "Lazy" groups of people are scheduled for elimination first. In keeping with this scheme, the long range plan is to eliminate the black race first and then to consider elimination of Latinos because they like their "siestas" and don't work as hard as other groups do.
AIDS was originally invented to eliminate the black race and specifically to depopulate Africa. Later, the military suggested that it could be used to get rid of gay people which it has never really approved of. So, agents were sent to the gay areas of California to give out free hepatitis shots laced with AIDS to eliminate the gays.
In general, the medical profession has the duty to see that you "die appropriately". i.e., that you do not liveFrom the creators of Papo & Yo, Minority Media VR inc. have released a Daydream VR game onto the Play Store today. Titled The Other Room, this is a virtual reality take on the tried and true concept of escaping a room through solving puzzles.
The Other Room offers procedurally generated puzzles while mixing in immersive audio and bizarre 360 video segments. Your overarching task will be to foil your adversary's plans, but beware -- they will convincingly try to evaluate your mental state in order to throw you off your game. As you can imagine, this adds up to a pretty involved plot with quite a few layers. Sure, it can get a little weird, but hey, who doesn't like weird?
Sadly for all of you Samsung Gear VR owners, The Other Room is only available for Daydream VR devices. Those of you lucky enough to own a Daydream compatible device, well -- you can pick up the game for $4.99 upfront with zero advertisements or in-app purchases to worry about.Jose Bautista’s bat flip has made its way to Toronto city hall — twice. Mayor John Tory stepped up to the plate in his bet with the mayor of Kansas City on Friday, flipping a bat into the pool at Nathan Phillips Square to announce his wager.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James says he'll give John Tory ribs and BBQ sauce if the Blue Jays beat the Royals. ( Youtube ) JohnTory flips a bat into the pond at Nathan Phillips Square while announcing his baseball playoff bet with Kansas City's mayor. ( DAVID RIDER / TORONTO STAR )
He took media by surprise and camera operators had trouble capturing it. So he offered to do it again. Neither time, though, did he quite capture the Bautista glare that was the pinnacle of Game 5 of the American League Division Series. However, for the second go-around the bat was still in the pool so mayoral staffer Alex Chreston took off his socks and shoes and waded into the water to retrieve it. As for the wager, Tory offered to send three different types of Ontario craft beers to his counterpart, Kansas City Mayor Sly James, whatever the outcome of the Blue Jays-Royals AL Championship Series.
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“Number one, our beer is stronger,” Tory said. “Number two, our pitchers are stronger. And number three, our hitters are stronger and so, Mayor James, game on. Go Jays!
Then he threw the bat. On one of the takes, he glances over and says, “Oh jeez, did I almost club somebody?” On Thursday, James wagered some Missouri barbecue on the Royals beating the Jays in their best-of-seven series. James promised to send Tory some ribs and BBQ sauces from three Kansas City restaurants should the Jays win.
“We are going to not lose, so I’m really more interested in what you’re going to do for us,” James says in the video. “But I will warn you in advance: we have our own maple syrup, so something else maybe.” On Friday morning, Tory accepted his counterpart’s challenge. “I love BBQ & look forward to getting some from KC @MayorSlyJames,” Tory tweeted.
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“I wouldn’t start getting your knives and forks out, however, because we plan to win this thing,” James said in the video, before leading a small crowd in a “Let’s Go, Royals!” chant.
“We want to hear what you guys are going to put up because we’re going to put up the best barbecue in the entire country. Make it something good, brother!” Earlier Friday, Tory said he’d be sending a gift to James no matter how the series ends.
Have your say
“[T]he mayor said they had their own maple syrup and I wasn’t aware of the burgeoning Kansas maple syrup industry, but I think that even if they have a very excellent maple syrup industry, with what I’m sure is a quality product, it’s not the real thing,” Tory told reporters. “And so, regardless of the outcome of this series I will be sending him some maple syrup that is real maple syrup – real Canadian maple syrup – on the basis that he should not be denied the opportunity to sample that, especially if it’s being used to drown his sorrows.” With files from Jillian Kestler-D’Amours and David Rider
Read more about:Farmers will become the first large California insurer to start offering a ridesharing insurance product on Thursday.
In an announcement made at the Los Angeles office of California Department of Insurance today, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and Farmers Group Inc. CEO Jeff Dailey outlined the new ridesharing endorsement on Farmers personal auto insurance policies.
The endorsement will add 8 percent to a customer’s premium, and is available for drivers participating in any ridesharing companies, also referred to as transportation network companies, like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. The new policy enables drivers to select coverages including comprehensive and collision, uninsured and underinsured motorist and medical payments coverage.
“This is the first major California insurer who is offering this not just for one transportation network company, but for all of them associated with Farmers insurance,” said Jones, who headed a National Association of Insurance Commissioners task force to come up with recommendations for state regulators to deal with ridesharing issues. “So this is a big deal.”
Earlier this year Jones approved a filing to enable Uber drivers purchasing coverage through Metromile to add a new coverage endorsement to their personal auto policy.
Jones announced in November that his department was accepting rideshare insurance product proposals in anticipation of a law going into effect in July 1. The law signed last year, Assembly Bill 2293, requires TNCs to carry a $1 million commercial policy for death, personal injury, and property damage, and it specifies coverages for different driving periods.
The Farmers endorsement covers the first period, when a rideshare driver has on a smartphone app and is actively looking for a ride. During this period, under AB 2293 either the TNC or driver must have insurance for $50,000/$100,000/$30,000 with excess coverage of $200,000.
“We think this is really an important coverage for the state of California,” Dailey said.
He called the endorsement “Farmers Ridesharing Coverage,” and said the company was ready to distribute it through its agency channel. “We have a network of close to 4,000 agents across the state of California who are looking to actively start selling this product.”
Los Angeles-based Farmers earlier this year introduced its first rideshare product in Colorado.
Most personal insurance policies have a livery exclusion, which excludes commercial activities from coverage.
Rideshare watcher Harry Campbell, a Newport Beach, Calif. blogger for Forbes who goes by the handle “The Rideshare Guy,” said he believes the Farmers endorsement will reduce the number of ridesharing drivers who are conducting the activity without their insurers’ knowledge.
“My hope is that more companies will follow suit seeing as there are over 70,000 rideshare drivers in California alone and based off the numbers from my last reader survey in January, over 80 percent of them have not told their insurance company that they are a rideshare driver,” Campbell said.
An email reply to a request for comment from Uber spokesman Eva Behrend stated: “It is encouraging that Farmers is embracing ridesharing as an important transportation option and innovating to meet the needs of the marketplace here in California.”
Lyft offered the following comment: “We are encouraged by the creation of modern insurance products tailored for drivers who participate in peer-to-peer transportation, and we hope Farmers’ policy is one of many options approved and available to ridesharing drivers in California.”
Sidecar spokeswoman Margaret Ryan provided a similar comment, and included a call for more such insurance products: “We encourage other insurance companies to also step up and create modern insurance products to serve the thousands of TNC drivers nationwide.”
Despite the turbulence between ridesharing companies, regulators and the insurance industry over how ridesharing activities should be enforced and insured, the activity continues to grow.
In 2014 Lyft reported averaging 2.2 million rides per month and Uber nearly 12 million, and so far in 2015 Lyft reports averaging 2.5 million and Uber 30 million rides monthly, according to figures provided by Jones.In 2001, Tenacious D released Tribute, an epic rock lament to writing the greatest song in the world… and then forgetting how it went. Not only did it set Jack Black and Kyle Gass’s comedy duo on the road to festival greatness, the video also showcased just how much Dave Grohl was born to play the Devil. Here, Gass explains how the song was born…
“Jack and I were palling around, and we’d stay up late and eat fast food. Way back when, he turned me on to this band Metallica, and played me the song One. He said, ‘Check this out, it’s the greatest song in the world.’ And I said, ‘You know, we could try to write the greatest song in the world.’ But he played me that song and it really was this epic thing, and I thought that’d be fun to try and write the greatest song of all time. I had a little riff and we got together for three days straight. Jack was like, ‘We can’t write the greatest song, but we could write a tribute to the greatest song that we’re trying to write.’ And we just thought that was the funniest idea. Like, that’s it! That was the comic construction to go to.
“It even evolved over time. We had the Stairway riff in there. But that was too on-the-nose. Then we got it down to the tight five minutes or whatever, and it became our signature song. But it’s so strange, it really was the first song that we worked on. We’d written this one little serious song before that, that we didn’t like that much. Or Jack didn’t like it. And then Tribute. So it’s all been downhill ever since, it’s the craziest thing.”
“It’s really quite flattering how much people like it, it’s been really great. When I was at a huge festival they played it over a loudspeaker and everybody sang along. And I thought, ‘Well that’s it, I’ve done it.’ I just couldn’t believe it, it’s so awesome. And you see a lot of kids covering it, like in high school talent shows, and they’ll send me the video. Wow, that’s just really neat, you know? The worse the better, I always enjoy them!
“The making of the video was really good. Our first video was Wonderboy, which we shot with Spike Jonze. And it was epic, he had a vision in mind and it cost a lot of money, but I don’t think it was very funny, so it was strange for us to come out with something that wasn’t really funny. So for Tribute we employed our good friend Liam Lynch, and he had shot some funny videos for next to nothing. We just wanted to really come out and do something crazy and entertaining. And then we got Dave Grohl to be the Devil, so it was just a great day. We shot it in one day on the cheap and just put it all in there. Dave’s the best! And he of course was reprised in The Pick Of Destiny.
“Are there any plans to write new songs? Always! Secrets!”
The Kyle Gass Band will release their album Thundering Herd on October 14.
The Spinal Tap QuizUniversity students from across Hong Kong attend the start of a week-long boycott of classes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shatin, Hong Kong, China, on Sept. 22. The one-week school strike is seen as the curtain raiser for Occupy Central, when thousands are expected to blockade roads in Hong Kong’s central district in protest of Beijing ruling out an open election of the next chief executive in 2017. (Jerome Favre/EPA)
Joshua Tucker: As part of our continuing collaboration with political science journals, the following is a guest post by political scientists Howard Sanborn and Clayton L. Thyne based on research that is forthcoming |
. Although some critiques argue that the Damascus prophecy was fulfilled in 732 B.C. when the Assyrians leveled the city, others, also pointing to Jeremiah 49:23-27, insist this is an End Times event yet to come to pass.
Olive Tree Ministries shared a commentary on its website earlier this week from prophecy author Jack Kinsella, who expresses the opinion that, based on Scripture, it is quite possible that Syria might look to engage neighboring countries, such as Israel, Iran or Turkey, in the conflict.
Kinsella believes that if Syria uses chemical or biological weapons in an ethnic cleansing campaign, foreign governments would be forced to take military action against Damascus. Such action would prompt Syria to retaliate with military strikes against its northern neighbor Israel. That could eventually lead to a domino effect, with counter-strikes from Hezbollah, Iran, Turkey and perhaps even Jordan, the "The Omega Letter" editor conjectures.
"The prophet Isaiah predicts a quick war between Israel and Damascus, culminating with the total destruction of the city in a single night. In the event of a WMD attack against Israel, the destruction of Damascus would be Israel's only defense against potential annihilation," Kinsella writes.
Conjecturing that if President al-Assad takes such a gamble, Kinsella says he will fail.
"It will be primarily between Syria and Israel, and it will be settled in a single, overnight strike," he concludes, pointing to Isaiah 17:12-14.
Joel C. Rosenberg, a communications strategist and best-selling author of The Last Jihad, The Last Days and similar-themed novels, questioned last month: "Does Bible prophecy foretell the destruction of Damascus?"
"These prophecies have not yet been fulfilled," Rosenberg wrote in June. "Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It has been attacked, besieged, and conquered. But Damascus has never been completely destroyed and left uninhabited. Yet that is exactly what the Bible says will happen. The context of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 are a series of End Times prophecies dealing with God's judgments on Israel's neighbors and enemies leading up to — and through — the Tribulation."
Revealing that he was summoned earlier this year to Washington, D.C. by "a prominent Member of Congress" to discuss this very issue, The Damascus Countdown author concluded:
"How exactly will Damascus be destroyed? When will exactly it be destroyed? What will that look like, and what will be the implications for the rest of Syria, for Israel and for the region? The honest answer is that the Bible does not say."
Meanwhile, those on the ground in Damascus and all throughout Syria are bracing for a storm as the battle between rebel and state forces is expected to hit a fever pitch.
"I think what we are seeing today is the beginning of the end," Tariq Saleh of the Revolutionary Leadership Council of Damascus told The Washington Post via Skype on Thursday. "The scenario we fear is that the loyalists will launch revenge attacks on civilians before we witness the fall of the regime." Saleh, speaking from Damascus, said he hoped the fighting would end soon, "with as little bloodshed as possible."
State security, backed by anonymous pro-government militias, have been locked in a renewed, intensive battle with rebel forces in the city of Damascus, where three members of the president's cabinet were killed on Wednesday. Among the top security officials killed by a suicide bomber were al-Assad's brother-in-law and his defense minister. This attack having come so close to home has been touted by some as indication that rebel forces are gaining ground and the regime is on its way out.
However, the government has laughed off such assertions, a representative saying in state-run newspaper Al Bath: "The traitors, agents and mercenaries are deluding themselves if they think that Syria will bow to this strike, even if it hurts."
Instead, the regime has vowed to hit back as hard as possible, after having already being accused of committing innumerable human rights violations in what has been declared by the International Red Cross as a "non-international armed conflict," or civil war.
"The army has so far exercised restraint in its operations, but after the attack, it has decided to use all the weapons in its possession to finish the terrorists off," an anonymous security source told Agence France-Press, which also reported that hundreds of Damascus residents were fleeing after being told by the military that they had 48 hours to escape the on-coming clamp down on rebel forces.
Among the arsenals in Syria's possession is a stockpile of chemical weapons, which the U.S. reportedly fears could potentially fall into the wrong hands or even be used against opposition forces in an ethnic-cleansing effort. Syria is reportedly the only country in the Middle East with such a large collection of chemical weapons.
With anywhere from 10,000 to 14,000 people having died and thousands more displaced since fighting broke out last March, it is feared scores more will be killed and uprooted from their homes, even as Muslims begin their month-long observance of Ramadan, marked by fasting, prayer and reading of the Quran. Syria is predominantly Muslim with Christians being about 10 percent of the population.
Christians have been encouraged by organizations such as Open Doors to use the month of Ramadan to pray especially for the well-being of those facing persecution in Muslim-dominated countries.
A former Syrian army colonel who defected from al-Assad's forces to join the Freedom Syrian Army in Istanbul, told CNN this week that all signs indicate that a major fight was indeed on the horizon.
"The battle for Damascus is coming," he said.Bloodiest PKK fight in years kills dozens
ORDU/ANKARA
The Turkish military deploys a number of tanks and other vehicles around a military post, which has been attacked by the outlawed PKK militants in Hakkari’s Çukurca district. Nearly 130 militants were killed in the ongoing operations, a minister says. DHA photo
Turkish Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin broke the government’s silence yesterday on the heaviest clashes to strike Turkey in years, announcing that 115 Kurdish militants had been killed in Hakkari and that six soldiers and two village guards had been killed in the eastern province’s Çukurca district.The eight members of the security forces were killed late Aug. 4 in a PKK attack on military outposts in Hakkari, he said, adding that 14 PKK members, including a female suicide bomber, died in the attack.Şahin did not give any additional information about the Turkish causalities other than noting that two soldiers had been killed as part of the operations against PKK militants, which started July 23.“We know from the information we gathered that they determined 2012 as a final year for [the PKK]. For this reason, they sometimes resort to activities which carry a risk of death; the organized attacks both in Şemdinli and Hakkari Geçimli show that,” Şahin said.“We know from the information we gathered that they determined 2012 as a final year for [the PKK]. For this reason, they sometimes resort to activities which carry a risk of death; the organized attacks both in Şemdinli and Hakkari Geçimli show that,” Şahin said. “But our security forces took necessary reinforcements in the region in terms of both equipment and arms, and personnel by regarding the truths of the information and experience. And they had to bear the consequences of these attacks by suffering important losses.”Şahin’s statement came after rising criticism from the opposition parties about the lack of information about the Şemdinli clashes despite heavy propaganda activity by the PKK, which claimed to have taken the town under control. A parliamentary delegation of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had refuted the PKK claims during a visit to the town, but they had also complained that there were not being given satisfactory information.The clashes have been some of the heaviest and bloodiest in years. The PKK has been waging an armed campaign for Kurdish autonomy for the last three decades against Turkey, leading to the deaths of more than 40,000 lives so far.Hours before the statements of Şahin, high-ranking Turkish officials had reacted to the situation.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a written message to offer his condolences to the Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel in the wake of the Hakkari attacks. “The PKK “once again” showed its enmity to Turkey’s national and spiritual values by mounting a “dastardly” attack during the holy month of Ramadan,” Erdoğan said.The prime minister also pointed at possible foreign actors directing the PKK’s attacks when he said Turkey was “strong enough to bring into line both the murderers controlled by the PKK and enemy countries that hold the PKK’s strings.”“The terrorist organization has embarked on a reckless plan in the holy month of Ramadan. Our security forces have begun fighting by taking precautionary measures to avoid giving any chances [to the PKK],” President Abdullah Gül wrote on his Twitter account.Co-authored with Dr. Alex Edmonds and Behavior Analyst Francisco Gomez
In our previous articles we broke down styles into three classifications and provided a brief description of the behavioral characteristics. To further illustrate styles, let’s look at champions and popular fighters who will serve as standards in boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). After, we will examine the importance of understanding style match ups.
Short-range style: Boxing = Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson MMA = Brad Pickett, Quinton Jackson, Ross Pearson
Mid-range style: Boxing = J ulio Cesar Chavez, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya MMA = Donald Cerrone, BJ Penn, Robbie Lawler, Alistair Overeem, Mike Brown, Tito Ortiz
Long-range style: Boxing = Vladimir Klitchko, Tommy Hearns, Tyson Fury, Larry Holmes MMA = Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Junior Dos Santos, Rory MacDonald, Stephen Thompson, Dominick Cruz
Note: Because mixed martial artist’s are able to use kicks and knees as part of their arsenal, short-range styles in MMA will likely never be as pure as those employed by boxers. Fighters like Ray Leonard and Frankie Edgar are good illustrations of how a combination of styles can be effectively applied.
Fight Science: The Reach Advantage
Case Examples:
Style adjustments for fighters to that of their opponents’ can literally be the difference between winning and losing. In many cases reach can be the defining factor. To illustrate the point, consider the fight between Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone. On paper, Cerrone appears to be the more advanced striker given his superior kickboxing and muay thai background. His striking prowess is punctuated by a 13-0 amateur record, and 28-0-1 professional record. However, Diaz, widely known as a BJJ practitioner, actually out struck Cerrone landing 82 percent of his 314 punches, compared with Cerrone’s 33 percent connect rate from 200 attempts. The difference, we would argue, can not only be found in Diaz’s effective use of his reported three-inch reach advantage, but also by Cerrone’s failure to adjust his style to compensate for Diaz’s reach. And why would he, given his past success? He is an amazing striker!
But consider how this fight would have differed if Cerrone had used more head movement (characteristic of short-range defense) to slip inside of Diaz’s reach to allude strikes, while firing off his own arsenal. If you can find the fight, watch it. You will probably note Diaz peppering him with long punches, and Cerrone just missing his counters. What might have been the outcome if Cerrone had, for this fight, modified elements of his defense and striking based on the characteristics of his opponent?
Diaz/McGregor
A similar example of this is the first fight between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. In this fight, Diaz capitalized on his reach and height advantage. While McGregor overcame his height disadvantage early in their second fight, by employing low kicks, we would argue that McGregor’s failure to adjust his style based on Nate’s reach and height advantage, resulted in his demise in their first fight. McGregor’s style, predominantly a long-range style by our classification, was highly successful at a lower weight class where he was the taller, rangier fighter. In their second fight, McGregor adjusted for his reach and height disadvantage by increasing his use of leg kicks.
Style adjustments for fighters to that of their opponents’ can literally be the difference between winning and losing.
Research on “Predictors of Victory and Injury in Mixed Martial Arts Combat” (Estelami, 2014) demonstrates that fighters with a larger reach advantages are significantly more likely to win. Take a look at the probability of winning based on reach and height advantage. This data was collected from 1,178 MMA fights held in Nevada from 2003-2010:
Outliers
However, if you are the shorter fighter with less reach, do not be disheartened. We would be remissed if we didn’t mention those fighters who have, on average, a shorter reach than their opponents but are still successful. We would posit that a reach advantage can be turned into a disadvantage using the correct style. One need only look at fighters like Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier. Their forward movement and effective head movement illustrates the truth of this. Moreover, in MMA there are many more options for winning a fight. For example, Daniel Cormier always has the reach disadvantage but he overcomes this by closing the distance with a pressured style of attack coupled with outstanding grappling. As MMA continues to evolve, we are likely to see more application of techniques associated with short-range fighters, especially for fighters with a grappling background who are seeking takedowns.
The amount of time and energy devoted to the learning and coaching of a technique is an investment on the part of the fighter, the coaches and the entire training camp team.
Styles are very dynamic and made up of many key elements. These include posture, body angle, hand positioning, footwork, punch output, and trunk rotation. While there is no one style that is better than another–each has its own strengths and weaknesses–it is critical that the fighter’s style be identified. The amount of effort the fighter invests in learning a skill plays a significant role in the successful adoption of a technique. In behavioral science, we call this response cost. The higher the response cost is, the more punishing or difficult the learning becomes. As a result, the skill is less likely to be successfully adopted. However, the closer the skill being taught is to the fighter’s preferred style, the more reinforcing the skill will be. As a result, the fighter is more likely to successfully adopt and apply the skill.
The amount of time and energy devoted to the learning and coaching of a technique is an investment on the part of the fighter, the coaches and the entire training camp team. Like any other business venture, a coach should always be looking for the highest and fastest return on investment. Consequently, choosing techniques that fit within the fighter’s style is a fundamental business decision.
In closing, remember this article is intended to get the reader to theorize styles through the proposed classification system. Assessing fighters and opponents through this conceptual lens can be potentially useful. Especially when applying “fighter-centric” approaches through the differentiation of training regiments, to meet the strategic needs of fighters.
Main Photo:Quote from: mastahcheese
Will there be a form of true rebirth or possibly reincarnation? Rather than mummies that rot in tombs, will we ever see a fallen entombed general ever leave the tomb and rejoin society for some cause? And if an entity member worships a god of rebirth or something, will we see any form of reincarnation, either as a new birth of the same species, or perhaps different species? And would they be aware of it?
If either or both of these are implemented, would they show up beyond just being viewable in Legends mode? Would we see a dwarf be reborn/reincarnated in fortress mode, or perhaps have an adventurer do the same and be replayable from their new life?
On a completley unrelated note:
My wife was wondering, Will various foods in the game have viewable flavors? Such as if certain food is sweet or spicy, and if dwarves would prefer different flavors, as opposed to/in addition to specific foods. Also, would they have allergies to particular foods? Or at least disliking a particular food, which would cause a minor bad thought?
Quote from: CaptainArchmage
If we have a modded world where some good regions resurrect the dead, are the dead returned to life and the population during worldgen?
Quote from: Alu
So now that you are working on elven trees, does elven woodwork get special tagging now? An Elf snaps if he sees non-elven woodwork, because trees are being killed for it, so they do it differently by growing their furniture out of the tree or something right? Does elven woodwork get special tagging now, so they don't go crazy if you buy their stuff and sell it back to them?
Quote from: Greendogo
Regarding Elves and their affection for trees; have you read Orson Scott Card's sequel to Ender's Game called "The Speaker For the Dead"? It has a very interesting take on a kind of "tree husbandry". The "Piggies", as they're called, use dance and song to ask the trees to produce the objects they need (the trees are grown from the bodies of their slain ancestors, and they're sentient). I'm basically wondering how you're planning on Elves having wooden homes and wooden tools and other wooden stuff, but not carving it or hacking it out of the trees.
Quote from: hoveringdog
Are there any near-future plans to integrate tree products into existing fortress industries (e.g. pressing juices from mangoes, oil from coconuts or kapok, tapping maples for syrup, and then having those products for relevant brewing, cooking, or soap-making tasks)? Also, will any of the fictional trees (e.g. goblin cap, etc.) be given harvestable products?
Quote from: monk12
Will NPC forts fall prey to HFS? Trying to reclaim a fort you didn't design (and thus don't know where the important things are) from HFS, Moria-style, would be pretty amazing.
Quote from: Calathar
How will the game handle preventing fort retirement exploits? Essentially, if a fort is full of goblins or a syndrome sweeping the populace, what will stop a player from retiring the fort and preserving it as an NPC fort? Will there be some means of ensuring that forts with!!Fun!! stay!!Fun!!?
Quote from: Ribs
Say you manage to make your fortress the capital of a dwarven civilization and then retire said fortress, starting a new fortress with the same civilization somewhere else. Will it be just as easy to make this new fortress into the capital? Because with the standards we have right now it would be easy to make a new fortress every three or four game years or so and make it into the civilization capital. And if you could retire every one of them you'd see the king just hoping from place to place every couple of years. So, will each successful fortress raise the standards for making the upgrade?
and
What if you refused to be "baroned" and still retired a very sucessful fortress? How would that fortress work? Would it then be treated as something of an independent city-state or realm, maybe even becoming it's own entity sparking a new civilization of it's own?
Quote from: CaptainArchmage
Does this mean if we play as humans, we will be able to reclaim cities that have fallen into ruin? If so, how will we get around the 16x16 limit on the map size, given some cities are 17x17?
Is the new stuff in this version going to make the saves from 0.34.11 incomptable? If not, what will happen with the "non-existant" settlements in that world?
Quote from: CLA
Do you see DF as city building/management sim and roguelike game with the whole world generation thing around it as "gimmick", or do you think, possibly contrary to what DF might have started out as, persistent and continuous interaction with the World that is generated is now the core game mechanic of DF, with the three modes being various facets of that mechanic?
Quote from: Lolfail0009
With the fort retirement thing, will we be able to simulate the world a la worldgen, but after we leave a fort? And will adventurers gain in status over time?
Quote from: darklord92
With the inclusion of underground sites, will tunnels be reintroduced to worldgen? and will they on longer be blocked up in fort mode so that dwarven caravans can enter your fort through the underground.
Quote from: Vattic
With the dwarven sites is there the possibility of whole mountain ranges carved inside into giant dwarven cities, riddled with corridors and rooms and similar not unlike Moria, or are you thinking smaller?
Quote from: Cobbler89
Will there ever be an option for Fort Mode to play as a deep mountain site? I.e. is the description of (paraphrasing) "fortresses are what you play as in fort mode, but in addition we're adding hill settlements and deep sites inside mountains" merely indicative of how these sites compare to what is currently in fort mode, or is this restrictive in that we should not expect to be able to play these other new types of sites anywhere down the road?
Quote from: Ribs
I'm curious to know if we'll be able to link ourselves through underground roads leading to the formation of these "deep sites" on the outskirts of our fortresses.
Do you plan on having underground cities forming themselves semi-independently around your fortress, just like you plan to have aboveground villages being formed on surrounding territory as the game progresses?
Quote from: CaptainArchmage
If caravans and/or migrants arrive through the cavern layers and tunnels, would they still be able to arrive during sieges on the surface? If we get underground sieges, will there be a differentiation between the levels that are being sieged and the levels not being sieged to allow migrants to arrive some way or other (i.e. by means of a sealed underground road that leads to the next fortress)?
Will other races set up trading outposts around our fortresses as they grow?
Quote from: Mr S
Toady, will the Three Tiered Dwarven Sites implement another site flag, similarly to the Lair Flag, to indicate which type of site they are? Are there any practical, overhead, coplexity or gamey distinctions between them? Will we be able to reclaim any of these three types? What will be complications/restrictions for borders of these underground sites be if/when they do indeed span multiple areas (2x2 - 4x4) and/or have tunnels connecting them?
Quote
Quote from: eux0r will two sites be able to occupy the same x-y-coordinates, even when theyre not from the same civ? in general, will two civs be able to occupy the same territory, as long as one is above and the other is below ground level?
Quote from: CaptainArchmage Will multiple sites be abel to occupy the same map time, as in fortresses and deep sites on multiple levels on the map?
Quote from: hermes
When a dwarven civ expands, either in worldgen or in the general lore of the game, is there a regular order in which the three types of settlements emerge from the mother civ - e.g. hill dwarfs migrate then decide to dig down and make a fortress which eventually begets a deep site, or deep site up, or something else - or are they independent of each other in terms of origin?
Quote from: darklord92
Will dwarven sites ever become separate ruins, as a dwarf site becomes a deep site and than a fort will the above ground fort ever be abandoned and become ruins and the lower site remain a underground city?
Quote from: Kumis
If fortresses now connect the surface to the underground societies will we now find restrictions upon where we can embark, or if not a restriction then a new possibility to make a fortress as an entrance to our mountain home?
Will our fortresses still become the capital after a time? It seems a bit weird to turn the front door into the throne room, so to speak.
Quote from: CaptainArchmage
Toady, do you have any ideas or goals for when ships, boats, and vehicles are added? Specifically, do you see ships, boats, and vehicles as being optionally designed by the player within the game, or just being hardcoded or defined within the raws?
Quote from: mastahcheese
Will we ever be able to play out the trip towards a new site? Such as, when a site is being chosen, would we see a travel line from the entity's capitol toward the desired embark and actually have the wagon move along it, sort of like adventure mode travel, but in control of the dwarves?
If this were possible, would we also be able to change the path taken, such as making it longer in order to avoid going through an evil forest?
Quote from: GreatWyrmGold
Are the dwarven settlements outside of mountains still called Mountainhomes or are they Hill-, Plains-, or Whateverhomes?
Quote from: HiEv
When you say that "you'd be able to get communities like these settled around your own fort", do you mean that we'd be able to send migrants out of our fort to settle/join other areas?
If so, that sounds kind of cool.
Also, how will nearby communities affect trade?
Quote from: misko27
So then, are we going to see more territorial conflicts in world-gen? As sprawl is now so much more important, are various civs going to fight to establish themselves in a given are? Sorta of overlaps with the can sites overlap with underground ones, since that'd make it easier.
Quote from: BinaryBeast1010011010
will the "outside" nobles (baron, all the way to the king) will now have different requirements? link to the capital like a secure tunnel through one of the cavern layers from inside the fortress to the edge?
will we be able to found underground "link" fortress to link two parts of the civ each on one side of a mountain chain (dawn of time challenge any one?)? if yes will there be rules such has "dont breach the above ground" or something like that?
Quote from: rhesusmacabre
Will there be an underground dwarvern equivalent of human farmland?
Quote from: Quatch
Now that the maps are being filled in with more realistic sized (scale-abiding) settlements, will the overall size of the world* change so as to preserve undiscovered wilderness areas?
Quote from: Lord Zack
Will we only be able to reclaim sites of our own race or civ?
I'd like to be able to take over an abandoned human fortress and then transform it into a proper dwarf one, personally.
Will reclaimed world gen fortresses already have workshops and areas that were formerly stockpiles?
Quote from: monk12
Will invading Humans/Elves/Goblins be able to conquer the deeper dwarf sites, or will they be restricted to the hill sites and the fortresses?
A player founded fortress will be able to spread to deeper dwarf sites as well as the hills, yes? Will the player be able to direct/incentivize this spread in a particular direction?
If a player fortress generates significant deeper sites, and then releases HFS, will the HFS spread to the deeper sites and claim the whole mountain for themselves, or will they just hang out in the site where they were released?
Quote from: Japa
Toady, with dwarven settlements now being common, will it be possible to fast-travel through them?
Quote from: dhokarena56
Toady, will other races have these sorts of new site divisions at all? I can easily imagine a true distinction between cities and surrounding hamlets for humans, or maybe a goblin dark tower having a clutch of small, scattered camps around it to better protect against invasion and act as outposts. Connected to that, will sites ever "mature" into another class of site, or decay into a less populous class?
Finally, are we ever going to be able to play as these different sorts of sites? And, will the depth of sites be more variable to account for the different site depths, especially on embark?
Quote from: Heph
In the first map in the upper 1/3rd of the right side there is a darkgrey "Block". What does it mean?
Quote from: CaptainArchmage
In older versions, dwarf fortresses had a color relevant to the population, so darker grey fortresses had smaller populations and the largest fortresses showed up as white. Now, white settlements indicate fortresses, light grey settlements indicate hill dwarves, and dark grey settlements indicate deep dwarves. The symbols for the sites of other entities still change depending on the population on the world map, so will we still have such an on-map indicator for fortress size or not?
Quote from: Tov01
Will you changed anything about how succession works in this release or the ones immediately after it? For example, if a monarch dies with no heir, will the game try to find a more distant relation to take their place (siblings, spouse, ext), instead of picking someone at random, as the game seems to do now? Or, if the heir is still a child, will the child take the throne (perhaps, in a later release, with a steward ruling in the meantime), instead of ignoring the child heir completely?
Quote from: dhokarena56
Are we going to get to interact with successions or hierarchies this go-around? I don't know what that would entail, exactly- perhaps trying to promote your baron to monarch or starting a coup?
Quote from: CaptainArchmage
So as it is, the king is going to just move around from fortress to fortress, without there being a main capitol? This seems to make sense but is there going to be a tag on the king to indicate that he will move around? When other entities have kings, will they move around by default or be settled in one place unless there's a very good reason to move?
The idea here is that dwarves may have a king who will move to a different town if there's adamantine or if there are more +<<+platinum goblets+>>+, while human kings will generally stay in one place.
I've notice someone has put up something on the suggestions forum about island settlements. If we settle on an otherwise uninhabited island, will settlements still spring up around the fortress?
Quote from: Brotato
Will hill-dwarf settlements spring up naturally around our fortresses, or will we send migrants out in the hope they establish colonies for us?
Quote from: ag
Will it be possible to bring a player fortress out of retirement in case you have a new idea or something, like you can with an adventurer, or is the retirement process strictly one-way?
Quote from: CaptainArchmage
Also, with the addition of hillocks, are dwarves actually going to be moving earth around in the next release and if will this facility be included in fortress mode for players?
Quote from: dancing kobold
for the next release. how smart do you want the AI that control retired player fortresses be? will it actually simulate the fortress similar to the way players do it or will it "cheat" a bit? if it cheats. will it then take into consideration what stuff you have at the site for how much chance it have to survive?
Quote from: XXSockXX
Will hill dwarf sites and deep sites be subject to invasions or MB/FB rampages during gameplay? Will you need to and be able to defend them?
Will you eventually be able to control these sites in the same way you control your fort?
Quote from: misko27
Since theres now a whole window for nobility and holdings, is it going to remain limited to showing dwarven sites, or will it eventually include the loose allances of the human lords, or what now appear to be goblin and elven sprawl?
Quote from: Valtam
Now that we're going to find fortress dwarves in their natural habitat, without telling us about how far from their home they are, are there plans to fit or expand their interaction choices with adventurers? Maybe trading with brokers or request healing from medicine laborers?
Quote from: Putnam
Speaking of interactions, as a modder, are there going to be any expansions of old modding with this release? More tokens for CE_ADD_TAG, more syndrome types, more usage hints, more counter triggers, anything like that? Or is it just a straight shot to expansion and activation of the world?
We have a resurrection effect already, but we don't do anything interesting with it. I'm not sure what will happen in the future.Trying to come up with general taste categories for things like bananas seems like a nightmare, or at least something that I couldn't do at all myself. I'm technically for having that sort of information, but have no idea how to do it.Nah, world gen doesn't use the effects well, especially modded ones.It doesn't have a tag yet, but it should. One would hope they could recognize their own work, especially as it becomes more unusual.I haven't read it. We weren't planning on dancing so much, but yeah, trees are growy. We wanted something forest-dwelling humans couldn't do.I don't have a timeline for any of that.Ideally we'll get to that sort of thing. I think it should all be on the table to make world generation non-static. I'm not sure what I'll get to though. I'd like to have some reclaimable forts from the start, at least a lot of the time.It'll probably work out the way adventure mode retirement works, in that only a properly situated adventure can retire. A fort in danger will likely need to be abandoned if you want to quit right then. Danger is hard to track in certain circumstances though, so there will be exploits, just as you can exploit the current adv mode system. I'm happy with allowing extra retirements rather than trying to restrict the option based on possibly dubious heuristics. I think the siege light would ideally be a good block on retirement for instance (although it still stays on forever, sometimes...).That's how it would work right now, yeah. Once it understands the situation in the original capital, that'll probably change.We don't really have the consequences all coded for refusing the barony -- once that relationship is established more formally, it should be respected when your fortress retires. It could very well end up as its own civilization at that point (and you'd also have dwarf invasion trouble at times).When it's modded, I'm not really sure what your site is supposed to represent -- I doubt you'll be allowed to reclaim villages (just as you won't be able to reclaim hill sites or deep sites for dwarves).I certainly wouldn't count on using your old saves for this time. There have been a lot of changes.Relating the game to the whole world has always been the point of our main fantasy game (DF used to be a side project). If you look back at the Armok 1 days, we were basically going for the same thing, but from the bottom up (too much). The old Dragslay game had a little more world activity than DF (and was vastly more simple in most other ways), with towns being sacked and so on, and it was fun. DF is just now starting to take that stuff up, and it should be really cool to finally get it going.There aren't many plans to simulate world gen after play has begun, since there are lots of difficulties with re-abstracting information. There'll be times when time needs to be advanced though, and I haven't gotten into that yet. I'm not sure what you mean by status. There's the current "you're a hero!" thing, and we'd like to improve on that.I've been ambivalent about this... it could be that the deep sites are the tunnels now. In a lot of those forts you could walk from a fortress, down into a deep site and then move between deep sites until you arrive at another fortress without stepping into an unclaimed cavern tile. Eventually you'll get dwarven caravans from the underground, but perhaps not until we give you some associated sites of your own.I've posted some of those pictures now, and you can see the amount of sites there. I'm not sure exactly how carved deep sites will be though, since I'm still on the hill sites. They won't carve every tile on every z-level, but there should be a healthy amount of carving going on -- enough to get you across the mountain range if they've settled it. It is a huge area since they've got many z's to play with, and I don't want dwarven populations much higher than the populations of other civilized creatures, so the could be certain sparseness or clustering (or just a ton of mine tunnels). We'll have to see how it plays out.The reason the fortresses are small on the map is that playing 17x17 sites isn't really on the table. I wouldn't rule out a starting scenario in the future that takes place in the underground though. Those kind of sites would then occur in world gen as well, as small forts (or whatevers) within the mountain that don't have surface entry. Perhaps they'd occur on the boundary with underground animal people or underground goblins when those are fleshed out.Yeah, the deep site plans align with the hill dwarf plans there. When we do them for fortress mode play, it is now almost guaranteed that we'll do hill and deep site linkages/mechanics at the same time.I think eventually there will be a differentiation between the levels. There isn't really a need for it yet, since I haven't added lower caravans.You'll likely have a more explicitly stated relationship with nearby sites as you get your own associated outside sites, but I don't have specific plans.The hill/deep sites are too large to reclaim, and that's the main difference, though the maps are also completely different. I'm not sure about the borders -- the layers of the cavern tend to be connected, though there are water areas. I'm sure I'll encounter various problems when I get to the deep site maps. Ideally, the fortresses will go down to at least the first layer (and sometimes all the way down to have magma forges), and through the cavern layers they will connect to the deep site maps. I'm not sure every deep site map will be on a cavern layer(s), but it'll probably be very common for them to have a significant presence there, especially for food and lumber.Eventually we'll need to deal with x/y overlap of sites, but we've just managed to avoid this time. It's a not-difficult but lengthy rewrite I'd like to continue to avoid since it'll overload me for this release. Once we get to underground animal person sites, I think it'll be unavoidable, but that'll be good and it'll lead to some cool things.I think we'll explore the concepts more deeply when we get to |
h. — Sam Parker (@samparkercouk) February 9, 2016
Instagram account switching! I'm one happy bunny. After years of waiting! pic.twitter.com/FnkGOe3NqE — Shane Griffiths (@shanegriffiths) February 9, 2016
Instagram may even contribute to better time-management skills.
The addition of account switching on Instagram is going to save me seconds every day #itsthesmallthings — Koroush Mazaheri (@koroush18) February 9, 2016
But what about those who only operate one photo-sharing account? Intentional or not, Instagram may have just opened the door for a slew of new accounts—created just so users (myself included) can take advantage of the new feature.
Reason to create a private personal Instagram account for sharing bits and pieces with friends only? Easy switching between accounts.?? — Liina (@liinaytt) February 9, 2016
I kind of wish I had a reason to have an extra Instagram account so I could take advantage of the new account switching feature. — Aisling Brock (@aislingbrock) February 9, 2016
Multiple account switching is already available on Twitter's mobile app.You've no doubt spent the 14 months since Doritos Locos Tacos were introduced wondering how Taco Bell came up with the brilliant idea of turning the popular chips into popular taco shells. If you just assumed this was the work of a dedicated, and probably high, Yum Brands food scientist, Gary Cole is here to tell you that you're wrong.
To be accurate, Cole isn't here exactly. He's in the super-max prison in Florence, Colorado.
Cole's home is become famous for housing convicted terrorists, including Zacarias Moussaoui, shoe bomber Richard Reid and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. Cole's crime isn't quite as high-profile. He's nearing the end of a 25-year prison sentence for "delaying interstate commerce, conspiring to do so, and using and carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence."
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But that's not the issue at hand. What's important here is that Cole claims that he, and not Taco Bell, invented Doritos Locos tacos. So he filed a federal lawsuit yesterday in Dallas alleging that the fast food chain, along with Pepsi, Plano-based Frito Lay and Taco Bell parent Yum Brands, stole his idea.
As proof, Cole offers a notarized document he mailed to his attorney in 2006. It's a list of nine products that Cole lays claim to. Most of them fall under an imagined "Divas and Ballers" brand: hot sauce, alcohol, "health mix," body oils, et cetera. Ignore all those. The key item on the list is No. 2: "Tacos (sic) shells of all flavors (made of Doritos)"
See also Fine, Taco Bell is Going to Release the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, OK?
Six years later, when he came across pieces in Time and USA Today describing the introduction of Doritos Locos Tacos, he concluded that his idea must have been stolen through the mail. He wrote to the FBI demanding an investigation. To the IRS he wrote "a check was made out to a person for a large amount by Taco Bell, Frito Lay, and Pepsi Co. Inc. for an idea or invention that was submitted to them by theft and fraud," going on to ask for "the person, the name, address, the amount of the check, how much taxes paid on the check." He also sent a Freedom of Information Act request to Taco Bell calling for the release of any and all documents related to the invention of the Doritos Locos Tacos.
Cole received no response, hence his decision to sue. He is representing himself in the case, but court filings indicate that he did attempt to enlist the help of a Denver law firm. He doesn't include the letter he sent them, which is a shame, because their response suggests it was incredible:
Dear Gary: Thanks for your April 25th letter, which we received on May 3. By now you should have received the taco documents. Hopefully, the stress they caused will be relieved. Do not "put a knife" to the staff. That won't do you, or us, any good. I understand your frustration, but we're working on the retaliation issue and would ask that you leave it in our hands.
Cole's frustration is indeed understandable. He spent countless hours in his prison cell dreaming up the Doritos taco shell, and now someone else is cashing in. That's a tough lesson to learn, but Cole should console himself with the thought that he has bestowed a tasty gift upon humanity.Select a Category "aha" moments "The Bible" on the History Channel 1 Corinthians 10:4 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 1 John 1 Peter 3:15 1 Timothy 5:19 1st Advent 2001 World Series 9/11 A Beka Books A Long Faithfulness A More Christlike God A Year of Biblical Womanhood A. J. Jacobs Abraham abuse of power academic freedom Acts 10 Adam Adam and biblical genealogies Addison Hodges Hart adjunct teaching adolescent sexual purity aesthetics age of the earth Al Groves Al Mohler Alan Millard Albert Einstein Alberta Alex Rodriguez Allah American Sniper Ana Greene Andrew Louth Andrew T. 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Select a Month August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011Donald Trump opened up with both barrels Tuesday on a Republican senator who spent the morning calling his foreign policy amateurish and dangerous.
And his target gave as good as he got.
The president's tweeted broadsides at Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker come as he heads to Capitol Hill to meet with Republicans about a pending tax bill.
'Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal & couldn't get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts,' Trump tweeted.
'Corker dropped out of the race in Tennesse[e] when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record!'
'Isn't it sad that lightweight Senator Bob Corker, who couldn't get re-elected in the Great State of Tennessee, will now fight Tax Cuts plus!' Trump added later.
Corker won his 2012 Senate election easily with 65 per cent of the vote.
By mid-morning Corker was uncorking at Trump on CNN, saying that'much of what he says is untrue.... I don't know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard.'
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President Trump unleashed a new attack on Sen. Bob Corker (left), saying Tuesday that the Tennessee Republican is standing in the way of tax cuts
Corker said that Trump should leave diplomacy 'to the professionals' and stop 'kneecapping' his top diplomat
Trump tweeted Monday that Corker, who has announced his retirement as of next year, 'couldn't get elected dog catcher in Tennessee
By mid-morning Corker was uncorking at Trump on CNN, saying that'much of what he says is untrue.... I don't know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard'
Asked if he would support Donald Trump in the future, Corker said: 'Let's just put it this way, I would not do that again. No way. No way.'
'I think the debasement of our nation will be what he'll be remembered most for, and that's regretful,' he said, insisting that Trump is a poor role model for American children.
'We have young people who for the first time are watching a president stating, you know, absolute nontruths nonstop, personalizing things in the way that he does. It's very sad for our nation.'
Corker has minced no words about his disdain for Trump's approach to foreign policy, and said Tuesday morning on ABC that the president should stop 'kneecapping' his top diplomat.
And he insisted the president should abandon his scattershot approach to the North Korea nuclear crisis and leave it 'to the professionals for a while.'
Trump shoved back – hard.
'Sen. Corker is the incompetent head of the Foreign Relations Committee, & look how poorly the U.S. has done,' the president tweeted.
'He doesn't have a clue as the entire World WAS laughing and taking advantage of us. People like liddle' Bob Corker have set the U.S. way back. Now we move forward!'
The Tennessee senator was back to talking about 'day care staff' on Tuesday
Trump fired back less than an hour later
In remarks to reporters as the feud reached a fever pitch, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he hoped the Trump-Corker tensions would calm down over lunch.
'I'm glad the president's coming to lunch because I have long believed that it's best to settle these things in person and I hope they can get the chance to do that,' Ryan said.
Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has already announced that he will not seek another term in office, opening the door for the kind of frank statements that are seldom heard from politicians preparing for re-election.
Trump publicly chided Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this month for being optimistic about a rapprochement with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un
By mid-morning, Trump was attacking Corker on substance, calling him an 'incompetent' Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman
Corker's chief of staff Todd Womack insisted this month that his boss wasn't bowing out because of a lack of support from the White House.
'The president called Senator Corker... and asked him to reconsider his decision not to seek re-election and reaffirmed that he would have endorsed him, as he has said many times,' Womack said on October 8.
'I want to support these efforts that are underway,' Corker said Tuesday, referring to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's outreach designed to quietly bring North Korea's government to the bargaining table.
But 'the president undermines our secretary of State [and] raises tensions in the area by virtue of the tweets that he sends out,' Corker said on ABC's 'Good Morning America' program.
Sen. Corker unleashes on Trump in stone cold interview w/@mkraju, “[Trump] has great difficulty with the truth..." https://t.co/VAhVkQqxwP — Ashley Codianni (@AshleyCodianni) October 24, 2017
Corker smacked the president on Oct. 8, tweeting that the White House had 'become an adult day care center'
'And I would just like for him to leave it to the professionals for a while and see if we can do something that's constructive for our country, the region, and the world.'
Corker and Trump have been engaged in an online war of words this month – with the president claiming Corker failed to stop Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, and Corker firing back that Trump's White House is an 'adult day care center.'
Responding to Trump's tweets on Tuesday, Corker wrote on Twitter: 'Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff'
He softened his language on television but left no doubt about his meaning.
'Really, when you look at the fact that we've got this issue in North Korea and the president continues to kneecap his diplomatic representative, the secretary of State, and really move him away from successful diplomatic negotiations with China, which is key to this, you’re taking us on a path to combat,' Corker said.
'It appears to be the governing model of this White House to purposely divide,' he added in an interview on CBS.Last year, we ran a series of articles extolling the virtues and eliminating the myths of the skilled trades. While we were able to cover a lot of ground, there wasn’t room to provide a detailed picture of all the various trades out there for men to pursue. So, as an accompaniment to our So You Want My Job series, we’ll be running regular installments of So You Want My Trade: interviews that offer an inside view of the pluses and minuses of various blue collar career choices.
If your idea of a plumber is an uneducated, unkempt, overweight man with generous butt crack showing, you need to think again. They may have a poor reputation in pop culture, but plumbers truly help keep our nation’s infrastructure running. Without them, we’d literally be swimming in crap. Beyond the industry’s necessity, it can make a great career, even for the entrepreneurial type.
I had the pleasure of talking with Steve Egner, owner of Steve’s Plumbing in Washington state, about his work and his business. It was an enlightening conversation, and I guarantee you’ll learn something new about being a plumber. Heck, maybe you’ll even be making plans to pursue a new career!
1. Tell us a little about yourself (Where are you from? How old are you? Describe your job and how long you’ve been at it, etc.).
I just turned 55 years old. I’ve been a plumber since 1978. I grew up in Austin, Texas. I went, briefly, to the University of Texas, but I was persuaded by a friend to go into the plumbing field. So I picked that up, and over time, became adept at it and realized I could make a living at it, so I continued.
I obtained my first license in Austin in 1983. I moved to the northwest in 1986 and opened Steve’s Plumbing in 1995. So this is our 20th year in business, and we’ve been adding employees and growing very deliberately since 2006. We’re by all accounts a small business and a successful one.
2. Why did you want to get into the plumbing industry? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do?
Absolutely not. I used to joke with people who’d ask me, “How did you get into plumbing?” I’d tell them, “I must’ve done something really bad in a former life.” Most of the people in the industry are here by accident. Most don’t grow up in a family plumbing business, or if they do, they don’t end up in plumbing. It’s just one of those things, when an opportunity arises, you’re helping a friend, next thing you know, you’ve been doing it for a year. Then, you find it’s a lifetime trade and skill. A lot of people find it by accident; that’s certainly what I did.
3. Tell us a little bit about what you do as a plumber. I’m sure it’s more than just fixing leaky faucets and de-clogging toilets.
We train our men to be diagnosticians. Plumbing problems rarely present themselves easily, so they have to be in possession of critical thinking skills to go and determine the root cause of a problem. For instance, a leaking faucet might simply be a symptom of a greater problem. A plumber should go in and as part of his diagnosis be checking the water heating system, the water temperature, water pressure, etc., and there may be clues that there is a systemic problem greater than just that one problem that presents itself.
And then when we find that, we’ve got to be able to convey, in simple terms, for a homeowner, exactly what is wrong and what we’re going to do to cure the problem. And then we have to be prepared to justify our costs because, like every skilled trade, plumbing is expensive, and materials are expensive. But the homeowner is going to compare their particular repair to the cost of a fixture or a part that they can find in a home center, because these days home centers are selling materials for virtually wholesale cost. If we go in to replace a toilet, and we say that’s a $700 purchase, and the homeowner says, “I saw one at home depot for $85,” we’ve got to be able to justify that difference in our pride, our workmanship, the quality of the material that we’re presenting, and our warranties. And that takes a communicator. If you’ve got a strong and silent type who doesn’t think on his feet, then he’s not going to go very far.
4. What was your path to becoming a plumber? What kind of training and certifications did you need?
The best way is to go the old-fashioned route through apprenticeship. An apprenticeship means that a young person finds his way into a reputable company and is trained by multiple technicians, or, in my case (and I think the best case) works one-on-one with a master of the trade. So, you find a small company where the Master is perhaps in his waning years (frankly those begin typically in a person’s 40s). Then, basically you shadow him for months, and you’re learning what parts and tools are. Then, pretty soon, you’re adept enough to determine the needs, and you’re able to have the tool or part in hand as it’s needed. Then, you’re good enough to handle some tasks on your own, then some tasks without supervision.
States vary as to different requirements for licensing, but in Washington state, an apprentice has to accumulate 6,000 hours with supervision in the plumbing trade in order to obtain a license. With 2,000 hours a year, on average, it’s about 3 years. Some guys take 4 or 5 years, some people never obtain a license. I happen to come from a state where licensing was not just a legal requirement, but it was enforced by pride in the community.
So, after 3 to 4 years, an apprentice is able to take the examination and obtain his first level of a journeyman license. Once he’s got his license he can work without supervision in residential and commercial structures up to three stories, and then after he’s accumulated another 2,000 hours of experience, then he’s able to take the journeyman exam, and that will allow him to do work in any building in the state. And really, I think that the learning curve is pretty steep. I wouldn’t trust a three-year journeyman to work unsupervised. That would be an exceptionally talented, very rare individual. I think most people are confident and have gained enough skill to actually be effective in the trade somewhere between their 5th and their 8th year. By the time they’ve got ten years, then things can really move for them and it’s automatic, and by then I’d consider them a real master of their skills. But, these days, a plumber following an apprentice path in our shop can work 3 to 4 years, and be well on his way to $70,000 to $120,000 a year.
5. Did you go to trade school?
No, I did not. I worked one-on-one with a master plumber. He was a terrific guy who followed and shadowed his father, so he did come from a family business. He worked with his father from the time he was eight years old. He was fully employed as a teenager and didn’t finish high school. He just took over the family business. When he moved to Austin, he was a young man still in his mid-twenties, and needed a helper. I was either just 18, or I might’ve still been 17 when I first started with him. Even though he was in his mid-twenties, he had already done the trade for longer than a lot of 40-year-old plumbers because he worked with his dad from the time he was 8 years old, so he knew a lot, and he conveyed a lot to me — especially the pride that goes with the trade.
6. What would you recommend for someone going into plumbing today? Trade school, or just going to a small shop like yours and saying “I want a job”?
Both routes are available. I’d say that the trade school route is typically going to steer a candidate toward a commercial field, so he might be more apt to work for a union shop or commercial projects, and that has its pluses and minuses like anything else. Residential shops typically are dominating the service industry.
Now, I wouldn’t recommend that an aspiring plumber hire on with building new construction, or doing production work. You might learn plumbing skills, but what you’re really going to learn is production skills. You’re not going to learn anything about communicating with the customer. You’re not going to learn anything about best practices or diagnosing problems that would really enable you to step up in the industry. Frankly, those type of shops are turn and burn shops, their employee turnover is high, the benefits are usually non-existent, and the paydays are considerably lower. Our service industry needs people who’ve got great communication skills and mechanical skills. That’s a tricky combination.
7. How do you find work as a plumber? Through a union? What’s the job market like?
You know, trade schools are usually packed by unions, so typically the larger mechanical shops and union shops will follow the trade schools, and will tap those candidates for applications because they’re learning hands on. Nothing wrong with union shops, they just operate on a different type of project than we do. They’re perhaps on a school or industrial project for months, or even years at a time. And their skills are monitored and unions protect their rights. I’ve never had any personal experience with a union although I’ve had friends who’ve worked for the plumbing union, and found it excellent. So, I figure if a person wanted to take that path, the best way is to go through nepotism — find someone who’s family or a friend or a relative who’s in the union and approach them because that works. That’s often how unions hire. They network from within. And I don’t use nepotism derogatorily. That’s just a fact, that’s the way it is.
Another route to take would be to look and see who the dominate service players in your area are. Just check out plumbing companies on the internet, check out their Better Business Bureau ratings, check out their Attorney General rating, and see what kind of company they are. If they advertise best practices, but then they don’t uphold those, that’s not the kind of company you want to work with. There’s a huge number of employees and owners out there who have no understanding of basic ethics, and they give the plumbing trade, and I think any service industry, a bad name. But, you can tell a lot by researching a company, reading their online reviews, and going through the Better Business Bureau and Attorney General’s office to see how they’re rated. Approach those shops with a good, well-rounded resume that proves some technical skill (not necessarily in the plumbing field), and prove to them that you want to work hard and be a plumber.
8. Tell me a little bit about an average work day.
I can tell you what I did yesterday. A technician calls me for a job, and the customer says she has a slow laundry drain, so when she runs her washing machine, it backs up the pipe and floods the floor. We go over there and we don’t just immediately attack the drain; we ask her if it’s ever happened before. This particular customer says yes, it has happened before. In fact, this happened less than three months ago, it happened 6 months before that, and about two years before that. That tells me that the frequency of the problem is increasing, and we put that together with the age of the house, about 40 years.
Then I ask, “When was the last time someone looked at your piping system in the crawl space?” We went down to the crawl space and found that the washing machine had been relocated at some point in the home’s history. So, we’re not going to be able to correct it just by poking a hole with a drain or cable machine. We’re actually, for long-term success, going to have to do a major change in the plumbing in the crawl space, making sure the piping is proper code size and has the proper fitting arrangements.
I was able to get in and clean out the line more thoroughly than it’s ever been cleaned before, and provide her with a temporary situation. But, long-term, she’s going to have to do a more expensive solution. So, instead of going in and just cleaning the drain, I actually probably spent three hours with that customer. Even though she couldn’t begin on the more expensive repairs, she’ll at least know what to budget for a repair that will resolve the problem permanently.
We finished that one, and then we get a call about an outside faucet leaking. We go out, and we find that actually all her outside faucets are leaking, and that immediately clues me in to a pressure problem. So I tested their water pressure and found out that it was excessive. There’s a lot of new construction in the area, and the city authority has boosted the water pressure to allow for further development and an additional hundreds and hundreds of homes in the area, but they don’t inform the homeowners. The homeowners simply have running toilets, dripping faucets, leaking outside faucets, etc., and this person needed a pressure incubator. She also needed those fixtures replaced that had already been damaged by the high pressure. That was a call that again took a few hours, a diagnosis, and |
US military stresses that the detainees were all given sleeping mats, toothbrushes and Korans. The cages where the prisoners were kept, now covered in vines, can still be seen inside the camp.
It was there that the United States began, in 2002, to lock up suspected terrorists from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The symbol of a sinister America took shape at Camp X-Ray, where the detainees, wearing orange jumpsuits, were kept locked up inside chain-link and barbed-wire enclosures. A soldier with the press unit says: "Camp X-Ray is an important part of our history. It shows where we come from and how much we have improved since then."
The 166 remaining detainees, of an original total of about 800, are kept in four tracts. Camps 5 and 6 are the "most attractive and best-smelling" prisons he has ever seen, says a spokesman. It's even possible to visit them, but not Camp 7, which was built for the 14 so-called high-value detainees. It is a secret camp, and not even its location is officially known. The defendants are driven in white vans from Camp 7 to the courtroom every day.
Prone to Arbitrariness
Some 86 detainees who are apparently innocent could have been freed long ago. But the US Congress has blocked their release, arguing that they could return to their native countries and plan future terrorist attacks. Another 46 men are to be detained "indefinitely." They are considered dangerous, but the military lacks sufficient evidence to put them on trial. Only six detainees have been charged with crimes. And it is likely, says the chief prosecutor, General Mark Martins, that many of the remaining 34 detainees will never stand trial.
To date, there have only been pre-trial hearings in the case against the presumed 9/11 co-conspirators. They began a year ago, and the court has been in session just five times since then. It will be quite some time before the actual trial begins. And even then, it is unclear whether the men, who inflicted the greatest trauma on America in recent history, will receive a fair trial. After all, how transparent and democratic is a case that only selected visitors can witness, surrounded by soldiers?
The system is prone to arbitrariness, as three examples from last week illustrate. First, a court sketch artist was deprived of her magnifying glass, which she had been using for years and which helped her recognize faces. Then, a diagram this journalist was drawing in his notebook outlining the locations of people sitting in the courtroom was confiscated temporarily. Finally, two attorneys of one of the defendants were briefly detained as they attempted to visit a movie theater. These are experiences from a world controlled by the military.
"The military commission system is not a fair system. It is designed to keep evidence secret," says attorney David Nevin, who represents Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The consideration of mitigating circumstances, such as the fact that the CIA abducted and tortured the defendants, is necessary to prevent the imposition of the death penalty. But these torture programs are classified as secret, and they can only be discussed in a court session closed to both the public and the defendants. The attorneys are not even permitted to discuss with their clients the statements they made while being tortured. And the reports on those sessions are also secret.
Impossibe to Communicate Freely
"I believe that the goal here is to get a conviction and a death sentence," says Nevin. "And, on the other hand, to protect information about the people who tortured Mr. Mohammed from coming out." But that is precisely what he wants to talk about: The fact that his government intentionally tortured people. In Nevin's opinion, President Obama would also be comfortable with the death penalty for the defendants to further prove that he is tough on terrorism. "Voters care about this," says Nevin. "I think he would like very much to say: I executed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and I executed Walid bin Attash and so on."
For the attorneys, it is almost impossible to communicate freely with their clients in Guantanamo. Telephone conversations are monitored, and legal pleadings have been searched through in the defendants' cells. For this reason, the attorneys visit their clients in person to discuss confidential information. But they have sometimes not been allowed to bring in notes, and surveillance equipment was also recently found in the booths where they meet. Moreover, it emerged that live transmissions of the hearings can be censored without the knowledge of the presiding judge. During a discussion in January, for example, an alarm suddenly went off, and the sound in the visitors' gallery was shut off by an intelligence agency. Even the judge was outraged.
And last week, cross-examinations involving members of the military commissions and the detention center showed that the CIA played an indirect role in writing many of the rules that limit the ability of attorneys to communicate with their clients. One rule, for example, bars attorneys from sending their clients material discussing jihadism -- even as their clients are being charged with jihadism.
The prosecution did not seem happy with these revelations and kept mentioning national security. When Hawsawi attorney Ruiz criticized the CIA's intervention, the prosecution tried to prevent him from speaking by raising objections. "I'm not sure why any time I mention the CIA it is a sustained objection," Ruiz complained to the judge. "You're playing with fire," one of the prosecutors replied.
The hearings are agonizing. They revolve around the formal procedures of this specially created tribunal, not the actions of the defendants. The trial should be held in a federal court in the United States, says attorney Nevin, where there is over 200 years of experience. "In the military commissions," he says, "we are starting from scratch and we create a system where few cases have ever been decided and which is very much prone to error." But Attorney General Eric Holder's plan to try the five men in a court in New York failed in early 2011, in the face of a public outcry.
'Very Disappointed'
Even if Clifford Sloan managed to close Guantanamo, the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would probably be held in the same court on another US military base on the mainland. One attorney even says that the many procedural errors could result in a mistrial and the continued detention of the defendants.
The relatives of 9/11 victims, who were chosen by lottery to attend the trial, are also divided. One of them is Linda Gay, 54, whose husband, Peter, was in one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. She has brought along a photo of him, which she holds out to the defendants from the gallery. She says that she is furious and wants to know why American lawyers are defending these kinds of people. "Why are we paying for their attorneys? They're not even US citizens!" She feels that the defendants' rights should not be of such paramount concern.
Rita Lasar, 81, is sitting next to her, listening carefully to every word. She lost her brother, who worked in one of the towers. "He was a great admirer of our Constitution," she says. "And I believe that these people, whoever they are, deserve the fairest and most transparent trial possible."
She says that for her, 9/11 was a crime, not an act of war. "I'm very disappointed that President Obama hasn't closed this surreal place long ago," she says.SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - A robotic search vehicle is likely to be sent deep into the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to look for wreckage of a missing Malaysian jetliner on the sea floor, as officials say the chance of finding anything on the surface has dwindled.
Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said the month-long hunt was at a critical stage given the black box recorder batteries were dying - or had died.
An Australian ship that picked up signals consistent with the beacons from aircraft black box recorders over the weekend had not registered any further pulses, Houston said.
“The locator beacon has a shelf life of 30 days and we are now passed that time and as a consequence there is a chance that the locator beacon is about to cease transmission, or has ceased transmission,” Houston told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.
“It’s all very finely balanced and I think it’s absolutely imperative to find something else.”
Houston said the chance of finding anything on the surface was greatly diminished due to strong currents and a cyclone that had passed through the area in the past week.
The black boxes record cockpit data and may provide answers about what happened to the plane, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished on March 8 and flew thousands of kilometers off its Kuala Lumpur-to-Beijing route.
Authorities have not ruled out mechanical problems as a cause of the plane’s disappearance but say evidence, including loss of communications, suggests it was deliberately diverted.
A U.S. Navy “towed pinger locator”, which has been trawling an area some 1,680 km (1,040 miles) northwest of Perth, picked up two “ping” signal detections over the weekend - the first for more than two hours and the second for about 13 minutes.
Houston said the Australian ship Ocean Shield was still pulling the pinger locator in an effort to regain contact but would likely move quickly to remove that equipment and instead send down an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) named Bluefin-21.
The Bluefin will scour the ocean floor in 20-hour missions using sonar in an attempt to find the Boeing 777, before its findings are downloaded and analyzed on board the Ocean Shield.
Crew aboard the Australian Navy ship HMAS Success watch as a helicopter participates in a Replenishment at Sea evolution with the Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD LEKIU in the southern Indian Ocean during the continuing search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force April 7, 2014. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout via Reuters
If anything unusual is spotted, the sonar on board the robotic vehicle will be replaced with a camera to take a closer look. The potential search area was 4.5 km (2.8 miles) deep, the same as the Bluefin range.
Malaysia’s acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur he was “cautiously hopeful” that the signals picked up would lead to a positive finding soon.
DIFFICULT SEARCH
Houston said he was confident the search teams were looking in the right area, based on analysis of sporadic radar and satellite data.
“We are pretty confident that we are in the right area because the calculations of the search area are right where we are picking up these transmissions,” Houston said, adding that a decision to deploy the Bluefin would be made later on Tuesday.
“We’ve probably got to about that stage now,” he said.
It could be several days before the Bluefin had anything to report.
“Nothing happens fast when you’re working at depths of 4,500 meters,” Houston said. “It’s a long, painstaking process, particularly when you start searching the ocean floor.”
Up to eleven military planes, three civilian planes and 14 ships will take part in the search on Tuesday, with the Australian coordination centre reporting good weather in the search area.
A second search area was being maintained in waters where a Chinese vessel had also picked up “ping” signals at the weekend in an area more than 300 nautical miles from the latest signals.
Chinese patrol ship the Haixun 01 reported receiving a pulse signal with a frequency of 37.5 kHz, consistent with the signal emitted by flight recorders, on Friday and again on Saturday.
Slideshow (9 Images)
Houston said the Chinese and Australian discoveries of pings were consistent with work done on analyzing radar and satellite data but the Ocean Shield’s leads were now the most promising.
Malaysian authorities have faced heavy criticism, particularly from China, for mismanaging the search and holding back information. Most of the 227 passengers were Chinese.A university basketball coach dresses up as a giant red panther, so he could pop the question to his girlfriend in front of his home crowd.
Disguised as Pounce the cat, Craig Heatherly, an assistant trainer for the Davenport University Panthers in Caledonia, Michigan, performed the stunt during his school’s annual Midnight Madness event last Friday.
During Midnight Madness a dance-off took place between Pounce, the Panthers’ mascot, and four other basketball players.
When the contest was ruled a tie Pounce was asked to perform a tiebreaker dance-off against his girlfriend Linaya Hass, who has been coaching the Davenport University dance team for the past year.
When the giant cat mascot fakes an injury and falls to the ground, Linaya runs over to help him. His true intentions were revealed when Craig takes off the top of his costume, drops down on one knee, in a very public place, and says “Linaya, may I ask; Will you marry me?”
Watch the video to find out what happened next.
How would you react if this happened to you? Do public marriage proposals make you cringe?
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LIVERPOOL FC look like being priced out of a move for Gylfi Sigurdsson after they refused to meet the player’s ‘wild’ wage demands.
Tottenham Hotspur have moved into pole position to sign the Icelandic midfielder after they agreed to match his salary requests.
That figure is believed to be nearly 50% more than what the Reds were willing to offer.
Liverpool had held extensive talks with the 22-year-old and put together a generous deal for a player of Sigurdsson’s experience.
However it appears the club and player are divided in their valuation.
The Reds’ American owners, the Fenway Sports Group, are reluctant to hand out bumper contracts having been lumbered with the lavish deals which brought players such as Joe Cole to the club.
Manager Brendan Rodgers made no secret of his desire to bring Sigurdsson to Anfield having worked with him at Swansea City but Liverpool are understood to have baulked at his wage demands.
Spurs are believed to have had an £8m offer accepted by the player’s parent club Hoffenheim and though personal terms are still to be agreed, have privately expressed their confidence the deal will be complete by the end of the week.
Sigurdsson is expected to undergo a medical at White Hart Lane on Friday.
After it became clear Sigurdsson would be willing to U-turn on his proposed permanent move to Swansea, having spent last season on loan at the Liberty Stadium, Liverpool FC were immediately installed as front-runners for his signature.
It was believed that the prospect of working under Rodgers once more was the sole reason behind the Icelandic international’s change of heart over a transfer to the Swans, after he had agreed personal terms and the two clubs settled on a £6.8m fee.
But even with Rodgers showing his intent to bring him to Merseyside, Sigurdsson appears to have snubbed a move in search of a bigger financial package on offer at manager-less Spurs.
Liverpool, however, have not given up on the possibility of signing Sigurdsson but know Spurs are in the driving seat.NASA has launched a library that will allow the public to search for and download video, audio and images.
The agency says its new video and image library consolidates imagery spread across more than 60 collections into one searchable location containing more than 140,000 NASA images, videos and audio files. The site will allow for embedding and for downloading in various resolutions.
The site will also automatically scale the interface for mobile phones and tablets; and display the EXIF/camera data that includes exposure, lens used, and other information, when available.
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NASA is expecting the library’s API will automate uploads for the agency. The site will be run on NASA's cloud native "infrastructure-as-a-code" technology enabling on-demand use in the cloud.
NASA warns the library doesn’t contain everything, but “rather provides the best of what NASA makes publicly available from a single point of presence on the web.” The agency promises that new and archival images, video and audio files continually will be added over time.
RELATED: Welcome to FierceCable’s 2016 IBC Preview Issue
At the same time, NASA announced the release of its video app for Amazon Fire TV after previously releasing the app for iOS, Android and Apple TV devices.
"With the NASA app, the public can browse NASA's amazing discoveries directly from their personal devices," said Bob Jacobs, the deputy associate administrator for communications at NASA, in a statement. "Today, users with Amazon Fire TV and other services can explore NASA's wealth of images, videos and more on their home televisions."
The app offers livestreaming NASA Television, a real-time view of Earth from the International Space Station, more than 16,000 images, and more than 14,000 on-demand NASA videos.Illustration: University of Salzburg
Advertisement Editor’s Picks Sydney to Hobart Yacht Racers Reminded Not to Depend Only on GPS Navigation
Runners, mariners, airmen, and wilderness trekkers beware: Your global positioning system (GPS) is flattering you, telling you that you have run, sailed, flown, or walked significantly farther than you actually have. And it’s not the GPS’s fault, or yours.
Blame the statistics of measurement. Researchers at the University of Salzburg (UoS), Salzburg Forschungsgesellchaft (SFG), and the Delft University of Technology have done the math to prove that the distance measured by GPS over a straight line will, on average, exceed the actual distance traveled. They also derive a formula for predicting how big the error will be. The open-access paper was published in the International Journal of Geographical Information Science; an earlier version is available on Arxiv.
GPS course calculations are subject to both interpolation error (a function of the sampling interval) and measurement error (the everyday orneriness of real-world physical systems). The Salzburg team—including first author Peter Ranacher of UoS and senior author Siegfried Reich of SFG—discovered a systematic bias in distance measurement errors.
Measurement errors have many causes. The paper specifically cites: propagation delay (atmospheric fluctuations affect the speed of the GPS signal); ephemeris error (uncertainty in the precise position of the GPS satellite); satellite clock drift; hardware error (the shortcomings of the terrestrial GPS unit); signal reflections (which can increase the length of the signal path); and unfavorable satellite geometry (available GPS satellites are too low in the sky or too close together or too few, for example).
Put them together and you have readings that scatter around the true position. The Salzburg researchers found that distances derived from position measurements with randomly distributed errors will, on average, come up longer than the actual separation between two points. There are three components to their calculation:
The reference distance (d 0 ): the actual Euclidean distance between two points
): the actual Euclidean distance between two points The variance (Var gps ): the “mean of the square minus the square of the mean” of the position error, an index of how accurate the position measurement is. Variance is the square of the standard deviation, σ 2
): the “mean of the square minus the square of the mean” of the position error, an index of how accurate the position measurement is. Variance is the square of the standard deviation, σ The autocorrelation (C, perhaps more properly the autocovariance) of the measurement error. This can vary from a maximum of Var gps (if the errors are closely covariant) to 0 (if they are random) to -Var gps (if there is an inverse correlation).
The Salzburg formula for the average Overestimation of Distance (OED) is then,
OED = (d 0 2 + Var gps - C)1/2 - d 0
The variance is always positive, so if the autocorrelation is lower than the variance, the overestimation of distance will always be positive. And the autocorrelation is generally lower than the variance.
The problem becomes particularly acute when the user (or the GPS) calculates the total distance traveled by adding together the lengths of multiple segments. The differences between the true and measured distance will fluctuate—sometimes short, but more often long. Because the GPS-measured distance skews long, though, the total GPS distance error will tend to grow with each added segment.
Not content with mere calculation, Ranacher, Reich, and their colleagues went on to test their findings experimentally. In an empty parking lot, they staked out a square course 10 m on a side, reference-marked each side at precise 1-m intervals, and set a GPS-equipped pedestrian (a volunteer, one hopes) to walk the perimeter 25 times, taking a position reading at each reference mark.
The researchers analyzed the data for segment lengths of 1 meter and 5 meters. They found that the mean GPS measurement for the 1-m reference distance was 1.2 m (σ2 = 0.3) and the mean GPS measurement for the 5-m reference distance was 5.6 m (σ2 = 2.0). They also ran a similar experiment with automobiles on a longer course, with similar results.
Now, that pedestrian-course error of 10 to 20 percent is exaggerated because of the low-cost GPS receiver used and the short reference distances. But it is big enough that your GPS watch could tell you you’re crossing the finish line of a 42,195-meter marathon while the real terminus is more than 400 meters ahead.
That’s not a hypothetical example. For years, runners have complained that their GPS watches and other devices have mismeasured the distances they’ve run over supposedly verified courses, or suddenly finding that they set personal record times the first time they use a GPS to measure their course. There have been a number of confident explanations. Most involved either interpolation error (measuring the distance between successive plots as a straight line, which will likely report a shorter-than-actual distance over a twisty course) or the runner’s non-optimal choice of routes (adding to the verified distance on each leg, and reporting a longer actual distance traveled). Maybe they’ll like this explanation better.
The Ranacher team’s results do not mean that measuring the lengths of complex courses by GPS is futile. They point out that moment-by-moment GPS velocity measurement is not subject to the same sources of error, so that calculating distance traveled by integrating velocity should yield reasonably accurate results.
This post was edited on 6 November 2015 to correct the reported overestimation of distance reported from the GPS meaasurements on a 10-meter-square course. The correct average overestmates were 1.2 m on a 1-m reference distance and 5.6 m on a 5-m reference distance. (The incorrect values in the original post were 1.02 and 5.06.)The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is suing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over its so-called union walk around rule.
The lawsuit, which the Pacific Legal Foundation filed on behalf of the small business advocacy group, charges that OSHA’s rule illegally foists union activists onto non-unionized businesses.
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Attorneys with the legal foundation say OSHA has for decades allowed an employee representative to accompany an OSHA investigator on a workplace inspection, so long as the representative is in fact an employee.
But in 2013, the agency issued a memo that said an employee representative could be someone who is not an employee and, according to NFIB’s complaint, “lowered the standard for determining whether a third-party specialist may accompany the compliance officer.”
Before non-employees were allowed only if they were “reasonably necessary.” In the memo, OSHA said non-employees are allowed if they “will make a positive contribution.”
The change, the NFIB claims hurt its members.
“This ‘walk around’ rule essentially provides cover for what amounts to trespassing by union officials,” PLF Principal Attorney Joshua Thompson said in a statement.
“It gives union organizers the power to intrude on private workplaces and button-hole non-union employees, by deputizing these officials as government inspectors.”
In the complaint filed in the District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the NFIB says OSHA’s memo constitutes a rule and should have followed proper notice and comment rulemaking procedures under the Administrative Procedures Act.Watch out, Kimye; George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin may one-up your Florence fortress wedding with a lavish European wedding of their own in a famous Victorian castle.
Clooney and Alamuddin are reportedly considering Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England, for their upcoming nuptials, according to the Daily Mail. The estate has become famous on the small-screen in "Downton Abbey."
The two visited Highclere Castle on Thursday, May 22, for the private tour, according to Us Weekly. They spent a few hours there before returning to their hotel.
"Amal was blown away," a source told the Daily Mail. "When [Clooney] saw his bride-to-be’s reaction to the spectacular Victorian castle, set on 1,000 acres of parkland, he began making some discrete inquires about having their wedding performed there. And he was told they would be most happy to accommodate them!"
The castle provides information about weddings on its website. Couples can say their vows in the grand Saloon, dine in the Victorian Library and dance with guests afterwards. If the weather permits, the garden is also available for use. One bonus for privacy is a photography regulation that states photos must be personal and "may not be published in any way whatsoever."
People magazine reported in 2011 that use of the venue for a wedding costs $24,069, excluding tax.
While such a location sounds fit for royalty, the Oscar-winner and his fiancee surely have many a lavish option, like his palatial Italian villa on Lake Como. Decisions, decisions.Lucid Motors initially started life as Atieva back when they were testing the powertrain of what was going to become the "Air" sedan inside a white Mercedes-Benz Vito van. They released a few videos of Edna, the name of the test car, having fun with other sports cars (and even supercars) in a couple of drag races.But it wasn't until the company changed names to Lucid Motors and released the first pictures of the Air that it truly managed to capture our attention. A lot of cars attempt to blend futurism with elegance and fail miserably - the Lucid Air should be part of the textbook given to those designers.As always, the result is a collective effort, but somebody has to sacrifice himself and take all the credit. In this case, it's Derek Jenkins, Lucid Motors' Vice President of Design and part of the team that created this superb sedan.Jenkins offered NextMobility.co an exclusive interview where he talks about the Air project, giving some very intriguing insights. For instance, he says the goal had always been to lure the type of client who would normally go for a luxury German limousine such as the BMW 7 Series or the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.We're only dealing with a concept car as far as the cockpit is concerned, so there's no point in comparing it to existing models. But if Lucid Motors manages to get the final interior design and build quality right, there really is no reason to think any less of the Air than the established big names in the segment.At first, comparing the car against the 7 Series and S-Class seemed odd, especially since according to its exterior dimensions, the Air is one segment lower (5 Series, E-Class). As far as interior space is concerned, though, the electric sedan is actually roomier than the long-wheelbase versions of the two German limousines.The fact the name "Air" came as a consequence of the design and not the other way around, as Jenkins reveals, is a testament to the strong emphasis on interior space and atmosphere. But at the end of the day, it's the outside that makes the Lucid Air a real eye-candy.Jenkins praises the unlimited possibilities given by the electric powertrain (smaller than a conventional one) and the absence of any brand image constraints that plague the work of designers at big car companies. “It’s a huge advantage," he says. "It’s really much more of a form and function exercise, for me as a designer. At the big companies, you are really styling over a given architecture. Here we are actually working together to create a great piece of design and engineering. That’s a big difference.”The Lucid Air is expected to enter production in 2019, and even though that's two years from now, Jenkins can rest assured that the Air's design will still be as relevant then as it is now.It's a lot safer if you strap on a man's gun, son.
It's a lot safer if you strap on a man's gun, son.
Texas's campus carry law will be going into effect August 1, 2016. Some people feel it will create an unsafe atmosphere. Others are basically gun crazy. Texas A & M University (TAMU) will have to reconcile some of its guidelines for the student body—for example, if you are allowed to have licensed concealed weapons what can't you have?
From Texas A&M's residence guidelines—you know, dorm rules and regulations:
Projectiles
Propelling devices, such as rockets, catapults, slingshots, Nerf-type guns or any homemade device for the purpose of launching an object, are prohibited. Objects may not be thrown into or out of windows or onto or off of balconies.
Advertisement of any other institution of higher education in any format is prohibited. (i.e., name, logo, program, etc...) The following areas/campus locations that are prohibited from chalking are as listed below, but not limited to: • Stairwells (Interior & Exterior)
• Sidewalks with an overhang of any kind
•Sidewalks around the perimeter of the ACT building
• Bricked areas anywhere on campus
• Gravel or non-smooth sidewalks
• Any structure or building on campus
• Sidewalks around the Little Chapel
• Parking lots where cars are traveling and parking
I mean, come on guys, you can really hurt somebody with a nerf gun. You could take someone's eye out! Texas Woman's University in Denton has some strong chalk rules: These schools did not create this law but when looking at any university's guidelines with the lens of campus carry law, it becomes quite clear how ridiculous this all is.Summer NBA power rankings are about as meaningful and accurate as preseason college football rankings. At least the NBA isn’t silly enough to have something like this matter in determining a champion. That would be stupid.
The top and the bottom of the poll are what you’d expect, but the Lakers and Celtics moved up while the Magic have fallen hard. You probably expected that, too. (Teams are listed with their record from last season.)
1. Heat (46-20) When you are the defending NBA champions you get to start on top (unless someone were to dismantle the team, Mr. Cuban). Miami got better this summer — and it is not just adding Ray Allen. More important is that the Heat have figured out who they are now and what they want to do. They have their identity. They are more dangerous.
2. Lakers (41-25) I think spots two and three — the Lakers and Thunder — are a toss-up. I could go either way and who is better may very well be decided in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. But while there are questions about the Lakers — Steve Nash’s back, Dwight Howard’s back, Kobe Bryant’s knees, how all these stars mesh — on paper Howard and his defense are key and may make L.A. a little better than OKC. But they have to prove it now.
3. Thunder (47-19) While the Lakers have the potential, the Thunder are reality. We know OKC will come back a little better than they were last year, a little more experienced. And they already were very, very good. The Thunder have done this, they know how to do this, and they will be hungry. They are the bar the Lakers are shooting for, not the other way around.
4. Clippers (40-26) They will be better, because Blake Griffin will grow and improve, because Jamal Crawford is an upgrade over Mo Williams, and because I expect a bounce-back season from Lamar Odom. Besides, bad thumb or not Chris Paul is still the best pure point guard on the planet. But the level the Clippers reach in the playoffs will be determined by what kind of steps DeAndre Jordan makes.
5. Nuggets (38-28) I love the Andre Iguodala signing for them, I think he addresses their defensive needs on the perimeter and he fits what they do on offense. This is going to be a fun, fast team to watch. But the ultimate key will be the play of JaVale McGee for Denver and what George Karl can get out of him.
6. Celtics (39-27) Boston got better this summer — Jason Terry is an upgrade over Ray Allen, they will get Avery Bradley and Jeff Green back, and they figured out how well they play with Kevin Garnett at the five spot. It was a good offseason, Danny Ainge did himself proud. But they still need Miami to come back to them if Boston wants to make the finals. Also, they are not a regular season juggernaut.
7. Spurs (50-16) This is probably too low for them. We always tend to overlook the Spurs. Their stars will get a year older the question is can their young role players step up and help them out again? Probably.
8. Pacers (42-24) They should be better next season, mostly because they found their rotations and identity in the playoffs, with George Hill at the point. They could pass Boston for the No. 2 seed. Smart move to retain Roy Hibbert
9. Bulls (50-16) Derrick Rose is out for half the season (at least) and the Bulls have decimated their bench. And yet Tom Thibodeau will get them to defend like few others and that will win a lot of games. Regular season games. We’ll see come the playoffs.
10. Grizzlies (41-25) They lost O.J. Mayo but this is still a good team with real size up front (Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph). They still need shooters and someone to really organize the offense besides Mike Conley.
11. Knicks (36-30) Knicks fans will be convinced this is too low, that they should be up with Boston as teams to challenge Miami. I’m not sold. They should be a solid defensive team again (thank you Tyson Chandler) but I need to see Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire figure out how to co-exist on the court before I see New York getting out of the first round.
12. Nets (22-44) Well, they got a team they can take into Brooklyn. Who cares if they have a lot of large, long-term contracts they will hate in a few years (Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez). This team will be fun to watch and will put up points, but it’s going to take years off Avery Johnson’s life as he tries to get them to defend.
13. 76ers (35-31) Andrew Bynum gives the Sixers a new direction and I like the moves they made — if the East’s powers are going small (Miami, Boston) then counter by going big. Start Bynum and Spencer Hawes. I think they will be a good defensive team but the offense is going to be a work in progress.
14. Timberwolves (26-40) I think they are a playoff team in the West this year. Sure, the seven seed that gets the Lakers or Thunder in the first round, but it’s a start. I think they make a big move up, Kevin Love will be better and adding guys like Brandon Roy, Andrei Kirilenko and Chase Budinger gives Rick Adelman good depth to work with. They will miss Ricky Rubio for the first half of the season. How Roy plays could move them higher.
15. Jazz (36-30) This is a solid NBA team with good size up front — Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors and Paul Millsap. They will not be anybody’s pushovers, but in a deep West even good teams have to fight for a playoff spot.
16. Mavericks (36-29) They could make the playoffs if O.J. Mayo gets his groove back, Elton Brand stays healthy and productive, Chris Kaman has a career year… exactly. Well, they still have Dirk Nowitzki. And this is a placeholder roster as they keep cap space for next summer.
17. Hawks (40-26) Joe Johnson and the iso-Joe offense is gone to Brooklyn, but if that means more up-tempo offense, if it means more Jeff Teague/Josh Smith pick-and-roll it could be a good thing. I just don’t think they are as consistent, I think they are closer to a.500 side.
18. Bucks (31-35) The question isn’t will the Brandon Jennings/Monta Ellis backcourt score a lot, they will. And they will be entertaining. But who are they going to be able to stop? Defense is key in Milwaukee.
19. Warriors (23-43) On paper it’s a nice roster, but it needs Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut to be healthy and productive like their old selves for it to work. I’m just not convinced they get that for the 70+ games they need from both of them.
20. Blazers (28-38) They have a couple quality young pieces — LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum — and Damian Lillard is my guy for Rookie of the Year (Anthony Davis probably wins but he is too obvious). But it’s a rebuilding process and it will take some time.
21. Wizards (17-46) Where you rank them says what you think about John Wall and his ability to make the leap to elite point guard. Yes, they added Nene and Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor (all should help the defense), but this team is all about how Wall gets the offense going.
22. Raptors (23-43) They are a good dark-horse playoff team in the East, mostly because Kyle Lowry could help generate offense, and they have scorers like DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani. But what they really need is rookie Jonas Valanciunas to look a lot better than he did in the Olympics.
23. Pistons (25- |
of cinema that emerged from this period of highly regimented film-making. One reason this was possible is that, with so many movies being made, not everyone had to be a big hit. A studio could gamble on a medium-budget feature with a good script and relatively unknown actors: Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles (1915–1985) and often regarded as the greatest film of all time, fits that description. In other cases, strong-willed directors like Howard Hawks (1896–1977), Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980), and Frank Capra (1897–1991) battled the studios in order to achieve their artistic visions.
The apogee of the studio system may have been the year 1939, which saw the release of such classics as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wuthering Heights, Only Angels Have Wings, Ninotchka and Midnight. Among the other films from the Golden Age period that are now considered to be classics: Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night, the original King Kong, Mutiny on the Bounty, Top Hat, City Lights, Red River, The Lady from Shanghai, Rear Window, On the Waterfront, Rebel Without a Cause, Some Like It Hot, and The Manchurian Candidate.
Decline of the studio system (late 1940s) [ edit ]
Percentage of the US population that went to the cinema on average, weekly, 1930–2000
The studio system and the Golden Age of Hollywood succumbed to two forces that developed in the late 1940s:
a federal antitrust action that separated the production of films from their exhibition; and
the advent of television.
In 1938, Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released during a run of lackluster films from the major studios, and quickly became the highest grossing film released to that point. Embarrassingly for the studios, it was an independently produced animated film that did not feature any studio-employed stars.[34] This stoked already widespread frustration at the practice of block-booking, in which studios would only sell an entire year's schedule of films at a time to theaters and use the lock-in to cover for releases of mediocre quality.
Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold—a noted "trust buster" of the Roosevelt administration — took this opportunity to initiate proceedings against the eight largest Hollywood studios in July 1938 for violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.[35][36] The federal suit resulted in five of the eight studios (the "Big Five": Warner Bros., MGM, Fox, RKO and Paramount) reaching a compromise with Arnold in October 1940 and signing a consent decree agreeing to, within three years:
Eliminate the block-booking of short film subjects, in an arrangement known as "one shot", or "full force" block-booking.
Eliminate the block-booking of any more than five features in their theaters.
No longer engage in blind buying (or the buying of films by theater districts without seeing films beforehand) and instead have trade-showing, in which all 31 theater districts in the US would see films every two weeks before showing movies in theaters.
(or the buying of films by theater districts without seeing films beforehand) and instead have, in which all 31 theater districts in the US would see films every two weeks before showing movies in theaters. Set up an administration board in each theater district to enforce these requirements.[35]
The "Little Three" (Universal Studios, United Artists, and Columbia Pictures), who did not own any theaters, refused to participate in the consent decree.[35][36] A number of independent film producers were also unhappy with the compromise and formed a union known as the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers and sued Paramount for the monopoly they still had over the Detroit Theaters — as Paramount was also gaining dominance through actors like Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake, Betty Hutton, crooner Bing Crosby, Alan Ladd, and longtime actor for studio Gary Cooper too- by 1942. The Big Five studios didn't meet the requirements of the Consent of Decree during WWII, without major consequence, but after the war ended they joined Paramount as defendants in the Hollywood anti-trust case, as did the Little Three studios.[37]
The Supreme Court eventually ruled that the major studios ownership of theaters and film distribution was a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. As a result, the studios began to release actors and technical staff from their contracts with the studios. This changed the paradigm of film making by the major Hollywood studios, as each could have an entirely different cast and creative team.
The decision resulted in the gradual loss of the characteristics which made Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures, RKO Pictures, and 20th Century Fox films immediately identifiable. Certain movie people, such as Cecil B. DeMille, either remained contract artists until the end of their careers or used the same creative teams on their films so that a DeMille film still looked like one whether it was made in 1932 or 1956.
Impact: Fewer films, larger individual budgets [ edit ]
Also, the number of movies being produced annually dropped as the average budget soared, marking a major change in strategy for the industry. Studios now aimed to produce entertainment that could not be offered by television: spectacular, larger-than-life productions. Studios also began to sell portions of their theatrical film libraries to other companies to sell to television. By 1949, all major film studios had given up ownership of their theaters.
This was complemented with the 1952 Miracle Decision in the Joseph Burstyn Inc. v Wilson case, in which the Supreme Court of the United States reversed its earlier position, from 1915's Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio case, and stated that motion pictures were a form of art and were entitled to the protection of the First amendment; US laws could no longer censor films. By 1968, with film studios becoming increasingly defiant to its censorship function, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) had replaced the Hays Code–which was now greatly violated after the government threat of censorship that justified the origin of the code had ended—with the film rating system.
New Hollywood and post-classical cinema (1960s–1980s) [ edit ]
Post-classical cinema is the term used to describe the changing methods of storytelling in the New Hollywood. It has been argued that new approaches to drama and characterization played upon audience expectations acquired in the classical period: chronology may be scrambled, storylines may feature "twist endings", and lines between the antagonist and protagonist may be blurred. The roots of post-classical storytelling may be seen in film noir, in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and in Hitchcock's storyline-shattering Psycho.
The New Hollywood describes the emergence of a new generation of film school-trained directors who had absorbed the techniques developed in Europe in the 1960s; The 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde marked the beginning of American cinema rebounding as well, as a new generation of films would afterwards gain success at the box offices as well.[38] Filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Brian De Palma, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, and William Friedkin came to produce fare that paid homage to the history of film and developed upon existing genres and techniques. Inaugurated by the 1969 release of Andy Warhol's Blue Movie, the phenomenon of adult erotic films being publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope),[39] and taken seriously by critics (like Roger Ebert),[40][41] a development referred to, by Ralph Blumenthal of The New York Times, as "porno chic", and later known as the Golden Age of Porn, began, for the first time, in modern American culture.[39][42][43] According to award-winning author Toni Bentley, Radley Metzger's 1976 film The Opening of Misty Beethoven, based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (and its derivative, My Fair Lady), and due to attaining a mainstream level in storyline and sets,[44] is considered the "crown jewel" of this 'Golden Age'.[45][46]
In the 1970s, the films of New Hollywood filmmakers were often both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. While the early New Hollywood films like Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider had been relatively low-budget affairs with amoral heroes and increased sexuality and violence, the enormous success enjoyed by Friedkin with The Exorcist, Spielberg with Jaws, Coppola with The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Scorsese with Taxi Driver, Kubrick with 2001: A Space Odyssey, Polanski with Chinatown, and Lucas with American Graffiti and Star Wars, respectively helped to give rise to the modern "blockbuster", and induced studios to focus ever more heavily on trying to produce enormous hits.[47]
The increasing indulgence of these young directors did not help.[citation needed] Often, they'd go overschedule, and overbudget, thus bankrupting themselves or the studio.[citation needed] The three most famous examples of this are Coppola's Apocalypse Now and One From The Heart and particularly Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, which single-handedly bankrupted United Artists. However, Apocalypse Now eventually made its money back and gained widespread recognition as a masterpiece, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes.[48]
Rise of the home video market (1980s–1990s) [ edit ]
The 1980s and 1990s saw another significant development. The full acceptance of home video by studios opened a vast new business to exploit. Films such as Showgirls, The Secret of NIMH, and The Shawshank Redemption, which may have performed poorly in their theatrical run, were now able to find success in the video market. It also saw the first generation of filmmakers with access to videotapes emerge. Directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson had been able to view thousands of films and produced films with vast numbers of references and connections to previous works. Tarantino has had a number of collaborations with director Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez directed the 1992 action film El Mariachi, which was a commercial success after grossing $2 million against a budget of $7,000.
This, along with the explosion of independent film and ever-decreasing costs for filmmaking, changed the landscape of American movie-making once again and led a renaissance of filmmaking among Hollywood's lower and middle-classes—those without access to studio financial resources. With the rise of the DVD in the 21st century, DVDs have quickly become even more profitable to studios and have led to an explosion of packaging extra scenes, extended versions, and commentary tracks with the films.[citation needed]
Modern cinema [ edit ]
The drive to produce a spectacle on the movie screen has largely shaped American cinema ever since.[citation needed] Spectacular epics which took advantage of new widescreen processes had been increasingly popular from the 1950s onwards. Since then, American films have become increasingly divided into two categories: Blockbusters and independent films.
Studios have focused on relying on a handful of extremely expensive releases every year in order to remain profitable. Such blockbusters emphasize spectacle, star power, and high production value, all of which entail an enormous budget. Blockbusters typically rely upon star power and massive advertising to attract a huge audience.[citation needed] A successful blockbuster will attract an audience large enough to offset production costs and reap considerable profits.
Such productions carry a substantial risk of failure, and most studios release blockbusters that both over- and underperform in a year.[citation needed] Classic blockbusters from this period include Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, Scarface, Risky Business, Ghostbusters, The Terminator, The Goonies, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Aliens, Lethal Weapon, Fatal Attraction, Broadcast News, Wall Street, The Princess Bride, Dirty Dancing, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Naked Gun, Rain Man, Die Hard, Batman, Driving Miss Daisy, When Harry Met Sally..., The Little Mermaid, Dances with Wolves, Goodfellas, Home Alone, Pretty Woman, Ghost, Total Recall, Thelma & Louise, JFK, The Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Basic Instinct, Unforgiven, The Bodyguard, Aladdin, Sister Act, A Few Good Men, In the Line of Fire, Mrs. Doubtfire, Sleepless in Seattle, The Fugitive, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Philadelphia, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Lion King, Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, Clueless, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Seven, Braveheart, Independence Day, Matilda, Jerry Maguire, The English Patient, Scream, Good Will Hunting, Men In Black, Austin Powers, My Best Friend's Wedding, Titanic, As Good as It Gets, Saving Private Ryan, Shakespeare in Love, Mulan, Fight Club, The Matrix, The Green Mile, The Sixth Sense, American Pie, American Beauty, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Gladiator, Meet the Parents, Miss Congeniality, The Fast and The Furious, Harry Potter, Ocean's Eleven, Moulin Rouge, Legally Blonde, The Princess Diaries, Gangs of New York, The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mean Girls, The Notebook, Million Dollar Baby, Brokeback Mountain, Little Miss Sunshine, The Departed, Spider-Man, The Bourne Identity, The Dark Knight, Inception and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.[49]
American film industry (1995–2017)
All values in billions Year Tickets Revenue 1995 1.22 $5.31 1996 1.31 $5.79 1997 1.39 $6.36 1998 1.44 $6.77 1999 1.44 $7.34 2000 1.40 $7.54 2001 1.48 $8.36 2002 1.58 $9.16 2003 1.52 $9.20 2004 1.50 $9.29 2005 1.37 $8.80 2006 1.40 $9.16 2007 1.42 $9.77 2008 1.36 $9.75 2009 1.42 $10.64 2010 1.33 $10.48 2011 1.28 $10.17 2012 1.40 $11.16 2013 1.34 $10.89 2014 1.26 $10.27 2015 1.32 $11.16 2016 1.30 $11.26 2017 1.23 $10.99 As compiled by The Numbers [50]
Studios supplement these movies with independent productions, made with small budgets and often independently of the studio corporation. Movies made in this manner typically emphasize high professional quality in terms of acting, directing, screenwriting, and other elements associated with production, and also upon creativity and innovation.[citation needed] These movies usually rely upon critical praise or niche marketing to garner an audience. Because of an independent film's low budget, a successful independent film can have a high profit-to-cost ratio while a failure will incur minimal losses, allowing for studios to sponsor dozens[citation needed] of such productions in addition to their high-stakes releases.
American independent cinema was revitalized[citation needed] in the late 1980s and early 1990s when another new generation of moviemakers, including Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino made movies like, respectively: Do the Right Thing, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Clerks and Reservoir Dogs. In terms of directing, screenwriting, editing, and other elements, these movies were innovative and often irreverent, playing with and contradicting the conventions of Hollywood movies. Furthermore, their considerable financial successes and crossover into popular culture reestablished the commercial viability of independent film. Since then, the independent film industry has become more clearly defined and more influential in American cinema. Many of the major studios have capitalised on this by developing subsidiaries to produce similar films; for example, Fox Searchlight Pictures.
To a lesser degree in the early 21st century, film types that were previously considered[citation needed] to have only a minor presence in the mainstream movie market began to arise as more potent American box office draws. These include foreign-language films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero and documentary films such as Super Size Me, March of the Penguins, and Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11.
Hollywood and politics [ edit ]
In the 1930s, the Democrats and the Republicans saw money in Hollywood. President Franklin Roosevelt saw a huge partnership with Hollywood. He used the first real potential of Hollywood's stars in a national campaign. Melvyn Douglas toured Washington in 1939 and met the key New Dealers.[citation needed]
Political endorsements [ edit ]
Endorsements letters from leading actors were signed, radio appearances and printed advertising were made. Movie stars were used to draw a large audience into the political view of the party. By the 1960s, John F. Kennedy was a new, young face for Washington, and his strong friendship with Frank Sinatra exemplified this new era of glamor. The last moguls of Hollywood were gone and younger, newer executives and producers began generating more liberal ideas.
Celebrities and money attracted politicians into the high-class, glittering Hollywood lifestyle. As Ronald Brownstein wrote in his book "The Power and the Glitter", television in the 1970s and 1980s was an enormously important new media in politics and Hollywood helped in that media with actors making speeches on their political beliefs, like Jane Fonda against the Vietnam War.[51] Despite many celebrities and producers being left-leaning and tending to support the Democratic Party, this era produced many Republican actors and producers. Former actor Ronald Reagan became governor of California and subsequently became the 40th president of the United States. It continued with Arnold Schwarzenegger as California's governor in 2003.
Political donations [ edit ]
Today, donations from Hollywood help to fund federal politics.[52] On February 20, 2007, for example, Democratic then-presidential candidate Barack Obama had a $2,300-a-plate Hollywood gala, being hosted by DreamWorks founders David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg at the Beverly Hilton.[52]
Spread to world markets [ edit ]
In 1912, American film companies were largely immersed in the competition for the domestic market. It was difficult to satisfy the huge demand for films created by the nickelodeon boom. Motion Picture Patents Company members such as Edison Studios, also sought to limit competition from French, Italian, and other imported films. Exporting films, then, became lucrative to these companies. Vitagraph Studios was the first American company to open its own distribution offices in Europe, establishing a branch in London in 1906, and a second branch in Paris shortly after.[53]
Other American companies were moving into foreign markets as well, and American distribution abroad continued to expand until the mid-1920s. Originally, a majority of companies sold their films indirectly. However, since they were inexperienced in overseas trading, they simply sold the foreign rights to their films to foreign distribution firms or export agents. Gradually, London became a center for the international circulation of US films.[54]
Many British companies made a profit by acting as the agents for this business, and by doing so, they weakened British production by turning over a large share of the UK market to American films. By 1911, approximately 60 to 70 percent of films imported into Great Britain were American. The United States was also doing well in Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.[55]
More recently, as globalization has started to intensify, and the United States government has been actively promoting free trade agendas and trade on cultural products, Hollywood has become a worldwide cultural source. The success on Hollywood export markets can be known not only from the boom of American multinational media corporations across the globe but also from the unique ability to make big-budget films that appeal powerfully to popular tastes in many different cultures.[56]
With globalization, movie production has been clustered in Hollywood for several reasons: the United States has the largest single home market in dollar terms, entertaining and highly visible Hollywood movies have global appeal, and the role of English as a universal language contributes to compensating for higher fixed costs of production.
In the meantime, Hollywood has moved more deeply into Chinese markets, although influenced by China's censorship. Films made in China are censored, strictly avoiding themes like "ghosts, violence, murder, horror, and demons." Such plot elements risk being cut. Hollywood has had to make "approved" films, corresponding to official Chinese standards, but with aesthetic standards sacrificed to box office profits. Even Chinese audiences found it boring to wait for the release of great American movies dubbed in their native language.[57]
Role of women [ edit ]
Women are statistically underrepresented in creative positions in the center of the US film industry, Hollywood. This underrepresentation has been called the "celluloid ceiling", a variant on the employment discrimination term "glass ceiling". In 2013, the "...top-paid actors...made 2½ times as much money as the top-paid actresses." [58] "[O]lder [male] actors make more than their female equals" in age, with "female movie stars mak[ing] the most money on average per film at age 34 while male stars earn the most at 51." [59]
The 2013 Celluloid Ceiling Report conducted by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University collected a list of statistics gathered from "2,813 individuals employed by the 250 top domestic grossing films of 2012."[60]
Women accounted for...
"18% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors. This reflected no change from 2011 and only a 1% increase from 1998." [60]
"9% of all directors." [60]
"15% of writers." [60]
"25% of all producers." [60]
"20% of all editors." [60]
"2% of all cinematographers." [60]
"38% of films employed 0 or 1 woman in the roles considered, 23% employed 2 women, 28% employed 3 to 5 women, and 10% employed 6 to 9 women."[60]
A New York Times article stated that only 15% of the top films in 2013 had women for a lead acting role.[61] The author of the study noted that "The percentage of female speaking roles has not increased much since the 1940s when they hovered around 25 percent to 28 percent." "Since 1998, women's representation in behind-the-scenes roles other than directing has gone up just 1 percent." Women "...directed the same percent of the 250 top-grossing films in 2012 (9 percent) as they did in 1998."[58]
See also [ edit ]
Crossroads of the World
General
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
Hallett, Hilary A. Go West, Young Women! The Rise of Early Hollywood. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2013.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2013. Ragan, David. Who's Who in Hollywood, 1900–1976. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1976.i was thinking toPakistani newspapers carried a series of scoops yesterday sourced to the WikiLeaks document dump of US diplomatic correspondence that would seem to have contained all that an India-hater – no shortage of those in Pakistan – could hope for.
One US diplomat is alleged to have determined India was carrying out "genocide" in Kashmir and called in his cable for the US to cut off military exercises with India – an important part of the two countries' deepening strategic relationship – as a sign of displeasure. Another cable is said to have a US diplomat reporting that senior Indian generals are working with Hindu extremists to carry out terror attacks against Muslims living both in India and Pakistan.
A third implies that a Pakistani policeman who was planning to blow the whistle on a senior officer's involvement with Hindu militants was assassinated as a consequence. Yet more contained US praise for the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence – an organization that many US officials believe supports Taliban attacks on US troops in Afghanistan – and over-the-top criticisms of senior Indian officers as vain incompetents.
There was only one problem. The cables don't exist, according to Britain's Guardian newspaper, one of a handful of news agencies that has access to the whole WikiLeaks dump of more than 250,000 State Department cables.
"An extensive search of the WikiLeaks database by the Guardian by date, name and keyword failed to locate any of the incendiary allegations," the paper wrote.
Instead what appears to have happened is the first deliberate misinformation campaign built around the WikiLeaks cables, something sure to happen again as the ever-swelling release of documents provides cover for those who have forged documents to peddle.
A number of papers including the Daily Mail and The News of Pakistan carried these reports, which were not signed. The source of the information? A Pakistani news wire called "Online News" that appears to be closely tied to the government.
The News, in apologizing to readers today, leaves the strong impression that the bogus reports were part of a government misinformation campaign. The paper writes that Mohsin Baig, the head of online news, said "he had just returned from Turkey where he had accompanied the prime minister on his official visit and was therefore in the dark about how the story was released."
Another editor at Online News said he didn't know the source of the fake cables and refused to contact an employee who might know the answer. Eventually The News "learnt from our sources that the story was dubious and may have been planted" and said the story first appeared in two local papers "known for their close connections with certain intelligence agencies."
In Pakistan, coverage of the military and intelligence services is tightly controlled by the state. Most Pakistani papers have said little concerning the real cables released by WikiLeaks that contain assessments of Pakistan's military.Digital privacy is ramping up, as California passes a law to prevent the government from collecting the kind of en masse private data revealed in Edward Snowden's data leak.
California became the fourth US state with law of this type when Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into effect Thursday.
The law includes anything stored in an email, digital document, or text message, as well as location information, the LA Times reported. The bill's sponsors chose these types of communications based on the high-volume data requests that Verizon, Twitter, and AT&T received in 2014.
Privacy watchdogs hail the bill, known as CalECPA, as a victory for the Fourth Amendment in the digital world.
"It will require that law enforcement get a warrant before poking around in our digital records," wrote the California-based advocacy group Consumer Watchdog. "If the cops want to search your desk for letters and files, they need a warrant. But who relies on paper files and letters these days?"
The group described the federal Electronic Communications Act as "outdated" because it allows the government to collect location and call information from phones, as well as view emails that have been stored on a server for more than 180 days.
Many have pointed to the impact of Edward Snowden's revelations on international law, including the recent Safe Harbor judicial decision that complicated data-sharing across the Atlantic, as the Economist writes:
As the trickle of data crossing the Atlantic built into a tsunami, worries in Europe grew. But it took leaks by Edward Snowden, a contractor for America’s National Security Agency (NSA), showing widespread snooping to nudge the commission into a serious attempt at renegotiation.
Edward Snowden pointed several to legislative and judicial actions sparked by his risky reveal of US government surveillance, in June op-ed in the New York Times.
"Ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen," he wrote. "This is the power of an informed public."
California is only the latest example of a state taking action to protect its citizens' privacy. Utah, Texas and Maine each have a privacy law like the one California just passed. Utah's law passed almost unanimously in March 2014 and prevents data collected without a warrant from being used in a criminal case, even if the federal government collected it.
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The laws in Maine and Texas, passed in 2013, require the government to get a warrant to search digital data like the new California law, the Electronic Freedom Foundation said in a release.
With states as politically diverse as California, Utah, Texas, and Maine "taking affirmative steps to bring search warrant requirements to sensitive electronic data, Congress should see that privacy legislation is bipartisan and feasible," wrote EFF's Hanni Fakhoury. "Will Congress follow?"‘Recasting’ the Infamous Cripplefoot Tracks of 1969
Right beside the famed 1967 Patterson/Gimlin footage, many enthusiasts believe the other pillar of irrefutable Bigfoot evidence to be the 1969 Bossburg, Washington cripplefoot tracks. In this small community just south of the Canadian border, at least 1089 individual footprints were discovered by a enthusiastic team of Bigfoot hunters. On the surface these appetizing pieces of evidence are remarkable, but what is the real story? The Patterson/Gimlin footage ignited a fever among Bigfoot hunters in 1967, and just two years later these tracks once again hypnotized researchers. But does this unique piece of Bigfoot evidence truly hold that much weight? In this case, it’s essential to look beyond the footprints, right into the eyes of several overzealous Bigfooters.
What events lead to the cripplefoot cast?
In November of 1969 notable researcher Rene Dahinden received a phone call from colleague John Greene. Greene explained that a fellow Bigfooter named Ivan Marx was tracking a crippled Sasquatch, evidenced by a malformed foot print found in the mud by a butcher around the town dump. Rene traveled to Bossburg to investigate. Though trampled by curious locals, the muddy grounds around the dump did yield at least one complete footprint preserved beneath a cardboard box. Rene photographed it and took a plaster cast.
Rene performed due-diligence about town, holding interviews and investigating the surrounding wilderness for more evidence. Mystified by the extraordinary crippled trait, he made base in Bossburg, living in a trailer on Marx’s property. For the next several days he made rounds about the town fringes, dropping infrequent, random piles of meat scraps as Bigfoot bait.
The morning of December 13th brought Rene’s best chance to nab the Cripple. Cruising the banks of Roosevelt Lake with Ivan Marx and an interested young local man, the team pulled over near a railway crossing adjacent to the Columbia River. Marx left the car to check on one of Rene’s meat-piles. Within seconds he flew back to the car shouting “Bigfoot tracks!”
The cripplefoot trackway
1089 individual footprints covered the snowy landscape, winding along the railroad, across the railroad, across the highway, over a 3 ½ foot wire fence, and underneath a pine tree. Beneath the tree they found a large impression littered with pine needles. In the center of this marking was a large clump of snow bearing a few toe prints. Rene believed that the creature stopped to shake off accumulating snow from its foot.
Upon realizing there were hundreds more tracks beyond the pine tree pit-stop, a fiery Rene abandoned all skepticism, shouting “Now we’re going to get that hairy sonofabitch!”
The tracks went up a steep hill and back down the same hill, side-by-side. A deep, yellow-tinged snow patch indicated the possibility the creature stopped to urinate. No samples were collected. Beyond the pee-patch the footprints led down a steep grade parallel to the river, until they finally disappeared amidst the Columbia’s rocky shore.
What did the crippled foot look like, and what supposedly happened to ‘the creature’?
The left print measured 17 ½” inches long and 6 ½” across the ball. The right, “crippled” foot measured 16 ½ long and 7” across the ball. The right print showed more compression than the left. This suggests that the body weight favored the right side.
The most notable attribute, and perhaps the sole reason this event became so delectable to the hungry group of Bigfooters, is the infamous crippled right foot. Shorter and wider than the left foot, it strangely left a deeper impression. Rene along with several academics offer their own explanations of the gnarled appendage:
Rene Dahinden, on-scene Bigfoot researcher: Believed the ‘creature’ to have a shorter right leg and endured an accident that dislocated the shinbone.
Dr. Grover Krantz, anthropologist: Believes the tracks made by the ‘crippled individual’ are authentic and simply too sophisticated to be faked. Notably penciled in anatomical structure of the bones upon the plaster cast.
Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology, expert on foot morphology and locomotion in primates: Believes the tracks to be authentic and the chances of a hoax to be “almost non-existent.” In an official study, he details the structure of the foot and appears to accept Grover’s skeletal outline:
“The malformed right foot has been previously misidentified as a case of talipes equinoverus (clubfoot). However, it is consistent with the general condition of pes cavus, specifically metatarsus adductus or possibly skewfoot. Its unilateral manifestation makes it more likely that the individual was suffering from a lesion on the spinal cord rather than a congenital deformity. Regardless of the epidemiology, the pathology highlights the evident distinctions of skeletal anatomy. The prominent bunnionettes on the lateral margin of the foot mark the positions of the calcaneocuboid and cuboideometatarsal joints, which are positioned more distal than in a human foot. This accords with the inferred position of the transverse tarsal joint and confirms the elongation of the heel segment. Furthermore, deformities and malalignments of the digits permit inferences about the positions of interphalangeal joints and relative toe lengths, as depicted in the reconstructed skeletal anatomy depicted below.”
Dr. David Howe, orthopedic surgeon: Believes the prints are wholly authentic. He echoes Dr. Krantz, believing that “it would be very difficult to come up with the knowledge and the ability” to fabricate the structure of the foot. He also feels that it could be a lisfranc injury: dislocation of the metatarsal bones from the tarsus, the cluster of bones that including the ankle and heel that are inbetween the toes and the shin bones. If the creature suffered a lisfranc injury, without medical treatment, the “residual deformity could heal over in [that] direction.”
Treachery comes to Crippleburg
The cripplefoot tracks began a Sasquatch circus in Bossburg. Over the course of a few months Bigfooters of all types flocked to the sleepy mountain town. Among them were Roger Patterson of the Patterson/Gimlin film and the aforementioned John Greene. All of the colorful Bigfoot eggs were in one red-hot basket. Unfortunately for the gang, their salacious optimism no doubt attracted treacherous agents.
A mysterious prospector named Metlow appeared one evening in the Bigfooter’s trailer headquarters. The man, who I picture as some sort of shrouded, pale, devil incarnate, instigated a bidding war for control of an actual Sasquatch that he managed to trap in a deep mine shaft. He refused to let any of the men view the creature. This delectable offer divided the diehard group. With remote financial backing for each side, the bid grew every day. Swept up with excitement, Rene’s bid of $55,000 placed him top of the heap. Excitement faded quickly, as Metlow suddenly withdrew his proposition.
As if dangling chunks of meat for a gator congregation, Metlow returned shortly thereafter with the promise of a frozen Sasquatch foot. The group of Bigfooters once again bit hard on the proposal. And once again they divided, coming up with nothing but whiffed air on this attempt. Simply, Metlow dangled the relic, got bored or wasn’t offered enough cash, and quietly withdrew.
Peter Byrne vs. Ivan Marx
The cripplefoot saga cycled back to Ivan Marx for the final chapter. The original reporter of the now famed ‘Bossburg Cripple’, Marx phoned old-faithful Rene nine months after the Metlow debacle (October, 1970), proclaiming, “I’ve got a film of the cripple.” On cue, the starving gators crawled back to Crippleburg.
According to Marx, he received an anonymous phone call explaining that a “large upright creature” was struck on the highway by a train or a car. Marx had rallied his hunting dogs and armed himself with a camera. It wasn’t long before he tracked the creature and recorded several minutes of compelling footage:
“On the screen the Sasquatch is shown moving from right to left at an angle of about forty-five degrees away from the photographer. Distance from the subject according to Marx ranged from twenty-five feet to more than a hundred feet as it made its way into the heavy underbrush on the far side of the clearing. Probably the most impressive part of the film, besides its extreme clarity, is the fact that the Sasquatch is visibly injured, holding its right arm tightly to its chest and using its long muscular left arm for compensating balance. Also, both ankles of the creature seem badly skinned, the wounds showing plainly raw against the black hair of the legs and feet. In watching the frames singly, the injured or skinned area appears to extend onto the bottom of one foot, and possibly on both feet, which would account for the apparent pain-filled movements of the frightened creature. As the Sasquatch is nearing the far side of the clearing, a twisted tree limb is stepped on, bouncing up and striking it above knee level. Marx, the following day, photographed this stick, which was ten feet long. In comparison the creature photographed would have stood about nine feet tall and Marx estimated its weight as that of two large bears, or around seven to eight hundred pounds.”
Ding! Ding! A bidding war for the rights to the original footage ensued. A fresh faced British adventurer named Peter Byrne entered the sullied arena. With backing of his own from infamous millionaire (and Yeti enthusiast) Tom |
its modules is enormous: € 56 billion, of which € 16,5 is the cost of sea and land (in Europe) segments. The question is about the optimizing of investments. Unlikely it comes to reducing the cost. Most likely it is about the redistribution of costs between foreign and Russian sections of the route, certainly in the benefit of Russian modules of the "Southern Corridor". M. Korchemkin from the Center of East European Gas Analysis consider the Crimean scenario as a variant of the sea route optimization of "South Stream", which is due to the exclusive economic zone of Ukraine extended far to the south gives the maximum length to the offshore section.
http://m-korchemkin.livejournal.com/
Analyzing the optimization options, one should pay attention to the Crimean route, which can make the "South Stream" combined. From the sea project exclusively, it can be transformed via sea - land (Crimea) -sea modification:
Possible “Crimea correction” of “South Stream” sea section
It's worth remembering, that a former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych suggested "the Crimean option" of "South Stream" to Russia at the "Yalta European Strategy" VIII Conference as of September 17, 2011:
"This project is a lot cheaper than proposed one, the cost of which is now estimated to about $ 25 billion. And the route that we offer now will cost 5 times cheaper. "
Then "Gazprom" considered this proposal impractical. Deputy Chairman of the Board of "Gazprom" Valery Golubev said that it could be done through the Crimea, Evpatoria and further - in the Black Sea, but what is the point when you can break it just directly. Probably now "a direct thinking" of Kremlin has changed to "indirect" one, under the influence of geopolitical and kleptocratic problems in time when the economy takes a back seat.
Of course, there are other options for optimization, but they require changes in the starting position of the project - the Russkaya Compressor Station on the Black Sea coast. On December 6, 2013 there has already begun installation of equipment. This CS is also the final destination of the pipeline system "Southern Corridor" from Yamal to the Black Sea.
Russkaya CS. Left – model, right – photo of the building plot. December, 2013
In the autumn 2014 it was scheduled to begin construction of the offshore section of the pipeline. And it will be held in the most deep water bottom zone of the Black Sea, where depths are 1900-2200 meters. At the same time, the combined route in case of annexation of the Crimea will be held on the shelf, and not on the bottom zone of the sea with the smaller depths:
Last year in November Gazprom began to speak about the probability of making some adjustments to the project. But whether there will be such a large-scale adjustment is hard to say. Perhaps an indicator will be the change of the capacity of the Russkaya CS. Now it pompously is claimed as the most powerful in the world, with an installed capacity of 448 MW. For the "Crimean route" this capacity is redundant because both depths and distances are substantially smaller. In addition, in Crimea two compressor stations could be installed providing further gas pumping through the territory of the peninsula, and through the sea.
Crimea separation with its further annexation gives to Russia the solution of the number of strategic issues in the framework of the «Pax Putiniana»:
- gas connection of Crimea, which is almost dependent on Ukraine in infrastructure and resources now, to Russia;
- neutralization or taking under the Russian control the perspective projects of gas exploration and extraction in the Black Sea, which were initiated by Ukraine with the engagement of leading European and American companies;
- deprivation Ukraine of the access to the major part of the explored offshore gas deposits and prospective hydrocarbon resources in the Black Sea;
- forcing the leading American and European oil and gas companies out of the Northern segment of the Black Sea;
- deprivation “Ukraine without Crimea” of the main space of the exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.
Also the question of “Crimea in exchange to gas” could be raised. A year ago the pro–Russian forces in Crimea actively used this thesis after proclamation of 7 billion claim of Gazprom to Naftogaz. It is clear that such a thesis was not a home stock of the separatists from the Sevastopol–Crimea–Russia front. It was the execution of directives from Moscow. Now after Yanukovich’s failure the Kremlin modifies Anschluss scenario for Ukraine and prepares Crimea background for the bidding with new authority in Kyiv. With “Lady Yu” return to the political life of Ukraine, Russia can start the game like the one that ended by the discriminatory gas contracts of January 19, 2009 for Ukraine and by Kharkov agreement of April 21, 2010 for Yanukovich with the Black Sea Fleet of Russian Federation prolongation in Sevastopol till 2042. One can only hope that Maidan and NSDC will not allow stepping on the same rake of 2009 (Moscow gas contracts) and 2010 (Kharkov agreement) to past politicians and their protected authority personages. Any gas agreement with Russia should not be signed without NSDC approval, the structure of which should also be reformatted quickly.Robin Marchant / Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival Haifaa Al-Mansour (L) and Gloria Steinem attend the Tribeca Talks: After The Movie 'Wadjda' during the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival on Apr. 21, 2013, in New York City
Last night, just before the New York premiere of Wadjda, the first-ever feature film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, writer-director Haifaa al-Mansour told the crowd about her goals: “I tried to make a film about hope, embracing change and moving ahead.”
In fact, the movie is doubly significant: Haifaa al-Mansour is a woman. The powerful statement of the latter achievement was apparent in the post-screening discussion with al-Mansour, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, and Women for Women International(WWI) founder Zainab Salbi. The event, part of the Tribeca Film Festival, was packed with local cineastes as well as such luminaries as Queen Noor of Jordan.
Wadjda tells the story of an outgoing Saudi girl who decides to enter a Koran-memorization contest at her school, planning to use the prize money to buy herself a bicycle (though the activity, until very recently, was banned to women in the desert kingdom). Though the movie also addresses such issues as child marriage, polygamy and street harassment, it’s a revealing portrait of a modern Saudi girl: Wadjda loves music, wears Chuck Taylors, and has a crush on a neighborhood boy. She wants to move, literally, and go faster than she can on foot.
(MORE: Wadjda and 11 Other Tribeca Movies That Have Us Excited)
Haifaa al-Mansour, who studied at the American University in Cairo and the University of Sydney, described the complicated process of getting the movie made. Prior to Wadjda, she had made three short films and a 2005 full-length documentary, Women Without Shadows. She worked with the Sundance Institute’s screenwriting lab to fine-tune the Wadjda script. Finding funding and support was difficult — most assumed that it would be impossible for a woman to get a movie made in Saudi Arabia.
When German producers signed on, the next hurdle was in finding a girl to play Wadjda, as many Saudi women are wary of being photographed. They eventually cast Waad Mohammed — she went on to win the best actress award at the Dubai International Film Festival.
The last final obstacle — which they ran into after receiving official permission to film — was getting around restrictions on women working in public. The solution: having al-Mansourr direct from inside a van, offering instructions via walkie-talkie. “You want to be there for the actors and have the first feeling for the scene,” she said of not being able to be on the shoot in person, “but it made me work harder.”
It should be noted that not every complication arose from gender. Saudi Arabia lacks the infrastructure for filmmaking — the country doesn’t even have movie theaters. (Wadjda will be released there on TV and DVD, al-Mansourr said: she hopes that most Saudis will find it respectful of the culture.)
(MORE: A New PBS Documentary Tells the Story of One Revolution (and Begins Another))
Al-Mansour’s points to her own fulfillment of a dream (mirroring that of her movie’s youthful protagonist) as evidence that her country is opening up a bit. “There’s a huge chance for art and women,” she said. “Many things are being granted. They’re small, but it’s changing the mindset.” She sees the country being transformed slowly — and understands that gradual change is necessary in challenging long-held beliefs.
And though the revolutions that spread through the Arab world in recent years did not have a parallel in Saudi Arabia, WWI’s Zainab Salbi suggested that they probably played a part in encouraging the government to allow the pressure to “ventilate” in “negotiated spaces.” (“They want to hear from women—softly,” seconded al-Mansour.)
Much of that pressure to open up is coming from women, Salbi said: “There is a tension in that region and women and girls are the battlefield.” It’s not that the conflict is men-versus-women but that men and women alike disagree about freedoms for women, she clarified, pointing to an oppressive headmistress character from the film as an example of a woman holding other women back.
But even though women are the subject of this conflict, they’re also Salbi’s source of hope for the region. Although the situation in Wadjda and that experienced by the young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai are not quite the same, Salbi drew a parallel between the two girls who asked for more than they were being given. Nor do the parallels stop when you leave the Arab world, Steinem observed, drawing a line between prohibitions on a girl riding a bike in Saudi Arabia and government attempts to control women’s bodies and reproductive rights in the United States.
(TIME 100: Malala Yousafzai)
“I think we’re just beginning to realize that just as we as human beings are linked, not ranked,” said Steinem, “revolutions are linked, not ranked.”
There’s another piece of evidence that Al Mansour is right, that slow change is coming for the women of Saudi Arabia: Wadjda’s story has, in a way, come true. Earlier this month, a Saudi official announced that, under certain conditions, women are now allowed to ride bicycles in public.
Wadjda will open in U.S. theaters in late August.Firefox is about to undergo some dramatic changes, according to Mozilla. Most notably, it sounds like future versions of Firefox will focus on Firefox-esque features such as Private Browsing Mode, while features that are unpolished or otherwise not very useful will be stripped out of the browser entirely. Furthermore, it looks like Mozilla is finally getting serious about moving Firefox away from XUL and XBL, though it isn't clear if they will be replaced with open Web technologies (HTML, CSS, JS) or native UI.
In an e-mail to the firefox-dev mailing list, Firefox Director of Engineering Dave Camp has outlined what he calls the Three Pillars of the new Firefox: Uncompromised Quality, Best Of The Web, and Uniquely Firefox. Let's take them in order.
Uncompromised Quality will aim to strip out Firefox's half-baked ideas or carry them through to completion so that they're "polished, functional, and a joy to use." This program is internally dubbed "Great or Dead"—as in, if the Firefox devs can't make a feature great, it should be killed off. Camp says in the e-mail that Electrolysis (e10s)—Firefox's massively overdue implementation of per-tab processes—is one of the first features that needs to be focused on in order "to get the kind of snappy experience we need to make Firefox feel great."
Best Of The Web is a slightly more nebulous pillar that will concern itself with the add-ons community and partnerships with third parties like Telefonica. "We intend to spend some significant effort making addons even more awesome by improving security and performance for users and building a better API that increases x-platform compatibility for addon authors and partners," Camp says in the e-mail.
Uniquely Firefox is all about actually attracting new users to Firefox by "focus[ing] on the reasons users choose us in the first place." The only specific example given is an improved Private Browsing mode, which Camp says will "land shortly."
In a separate e-mail to firefox-dev, Camp outlined another big change for Firefox: XUL and XBL are going away, "but the discussion of how to do that is in the early stages." XUL (XML User Interface Language) and XBL (XML Binding Language) are currently used to create the UI in most versions of Firefox and its add-ons. XUL and XBL are useful in that they're cross-platform (they're rendered by Gecko), but problematic because they're not really used anywhere beyond Firefox. Most of the Web has moved onto HTML5, and thus ongoing support for XUL and XBL has languished. "Performance problems go unfixed and it creates a lot of unnecessary complexity within Gecko," Camp writes.
As for what will replace XUL and XBL, the jury is still out. Rather famously, Firefox for Android initially used XUL but later switched to native UI widgets. Mozilla has previously experimented with building the Firefox UI out of HTML, which would certainly make things easier for add-on writers, but HTML is certainly not a drop-in replacement for XUL and XBL. Using native UI across all of the various platforms would speed things up, especially if Mozilla can also get Electrolysis working properly. Camp isn't sure which path is the correct one, and he asks developers to chime in if they have some feedback.
Mozilla finds itself in an odd position with Firefox in 2015. Firefox's market share has trended steadily downwards for the last five years, mostly shedding its percentage points to Chrome. Mozilla hasn't released active user numbers in a long time, but it's probably still sitting at around 500 million. From off-the-record conversations with Mozillians, they don't seem to be too fazed by the diminishing numbers; Mozilla's mission isn't to dominate the Web, after all. The main concerns, however, are that the downward trend will continue, and developers (and users) will then jump ship to the next big thing.
Right now, Mozilla still has enough market share to effect positive change on the Web, but it will need to fight a little harder to retain that privilege in the future.Ryan Dempster has struggled with the Rangers since coming over from the Cubs, but his latest problem adjusting to playing in the American League is a little more bizarre.
Dempster missed his originally scheduled Saturday start against the Blue Jays due to “personal reasons,” according to Texas, but the fine print in this one is what’s fun.
Dempster reportedly doesn’t have his passport, according to the Dallas Morning News, and may have lost it some time in the last few years.
Ergo, Dempster wouldn’t have been allowed through customs at the airport and couldn’t even travel with the team to the Rogers Centre. Dempster, who hasn’t pitched in Canada since 2004, never had to worry about playing the Jays in his time with the Cubbies.
What’s even more interesting about this already-odd story, though, is that Dempster is actually Canadian. The right-hander was born in Sechelt, B.C., Canada, and played baseball in his native country until he graduated from secondary school in 1995.
In any event, Roy Oswalt started in Dempster’s place Saturday, going 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits while walking two and balking twice in the Rangers’ 2-1 win.15&’s Baek Yerin talked about the pressure to do well after making a comeback.
On June 20, Baek Yerin appeared on MBC FM4U’s “Tei’s Dreaming Radio” to celebrate her recent comeback.
When asked how she feels after topping the charts after the release of her album, she says, “Even though I sleep at 3 or 4 a.m., I tried to not look at the charts. I was worried that my album wouldn’t do well. I tend to be more harsh on myself when I release a song that I made myself. So that’s why I avoided looking at the charts, until I got a message from my dad saying, ‘I’m proud of you.’ I checked the charts then, and I realized I was in first place.”
Labelmate singer Baek A Yeon has made a comeback recently, too. Baek Yerin explains, “I was honestly pressured. Her songs always do well, and the agency told me, ‘Let’s try to do as well as Baek A Yeon,’ so I felt pressure.”
Source (1)I, TONYA isn’t the first movie to turn down a larger offer from Netflix, and the bad news for the streaming service is, it won’t be the last either — at least until Netflix improves the way it releases its original movies, both in theaters and online.
Despite receiving a Netflix bid rumored to be in the $12 million range, the team behind I, Tonya accepted a $5 million theatrical offer from Dan Friedkin and Micah Green’s new company 30West and Neon that calls for a 2017 release and a strong awards campaign.
Now, a lot of indie films are blessed (or cursed) with awards chatter that never comes to fruition, but in this case, it’s actually warranted thanks to ferocious turns from Margot Robbie as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding and Allison Janney as her abusive mother, LaVona Golden. Robbie is obviously the headliner, but Janney is the one whose performance cries out for an Oscar nomination.
Directed by Craig Gillespie from a script by Steven Rogers, I, Tonya is a dark comedy steeped in both tragedy and absurdity. You’re probably aware of “the incident,” in which Harding’s rival, Nancy Kerrigan, was more or less kneecapped. But what you may not know is the story behind the story, the one off the ice, including Tonya’s complicated relationship with her mother and her doomed romance with Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan).
I, Tonya was produced by Bryan Unkeless, Steven Rogers, Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley, while Rosanne Korenberg and Zanne Devine executive produced along with Len Blavatnik and Aviv Giladi of AI Films, which also financed the project.
The deal was negotiated by NEON and 30West and CAA and UTA on behalf of the filmmakers. Vince Holden of AI Films and Miramax’s Bill Block and Adrian Lopez negotiated the deal on behalf of their respective companies.
30West made a seven-figure deal with YouTube Red earlier to acquire Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! earlier in the festival.
Led by Tom Quinn and Tim League, Neon is one of the most exciting indie distributors around today, along with A24, Annapurna Pictures and Amazon Studios. The company got off to a strong start in my book with the release of last year’s hot Toronto title Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway. While I wasn’t a fan of The Bad Batch, the acquisition itself was defensible as it put them in business with up-and-comer Ana Lily Amirpour, and as the summer progressed, Ingrid Goes West and Beach Rats proved to be two of my favorite films of the year. In my book, 75 percent is a great batting average. And more importantly, the company is buying movies that I actually want to see, which is all that really matters.
I’m looking forward to seeing Neon’s Sundance acquisition Roxanne Roxanne, and I’ve shown the Gemini trailer to my friends and family more than a dozen times. I’m also trying to see both Borg/McEnroe and Racer and the Jailbird before I leave Toronto. The point of all this is to say, I really like Neon is up to right now, and I’m glad that the I, Tonya team had faith in them and saw the same potential that I do. For the moment, take comfort in the notion that a really good film that may have gotten lost in the shuffle at Netflix will now get the special care it deserves from a company (or companies, I should say) that knows what it’s doing.
Jeff Sneider | Editor in ChiefA person is loaded into an ambulance following a mass stabbing at the Cy-Fair campus of Lone Star College in northwest Houston, as seen in this still image from video courtesy of KPRC-TV April 9, 2013. REUTERS/KPRC-TV
(Reuters) - At least 14 people were injured during a mass stabbing at a local community college in the northwest Houston area Tuesday morning, according to the local rescue officials.
Four people were critically injured during the incident at the Cy-Fair campus of Lone Star College in Harris County, the Cy-Fair volunteer fire department said.
One suspect was detained, local police said.
“LOCKDOWN at LSC-CyFair. Seek shelter now. If away, stay away,” the school posted on Twitter at noon local time.
Three people were shot at a separate campus of Lone Star College in January.MIAMI -- Yankees fans, are you getting a kick out of Bryce Harper firing back at heckling Mets fans?
The Washington Nationals one-time MVP right fielder lashed out this week by calling them "rude" to the point he'd like to "punch somebody in the mouth."
Now it's your turn to be disappointed if you're dreaming of Yankees superstar rookie Aaron Judge and Harper being in the same outfield come 2019.
All-Stars react to Judge winning Derby
Here's a possible strong hint that Harper won't consider signing with the Yankees when he becomes a free agent after the '18 season:
He's apparently no fan of New York City.
During All-Star Workout Day at Marlins Park on Monday, Harper was asked what he thought about the Yankees' tradition and New York City before Judge won the 2017 Home Run Derby.
Here's his response on the city:
"Going to New York City for a couple days... I want to get out of there in about three days. You go there for three days, it's pretty crazy and hectic and I want to go back home. I want to go back home to DC. There's nothing like (DC)."
Interesting, huh?
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner wants to get under baseball's luxury tax threshold by 2018, which would make it more cost effective to go above it again the next season, and it just so happens that the 2018-19 offseason could have a free agent class that includes Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, Baltimore Orioles star third baseman Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.
The Yankees and Harper have been linked in rumors for years because the Yankees would be a team that could afford Harper, and Harper, who hits left-handed, seemingly would be a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium with its short porch in right field.
Harper was asked Monday if he's ever wondered how many homers he could hit in a season if he played half his games at Yankee Stadium, and his answer cast more doubt that he'll someday be a Yankee.
"I hit the ball to left field a lot and Yankee Stadium is pretty big in left field," Harper said.
Also, the Yankees now have a superstar right fielder in Judge, so Harper joining forces would force one of them to move to another position or DH.
Harper's heard the rumors.
Here's his take:
"I don't really think about it much. I try to focus on what I can do to help my team on a day-to-day basis. Judge is a great player. (The Yankees) have a lot of young talent out there with (Gary) Sanchez, (Clint) Frazier and Didi (Gregorius). Greg Bird, when he comes back... he's a great player.
"They've got a lot of great talent, but that's their team and Judge is doing a great job being a leader of that team. He's paving the way for all of those guys out there. But I just try to focus on doing what I can to help my team win on a daily basis."
Media guesses have Harper moving on by '19 due to speculation the Nationals won't pony up whatever the big dollars are that it'll take to get his monster contract done.
"I would love for Harper to stay in a Nationals uniform," Nationals All-Star right-hander Stephen Strasburg said. "He got drafted by them. I grew up a huge Tony Gwynn fan and he stayed on one team for his whole career. I think there's something to that. You don't really see that too often."
Harper thinks there's something to that, too, and he's saying he'd like to become to the Nationals what legends such as Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter were to the Yankees.
"They've got tradition," Harper said of the Yankees. "That's the thing I want to do in DC. That's why it's so amazing to be able to start with a team that you can build the most tradition you can with. You look at a guy like Cal Ripken who stayed with the Orioles forever. You look at a guy like Derek Jeter who stayed with the Yankees forever and (helped continue) that tradition of having such great fans and amazing teams and things like that.
"With DC, the guys that we have right now with (younger stars such as third baseman Anthony) Rendon and (shortstop) Trea Turner and (center fielder) Michael Taylor and having the veteran guys that we do in (All-Star starting pitchers Max) Scherzer and Strasburg... (Outfielder prospect Victor) Robles in the minor leagues is one of our best guys. We've got a lot of great talent coming up."
Are those hints that Harper may give the Nationals a big hometown discount to stay?
Maybe, but probably not.
Meantime, baseball fans will continue to speculate where Harper will end up.
"I think that's human nature," Harper said. "It's part of the way the world ticks. I don't even worry about it much. I try to focus on what I can do that day to help my team win. I don't want to look into the future. It's not fair to myself. It's not fair to my team. I'm a guy who wants to win in the moment. I want to help my team in DC play and win. We've got a great club there."
Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Originally Posted by Brett C (Source) Originally Posted by
Further update (until further notice): Please note the following, this is effective as of today, for all minor factions: applying, waiting, and added to the game.
We are no longer permitting updating or editing of minor faction information once submitted or added to the game world.
When you are applying to us, it is what will end up in the game world - barring any issues on the processing of your minor faction. This means the following: We will not edit your minor faction once it is in the game. No system moves, no description changes, no allegiance or government changes.
I apologise for this inconvenience at this time. With the sheer amount of new minor factions coming into Elite - I am unable to accept updates or edits any longer."I suppose I'll think of something. Or die."
The Martian is a novel written by Andrew Weir, previously the author of the short story "The Egg", the completed webcomic Casey and Andy and the uncompleted webcomic Cheshire Crossing. The Martian was originally published on Weir's website in 2011, then as an eBook through Amazon Kindle, then finally printed by Crown Publishing.
Mark Watney is an astronaut who is part of the crew of the third manned mission to Mars. Soon after they land, the Martian weather gets too rough and the mission has to be abandoned. In the escape Watney is struck down by a piece of debris and presumed dead, and left on the planet. However, he survives, and with no obvious way to communicate with mission control, he has to use the limited resources on hand to survive until the next mission — which is years away.
On Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness, the novel falls solidly in the "very damn hard" category. No less an expert than Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is no stranger to calling out films which don't fit the bill, praised its "crucial science".
A film adaptation, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon as Mark Watney, was released in October 2015 to much critical acclaim. The page for the film is here.
See also: Artemis.
Absent Aliens: Despite being titled "The Martian" there are no traditional Little Green Men or the like — it is the human stuck on Mars who is the eponymous "Martian". Mark is Genre Savvy that he's stuck on Mars and stories about Mars have featured Martians, so he mentions Martians now and then, but it's only for the Rule of Funny. Mark doesn't believe in, nor does he meet any "Martians". Mark: Once I got back to the Hab, I felt a lot better. Everything was right where I left it (what did I expect, Martians looting my stuff?)
Added Alliterative Appeal: The Classroom edition changes one of Mark's Crowning Moments of Funny to this. JPL: By the way, the probe is named Iris. She was a Greek goddess who traveled the heavens with the speed of wind. She's also the goddess of rainbows.
Mark: Pride parade probe coming to save me. Got it.
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Almost Out of Oxygen: Averted. Oxygen was actually one of the few things Mark had an adequate supply of throughout his ordeal, since there was an oxygen maker, although there were a few cases where the problem was to access it. And of course, at the start of the novel, he almost dies from too much of it.
The Aloner: Population of Mars: 1.
Alternate Calendar: The mission is counted in "Sols", as a Martian day is thirty-seven minutes and twenty-two seconds longer than an Earth one. The book begins on Sol 6 and ends on Sol 549.
Ambiguous Disorder: Rich Purnell takes everything extremely literally, with sarcasm flying right over his head, and has poor social skills.
America Saves the Day: Averted. China steps in when all is lost.
And Mission Control Rejoiced: Everyone cheers as Pathfinder's signal arrives, letting them know Mark successfully revived it. In this case, "Mission Control" is a conference room crowded with people and computers, because the old Pathfinder mission center has long since been repurposed.
Again at the end, when Lewis reports, "Houston, this is Hermes Actual. Six crew safely aboard."
Anthropic Principle: A lot have things have to line up just right for the story and for Watney to get home.
Apocalyptic Log: A couple of Mark's mission log entries are recorded at a time when there's a high probability they'll become this trope. In fact, his entire reason for recording the log in the first place is so that something of his story would survive if he did not, and it became a habit.
Artistic License: In any book that pays this much attention to detail, there are inevitably going to be a few details that are questionable. Weir himself freely admits that, although he pushed as hard as he could toward the diamond end of the Mohs scale, he went ahead and just went with plot needs for a few things; The initial windstorm that prompted the mission scrub that left Mark stranded. An atmospheric pressure 2% that of Earth's at sea level means even a 175 km/h wind would have little effect on the MAV, the com antenna, or the Hab. This is even brought up later in the book when the second dust storm hits. The author admits this, but "most people don't know how Martian dust storms work. And it's just more dramatic that way."
The author admits this, but "most people don't know how Martian dust storms work. And it's just more dramatic that way." The failure of the Hab's airlock. It's highly unlikely that NASA would allow a structure subject to pressure cycles like an airlock to be designed with a single-point failure that could lead to loss of crew. Though, in fairness, it was still being used far longer than NASA had intended.
The oxygen alarm in his EVA suit — warning of too high oxygen levels — is what wakes up Mark after his impalement by the Hab's antenna. A long technical explanation is given, starting with the suit backfilling with nitrogen after its breach and ending up filling up with pure oxygen after depleting its CO2 filters. Mark greatly overstates the danger, claiming this pure oxygen at 1 atmosphere could damage his "nervous system, eyes, and lungs," when in fact oxygen at this partial pressure will at most cause irritation of the lungs and breathing passages, even then only after 12 hours or so of continuous exposure. Nerve damage (with rapid and possibly fatal effect) wouldn't be an issue unless the suit had both 100% oxygen and increased its pressure to over 1.6 atmospheres — something that only comes up with hyperbaric chambers and deep-sea diving. (Were this not the case, patients on therapeutic oxygen on Earth would drop dead left and right.)
The nature of the Hab canvas; specifically, its ability to shield Mark from radiation approximately as well as Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, as current plans for radiation shielding on planets lacking those is to bury the modules in at least three feet of metal-rich dirt — and run for cover whenever a solar flare occurs. Not good for when Mark needs to spend weeks away from the Hab.
Mark's work with the potatoes in general stretches his alleged botany degree quite a bit. Where did Mark get the light for his potatoes? He has 200 m 2 of solar panels, but the amount of solar energy received per square metre is only half what it would be on Earth, they operate at 10% efficiency, and the lights aren't 100% either. It doesn't seem enough for over 100 m 2 of plants. Martian soil contains fairly high amounts of perchlorate salt, which would make farming considerably more difficult if not impossible. However, at the time the book was written this was not yet known — and some experiments undertaken since have shown potatoes to have a higher perchlorate tolerance than previously thought. Mark's math with doubling potatoes is highly optimistic and in real life would likely overstress the plants too much and simply kill them. Then again, it's not as though he has much choice in the matter.
The use of 20% oxygen and 80% nitrogen as breathing gas at 1 atmosphere pressure should be noted as an Averted Trope. Although an atmosphere of pure oxygen at 20% atmospheric pressure is perfectly breathable, reduces the strength requirement of pressure vessels, and greatly simplifies air handling — and for these reasons was typical in manned NASA programs into the 1970s — this setup was never very popular in the Soviet space program and fell out of favor in NASA around the beginning of Skylab. By the time the NASA Shuttle was built NASA was copying the Soviet procedure of using the 20%/80% oxygen/nitrogen mix at atmospheric pressure. The nitrogen in the 20/80 mix offers thermal mass to help inhibit the formation of fires, and the greater density of the 20/80 mix makes it easier to circulate and heat/cool air. It's the standard living conditions for the International Space Station and likely any future manned missions.
As Lethal as It Needs to Be: The storms on Mars. The one at the beginning of the book is more powerful than any on Mars could be — because without it we wouldn't have a plot. The second one in the book is realistic and poses a different sort of danger.
As You Know: Watney explains things to his journal that are no-brainers to NASA workers, but he assumes early on that his records will eventually be discovered by historians (in some future where Mars has experienced widespread colonization), and so he explains everything he's doing. This not only makes good sense in-universe, but it clues in the non-technical audience, too! Mark: I guess I should explain how Mars missions work, for any layman who may be reading this...
Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: While he is about to pass out from the massive G forces of being launched into space from Mars's surface, Mark becomes fixated on a particular bolt being pentagonal instead of hexagonal, and wondering why NASA decided that bolt needed to be that way. The answer, in case you're curious... Pentagonal bolts are very difficult to loosen (or tighten) without a specific specialized tool. 6, 4, and even 3-way symmetrical shapes can be made difficult to tamper with but a great deal of common tools could be used by someone who had decided they must get around these measures. Fiddling with that particular bolt while in-mission was probably a very, very bad idea — to the point that most likely the bolt was set back on Earth, and no pentagonal tool was sent into space, ever.
Author Appeal: Beyond the love of science and NASA that fuels quite a bit of the author's work (see Casey and Andy), there are quite a few references to disco music in this novel. Subverted in that it's a minor character that loves disco, while Watney himself suffers through it.
Badass Bookworm: One character note the one who figures out how to rescue Mark receives the traditional NASA accolade: Houston, be advised: Rich Purnell is a steely-eyed missile man.
Big "YES!": Everyone at Mission Control cheers and applauds when Lewis confirms Mark has been rescued. Lewis: Houston, this is Hermes actual. Six crew safely aboard.
Bilingual Bonus: Vogel knows something's up with a message, apparently from his schoolteacher wife, titled "unsere kinder" (our children) — "Kinder" is uncapitalized (a basic blunder made by non-German speakers, and one he notes she probably would not make), and they usually called their kids "die Affen" (the monkeys).
Broken Faceplate: After the seal around one of the Hab airlocks rips and the pressure blasts the airlock out, with Mark inside it, Mark has the faceplate of his helmet shattered. He is trapped in |
there was a ‘lack of an integrated SMS’ (Safety Management System) and that RailCorp should ‘develop and implement a human systems integration program…’ including: ‘Customised human factors training for rail safety workers and management/supervisory level staff based on contemporary Crew Resource Management (now referred to, in the rail industry, as Rail Resource Management [RRM]) principles’. However, the conclusions reached by the Commission of Inquiry were not tracked and implemented as the previous recommendations had been. Milsons Point 2007 On 14 March 2007 a train with a damaged pantograph came to a halt on the approaches to Sydney Harbour Bridge near Milsons Point during the afternoon peak period. Many passengers were left stranded on trains for up to two hours. RailCorp’s investigation report concluded: ‘While on site staff and RMC Train Controllers were aware of the correct incident location, other staff in the RMC were not. This situation lasted over two hours after the initial notification. Team Leaders/Supervisors within the RMC were not made aware of the exact details of the incident. There was no common understanding of the incident facts and subsequently some sections of the RMC provided incorrect information to outside areas’. Parallels can be drawn between communications and coordination in this incident and the Edgecliff incident. London Underground 2013 There was a recent incident on the London Underground (25 August 2013) [9] which involved smoke emanating from/entering into a train in the underground. Due to poor inter-employee communications within the organisation, the opportunity to detrain the passengers and take the train out of service was missed. It continued in service and was halted half alongside a platform, half in a tunnel, after passengers raised the alarm. The incident was not properly reported and investigations only commenced when reports appeared in the media. RAIB recommended that the operator ‘review training and competencies of its staff to provide a joined-up response to incidents involving trains in platforms and to reinforce its procedures on the prompt and accurate reporting of incidents so that they may be properly investigated’. Bondi Junction May 2014 On 14 May 2014, four months after the derailment at Edgecliff, another electric train was observed to be emitting smoke from underneath the train at Bondi Junction (once in the morning and again in the afternoon). The train was allowed to proceed on both occasions, only being checked by a train technician on arrival at Central station. The cause (a leak of compressor oil onto a hot surface) was eventually identified after the train was shut down for the night. The management of the incident and decision making processes were broadly similar to those which occurred on 15 January in relation to run 602. __________
Safety analysis
The cause of the failure was a metal spraying repair carried out in the late 1990s which introduced stress initiators to the axle. Over time, stress cracking occurred and these grew to the point when, on 15 January 2014, there was no longer sufficient sound axle material to provide the necessary strength to prevent the remaining material from shearing. The initial indications of a fault were displayed in the driver’s cab through intermittent illumination of the WSL and through a fault evident from the train’s TMS display. However, there were less indications of an axle problem than might have been the case due to each axle only having one wheel slip protection sensor. This sensor was located on that part of the axle which was still connected through the gearbox to the traction motor. The other section was no longer attached to the drive train and the wheel on this section exhibited multiple significant wheel skids. However, as this wheel was no longer being monitored by the wheel slip protection system, instances of this wheel locking up or running out of speed synchronisation did not generate an alarm, fault or other signal. The differential speeds between the two parts of the axles and their relative movements as the train travelled along the track generated heat. This heat was transferred into the gearbox oil and the gearbox casing. The gearbox had a vent to atmosphere and the heated state of the gearbox oil caused fumes to be released which led to the reports of smoke and a burning smell at various locations. At 1726 on 15 January 2014 train 602M derailed due to a broken axle, shortly after departing from Edgecliff Station. The axle had probably broken about an hour (and about 32 track km) before the incident in the vicinity of the Sydney suburban station of Jannali. This was the first recorded instance of an axle breaking on Sydney Trains’ EMU rolling stock. The axle broke within the gearbox such that the break could not be seen until the bogie was disassembled. The gearbox provided support for the two parts of the axle so preventing an immediate derailment. While a broken axle of this type was outside the experience of any railway employee involved, there were a number of requirements relating to the action to be taken when the WSP activated and in regard to TMS faults, or sticking brakes or a possible seized axle. These were not followed, in a number of critical aspects, by operational staff. The first awareness of there being an issue with Run 602 was on its arrival at Central. At and from that location and time there were a number of decision points at which the train could have been properly inspected and/or removed from service. Due to correct communication and reporting protocols not being followed, critical operational employees, notably the RMC SM, were either not informed of the issues with Run 602 or were not aware of their severity. Once the train recommenced its journey from Bondi Junction, now travelling in the opposite direction, the axle became the leading axle on its bogie which increased the likelihood of it derailing and it did so while under acceleration at a point of wide gauge in the track on departure from Edgecliff. Once the incident had occurred, there was no IRC available to respond to the incident in a timely manner. No Sydney Trains employee was designated as being the OIC, the point of contact for external agencies or to take charge of matters at the incident site. The STERU unit which arrived shortly after the incident had a team leader who took the initiative, in line with his role and training, to liaise with the emergency services and Sydney Trains employees on site. STERU’s line of communications was to the SCC within the RMC and this was followed. Meanwhile, the RMC SM, in the absence of an IRC, decided to deal with the guards of the two trains as his best points of contact. He did not consider the STERU team leader as being a candidate to adopt the role of incident coordination until the IRC arrived. Sydney Trains have confirmed that according to their IMF in the absence of an IRC, in this case, it was the driver who should have become the point of contact (IOC) at the incident site. The lack of a suitable appointed site coordinator (OIC) led to some delays on site, in particular in relation to the evacuation of the passengers from one train to the other. This could have been critical in a more serious incident. Repair procedures The repair to axle 881228 in 1998 was recognised as being non-standard. Authorisation for a non-standard repair was granted using an ‘Application for Deviation from Specification’ form. This deviation was requested by a Maintrain engineer due to the seating for the low speed bearings and oil flinger being ‘undersize’. It is likely that the undersize issue was caused by a circumferential groove, possibly caused by the bearing casing rotating on the axle rather than a more general loss of material due to repeated pressing on and off of bearing and oil flinger parts. The authority was for a repair using the ECMD process: suitable for a small dimensional loss but not for a deeper groove type defect. However, the approved ECMD process was not the one used to repair the axle. On inspecting the axle the repairer recognised that the damage to the axle was not suitable for an ECMD repair. The repairer stated that a written quote to repair the axle (using metal spraying) was issued to and accepted by Maintrain. While the quote document is no longer in existence and so its wording cannot be verified, the final invoice which was available to the investigation was non-specific, listing the process as ‘metallise and grind’. It may be that the invoice was equally imprecise and/or that the invoice was approved through Maintrain’s normal procurement process without reference to engineering staff. The above, though not certain after an intervening period of some 15 years, may explain how the axle, repaired using a metal spraying technique, was accepted back into service. Non-destructive testing Non-destructive testing (NDT) was routinely carried out on axles during periodic overhauls. One of the two methods used was ultrasonic testing (UT) whereby a probe is set at an angle to the axle’s surface and an ultrasonic beam is generated which passes through the body of the axle. Any crack present in the axle, if in the path of the beam, will generate a non-standard return signal which can be observed by the operator. The last UT was conducted on axle 881228 in September 2011 and while a crack was discovered in the crown gear wheel (which was replaced) no defects were recorded for the axle itself. The axle was also subject to magnetic particle inspection (MPI). During MPI, iron particles in suspension are coated onto the axle surface. A magnetic field is applied and, due to variations in the magnetic field caused by a surface crack, the particles congregate at the defect and so identify its presence and exact location. Neither UT nor MPI detected any defects in axle 881228 in September 2011. While the fatigue crack had extended almost all the way through the axle diameter before axle failure, it is impossible to conclude whether or not cracking was present in the axle at the time of the last non-destructive inspection. The axle had been in operation for 22 months since that last inspection. The possibility exists that the crack was at or below the threshold of detectability at the time of the ultrasonic inspection, or that it initiated and developed after it was returned to service. On 4 March 2014 another axle (90744), identified as having been metal sprayed at the same time as 881228, was tested for the presence of fracturing. While UT did not indicate any issues, MPI did detect what appeared to be a well-defined crack. However, no defects were found when the axle portion was examined by the ATSB’s laboratories in Canberra. It is clear that the current NDT regime used to test axles at UGL Unipart does not give a reliable indication as to the presence or otherwise of cracks in rolling stock axles. Track condition The track at the point of the initial derailment of No. 7 wheel had a known wide gauge of 27.5 mm. This allowed the No.7 wheel of the broken axle to derail into the area between the two rails so initiating the derailment sequence. However, reference to tables in Sydney Train’s document TMC 203 Track Inspections shows that, given the prevailing speed of 60 km/h, this magnitude of wide gauge did not require an intervention such as a reduced speed limit or even the programming of a repair. Specifically, the table identified that a wide gauge of 27 - 28 mm in a track with a maximum allowable speed of 60 km/h represents a ‘P3’ defect. A P3 defect must be inspected within 28 days but thereafter, providing that it has been established that the defect is stable (that is, not likely to deteriorate rapidly), the specified action is to program for repair with no stipulated maximum timeframe. As the track was supported on polymer concrete half sleepers affixed to a concrete slab, a very rigid design, the likelihood of a rapid deterioration in gauge was very small. Thus, while the wide gauge triggered the derailment it could not be said to contribute. That is, it was the broken axle and not the track gauge that contributed to the derailment. The track gauge was within tolerance and the axle would most likely have derailed at some other point as the train continued towards Central. Effectiveness of incident response During the lead up to the derailment there were a number of opportunities when issues with Run 602 could have been identified to network control staff. These occurred from Central Station through to its departure from Edgecliff on the return journey. A decision for a train to proceed or not would generally be made by the driver or by network control staff. However, any Sydney Trains employee is empowered to prevent a train from proceeding in an emergency. Communication procedures and communication channels are laid out in Sydney Trains’ Network Rules and IMF documents. In particular, the requirement to report all conditions that can or do affect the safety of operations to the Network Control Officer was not followed. Communications channels utilised during the incident were not in conformance with the organisation’s expectations (see Appendix C). There was an opportunity at the initial point of detection, Central, to have held the train and had one of the train technicians who were present inspect the train. Had this occurred, while the train may have continued in service, it is likely that a decision to terminate it would have been made at Martin Place or at Bondi Junction. Once this opportunity was lost, until the train returned to Central, there was no possibility of a train technician attending the train as long as it remained in service. In between Central to Bondi Junction, communications generally followed usual business channels, for example train crewing staff to train crewing staff, station staff to station staff. As the train progressed towards Bondi Junction, station staff, train crew and the fleet operations officer variously became aware of a condition affecting the train (or, in the case of the Martin Place DM, erroneously, with the station). No one contacted the signaller to initiate the Condition Affecting the Network (CAN) procedure. Key Sydney Trains employees did not use the correct channels of communication during this phase of the incident. Consequential to the above, neither the train controller nor the RMC SM were aware of the extent of the symptoms evident on Run 602L. However, the train controller was aware of reports of sticking brakes on Run 602L and should therefore have taken action as per RMC GO 11/13 to ensure that the report was fully investigated. The General Order directs that the train controller (or the fleet operations controller) ‘should (where possible) establish direct contact with the train crew’. The train controller did not attempt to contact the crew, relying on second hand information from the TCLO. At Bondi Junction, although the original driver endeavoured to pass on both his information and his misgivings about the state of the train to the driver trainer, it appears that the information was either not received or not fully understood. The fact that the information failed to be imparted may have been exacerbated by the coincidence of there being a trainee driver in the cab. The original driver had taken the precaution of briefing the guard to pass on information in case the drivers did not have the opportunity to converse. The guard did call the driver’s cab and was answered by the trainee driver. The guard passed on reports (en route from Central to Bondi Junction) of a burning smell in or about the sixth carriage. By this time, the TCSM, being in constant telephone conversation with the TCLO, had taken charge of the situation on the platform. The incorrect assumption that the problem was caused by sticking brakes appears to have coloured the thinking of the TCLO and through the TCSM to the driver trainer. There was also an authority gradient apparent: from the TCLO through the TCSM to the driving staff and then to the guard. Despite the combination of heavy fumes, odour and the fact that sticking brakes were extremely rare on this class of rolling stock, sticking brakes were accepted as the cause, creating confirmation bias whereby other possibilities, such as axle, bearing or gearbox problems, were subordinated. Even the information imparted by the DM that NSW Fire and Rescue were on their way did not influence the decision for 602M to continue in service. Some employees, at interview, commented that a culture existed in Sydney Trains which emphasised the importance of keeping trains running over other considerations. There appeared to be a strong focus on ‘onUber
Uber is no longer only on-demand.
Starting Thursday, the company is going to roll out an option for customers to book a ride up to 30 days in advance.
The experiment is starting in Seattle and is, so far, limited to riders who have a business profile.
The goal is to target those travelers who may be anxious about hailing an Uber at 4 a.m. for a flight or someone who needs to schedule an Uber to be there when they finish a meeting.
Business travel is just the start, though, and Uber says it plans to make this feature available to all riders eventually.
Uber isn't the first ride-hailing company to test scheduled rides, but it is the first to bring it to customers. When Lyft announced it was testing scheduling in May, the experiment was limited to its San Francisco employee base. As for the logistics around surge pricing, Lyft at the time hadn't decided how it was going to charge passengers.
Uber, on the other hand, says it has figured it out.
In an interview with the Seattle Times, Uber's director of global experiences, Tom Fallows, said surge would apply at the time of the ride, not at the time of the request.
"If you're requesting the ride at 8 a.m. on a Monday morning and it's super high demand, surge may apply just like it normally would," Fallows told the Seattle Times. "We send riders a push notification on the way, notifying them if there's any surge."
That notification gives passengers a few minutes to decide to cancel or change their scheduled rides if the surge pricing is through the roof or they don't want to pay that much. For anyone who wants to try it out, Uber is now accepting early sign-ups to be the first in your city.0 Neighbors selling homes as a bundle expected to rake in millions
SHORELINE, Wash. -
Neighbors across the Puget Sound are teaming up to sell their homes together, as upzones create lucrative possibilities for developers looking for land.
In Shoreline, a group of five homeowners have already sold their parcels together to a developer.
Another seven homeowners, along 6th Avenue Northeast and 5th Avenue Northeast, are looking to do the same, with their properties near a future light rail stop.
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Andrew Freeman, whose 1939 home has two bedrooms and one bathroom, said he paid almost $250,000 for the house in 2002.
Late last year, the city of Shoreline approved an upzone near the future transit hub, which would allow buildings seven stories tall on Freeman’s street.
At that time, a startup called CityBldr reached out to some neighbors, to help them realize their full selling potential. KIRO 7 introduced CityBldr nearly two years ago, when the company built software that could calculate the maximum building potential for any plot of land.
Often the value of the land is much higher when sold to a developer who will convert the property into multifamily units.
In Freeman’s case, his home’s market value is under $500,000. He had wanted to downsize when CityBldr reached out.
He found out his home could be worth $739,000 if it was sold to a developer. But if he sold his home with six other neighbors as part of a larger bundle of parcels, he could make $875,000.
That’s three and a half times what he paid for the house in 2002.
“Oh my gosh, that’s twice – almost twice, what we were willing to settle for,” Freeman said.
Freeman said he is mainly hoping to pay off debts from medical bills and save money for retirement.
When asked whether he would be sorry to see his roses and plants razed, he said he’s ready to move on. Freeman said he recognizes the potential of supplying more housing for the many people moving to the area, especially near a transit hub where they wouldn’t need to drive to work.
He said he could imagine what they’d build: “They want to have a gym, a vegan poodle trimming shop, you know, uh – a Five Guys, a teriyaki and a Starbucks, at least…If it does happen, and it should happen while I’m still... alive, I’m going to come here and work out at the gym, and eat at Five Guys.”
CityBldr CEO Bryan Copley said it is not unusual for neighbors to sell their parcels together, but it is unusual to have homeowners be the ones to proactively bring the parcels to market.
“If you could take seven units of housing and trade it for 250 units of housing within two blocks of the new transit coming in, would you do it?” Copley said.
Copley said he estimates the group of seven homeowners can likely make a combined $7 million.
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© 2019 Cox Media Group.Squats can be bad for your knees. Period. But they're good for everything else.
So good, in fact, that you must do them. I don't care if you're a bodybuilder, a powerlifter or a ballerina. Ya gotta do them! The question is, how? The answer is, as safely as possible without losing any of the benefits! Sorta like drugs, no? The art and science of medicine dictates that while using drugs, you must minimize the risks while maximizing the benefits.
If there's one way to take your iron pill, then, it's in large doses! That means squatting!
In sports, knee problems are high unto a way of life, but squatting isn't the primary culprit. Among bodybuilders who have knee problems, however, squatting is the only culprit. In both cases, squatting properly can reduce, prevent or ameliorate many, many of the common knee problems inherent in sports. That they will make you a better bodybuilder or athlete is an unquestioned fact.
Speaking of the world of medicine and the practitioners thereof, you'll find precious few who have any real, first-hand knowledge of squatting technique or its effects (good and bad) on the knees. One who does is three-time California powerlifting champion Dr. Sal Arria, my fellow co-founder of the International Sports Sciences Association.
Dr. Arria, in the ISSA's course text, Fitness: Complete Guide for personal fitness trainers, listed many common knee problems and ways to prevent them. I've drawn heavily from that text in writing this article. I also drew from several other sources.
Knee Anatomy And Action
Keeping your knees healthy and asymptomatic begins with developing a functional understanding of how this unique joint is constructed (anatomy) and how it does and doesn't function (biomechanics).
The knee is a hinge-type joint, roughly equivalent to a door hinge, but with a little "twist" to lock it into full extension. Instead of a fixed axis (such as a door hinge has), however, it's a complicated movement consisting of gliding and rotation in such a fashion that the articulating surfaces are always changing. Hence, the axis is always changing. That can lead to trouble, particularly during unweighted exercises such as leg extensions.
It's almost a law that your quads and hammies should be of approximately equal strength in order to provide "balanced" development. Some experts claim that a ham-to-quad strength ratio of 1 to 1 reduces shear and hamstring pulls. At best, this is mere speculation. When I was a powerlifter, my hamstrings were close to twice or three times the strength of my quads.
To keep your knees healthy, develop a functional understanding of the joint anatomy and function.
Most sprinters are much stronger in the hammie department too, because that's what they all use! If you give attention to muscle balance, beware that speculation is rampant.
Seven different types of tissue comprise the knee - bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, synovial fluid (bursa), adipose tissue and articular cartilage.
1. Bone: The bony structures forming the knee joint are the femur, tibia, and the patella.
2. Ligaments: Fibrous connective tissue which connects bone to bone, providing stability and integrity to the joint. The knee's ligaments are divided into two groups, eight interior and six external ligaments.
3. Muscle: We all have a clear idea as to what muscles are. Clearly, there are no muscles in the knee joint itself. The ones which act upon the knee joint are all external to the knee. They are listed below:
The quadriceps, the muscles of the anterior (front) thigh.
Next are the hamstrings, or the leg biceps, located on the posterior thigh.
The other muscles of the knee all contribute to knee flexion and some toinward rotation.
4. Tendons: Fibrous bands that that connect the muscles listed above to their bony attachments. The knee's four extensors form a common tendon of insertion called the quadriceps tendon, which connects to the patella, and (below it) the patellar tendon to the tibial tuberosity.
5. Bursa: A bursa is a pad-like sac or cavity found near areas subject to friction, i.e. joints, particularly those located between bony prominences and muscle or tendon. It is lined with synovial membrane and contains synovia. There are twelve such sacs in the knee.
6. Adipose Tissue: For padding.
7. Articular Cartilage: Cartilage is the connective tissue which provides for a smooth articulation between the bones which form the joint. Cartilage also acts as a shock absorber. The two semi-lunar shaped menisci are the knee's only two cartilages. Located on the tibial plateau, they cradle the femoral condyles, or the rounded knobs of the lower femur. Since the tibial plateau is flat, and the femoral condyle is rounded, these two menisci (along with the bursa sacs) provide a better "fit" between these two bony structures.
The Gear Of Squatters
Two pieces of standard squatting gear—your shoes and knee wraps—should be carefully selected and used, not only to maximize both the short- and long-term health of your knees.
Shoes
Your shoes are literally where the rubber hits the road. Think of your shoes as the foundation of your leg training sessions. Wearing old or broken down fitness shoes for heavy squatting is like putting old, worn-out tires on a race car! There are several reasons to avoid training in your "tennies."
First, most general purpose fitness shoes simply lack adequate longitudinal or transverse stability, and have little or no arch support for heavy lifting. As you squat, your feet may develop a tendency to pronate, or "cave in" toward the inner side. When this happens, the knees are also forced inward, leading to a constant strain on the medial collateral ligaments, excessive shear force on the meniscus, and improper patellar tracking, which in turn can lead to chondromalacia.
If your feet tend to pronate anyway, or if you're prone to being "knock kneed" (and these two conditions are often associated with one another), it becomes even more important to select good training shoes.
Another important reason for using specialized shoes for squatting is that they provide a deep and solid heel cup, which prevents the foot from rocking and rolling to the outside, causing great stress on the lateral collateral ligaments of your knees.
Finally, there is a difference between a shoe being worn out and being broken down. Even if your shoes look fine, they still may offer no arch or heel support at all, either because they never had any to start with, or because after months of use, the supports have compressed to the point to where they no longer function as they were intended.
Think about it—a tennis shoe is meant to support a 160-pound tennis player, not a 600-pound squat! Loads like these cause the shoe to break down without visual signs of wearing out.
Knee Wraps
Knee wraps have long been a mainstay for competitive powerlifters, and for good reason. When properly used, wraps can dramatically improve knee safety during heavy squatting. More important, however, is the fact that wraps give you at least a 5-10 percent increase in how much you can lift. But there's a downside to using wraps also.
Wearing them while squatting under 80-85 percent or so is counterproductive to providing adaptive overload to various tissues comprising the knee. Simply, the wrap absorbs the stress instead of the tissues, so they never get stronger.
Guidelines for wearing knee wraps during squatting are as follows:
Keeping your knees warm (wrapped loosely) improves blood flow and tissue elasticity. If the weight you're using is greater than 80-85 percent of your maximum, or If you have knee problems that require wearing wraps.
If you still insist on using them, go ahead and do so, but with the following points in mind. When buying knee wraps, opt for the ones that 1) weigh the most (more fabric equals greater protection, and 2) that stretch out to at least 19-20 feet in length (more times around the knee equals greater protection).
Do not purchase wraps that are bulky, heavily elasticized and stretch out to under fifteen feet. Tightness from elasticity does not afford you any real support!
Here are the steps to go through when putting your wraps on:
Sit on a chair or bench. Begin with the wrap completely stretched and rolled up (this makes the process much easier than fighting to stretch the wrap as you go).
With your leg straight, start applying the wrap below the knees, working upward. Wrapping from "in" to "out," (counterclockwise for the left leg, clockwise for the right -- this helps avoid improper patellar tracking), anchor the wrap by applying 2 layers below the knees, then move upward, overlapping each previous layer by one-half the width of the wrap.
Apply the wrap tightly as you move past the knee, stopping somewhere on the lower third of the thigh (powerlifting rules allow 10 centimeters above the patella).
Most of the wrap is wound around the leg just above the knee joint in orderto "pin" the quadriceps tendon to the femur below—better leverage). Tuck the end of the wrap under the previous layer to secure it. Repeat for the other leg.
An alternative more suitable for fitness and bodybuilding, perhaps, is to wrap tightly around the upper shin (where the patellar ligament attaches), then more loosely wound over the kneecap itself (this is important to avoid grinding the patella into the femoral condyle, creating a case of chondromalacia for yourself), then tightly wound over the lower quarter of the thigh.
Whenever you squat, hack squat, or leg press, your foot position is an important variable in determining not only the results you'll obtain from the exercise, but also the safety of your knee joints.
The rationale for wrapping the knees prior to heavy squatting is that it reduced the pulling forces on the lower quadriceps and the quadriceps tendon at it's attachment to the patella. This translates to significantly reduced chances of avulsing (detaching) your quadriceps tendon or tearing your quads during heavy squatting. The chances of your patellar tendon avulsing from your tibia are a bit less, but nonetheless omnipresent.
Stance Variables Affecting Knee Health
Whenever you squat, hack squat, or leg press, your foot position is an important variable in determining not only the results you'll obtain from the exercise, but also the safety of your knee joints. Although each individual must determine their own best stance exercise per exercise (based on their own anatomical peculiarities such as height and leg length), the following variables must be taken into consideration:
The quadriceps muscles can contract more efficiently when the feet are pointing slightly outward. They should never point straight ahead. If you squat with a very wide stance, your adductors tend to assist the quads. This can result in stress to the medial collateral ligament, abnormal cartilage loading, and improper patellar tracking. During the descent phase of any type of squat, do not allow the knees to extend beyond your feet. The farther your knees travel over your feet, the greater the shearing forces on the patellar tendon and ligament. Make sure that your knees point in the same direction your feet are pointing during the descent and ascent. Because of weak quads, many lifters inadvertently turn their knees inward during the ascent, placing great stress on the medial ligaments of the knee. Although many top bodybuilders advocate a close stance for the purpose of isolating the outer quads, this is a myth, and it places you at risk, particularly since you'll have to use a lot of back to execute the lift, or (if you use heels) place great shear and compression on the knees. The best way to squat is to put your feet in a position where they can generate the greatest opposing force to the weight ("the athletic position"). Warm up thoroughly before squatting. Your muscles and other tissues of the knee joint love warmth! Remember the analogy, cold taffy breaks, warm taffy doesn't. Maintain reasonable flexibility in the joints of your lower extremities and back. Many knee injuries can be traced back to poor position resulting from inflexibility. Finally, be careful in the exit out of the rack, and getting "set" in the squat stance. After lifting the weight off of the pins, you should take just one step backward and immediately assume your squatting stance. This takes time to master, but eventually all the minute adjustments can be pared down substantially. Once set in the stance, keep your feet "nailed down" for the duration of the set. Many people "fidget" with their feet and toes between reps which can cause a variety of problems ranging from a break in concentration to a loss of balance—and attendant stress on your knees.
Common Problems Of The Knee
Chondromalacia patellae: Softening of the articular cartilage of the patella that is produced by osteoarthritic degeneration. Such cartilage is unsuited for the high compressive loads and frictional forces involved in squatting, and roughening of the underside of the kneecap is common.
Tight quads are responsible for 80% of chondromalacia. Other causes include aging, repetitive overuse, and faulty biomechanics due to genetics.
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS): Exemplified by pain in front of patella, which intensifies during activity. Also, pain during extended sitting, and/or walking up stairs. PFPS is further characterized by crepitus (noise), without instability.
PFPS is considered to be a tracking problem of the patella, caused by an imbalance between the medial and lateral quadriceps. The damage to the underside of the patella is not unlike uneven tread wear in a car that needs the tires rotated.
Unstable Knee Joint: Knee suddenly gives out. This is often caused by old injuries which have overstretched the knee ligaments.
Locked Knee: The usual cause of locked knees is a torn meniscus or a loose body within the joint capsule.
Swelling/Tightness: Nearly always indicates an internal injury. See physician immediately.
Crepitus: Noisy knees are no reason for concern, UNLESS accompanied by pain and/or swelling.Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling on Germany to press Ukraine's prime minister to ensure Ukrainian forces take all precautions to minimize harm to civilians in their fight against pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
HRW says multiple times Ukrainian government forces and separatist militias in the eastern part of the country have put civilians at risk by using cluster bombs and Grad rockets — two types of weapons that cannot be precisely targeted.
The U.S.-based rights group addressed a statement Tuesday to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is to meet Thursday with Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk in Berlin.
In addition, Human Rights Watch called on Merkel to press Ukrainian authorities for more thorough investigations of several incidents in which Ukrainian troops allegedly caused civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine.
HRW wants Yatsenyuk to specifically order Ukrainian troops not to use indiscriminate antipersonnel weapons in areas populated by civilians.
Rachel Denber of HRW said as an important Ukraine ally, "Germany has a special responsibility to make sure that [Ukraine's] leadership is actively enforcing the obligation to respect the laws of war and protect civilians."
Denber, who is the rights group's deputy director for Europe and Central Asia, says Ukraine has "done the right thing by starting an investigation, but that will mean nothing if they do not investigate thoroughly."
Ukrainian officials met with Human Rights Watch officials in December. HRW said they denied responsibility for several rocket attacks that it claims endangered civilians.
The United Nations estimates the conflict in eastern Ukraine has killed 4,364 soldiers and civilians on both sides and that more than 10,000 others have been wounded.Following the ISIS assault on Paris that left 130 dead prompting Francois Hollande to declare that France is “at war,” authorities quickly established a link to the infamous Brussels suburb of Molenbeek.
The working class, immigrant neighborhood - which is separated from the historical district by a canal and is but a 20 minute subway ride from Brussels' European Quarter - has become synonymous with radicalization and terror. As we put it last week, “what Charlestown is to bank robbers, Molenbeek is to European jihadists.”
"The assassination of the Afghan anti-Taliban commander Ahmed Shah Massoud, immediately before the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001; the train bombings in Madrid in 2004; and the killing of four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum in 2014; the foiled shooting on a high-speed train, the anti-terrorist raid in the eastern Belgian town of Verviers, the attack on a Paris kosher supermarket and, finally, the Nov. 13 attacks on the French capital — all had some connection to Molenbeek,” The New York Times wrote earlier this month.
But it’s not just Molenbeek. In January, two operatives working under the direction of Paris mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud were killed when Belgian police raided a safehouse in Verviers.
In short, Belgium has apparently become a kind of hub for jihadists. Not wanting to let a good crisis go to waste, the entire country - and especially Brussels - has been on high alert for nearly a week now as authorities hunt for several suspects who are purportedly planning a “serious and imminent” terrorist attack.
In what may be the latest evidence that there are indeed |
digs deep into the lives of his subjects to give a portrait of poverty that is both honest and respectful. Yet Desmond begs us to consider the question of scope — both for his diagnosis of the eviction problem and his prescription for it. “It is ultimately up to future researchers to determine whether what I found in Milwaukee is true in other places,” he writes.
This sets forth two very different tasks. The first is basic and empirical: Are low-income renters in other cities around the world vulnerable to eviction and the suffering that flows from it? The second, however, requires us to go beyond eviction to assess the distributional justice of housing markets beyond the landlord-tenant relationship. Who profits from renters’ poverty? Who gains from tenure insecurity? And what would we need to sacrifice to guarantee inclusion in our cities? After all, our cities are not populated exclusively by grasping landlords and their impoverished tenants. All of us participate in the housing market, and many of us benefit from it in ways that hurt our neighbors.
In “Home and Hope,” the book’s epilogue, Desmond carefully lays out his policy prescription for America’s broken housing system. “The idea is simple,” Desmond writes. The government should guarantee rental subsidies to all low-income families struggling to pay rent. With vouchers in hand, families could choose where they wanted to live — “as long as their housing was neither too expensive, big, and luxurious nor too shabby and run-down” — without the fear of falling into debt and, inevitably, facing eviction. “A universal housing voucher program would carve a middle path between the landlord’s desire to make a living and the tenant’s desire, simply, to live.”
Desmond is fervent in his advocacy. The program would, he writes, “change the face of poverty”:
Evictions would plummet and become rare occurrences. Homelessness would almost disappear. Families would immediately feel the income gains and be able to buy enough food, invest in themselves and their children through schooling or job training, and start modest savings. They would find stability and have a sense of ownership over their home and community.
It is here, in the epilogue, that the limits of Desmond’s book come into view. He tucks a confession into a footnote. “A universal voucher program would not solve all our problems,” he writes — “especially in tight markets.” But where, we might ask, are Desmond’s loose markets? All across the United States, housing markets are tightening at an increasing clip — from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Austin to Houston, Washington to Boston. In those markets, while addressing some short-term problems, housing voucher programs create a host of new, long-term ones.
Consider Britain, where I have spent the last two years researching the ongoing housing crisis. Britain’s housing voucher system earns Desmond’s praise. “Great Britain’s Housing Benefit is available to so many households that a journalist recently reporting on the program asked, ‘Perhaps it is easier to say who does not get it?’ ‘Indeed,’ came the answer.” But Britain’s housing market remains one of the most exclusionary in Europe. Far from narrowing the gap between rich and poor in Britain, Housing Benefit has — in many ways — done the opposite.
First, Housing Benefit drives up demand in places like central London, where properties would otherwise be unaffordable to the vast majority of people. Vouchers in hand, renters can pursue high-rent properties — so long as they are not, to use Desmond’s phrase, “too big, expensive and luxurious.” With this rising demand, landlords can then raise their rents, knowing that the state will foot the bill. Often, this inflationary pressure — rather than preventing evictions — incentivizes them. Evictions in Britain’s private rental sector have soared over the last five years, even as tenant arrears have been in steep decline. The reason for the rising rate of eviction is landlord opportunism. Because they are certain that their properties will fetch increasingly higher rents, landlords make use of evictions to free up their property.
By driving up the value of local housing stock, Housing Benefit can also behave like a regressive tax on low-income renters. Homeowners reap huge windfall gains from house price inflation — the average house in London rose by £40,000 in value in 2015 alone. For these homeowners, the gains of house price inflation far outweigh the tax burden of housing benefit expenditure. So it is low-income renters that ultimately bear the cost of their vouchers — funding homeowners’ retirement along the way.
Desmond’s housing voucher system may very well “change the face of poverty,” but it will do nothing to challenge housing market exclusion in America’s major cities. There, the face of poverty will become even more segregated. Low-income renters will be funneled toward low-income neighborhoods, where at least — if new regulations are introduced, as Desmond hopes they will be — evictions will fall. High-income renters will be funneled toward high-income neighborhoods where — repeating “white flight” — they can reproduce systems of privilege. We can further consider the link between gentrification and displacement. With security of tenure, homeowners gain from gentrification: house prices rise, local amenities multiply, and neighborhood services improve. Without security of tenure, renters face displacement: rents rise, landlords evict, and local shops price them out.
The most powerful insight of Desmond’s book is, to quote its title, that there is profit to be made from poverty. The implication of my argument here, though, is that it is not just landlords that reap this profit — all local homeowners and wealthy renters stand to gain from housing market exclusion. Who, after all, cries loudest in the name of not in my backyard? Not the landlords. Instead, it is those wealthy renters and homeowners who seek to maintain the status quo.
This is the piece that is missing from Desmond’s Evicted: housing markets are broadly zero-sum. Accumulation for some is immiseration for others. We are all tied together — landlords and tenants, homeowners and homeless.
In Evicted, though, there is no confrontation between these groups. They do not confront each other in the street — unwinding gentrification or redressing school segregation. Nor do they confront each other in city hall — crafting policy for a fairer housing market.
And this raises the question: If we make solutions to social problems appear simple, noncontroversial, and non-zero-sum in the abstract — or, in this case, in the ‘loose market’ of Milwaukee — when the implementation of these solutions will, in fact, threaten the resources and status of those in power, are we charting a course for a better world or soothing the conscience of elites?
Let’s imagine an inclusive housing market — a place where, Desmond hopes, the “basic right of all Americans” to affordable housing is balanced against “the right to make as much money as possible.” What would it look like? More importantly, what changes in our cities would be necessary to get there?
At the most basic level, inclusion would require that cash not rule everything around us. Wealthy residents would not have priority in the choice of apartments based on their economic advantage. They would, like the thousands and thousands on public housing lists across American cities, have to wait their turn. Gentrification would move at a snail’s pace. Pop-up shops could not descend on low-income communities, replacing affordable with luxury amenities. Public school districts would no longer segregate the privileged from the poor.
In a word, inclusion would require de-commodification — the transformation of our cities from sites of speculative investment to sites of rights-based community organization and development.
This is a sacrifice, however, that most wealthy (and white) urban residents are unwilling to make. Nikole Hannah-Jones, in her excellent work on public schools in Brooklyn, shows just how tightly her middle-class neighbors cling to the system of segregation that keeps low-income students on a separate campus. If applied in cities like New York, Desmond’s voucher program would have rippling effects for institutions like public schools, but Hannah-Jones’s work suggests that these would come with considerable resistance. Residents of large American cities are simply too attached to the distributive justice of the dollar. What do you mean, the banker will ask, that I cannot outbid my rivals for this house, this apartment, this bagel?
Desmond predicts some level of resistance to housing reform. “Those who profit from the current situation,” he writes, “will say that the housing market should be left alone to regulate itself.” But in reality, it’s not only free-market conservatives who will resist housing reform. Most likely, the American liberal will support regulation until it shows up in his backyard.
Evicted is indeed a masterpiece of “relational ethnography.” Desmond is thorough in his data collection, unearthing minute details that bring us deep into the lives of his subjects. He is careful in his depiction — never too sentimental — of the complex social and economic relations that produce and are products of eviction. And he is measured in his suggestion of a common-sense housing reform that would raise the welfare of millions of Americans.
If, however, we want to solve the problem of urban inequality on our doorstep, we need a whole new set of solutions. A housing voucher system will not suffice. We must think instead about what we are willing to give up on behalf of inclusion. We might start with tolerating the noisy construction next door, which will build the new units that are necessary to house our cities’ low-income residents. Or we might raise our property taxes, funding new housing developments with the balance. Or we might send our children to the local public school, finally following through on our constitutional promise of integration. But it will be hard, and it will be painful. There can be no true social reform, after all, without sacrifice.Sony announced last night that it's spinning off its audio and video divisions, much like it spun off its television division last year. That won't mean much right now; Sony still displayed interesting new Android-powered TVs at CES, and we're sure to see new crazy high-end Walkmans and camcorders with Sony branding from the newly independent AV division as well.
But the long-term reality is far more stark: after years of promising "One Sony," CEO Kaz Hirai appears to be systematically breaking the company up for sale. The VAIO PC division was sold last year and just announced its first hybrid laptops as an independent company, and Hirai told investors that he has to consider spinning off the smartphone business and possibly selling the TV business outright.
According to Hirai, that leaves Sony with three main businesses at its core :
Sony Pictures Entertainment, the hit-or-miss Hollywood studio that just fired Amy Pascal after being hacked to bits at the end of last year. The PlayStation division, which has so far won the next-gen console race with the PS4 but yet to define a clear mobile strategy; PlayStation Mobile is all but ignored, and the Vita is a beautifully noble failure. Selling image sensors to Apple for the iPhone.
You read that last one correctly: Sony's last closely held core electronics business is image sensors, and it's mostly because Apple uses them in the iPhone. (Sony also supplies sensors for various other high-end phones, but Samsung uses its own chips in the Galaxy S5, and no other company comes close to selling as many phones as Apple and Samsung.) If Apple decides to switch sensor suppliers — or, perhaps more likely, build its own — the third leg of that stool gets kicked right out.
If you're a PlayStation fan, this is kind of fun: after years of Sony neglecting gaming, former PlayStation head Hirai is ruthlessly eliminating every other division at the company. Revenge!
Revenge!
For everyone else, this is kind of depressing — Sony was among the first great consumer electronics companies, and now it's falling apart because smartphones and software completely subsumed almost every device in its catalog. Sony's phones are generally excellent now, but haven't seen nearly the kind of traction Samsung's phones have seen. Sony also made the cardinal error of trying to foist garbage software and services on people. That error is slowly being corrected; most Sony devices now run basically clean versions of Android, and Sony just killed its in-house music streaming service in favor of Spotify. But it's too little, too late: the customers Sony needs have been buying Samsung products for too long now.Earlier this week it was confirmed that well-known indie developer Renegade Kid had closed, with co-founders Jools Watsham and Gregg Hargrove moving on to their own separate studios - Atooi and Infitizmo.
Watsham previously released Totes the Goat on iOS under the Atooi name, and now has announced his first game through the studio since confirmation of Renegade Kid's closure. It's not an established RK IP - though Treasurenauts is expected in 2017 - but is an all-new title.
Chicken Wiggle features the unlikely partnership of a chicken and a worm; the latter can be used as a grapple, as one example of their move-set. Though it'll have a story mode, as expected, perhaps the most intriguing feature is that it'll include its own level creation tool, in addition to the ability to share those stages easily with others. This one is coming to the 3DS eShop (and also iOS) so could potentially fill a gap on the portable.
The press release is below.
Atooi announced today that the creative minds behind Mutant Mudds and Xeodrifter are developing a new platformer experience called Chicken Wiggle – coming to the Nintendo 3DS eShop and the App Store soon. The stars of Chicken Wiggle are an improbable duo: a young chicken and his best buddy – a wiggly worm – nestled in his backpack! Together, they team up for adventure to jump, peck, and worm-grapple across a myriad of perplexing platforming levels – full of fun gadgets, tricky hazards, and sneaky foes – determined to rescue their friends from the wicked witch in her sky towers. Create & Share Your Own Levels! But wait, there's more! Aspiring game designers and playful doodlers alike can spend hours of fun hatching their own levels with the user-friendly level creator included with the game. You can even choose different gameplay rules, art themes, and provide custom hints, tips, and search tags. Once you're ready, it's easy to share your creations on-line with other Chicken Wiggle players via the community portal. Now, anyone can be a game designer on the go!
Players seeking more levels to play after completing Chicken Wiggle's main story mode will find a wealth of unique levels to download, play, and rate for free! Level categories include Atooi official, popular, latest, or simply enter your own search tags or a specific level ID to locate a friend's level.
It sounds and looks promising - the game's official website also has a short teaser video to show it in action.
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Do you like the look of this, as well as the idea of a 2D platformer on 3DS with a full level creation / sharing suite? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check back later for our interview with Jools Watsham in which we learn more about Atooi, Chicken Wiggle and its features.Wiekvoet, and kindly contributed to (This article was first published on, and kindly contributed to R-bloggers)
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There are a number of on line efforts to register victims of shootings online. Shootingtracker tries to register all mass shootings, those with four or more victims. Slate had the gun death tally (GDT), gun deaths starting at Newtown, running through to December 31, 2013. This project is continued in the Gun Violence Archive.
In this post I am comparing the 2013 data of shootingtracker and GDT with CDC data of 2009 to 2011. Compared to each other shootingtracker and GDT are similar, but the CDC data has much higher counts.
Shootingtracker and Gun Death Tally
Shootingtracker has data of shootings with four or more victims. Since not everybody who is shot is dead, this makes the data uncomparable to CDC data. However, by restricting the selection to those shootings with four or more killed, it is still possible to make a comparison with GDT data. However the GDT data is not organized by incidence, but rather by victim. Its also appears that the state given is not the state of the incident, but rather the residence of the victim. In addition, the dates used in GDT and shootingtracker are not the same. Since both GDT and shootingtracker have web links for each record, it is possible to manually compare them. After this check there were 53 incidences, 49 from shootingtracker, 46 from GDT, 42 in common. Based on these data, using capture-recapture formula, approximately 54 incidences are estimated.
Gun Death Tally and CDC
For CDC the crude rates from 2009 to 2011 were extracted, with the following ICD-10 Codes:
X72 (Intentional self-harm by handgun discharge),
X73 (Intentional self-harm by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm, discharge),
X74 (Intentional self-harm by other and unspecified firearm discharge),
X93 (Assault by handgun discharge),
X94 (Assault by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge),
X95 (Assault by other and unspecified firearm discharge)
Data from GDT are summarized by state and divided by inhabitants to obtain a rate.
The plot shows huge differences. While the years covered are different, the year to year variation in the CDC data seems much less than the difference with GDT. Washington DC, which seemed so bad in shootingtracker is bad in all data bases. However, it does not stick out as much, it just appears that things are more easily registered there.
Appendix 1: CDC data
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2011 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released 2014. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2011, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html on Nov 2, 2014 10:56:15 AM
Dataset: Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2011
Query Parameters:
Title:
2013 Urbanization: All
Autopsy: All
Gender: All
Hispanic Origin: All
ICD-10 Codes: X72 (Intentional self-harm by handgun discharge), X73 (Intentional self-harm by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge), X74 (Intentional self-harm by other and unspecified firearm discharge), X93 (Assault by handgun discharge), X94 (Assault by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge), X95 (Assault by other and unspecified firearm discharge)
Place of Death: All
Race: All
States: All
Ten-Year Age Groups: All
Weekday: All
Year/Month: 2009, 2010, 2011
Group By: State, Year
Show Totals: False
Show Zero Values: False
Show Suppressed: False
Calculate Rates Per: 100,000
Rate Options: Default intercensal populations for years 2001-2009 (except Infant Age Groups)
Appendix 2: R code for plot
library(plyr) library(dplyr) library(ggplot2)
cdc state_order % summarize(.,CR=mean(Crude.Rate)) %>% arrange(.,CR) %>%.$State state_order cdc cdc$Origin=’CDC’
slate1 stringsAsFactors=FALSE) %>% mutate(.,Date=as.Date(date,format=”%Y-%m-%d”)) %>% mutate(.,State=toupper(state)) %>% select(.,Date,State) %>% filter(.,Date>as.Date(‘2013-01-01’) )
states State=as.character(state.name) ) # http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2013/index.html inhabitants #put it all together states State=’District of Columbia’)) states slate2 % rename(., Killed=Freq) %>% inner_join(states,.,by=c(‘StateAbb’=’State’)) %>% mutate(.,Rate=100000*Killed/Population) %>% mutate(.,Origin=’Slate’) %>% mutate(.,Year=2013) %>% select(.,State,Year,Rate,Origin)
rates % mutate(Year=factor(Year)) %>% mutate(State=factor(State,levels=state_order))
ggplot(rates,aes(x=State,y=Rate,colour=Year,shape=Origin) ) + geom_point() + ylab(‘Rate (per 100000)’) + coord_flip()
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38 SHARES Share TweetCraig Levein has been sacked as Scotland boss, the Scottish FA has confirmed, with Under-21 coach Billy Stark being put in temporary charge.
"The Scottish FA tonight announces that Craig Levein has been relieved of his duties as Scotland national coach," said a SFA statement.
We are bottom of the group, but we are not bottom of the group material Stewart Regan SFA chief executive
"The board of the Scottish FA has taken the decision primarily due to the disappointing results.
"Billy Stark will take interim charge for the friendly against Luxembourg."
The decision comes the day before the squad was scheduled to be announced for next week's friendly.
But that will now be delayed while the present coach of the Under-21 side considers his selection and the SFA look for an interim replacement to undertake Stark's former duties ahead of a match against Portugal.
The SFA said it had taken into account 48-year-old Levein's "stated intention - expressed to the president and chief executive - to leave the job at the end of the World Cup campaign".
SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said: "We are taking this decision with real sadness.
Regan and Ogilvie held talks with Levein last week about the coach's future
"Craig has worked hard to bring success and has been thoroughly professional in his approach to the job.
"He has achieved a great deal with the team and in other areas, such as the performance strategy.
"However, he would be the first to agree that football is a results-driven business.
"The key factor is that we are bottom of the group, but we are not bottom of the group material and want to move up the group as far as possible and prepare for France 2014."
Levein had vowed not to resign and Regan revealed that the coach's contract had not been terminated and that he would continue to be paid until it runs out in summer 2014.
The seven-man SFA board met at the end of last week to consider the Fifer's position and had come in for widespread criticism for continuing their deliberations over the weekend.
Asked if there had been a split on the board over the future of the former Hearts, Leicester City and Dundee United manager, Regan replied: "The board came to a collective agreement and decided it was time for a change."
Bookmakers have made former Celtic and Southampton manager Gordon Strachan a clear early favourite to succeed Dunfermline-born Levein.
He is followed by former Scotland manager Alex McLeish, who exited Aston Villa in the summer, and Mark Wotte, the Dutchman brought in by Levein to be SFA performance director.
Media playback is not supported on this device Interview - SFA chief Stewart Regan
"After the Luxembourg match, the board will meet to begin the process of identifying and recruiting the next national coach to take us forward," said Regan.
"We will give ourselves time, given our fixture schedule, to find the right person for the job."
Levein, who took over in December 2009, had tried to convince Regan and president Campbell Ogilvie that he should remain in post during a meeting early last week.
He had already been under pressure after Scotland drew their opening Hampden qualifiers against Serbia and Macedonia.
Defeats by Wales and Belgium led to a widespread expectation that he would be removed from his post, with his side sitting bottom of World Cup qualifying Group A.
Scotland have only won three of their 12 competitive matches with the former international defender in charge and have gathered two points from four matches in their World Cup group, with qualification already looking well beyond them.
The Scots travel to face Luxembourg for their friendly on 14 November but do not have another qualifier until hosting Wales on 22 March.Less than five months after Bones went off the air, Fox Chairman and CEO Dana Walden admits the long-running crime procedural could still have a future on the network.
After 12 seasons, the drama starring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel bid farewell, but with the rate of shows being revived left and right — we’re looking at you, Will & Grace and Roseanne — Walden was asked how much time would have to pass before putting the show back on the air.
“I think David Boreanaz would be upset with his new show premiering if I said it was any time soon,” Walden said at the Television Critics Association’s press tour on Tuesday. “I would anticipate ultimately we would happily do something around Bones, and that group was so close and the experience was so good for all of them. I can’t say definitively, we’ve had no conversations, it’s just too soon, and they’re all pursuing different things right now.”
For his part, Boreanaz will return to primetime this fall in the CBS military drama SEAL Team — though the actor didn’t seem that positive about reprising his Bones role following the finale at TCA in January. “It’s very hard for me to answer that question, honestly,” Boreanaz said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in six hours. I mean, you’re asking a hypothetical question, but everything is possible in life. But I tend to like to go forward. I don’t like to go backwards… In general, I don’t like reunions and I don’t like to go back.”
Bones creator Hart Hanson, however, previously seemed open to the idea of following in the footsteps of fellow network series like 24 and Prison Break. “I think those things are always possible, and very desirable,” Hanson said.As we near the October 27 release for Halo 5: Guardians, we are busily polishing every part of the experience and preparing to share the fruits of our labor with the world. Earlier this year we talked about our commitment to multiplayer, with two distinct ways to play in our Arena and Warzone experiences. But we know for many fans, what they love most about Halo is our universe, characters and story.
The campaign for Halo 5: Guardians is a sweeping adventure that will take players on an epic journey across the galaxy. Along the way you’ll visit multiple worlds, and by the end of our story, the Halo universe will be forever transformed.
This campaign represents the biggest evolution in series' history. We’ve embraced team-oriented, cooperative play and diversity of player choice by offering players more ways to play, alone and with friends. The introduction of Fireteam AI and the new Fireteam Orders system expands the opportunities available to players and changes the play experience in fundamental ways.
In realizing our vision for the next generation of Halo, we’ve overhauled our game engine and made a number of important technical advances.
We’ve implemented a new physically-based rendering system that improves the realism of our lighting model and materials in game. One of the advantages of this system is the flexibility it allows in achieving a wide variety of different looks, including alien-looking materials, while remaining plausible in appearance and behavior. It has required a completely different approach to building content – everything in the game has been authored to take advantage of this new system.
Throughout all of our connected experiences we’ve embraced dedicated servers, which we use to run our Co-op campaign and multiplayer experiences (including custom games). We’ve re-architected our game systems, services and networking to take advantage of Xbox Live cloud compute for physics and AI calculation in Warzone and campaign Co-op. The combination of the Xbox One console and Xbox Live cloud compute allows us to deliver Halo at a greater scale and gameplay fidelity than ever before.
Framerate is king for us on Halo 5. Gameplay is defined by the way that players experience the game from controller to screen. We want the connection between you and the game to feel seamless and instantaneous. From the beginning, we set ourselves the goal of delivering consistent 60fps gameplay across all modes of play. Delivering on this goal meant re-engineering the gameplay systems at the core of our engine. It required sustained commitment from the entire team as we continually optimized the experience, and the difference it makes to the play experience is immediate and obvious.
60fps gameplay is supported by a new progressive resolution system that allows us to dynamically scale the resolution at which we render the game (up to 1080p) based on the needs of the scene. This enables us to deploy resources where they have most impact across a diverse series of experiences throughout the game while delivering the most visually stunning Halo game ever.
To talk more about campaign for Halo 5, I’ve asked a couple of the leads to share their thoughts.
___
Justin Dinges – Campaign Environment Art Lead
Halo 5’s campaign is massive – more massive than we ever expected it to be. Not only is the physical footprint of our levels huge, but there are actually seven distinct art pallets across the campaign alone, each with their own sub-pallets of unique visuals. Players are taken all across the galaxy: from snowy mountain tops to mysterious alien jungles. Within these unique locales we have crafted complex layouts for each of our missions, allowing players the freedom to come up with their own ways of playing. In fact, you could replay the entire campaign more than a few times and never have to fight an encounter in the same way twice. World exploration also played a big role in how we went about creating our mission layouts. We didn’t want players to just walk from room to room fighting enemies (although you can do that if you want). We wanted to give players the opportunity to explore and discover new items such as collectibles and hidden power weapons in between combat moments. The addition of Spartan Abilities such as Charge, Ground Pound, Clamber and Tracking let us conceal these things in new and exciting ways.
Halo 5’s campaign provides a huge variety of experiences: from giant battles amidst large-scale destruction to quieter moments spent exploring the ruins of alien civilizations or interacting with the habitants of a human colony beyond the reach of the UNSC. Building each of those experiences brings its own unique challenges, particularly with our commitment to solid 60fps gameplay. Ensuring 60fps throughout our play experience has required constant focus. Some sections of a mission might be relatively quiet and achieving 60fps is straightforward, but there are many situations where we dial the intensity up to 11. At those times, we need to maintain 60fps and give players the total experience from both a design and artistic perspective. This is where our new progressive resolution system comes into play, allowing the game to scale resolution dynamically as the experience gets more intense and complex. In much of the campaign you may be playing at 1080p, but when we want to get really crazy with vehicles, visual effects and combat we can trade some of the resolution in order to maintain the crucial 60fps. Without this system, we would need to either reduce the scale of our most intense combat encounters or lower the quality of content across the game in order to stay at 60 fps at all times. With progressive resolution, we get the best of both worlds: epic scale experiences that look incredible while running at a consistent 60fps.
Chris Haluke – Campaign Lead Designer
When building Halo 5’s campaign, the team set an early goal to have some of the most robust sandbox experiences in any Halo game to date. So, what exactly does this mean? Well, we wanted our missions to have the most weapons, vehicles, enemies, tactical and exploration options ever seen in Halo. Throughout production, our team pushed one another to ensure that gameplay spaces were huge, highly populated and alive. We’ve expanded our environments to support large battle scenes while surrounding them with multi-layered skyboxes that showcase the larger conflict around the player.
Player choice is a huge part of any Halo campaign and with Halo 5, we wanted to expand the possibility space for players. Do you want to play the mission with vehicles or on foot? Do you want to explore every nook and cranny of the environment to discover tactical options and other hidden goodies, or do you prefer to race ahead by taking the most direct path? Will you jump into battle and lead the way, or take a more careful approach by ordering your Fireteam to clear out the enemies ahead? Each of these options plays out differently as the game reacts to your choices; that’s the beauty of the Halo sandbox.
From a development perspective, the increased choices available to players have made mission and encounter design much more complex as designers have needed to take into account all of the options available to players and plan for them.
In addition to solo play, we’ve made online Co-op a priority in Halo 5. Every mission is designed with Co-op play in mind. Environments have been built with multiple paths and varying elevation so that players can support one another in combat. We want to give players the option to split up in different directions and chart their own course within an encounter space. This, in turn, means the density of active AI is multiplied to support the player count. The entire experience has required careful tuning to ensure optimal balance for all difficulty levels, taking into account increased player choice and the introduction of Fireteam AI. The team has worked incredibly hard to deliver a fantastic experience – one that carries on the proud tradition of Halo campaign while incorporating all of the new mechanics and features that set Halo 5 apart.
Josh Lindquist – Campaign Lead Engineer
There's a mantra in our studio: play the game. (No, seriously: PLAY THE GAME!)
Sometimes when things are really busy, the only chance we get to play the game is when we're testing changes we're making. You test all around your code, you make sure the thing you changed works, you think about all the things that are most likely to break because of your change… and then you play the game. Not just because of the studio mantra, but also because playing the game is the only way to be confident that you haven't screwed something up in epic fashion. So you play the game. And sometimes, when it's late at night and you've had a particularly rough day, you forget that you're testing a fix and you lose yourself in the experience you’re creating. Those are some of the best moments in game development.
This is a story of one such moment.
We all have our pet levels that we know well; we play them so frequently we'll notice the slightest thing wrong with them. So, one night, I'm testing some changes on Enemy Lines. I know this level. I know the way it plays. Jackal here, two Ghosts there, Wraith dropped off here, these guys break, pursue to here, etc... It’s late at night and I’m a little loopy. I go over to the right and I order Tanaka and Vale to get into Ghosts. Because, why not? I love playing around with our new Fireteam Orders system.
With two of my Fireteam members in vehicles, I send Buck on a one-man mission to take over the Shade turret that's peppering me from halfway across the board. He starts running, and I start taking pot-shots at the Elite in the turret. I kill the Elite, Tanaka and Vale are off in Ghosts doing who knows what, and Buck finally makes it to the Shade, jumps, clambers, gets in. I start to get a stupid grin on my face. I back into a cave and start picking targets. That Jackal is annoying me. TARGET. A rain of death ensues from the Shade turret and twin Ghosts. Oh, that Elite has seen me and is trying to run across open ground to get me? TARGET. Cue rain of death from the Shade and the Ghosts. I'm starting to cackle now. Here comes a suicide Grunt trying to get me from 40 yards away. TARGET. Rain of death! Holy crap, I'm laughing out loud and wondering if people are starting to stare at me. I don’t care. THIS IS AWESOME!
Sometimes it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees. To lose sight of the fact that we're making something fun, something epic, and something awesome. Once in a while, we get surprised by the thing we're making, and that really is the thing we live for. It's the reason I'm in games and I hope it comes across in what we've made for you.
____
Building an epic Halo campaign takes the combined talents of our entire team, working in concert together. The campaign for Halo 5: Guardians is the culmination of years of combined effort, including technical investment, carefully crafted storytelling, meticulously balanced gameplay and mechanics. It is a showcase for our passion and love for Halo, and a realization of the shared creative vision that we set forth to achieve. With everything in place and launch just a few short weeks away, we’ve all had the opportunity to take a step back and enjoy the game as Halo fans. As The Other Josh™ related with his story above, it’s a pretty special feeling.
Now we can’t wait for you to play. :)
<3 JoshA high-profile campaign to save the Brutalist Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in London has been revived.
Heritage organisation the Twentieth Century Society has filed a new report calling for the preservation of the Alison and Peter Smithson-designed estate, which is heralded by many as one of the UK's most important examples of Brutalist architecture.
The complex is currently scheduled for demolition as part of a huge housing project led by development company Swan and supported by the local council Tower Hamlets.
The UK government granted Robin Hood Gardens a five-year immunity from heritage listing in 2009 – meaning that the council were able to approve demolition despite a preservation campaign backed by hundreds of architects, including Richard Rogers, Zaha Hadid, Robert Venturi and Toyo Ito.
Now that five-year period has expired, the society has submitted a new report, claiming the decision not to protect the estate with a formal heritage listing the first time around was ill-judged.
It reads: "We believe that none of the reasons given for not listing Robin Hood Gardens is convincing or properly evidenced according to listing criteria, and that the previous decisions not to list were unsound."
"It is therefore desirable in the interest of maintaining a consistent standard of assessment to reassess the building afresh and incorporate the new evidence."
Robin Hood Gardens was completed in 1972 in Poplar, east London, by the Smithsons, who had already established themselves as two of the key protagonists of the so-called New Brutalism. Based on the concept of "streets in the sky", the estate comprises two concrete slab blocks arranged around a garden made of up raised mounds.
The 213-apartment complex was first threatened with demolition in 2008 when Tower |
with an enormous real estate holding. It's one thing to deliberate and review grants. It's another thing for a church to respond in real time to one of the largest movement for social change that this country has see for four decades.
"This is an opportunity to engage in mutual actions to transform a space, and make it a catalyst for the revitalisation of public squares that have all been eliminated in the United States, to create a space where the cause for social justice can be forwarded."Napoleon Bonaparte was a voracious reader. He had a personal librarian, he always travelled with books, and he took a great interest in constructing the ultimate portable library to accompany him on his military campaigns. Napoleon’s taste in books was primarily classical. He had some lifelong favourite authors, including Plutarch, Homer and Ossian. What else did he like to read?
Napoleon’s love of books
According to his classmate (and later secretary) Louis Bourrienne, Napoleon read avidly from an early age. Whenever they had free time at the military school at Brienne:
[Napoleon] would run to the library, where he read with great eagerness books of history, particularly Polybius and Plutarch. He also especially liked Arrian, but had little taste for Quintus Curtius. (1)
At the École Militaire in Paris and as a young artillery officer, Napoleon continued to read classical scholars, as well as more recent French and Italian authors. He also read a number of English works in translation. An idea of his favourites might be judged by what he chose to bring with him during a leave of absence in Corsica in 1786-87. His brother Joseph recounted:
[Napoleon] was then a passionate admirer of Jean-Jacques [Rousseau]; … a fan of the masterpieces of Corneille, Racine and Voltaire. He brought the works of Plutarch, Plato, Cicero, Cornelius Nepos, Livy and Tacitus, translated into French; and those of Montaigne, Montesquieu and Raynal. All of these works filled a trunk larger than the one that contained his toiletries. I don’t deny that he also had the poems of Ossian, but I do deny that he preferred them to Homer. (2)
Napoleon soon parted ways with Rousseau, but his admiration for Ossian continued throughout his life. He even reads Ossian in Napoleon in America. Ossian’s cycle of epic poems was published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson beginning in 1760. Though Macpherson claimed the material originated from ancient Gaelic sources, many – including Samuel Johnson – criticized the work as a forgery, written by Macpherson himself.
When Napoleon learned, on St. Helena, that the wife of British Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm hailed from Scotland, he asked her if she knew Ossian’s poems.
[Napoleon] said he admired them very much, particularly Darthula, and inquired if the controversy about their authenticity was decided; and whether Macpherson had really written them. He laughed on her replying with quickness, that Macpherson was not capable of writing them. She said the Highland Society had done everything possible to investigate and had proved their authenticity beyond a doubt…. She said [the poems] had been more admired on the Continent than in England. He exclaimed with energy: ‘It was I, – I made them the fashion. I have been even accused of having my head filled with Ossian’s clouds.’ (3)
Napoleon’s librarians and libraries
Napoleon’s appetite for reading books continued as he rose in power. In 1798, about to depart on the Egyptian campaign, he gave Bourrienne a list of books he wanted in his camp library. These included works in Sciences and Arts (e.g., Treatise on Fortifications), Geography and Travels (e.g., Cook’s Voyages), History (e.g., Thucydides, Frederick II), Poetry (e.g., Ossian, Tasso, Ariosto), Novels (e.g., Voltaire, Héloïse, Goethe’s Sorrows of Young Werther and 40 volumes of “English novels”), and Politics and Morals (the Bible, the Koran, the Vedas, etc.). (4)
In 1800, Napoleon appointed Louis Ripault, an antiquarian who was a member of the Egyptian expedition, as his personal librarian. When Ripault proved to be too liberal, he was replaced in 1804 by an elderly Italian historian, Carlo Denina, author of The History of the Revolutions of Italy, which Napoleon had read as a student. In 1807, Denina was succeeded by the librarian Antoine-Alexandre Barbier.
Napoleon expected his librarian to be on call at all hours to read to him, to report on new books, to find sources of information on particular subjects, and to summarize content. Dissatisfied with the camp libraries formed for his use, in July 1808 Napoleon dictated from Bayonne instructions for Barbier to create a purpose-built travelling library.
The Emperor wants a portative library of thousand volumes in 12mo., printed in good type, without margin, and composed as nearly as possible of 40 volumes on religion, 40 of epics, 40 of plays, 60 of poetry, 100 of novels, 60 of history, the remainder, to make up the 1,000, of historical memoirs. The religious works are to be the Old and New Testament, the Koran, a selection from the works of the Fathers of the Church, works respecting the Arians, Calvinists, a Mythology, &c. The epics are to be Homer, Lucan, Tasso, Telemachus, the Henriade, &c. (5)
Among the novels were to be the masterpieces of Fielding, Richardson and Le Sage.
For the 1809 campaign against Austria, Barbier prepared a substantial library, arranged in a series of large mahogany cases, which could be opened up into instant bookshelves (the cases were later exchanged for leather ones, considered more durable). Dissatisfied that some books had to be omitted because of their bulk, Napoleon in June 1809 sent instructions from Vienna for Barbier to compose an even larger travelling library of historical works, in even smaller size.
His Majesty would wish the volumes of such a library to reach three thousand, all 18mos, like the works of the collection in 18mo for the Dauphin, having four to five hundred pages each, and printed with Didot’s fine type, on thin vellum paper. The 12mo takes up too much space; and besides, the books printed in this form are almost all poor editions. The three thousand volumes should be put in thirty cases, having three rows, each row containing thirty-three volumes. This collection…should be divided into five or six parts: 1. Chronology and Universal History; 2. Ancient History by original writers, and Ancient History by modern writers; 3. History of the Lower Empire by original writers, and History of the Lower Empire by modern writers; 4. General and Particular History, like Voltaire’s Essays, etc.; 5. Modern History of the States of Europe, of France, Italy, etc.. In this collection must be Strabo, D’Anville’s Ancient Atlas, the Bible, some History of the Church…. When these three thousand volumes of History are finished, they will be followed by three thousand more of Natural History, of Voyages, of Literature, etc. (6)
Barbier estimated the work would take six years to complete and would cost between 5.4 and 6.5 million francs. The project was never carried out. Meanwhile, the existing library was improved from time to time. For example, from Vitebsk during the Russian campaign in August 1812, Barbier was told:
The Emperor desires to have some amusing books. If there be any new novels which are good, or older ones which he does not know, or memoirs of light reading, you will do well to send them, for we have leisure moments here which are difficult to fill up. (7)
During the retreat from Moscow, a number of boxes of books from Napoleon’s travelling library were burned by the French.
Napoleon reading books in exile
During his exile on Elba in 1814, Napoleon maintained a library of “a considerable number of volumes.” He allowed no one to enter the room, which also served as an office, except his secretary and the floor polisher. (8)
In late June 1815, after the defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon was at Malmaison contemplating escape to the United States. He instructed General Henri Bertrand to write to Barbier for “works upon America,” a report on everything published on the subject of his campaigns, “and in addition, several works on the United States.” The library was to be consigned to an American firm, “who will have it transported to America from Havre.” (9)
Napoleon did not make it to America. Instead, he gave himself up to the British, who banished him to St. Helena. On seeing an Englishman reading Milton’s Paradise Lost on board the Northumberland, the ship that conveyed him to exile, Napoleon reportedly said:
Your British Homer lacks taste, harmony, warmth, naturalness. Read again the poet of Achilles. Devour Ossian. Those are the poets who lift up the soul, and give to man a colossal greatness. (10)
Napoleon had plenty of time to read on St. Helena, and he developed a large library there. He brought with him on the Northumberland “six small mahogany cases containing what was called a field library, provided by M. Barbier, the Emperor’s librarian. These crates consisted of good works, and were of great assistance in fighting the boredom of such a lengthy crossing.” (11)
This was supplemented by the arrival, in June 1816, of the bulk of Napoleon’s library. Emmanuel de Las Cases reported:
The Emperor sent for me about three o’clock. He was in the topographical cabinet, surrounded by all the persons of his suite, who were engaged in unpacking some boxes of books which had arrived by the Newcastle. The Emperor himself helped to unpack, and seemed to be highly amused with the occupation. (12)
More books were brought by visitors, or sent to Napoleon by sympathizers, including England’s Lady Holland. One of the gifts, the three-volume Life of Marlborough by William Coxe, resulted in the dismissal of British orderly officer Engelbert Lutyens, as described in my post “General Bonaparte vs. Emperor Napoleon.”
It was customary in the evenings for Napoleon to read out loud to his companions, or for one of them to read to him. His librarian on St. Helena, the valet Louis Étienne Saint-Denis, wrote:
The Emperor was infinitely fond of reading. The Greek and Roman historians were often in his hands, especially Plutarch. … He often read Rollin. The history of the middle ages, modern history, and particular histories occupied him only casually. The only religious book which he had was the Bible. He liked to read over in it the chapters which he had heard read in the ruins of the ancient cities of Syria. They painted for him the customs of those countries and the patriarchal life of the desert. It was, he said, a faithful picture of what he had seen with his own eyes. Every time that he read Homer it was with a new admiration. No one, in his view, had known what was truly beautiful and great better than this author; consequently he often took him up again and read him from the first page to the last. The drama had great charms for the Emperor. Corneille, Racine, Voltaire, often had one or two acts of their pieces read aloud. He preferred Corneille to the others, in spite of his imperfections…. Sometimes he would ask for some comedy which he had seen played, and from time to time a piece of poetry, for instance, ‘Vert-Vert’ [by Gresset]. He also took pleasure in reading some parts of Voltaire’s Essai sur les moeurs et l’esprit des nations, as well as some articles from the Dictionnaire Philosophique of the same author. Novels helped him to relax and broke the seriousness of his habitual occupations. Gil Blas, Don Quixote and a small number of others would be read by him. Those of Mesdames de Staël, Genlis, Cottin, Souza, etc. he read over sometimes, but the novels which he could not bear were those of Pigault Lebrun…. He had nearly always under his eyes all the works relative to the military art and the campaigns of the great captains…. It was only by chance that he took up a scientific work; books of this sort were only occasional. (13)
It was while he was on St. Helena that Napoleon read his brother Lucien’s Charlemagne.
What ability; what time and labour; thrown away! Twenty thousand verses – some few of them good verses – but the whole colourless, aimless, and resultless. (14)
What happened to Napoleon’s library?
By 1821, when Napoleon died, his library consisted of 1,814 volumes, 1,226 of which had been shipped from England. (15) In his will, Napoleon directed Saint-Denis to take care of “four hundred volumes, selected from those in my library of which I have been accustomed to use the most” and to convey them to his son, the King of Rome (Napoleon II), when he reached the age of 16. Napoleon’s companions took what they liked from the rest of his books. The remainder were purchased by the bookseller Bossange and Co., which organized an auction by Sotheby’s in London on July 23, 1823.
The catalogue listed 123 items, 10 of which were letters signed by Napoleon. A few volumes were given to members of Napoleon’s family. When General Bertrand died, all but about a dozen of the volumes belonging to his estate were sold for scrap. Even if you don’t understand French, you will be able to decipher some of the titles remaining, as well as those listed in the auction catalogue, in La Bibliothèque de Napoléon à Sainte Hélène by Victor Advielle (Paris, 1894).
For more about Napoleon’s book reading habits, see the three-part article on “Napoleon the Reader” by Ira Grossman on the Napoleon Series: “The Early Years”; “The Imperial Years”; “The Final Years”. Margaret Rodenberg has written a lovely piece about Napoleon’s reading habits on St. Helena on her Finding Napoleon website.
You might also enjoy:
Napoleon in Alternate History
Napoleon in Historical Fiction
10 Interesting Facts About Napoleon Bonaparte
10 More Interesting Napoleon Facts
What did Napoleon like to wear?
What did Napoleon like to eat and drink?
What was Napoleon’s favourite music?
10 Things Napoleon Never Said
10 Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes in Context
What did Napoleon look like?
What were Napoleon’s last words?
Was Napoleon superstitious?
Weird pictures of Napoleon
When Napoleon met Goethe
Was Madame de Genlis Napoleon’s spy?Kārlis Seržants, a high-ranking member of the Latvian parliament or Saeima and part of the ruling coalition, on Thursday delivered a remarkable interview on Latvian public radio's LR4 Russian-language channel in which he blamed "clever Jews" for some of the nation's main problems.
After beginning to talk about changes to Latvia's national security laws, Seržants - a member of the Greens and Farmers Union political grouping and a member of the Saeima's national security committee - then veered into unfortunate territory, as a transcript of his comments shows.
The former journalist and television presenter said people working to undermine the Latvian state were "mostly people of a very smart ethnicity with lawyers [among them]."
Asked if he was referring to Russians, Seržants replied:
"No, I mean the Jewish ethnicity."
He then elaborated once again on these Jewish legal experts' particular skill in operating "on the edge" of the law.
Challenged by the interviewer over his statement, Seržants clumsily attempted to backtrack by praising the cleverness of Jews as a nationality:
"Well, no I'm not saying it's only [Jews], but Girs, Gaponenko... who else do we have... Zhdanoka, Koren [all prominent pro-Russia activists] -- they are Jews I believe. I am not a chauvinist, absolutely not, and that is exactly why I am telling that being of Jewish ethnicity means being very smart."
With the interviewer again intervening to point out that Latvians or Russians might be equally smart, Seržants responded:
"Right, all of them are smart, but they are, let us say it this way, especially smart."
Seržants' outburst is likely to be highly embarrassing to his party colleague in the Greens and Farmers Union, Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis, who is due to leave Latvia for five days' holiday Friday after just one month in charge.
The views expressed by Seržants are even more remarkable given that since 2014 he has been a member of the Saeima group for cooperation with the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.Refugees and asylum seekers at the 'grain market' in Bautzen, eastern Germany on September 14, 2016 (AFP Photo/Christian Essler)
Athens (AFP) - Germany called Sunday for asylum seekers who entered the European Union via Greece to be forced to return there, while also urging Athens to send more migrants back to Turkey.
In an interview with a Greek daily, German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said he wants to reinstate EU rules which oblige asylum seekers to be sent back to Greece as the first EU country they reached.
"I would like the Dublin convention to be applied again... we will take up discussions on this in a meeting with (EU) interior ministers" later in October, he told the Greek daily Kathimerini.
The Dublin accord gives responsibility for asylum seekers' application to the first country they reach -- which put Greece on the frontline of more than a million migrants who arrived in the EU last year.
The accord also says asylum seekers should be sent back to the first country they arrived in if they subsequently reach another EU state before their case is examined. A huge proportion of the migrants ended up in Germany.
But this clause was suspended for Greece in 2011 after the country lost an EU legal complaint which condemned the mistreatment of migrants seeking international protection.
"Since then, the EU has provided substantial support, not only financially," to Greece to improve its asylum seeker procedures, the German minister said.
- 'Greece must expel more' -
In an interview on German television Sunday evening, De Maiziere also criticised Athens for failing to fully implement an EU agreement with Turkey to return migrants there.
The EU reached a deal with Turkey in March to stop the influx to the Greek islands in return for financial aid and eased visa conditions for its citizens. But the deal has looked shaky in the wake of a coup attempt in Turkey in July.
"Greece must carry out more expulsions," he told the ARD television station.
De Maiziere had already in August highlighted the need to reinstate the Dublin rules, provoking an outcry from Athens.
Greece stressed it was already coping with over 60,000 refugees and migrants blocked on its territory after countries further north on the so-called Balkan route closed their borders to the massive influx, notably fleeing the Syrian conflict.
De Maiziere said he was conscious of the "strong reactions" of Greeks, as well as the huge number of migrants being dealt with by Greece as an EU frontline state.
But "that doesn't annul the need" to reinstate the Dublin rules, he said, stressing that "criticism of the convention not being applied keeps increasing in Germany."
The German minister, who has just revised the number of asylum seekers who arrived in Germany last year to 890,000 -- down from a previous estimate of 1.1 million -- reiterated Berlin's commitment to taking its share of refugees who arrived in Greece and Italy in 2015 and the start of 2016.
"Germany is ready to welcome up to 500 people per month" from the two countries, he said.The gauntlet has been thrown. We’ve equipped some top-tier Twitch streamers with a coach and challenged them with a simple goal: become the best Heroes of the Storm player they can possibly be, while earning donations for Make-A-Wish® in the process. It’s time to Tryhard – For Good!
How Tryhard for Good Works:
Phase One (April 25 – May 1): For the first week of the competition, each of the contenders will be teaming up with the coaches listed below for some hands-on instruction. Here’s where they’ll learn the ins-and-outs of Heroes of the Storm, sharpen their competitive skills, and get their Hero League game faces on!
Phase Two (May 2 – 11:59 PM, May 16): The gloves come off! For the next two weeks, each competitor will claw their way to the top of the Hero League solo queue ladder with no more assistance from the coaches. Good luck!
Follow Along! Tune in to your favorite streamers’ Twitch channels to learn alongside them during Phase One, and keep up with their progress as they climb the Hero League ladder during Phase Two! Find links to each streamer’s channel in the Competitors and Coaches sections below.
Competitors:
Dyrus Five-time League of Legends world championship competitor who played for North America's Team Solo Mid, and full-time Twitch streamer, Marcus 'Dyrus' Hill will be coached by Jaehyung 'Chu8' Park! Scarra Former professional League of Legends player, coach, and full-time streamer, William 'Scarra' Li will be coached by Derek 'Dunktrain' Arabian! Voyboy Former professional League of Legends player, a master innovator, metabreaker and full-time streamer, Joedat 'Voyboy' Esfahani will be coached by Kurt 'Kaeyoh' Ocher!
Coaches:
Chu8 Jaeyhung 'Chu8' Park is a multiple-time Grandmaster Heroes player, former professional competitor, and is now a full-time Heroes of the Storm streamer. Dunktrain Derek 'Dunktrain' Arabian is a full-time streamer, caster, and analyst and the former team captain of the BlizzCon 2015 Championship winning Heroes of the Storm team Cloud9. Kaeyoh Kurt 'Kaeyoh' Ocher is the former team captain of the Heroes of the Storm team Tempo Storm, turned full time streamer and professional caster.
At the end of the challenge, each sponsored streamer’s rank on the Hero League ladder will determine the donation amount we’ll make to Make-A-Wish:
Requirements Prize Reach Gold Rank $500 Reach Platinum Rank $1500 Reach Diamond Rank $2000 Reach Diamond Ranks 1-5 $500 Per tier of Diamond Reach Master Rank $3500 Reach Grand Master Rank $5000 Win Hero League Matches $100 Per Hero League win Climb to the Top $25k to the Competitor who Reaches the Highest Rank!
NOTE: Each higher tier of prizes will also include the rewards for the ranks below it. For example, if a competitor reaches Diamond 3 they will receive all rewards for Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Diamond 4 + 5, the Hero League win total, and the Diamond 3 prize.
About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Find out more at www.wish.org.
Our competitors will also be hosting and commentating on the Heroes of the Storm 2.0 launch stream, so be sure to tune in to www.twitch.tv/blizzheroes at 11:00 a.m. PDT on April 25. You won’t want to miss it!In compliance with the timely notice provisions of the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Texas Tech Police Department is giving notice of a Sexual Assault reported to have occurred at the Texas Tech University Student Recreation Center.
REPORTED OFFENSE
On April 10, 2011 the Texas Tech Police Department was dispatched to a reported sexual assault that occurred in the men’s shower room at the Student Recreation Center. A male student reported being choked unconscious and sexually assaulted by another male.
The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male, approximately 20 years of age, 6’3” tall, 200lbs, bald head, black goatee, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. The identity and last known location of the suspect are unknown.
Police are currently investigating the report.
It can be assumed that conditions may continue to exist that pose a threat to members and guests of the Tech community. It is the duty of the institution to warn of possible dangerous conditions on or near its campus, and at affiliate organizations off campus; an affirmative duty exists to warn persons associated with this university of possible peril at the hands of some third party or parties.
If you have any information about this or any other offense, can identify a suspect, or have witnessed suspicious activity, please contact the Texas Tech Police Department immediately at 806-743-2000, or 9-911 on campus, or contact the Lubbock Police Department at 806-755-2865 or 911 for incidents occurring at off campus locations.
Do not make personal efforts to identify or apprehend anyone matching a suspect described in this or any other crime alert. All suspects should be presumed dangerous.Of the hundreds of noble efforts to teach kids to code, Fuze is one of them. Fuze has created its own programming language, Fuze BASIC, a riff on the classic BASIC programming language that was the foundation of Microsoft as a company and a formative experience for anyone who typed a program into an Apple II or Commodore 64. And now Fuze BASIC is coming to the Switch.
The Fuze Code Studio, as seen on Nintendo Today, will let you write 2D and 3D games using Fuze BASIC, with access to the Joy-Con sensors and controls, along with a pack of included game graphics and sounds and the ability to make your own. For typing you can use Fuze's touchscreen keyboard or plug in a USB keyboard — like that new official Nintendo Switch keyboard, for instance.
It's hard to tell how much creative freedom we'll have without actually testing it out, but there's a sample screenshot of a Breakout game, while the code visible on the image up above appears to be a text-based adventure where you eat apples until you run out of apples.
I'm stoked to try this out. Apparently people have managed to make great stuff with similar systems, like SmileBASIC on the 3DS. But really I just wish Nintendo would make it easier for hobbyists to put their own Unreal and Unity games on the Switch, without having to jump through hoops to get into the developer program.
Fuze Code Studio is supposed to launch next summer on the Switch eShop.Bella Hulls and Leanne Pereira hardly need another reason to spend more time in the sunshine — but now they have one.
Perth is about to become the first Australian capital city to have “smart benches”, where people can charge their phones and access wifi for free.
The solar-powered benches, equipped with a wireless charging pad and USB ports, are popular in Europe. Ivan Lozic, general manager of the smart benches’ Australian distributor Cleanair, came across the technology in Croatia. “We were walking through Split and there were six park benches, five were empty and one was jam-packed,” Mr Lozic said.
“We went to see what was going on and saw the smart bench. We found out the manufacturer was around the corner, so we talked to them and got distribution rights.”
Cleanair and Synergy are testing the benches at this weekend’s Mt Hawthorn Streets and Lanes Festival.
“Perth has such a great solar resource, so the more we can give residents the opportunity to harness it the better,” she said.
The Steora smart benches are installed in Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Sweden and New Zealand.
The benches require four to five hours of direct sunlight a day to operate at full capacity. The batteries last about 12 years.
The smart benches feature temperature sensors that activate a cooling fan at 35C, meaning they provide solace from the heat.
Croation entrepreneur Ivan Mrvos, at 20 years old, designed the benches through his company InClude, which won best start-up company and best innovation product.(Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)
MGM National Harbor has helped boost the state’s overall gaming revenue since it opened Dec. 8, but the newcomer appears to be eating into the profits of Maryland’s other top casinos.
Monthly casino revenue rose an average of 37.8 percent in Maryland since MGM began operating, according to the state Lottery and Gaming Control Agency’s year-to-year comparisons. The industry, which sends some of its profits to fund schools and other public programs, set its record in the state by generating $141 million in March.
But monthly revenue for Maryland’s five other casinos has dropped an average of 11.8 percent since December, largely driven by dips of 9.4 percent for Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore and 16.6 percent for Maryland Live in Anne Arundel County — the two gaming facilities closest to MGM.
Casino officials and elected leaders say they are not alarmed by the numbers, which fall roughly in line with the projections made by state consultants after Maryland voters legalized table games and approved the addition of a sixth casino in a 2012 referendum.
“These people are still raking in money, just less than they would have otherwise,” said Del. Eric G. Luedtke (D-Montgomery), who co-chairs the state legislature’s gaming-oversight committee.
Maryland Live generated $46 million from slots and table games in May, while Horseshoe pulled in $24 million. Those totals, while hefty, represent declines of 22.3 percent and 18.1 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year.
MGM, which has consistently outperformed all other casinos in the state since its first full month of operations, pulled in about $51 million.
A poker game at the opening of MGM National Harbor in December included Chad Power, left, who is a pro gambler and was based at Maryland Live casino before MGM opened. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)
“Obviously, the presence of a new casino in Maryland has an effect on the revenues of the existing casinos,” said Jonathan Cordish, principal and finance director for the Cordish Cos., which owns and operates Maryland Live. “We will continue to compete and reinvest for the long term.”
A $200 million expansion of Maryland Live scheduled for completion next year includes a new 17-story hotel and convention center with a high-end spa, spaces for live entertainment and private gaming, and new restaurants. The casino also has been offering special promotions, including giving away five Tesla electric cars for its anniversary this month and guaranteeing jackpots up to $100,000 every weekend in June.
Horseshoe is banking in part on its participation in the country’s oldest nationwide player loyalty and rewards program, run by parent company Caesar Entertainment, to remain competitive in a crowded market. Officials with the casino say the establishment’s proximity to Baltimore sports stadiums, and the city’s plans for a new entertainment hub in the surrounding area, could help as well.
“As the southern gateway expands and becomes a diverse entertainment district, Horseshoe is poised to take advantage of the significant growth and development,” said Erin Chamberlin, the casino’s senior vice president and general manager.
When they approved the gambling expansion in 2012, state lawmakers gave Maryland Live and Horseshoe lower tax rates than MGM for slots revenue, acknowledging that the two older establishments were likely to be most affected by the launch of the new venue in Prince George’s County. MGM pays a rate of 56 percent, compared to 51 percent for Maryland Live and 54 percent for Horseshoe.
Industry experts say West Virginia casinos also have reason to be concerned about Maryland’s 2012 gambling expansion, because they now have to compete with venues across the border that offer table games rather than just slots.
Horseshoe, Maryland Live, MGM National Harbor and Rocky Gap Casino, located in Allegany County, are all less than 80 miles from Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.
Rocky Gap Casino, located in Allegany County, has continued to thrive since MGM opened, with monthly gaming revenue up an average of nearly 10 percent since December compared with the same period a year before. The Casino at Ocean Downs, which does not have table games and is located on the Eastern Shore, has seen an average monthly increase of more than 3 percent over that span.
The Hollywood Casino Perryville, in Cecil County, saw a decline, with its monthly revenue from slots and tables dropping an average of 3.5 percent.
Casino gambling generated more than $1 billion in gross revenue for the state in fiscal 2016, with 35 percent of that going to the state’s Education Trust Fund, 5 percent to horse racing, nearly 4 percent to grants for local jurisdictions affected by casinos and about 1 percent for Maryland’s small, minority- and women-owned businesses account.
This year, industry lobbyists successfully pushed state lawmakers to approve legislation that allows gaming establishments to carry over losses on slots and table games from one day to the next for purposes of determining how much they owe to the state.
Legislative analysts estimated that the measure could reduce revenue for the Education Trust Fund by more than $1.8 million a year. But supporters said it would encourage casinos to offer more high-stakes games by reducing their potential losses, in turn attracting more big-money players and increasing revenue in the long run.
Luedtke suggested that there will be little appetite for similar breaks in 2018.
“I doubt the legislature is in any mood to cut taxes for casinos, and I think the casinos know that,” he said.
Cordish said Maryland Live will not seek legislative or regulatory changes next year.A second independence referendum would be a “waste of time”, a former SNP leader has warned.
Gordon Wilson, who was at the party’s helm throughout the 1980s, said question marks over Scotland’s economy must be answered before Nicola Sturgeon stages another vote on leaving the UK.
He suggested the timescale for a second referendum could be anything between “five and 20 years” away.
“My own view is that a second independence referendum isn’t really on,” he said yesterday.
But a perceived raw deal for Scotland on Brexit could alter the picture.
“The only thing that would change things is if there was a sudden upsurge in the opinion polls from people wanting a second referendum, and more to the point be prepared to vote for independence if Scotland doesn’t get what they think it should get,” he said.Palestinian girls mourn before the 14 July funeral of their uncle, Adham Abed el-Al, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza a day earlier. Mohammed Asad APA images
As Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip claimed more Palestinian lives, Haim Bresheeth, a film scholar at SOAS, University of London, helped initiate an open letter to Israeli academics urging them to condemn the slaughter.
The open letter states in part:
We have been asked by our academic colleagues in Gaza – whose universities have been destroyed a number of times in the last six years, who are unable to teach or study, and who are also in growing need of food and medicines, like the rest of the almost two million Palestinians living in Gaza – to urge you to act urgently, to make your voice heard in Israel and abroad against what the Israeli government is inflicting on the Gaza population.
“We invite you, as fellow academics and intellectuals, to join your voices in an open and resounding protest about these war crimes by the Israeli government – your government. We urge you to stand up and be counted, to answer the call of your Gazan colleagues and make your voice heard,” the open letter urges.
The open letter quickly attracted about a thousand signatures from academics all over the world.
Almost three dozen Israeli academics answered the call and issued the statement at the end of this post in which they deplore the “slaughter of large numbers of wholly innocent people.”
Despite Bresheeth’s and others’ determined efforts, the number of Israeli academics willing to make even such a modest call is remarkably few, a sign of the extremism gripping the country.
In an article published by The Electronic Intifada yesterday, Israeli historian Ilan Pappe writes: “One can witness again consensual Israeli Jewish support for the massacre of civilians in the Gaza Strip, without one significant voice of dissent.”
Pappe adds: “Academia, as always, becomes part of the machinery. The prestigious private university, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya has established “a civilian headquarters” where students volunteer to serve as mouthpieces in the propaganda campaign abroad.” (I wrote more about this operation earlier today.)
Some may be fearful to speak out because of the relentless incitement, threats and cries of “Death to the Arabs” and “Death to Leftists” that dissenters face in the streets and online.
Regime change
Zochrot, the Israeli group that advocates for the Palestinian right of return and does public education about the Nakba – the ethnic cleansing of Palestine that began in 1947 – issued its own statement.
“For more than sixty-six years, the Israeli regime had been violating, systematically and harshly, the human rights of millions of Palestinians,” Zochrot says.
“The violent reality we are witnessing these days, that takes a heavy toll from many, especially the Palestinian refugees, is a direct outcome of a racist regime which established itself based on an ongoing destruction, dispossession, expulsion and occupation,” the statement notes.
“Ad hoc” ceasefire arrangements would not be enough, Zochrot says. “Only a fundamental change in the regime, which will be based on taking responsibility on the ongoing crimes of the Nakba and the implementation of the right of return of the Palestinian refugees will bring about the ending of the violence.”
Statement signed by Israeli academics
“The signatories to this statement, all academics at Israeli universities, wish it to be known that they utterly deplore the aggressive military strategy being deployed by the Israeli government. The slaughter of large numbers of wholly innocent people, is placing yet more barriers of blood in the way of the negotiated agreement which is the only alternative to the occupation and endless oppression of the Palestinian people. Israel must agree to an immediate ceasefire, and start negotiating in good faith for the end of the occupation and settlements, through a just peace agreement.”
Professor Rachel Giora, Tel Aviv University
Professor Emmanuel Farjoun, Hebrew University
Professor Nadera Shal |
help of my brother, who shares my color blindness. We thought it'd be particularly interesting to compare our experiences.
As soon as I tried on the glasses (there are indoor versions designed for looking at computer screens, as well as outdoors-oriented sunglass varieties), most objects looked like slightly more vibrant versions of themselves. It was only when I glanced at a familiar brick wall by my house that I became aware that things may be very different. This brick wall had always appeared brown to me. Now, it was a bright red.
"What color are those bricks?" I asked a friend.
"Red," they replied.
Cue record scratch.
This same experience repeated itself again and again. "What color is that?" I'd ask of things that I formerly knew to be brown. And the answer again and again: "Red", "Red," "Red."
"They seemed to spread out the red, brown, green color range; moving them from a lot of muddy mess to a number of distinct colors," says my brother, Eric. "It was pretty subtle for the most part—especially for the indoor lenses. I saw a bigger difference with the sunglasses."
It should be stated that the EnChroma glasses do not "cure" color blindness. As vibrant as leaves and bricks now appear, when presented with a color blindness test, both my brother and I still fail it. And there's another major issue that needs to be addressed: These things ain't cheap. Non-prescription versions of EnChroma's color blindness glasses range from roughly $340 to $440. And having lived my entire life barely aware that I even had color blindness, it's hard to make the argument that my life is all that different now that I can suddenly see new hues of red and green. In other words: These are a luxury item.
But they are a luxury item that some folks will love. The videos of tearful users who suddenly see the world in a whole new way are undeniably powerful (I could seriously watch them all day). And if you're color blind and crave nothing more than to see your child's hair or eyes as others supposedly do, these glasses may be an indulgence worth exploring.When Blake Page announced this week that he was quitting West Point a few months before graduation, citing the overt religiosity on campus, he raised recurring questions about the pervasiveness and impact of evangelical Christianity within the ranks of the US military.
“I do not wish to be in any way associated with an institution which willfully disregards the Constitution of the United States of America by enforcing policies which run counter to the same,” Mr. Page wrote in his letter of resignation to the US Military Academy at West Point, in New York.
He cites, among other things, routine prayers at mandatory events for cadets and the practice of awarding off-campus passes and credit to students who take part in religious retreats and chapel choirs. These activities, in turn, foster “open disrespect of non-religious new cadets,” Page argued, adding that he had been told at West Point that it was not possible for people to have morals without believing in God.
This is not the first time such charges have been leveled within a military training academy. The US Air Force Academy came under similar criticism in 2005 for conferring preferential treatment on cadets who were evangelical Christians and promoting proselytizing in the ranks.
A survey commissioned by the Air Force Academy in 2010 showed some improvements in the climate of religious tolerance on campus, but also found that many cadets still felt pressured to take part in religious activities. Nearly half of the non-Christian cadets surveyed, for example, said their fellow students have a “low tolerance” for atheists, a 20 percent jump from a similar 2008 survey.
Charges of evangelism went international when the Pentagon came under fire in 2010 for using gun sights engraved with Bible verses, fueling concerns that the war in Afghanistan would be seen as a military crusade. Some Pentagon officials at first dismissed complaints against the gun sights, comparing them to US currency engraved with “In God We Trust,” but senior officers demanded that the military stop using them.
This came on the heels of reports that Air Force missileers were receiving Bible-centered ethics training, with the aim of helping them shake off lingering doubts about firing nuclear weapons. The training – which had been in place for almost two decades and was known jokingly among the airmen as “Jesus loves nukes” – was halted in 2011.
“God and country is a big part of the military culture,” says Page in a phone interview with the Monitor. “Anytime we have a ceremony of any type, there’s always prayer.”
During his time at West Point as the head of the Secular Student Alliance, Page helped to establish “nontheist chapel time,” an alternative for nonreligious cadets. “Before [that, if you didn't go to chapel] you could either go back to your room or have cleaning detail,” Blake recalls. “A friend of mine was made to sing and dance and recite knowledge and do all sorts of embarrassing things while everyone else went to church.”
West Point spokesman Francis DeMaro Jr. told CNN that Page's claim that prayer is mandatory is not true. "The academy holds both official and public ceremonies where an invocation and benediction may be conducted, but prayer is voluntary," he said. "As officers, cadets will be responsible for soldiers who represent America’s great diversity in faith and ethnic background."
Though Page says he occasionally felt targeted for his nonreligious views, he also reports that he came to admire many who went out of their way to understand his concerns. He recalls one professor, an evangelical Christian, who called him in for a talk. “He genuinely asked me, ‘Would you please explain to me where you get your morals if you don’t get them from God?’ ”
This professor also asked Page how he could help to prevent a climate of religious intolerance. “He has a moral character, and he really inspired me,” Page says.
Mikey Weinstein, a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, calls Page the “Rosa Parks” of his generation. “Blake is in every way, shape, and form an American hero,” he says, adding that “mandated religion has no place within the technologically most lethal creation of the US government.”
Page, for his part, says he decided to go public with his resignation after learning that he would not receive a commission for the US military. Because of his struggle with depression, he received a medical waiver.
“When I knew I couldn’t commission, I knew that there was something I could do. I had such limited time remaining in the system, I thought that by doing this I could get people to think about it as well,” he says.
Since then, Page says, he has received “many, many” letters of support from faculty members and fellow cadets.
That said, many other cadets “respected my decision but didn’t agree with my method,” he says. The way he wrote his public letter, which he released to the Huffington Post, “was very hostile and confrontational – I acknowledge that – but there’s no way to get attention in this country without being confrontational,” he adds.
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His next step is to finish his degree at a state university – he’s thinking Georgia or Minnesota. Then he plans to write a book about his experience at West Point, likely focusing on the culture among the corps of cadets.
“There are many other organizational problems at West Point that need to be addressed,” Page says. “The cadets know it, and talk about it all the time – but we’re addicted to tradition.”I don’t remember why, but at some point I thought I wanted to try some Singleton 93/94. Maybe Bjørn talked me into it, maybe DFB, probably both. Anyways as I was considering it, I felt as if the gates opened : no more omnipresent removal, which means creatures become much better! That’s a very different game now.
DFB gave me a few beginner’s tips, like what are in his opinion the staples of the format (I think he told me something like Icy Manipulator, Jayemdae Tome, Demonic Tutor and Mind Twist), and then I was on my own, having fun trying to figure out a format without the help of netdeck.org. I say format, but there’s no formal definition though. I was told people played without the P10 (power 10, or the power 9 + Library of Alexandria), singleton cards -basics excepted, no commander and a minimum deck size of 60. The first thing I had to think about as I alwways start there is the mana : a single dual land and a single City of Brass legal meant that playing a lot of colours would not come easy. I might be wrong, but my first idea, and the one I’ve been riding on since then was that you still had to try to play two main colours, as I imagined there wouldn’t be enough in a single one to make a decent deck. This meant you could try to be very optimistic and splash a third colour (probably black for Demonic Tutor and Mind Twist, as usual), but that would be it. So I did the small kid thing and build a red-green aggro deck.
Red offers burn and some good flyers mostly, and green has a quite vast array of cheap and relatively efficient bear-sized creatures, along with some mana fixing. Still, with only two multicolored lands to work with, the mana consistency was low for an aggro deck. Goldfishing, it seemed to work about as often as it would fail. Then I went to the other extreme for a control plan. UW based of course, with the black plug.
As you can see, playing a creature light deck demands some creativity in this format, you have to consider playing cards that you almost didn’t know existed like Gaseous Form or Demonic Torment, along with cards I had already considered but almost never played, like Island of Wak-Wak and Island Sanctuary. The old saying is that Islands are the most powerful cards of the game.. Pitting those first two decks against one another the control deck seemed to have trouble against the aggro one. Sometimes it would draw its Moat in time, sometimes the aggro would struggle for too long with one of its colour unavailable, but overall I liked how aggro seemed to fare against control, as its X-damage spells regularly ended things when control was threatening to stabilize : that’s exactly, the way I see it, how things should be in 93/94, we’d need at least one tier 1 aggro deck that puts enough pressure on The Deck to deprive it of the time required to abuse the tomes (though I don’t think that’s true of the versions that don’t restrict Strip Mine and allow Fallen Empires, like the EC one). In highlander, while the lack of consistency of the mana should be a killer for aggro, it actually seems possible to punish the greed with speed and aggression. It’s a casual format, where you can play all the creatures you wished you could play in constructed (but were afraid to look like a noob), but I’m a control motherfreaker and I’m totally ready to abuse the english language buzzkillers like Moat, The Abyss, or both. (though really flyers are a big deal in “high94”, so Moat is not at its most hateful there) While I’m a control player at heart, I almost surprised myself putting my mind to a less controlling deck, though I guess it still counts as a control deck :
I wanted to play the creature game more actively, and since in my first deck ever bought I had found a Control Magic and absolutely loved it, I tried to do a thief theme in so far as I could. Control Magic and Steal Artifact were a clear cut case : in. After that I found my family. Old Man of the Sea has a limited range and his methods are “old school” (read : violent), but he’s the granddaddy and the original gangsta so you have to take him. Father is a Preacher and his church has quite the racket, sometimes extremely profitable, shutting down the opponent’s deck on its lonesome, or sometimes just stealing a 1/1 token : its mileage varies wildly, but that’s not so bad; uncertainty can be loads of fun too. Mother Rubinia might not be as glamorous as Jasmine but she’s a legend among thieves and then there the sweet icing on that stolen cake : just like miss Boreal, she interacts nicely with Karakas (in that since we play white adding the legendary land comes at no cost), and the combo is just too sweet not to include. While it would seem to be too rare an occasion to count on, the format seemed slow enough that it might matter in the long run. Now that we have our family of petty criminals,
that makes it 5 stealing cards, and our theme isn’t just anecdotal, it’s very much at the core of the deck. Since that means we play some creatures (to steal creatures), The Abyss isn’t to be considered. But Moat? Well Moat is the only “old” card I envied back then and for some reason couldn’t get for what would have been a reasonable price at the time. I’m talking about 1995, those cards were already old to us then, excepted those from The Dark which we had easy access to (or those reprinted in Revised). I now have a very nice Moat, but haven’t played it much. Moat it is. White and blue give access to some quite nice flyers anyways, though the best color combination for that is probably red-blue, and white really only gives the one flyer but, you know.. Serra.
vs Pelham Bleu
Game 1 he doesn’t have red mana early, but my deck is slow so that doesn’t kill him. The games revolves around my Serendib Djinn. He puts a Paralyze on it, and then I don’t do much more than tapping lands for it, sac’ing land, playing land, tapping Djinn -well except for that Mana Drain right in time to get mana to play an Icy Manipulator, which will be crucial when he plays his Maze of Ith. I get enough lands to do that right untill I can kill him. Lucky me but that wasn’t comfortable. Game 2 eveything is peachy as I have Maze of Ith, Ivory Tower, full hand, Sylvan Library and then Jayemdae Tome. I also draw some of my stealing arsenal, and win with my opponent’s Sengir Vampire. Third game, again a Paralyze on a Serendib, this time of the efreet kind, but still quite the the thorn in my highlander side those Serendibs. I end up playing my StP on it.. And things are looking grim from me, everything hanging by a thread until, in the spirit of the deck I “steal” a win thanks to my opponent not knowing how to exploit the stack well enough : he could have attacked successfully to kill me with his Dragon Whelp, but didn’t know how to prevent me from temporarily stealing it with my Old Man of the Sea, which removes it from combat (you boost it once, then if the opp. doesn’t activate his O’Man, it won’t be possible in the future, so he does, and you boost you dragon once more in response, which will make the stealing effect fail). Then again I later make a big mistake of my own as I had him tapped out thanks to a Power Sink so I could have stolen it but didn’t. I’m not punished for my mistake, I finally destroy his tome, so I’m the only one drawing 2 per turn, play a Preacher, then a Rubinia so I’ll be able to steal his Shivan Dragon.. but I don’t get to attack with it as I draw a Braingeyser and win on the spot by asking him to draw 16 cards. The stealing theme almost did it! Fourth and last game he gets a tome out early and I don’t so I’m logically overrun. When I finally manage to make things more fair by casting a Braingeyser for 5, it’s already too late as he’s pummeling me with his Shivan So a virtual 2-2, which is still good for a first foray on a format.
My first impressions : I had heaps of fun, the games were loooong, and the Serendibs aren’t my cup of my tea (the games drag on for two long, people will play cards like Paralyze, Spirit Link, Icy Manipulator and so on, all of which keep your demanding flyer in play for far too long).
It seemed like things were going so slow, you’d have the time to abuse big artifacts like the Hive, and then that’s when it clicked : Serpent Generator! That card!
Why isn’t it played more than it is? I know there aren’t necessarily a ton of life gain in the format, but, still, it’s nice to know that you can give them life through Crumble, Swords to Plowshares or let them abuse Ivory Tower without having to worry. Poison is in the house! (rejoice)
vs DFB
Game 1, turn 5, I play The Hive, but while the card’s good, it’s not that good and it would prevent me from playing anything if I were to use it so I play. He has a Jalum Tome relatively early, which he uses almost every turn, for seemed like almost for ever. It doesn’t seem to give him all that much as despite that I stabilize at 7 life. In the end I have both The Hive and Serpent Generator, and can and do activate both each turn too! So I win. Game 2 : never happened, we already had been playing for 50 minutes and it was getting late.
Second impressions : well it clearly was a slow format so I went for the jugular and made things even slower. I loved it, but it takes some time, patience, and, one could almost say, some devotion. Also, Ivory Tower was great against Pelham, but worthless this time.
Did I tell you games are often long in this format? Just had to check. If you plan to complete more than one game, and maybe even actually a match, secure an hour and a half is my advice.
One of the card I had to completely reevaluate is Prodigal Sorcerer. Yes, I think we’ve finally found the format where it shines. I didn’t play it and it’s probably not the universally great old school Highlander card, but I think in this format token generators are a big deal.
So while Master of the Hunt and its wolves offspring are shielded from him, Tim still neutralizes the snakes and wasps generators. It is also sometime useful to kill mana dorks or the occasional x/1, but the thing is, this format often generates stacked board state where nobody can attack. A Tim there puts you in a winning position, a slow one for sure, but it’s a turtle-paced format anyways.
But there’s only one of Tim, and I imagine Orcish Artillery wouldn’t be appropriate alongside it unless you had a way to make a fast deck to put them in. So since it seemed that Token Generation was key, I thought of mana deprivation, not land destruction mind you, I don’t believe in that in constructed, so in this slow format, and with only a few legal, I just don’t see it happening. No, I’m talking real deal cards like Armageddon and Winter Orb. Without the Moxes, those are very powerful, and are certainly the kind of cards that would stop all that token generation madness (were I to face it, not that it happened, mind you). But that’s just the two cards, so you have to look harder, and another card that makes it harder to abuse mana is Manabarbs. Ankh of Mishra work with the theme, and we obviously want as much non-land mana sources as we can get, so green is in. Red and green are good to put some early pressure, work with little available mana and make those Ankh and ‘barbs count so this is what I brewed :
That’s a total of 7 2/x of casting cost inferior to three.
vs. Henrik Bro Larsen
He contacts me and ask me what are the rules for highlander 93/94 deck construction. There are no rules, man. Still, I tell him what is the “usual” way to do it.
Little I knew, that no longer than 2 hours later he’d be all ready to play his first high94 match. Unfortunately by then I was getting tired and I forgot to press the record button.
First game I didn’t hesitate, I was on the play and turn two I saw an Island, that was my cue to resolve Winter Orb. Winter Orb in the face of a single land, and making you one mana behind? That’s actually often the right play I think when facing permission since the most important is to resolve it. He never recovers from that. He accumulates mana until he can play a Tetravus while I beat him up with an Argothian Pixies, but I have lots of untapped mana and can Hurricane it successfully. That was the key moment of the game, since that left him tapped out and with apparently only expensive stuff in hand : 1-0. Second game happened what often happens in this format : I didn’t find one of my two main colours land until late in the game, and almost didn’t play anything before it was too late : his deck is indeed mana-hungy, playing all those elementals (of the Earth, Water and Fire kind that time), but he did develop decently and when I tried to make a come back it was too late since my threats are tailored for a mana-deprivation plan (they’re generally small). I think blue-red is a very interesting combination to get a critical mass of big creatures. You have the elementals, that’s 4 of them, Shivan Dragon and Mahamoti Djinn, Serendib Djinn I’m less comfortable playing in that format but it’s a possibility, the 3/3 flyers for 4 (Roc of Kher Ridges + Phantom Monster) aren’t exactly big but they’re availalable and while they don’t have much thoughness, they still make for a relatively Earthquake-resistant deck (which he plays of course). So there’s a lot, and with blue as a main color means you can abuse Mana Drain+Braingeyser+Recall easily, so even if you don’t splash black for the usual Demonic Tutor + Mind Twist, you’re good in the spoiler department (which by the way, since he told me he didn’t play Mind Twist I had removed mine, now it’s back after seeing him do exactly that, minus the Mana Drain). Third game I won, though I don’t remember exactly how. I remember having a turn 1 Ghazban Ogre, then playing a Chaos Orb, then a regrowth on the orb. Fourth game I didn’t find any form of mana oppression, he developed his mana nicely and his fatter creatures took over. Last game I did find an Ankh and some small creatures, but he still developed his board (though at a cost), and finally when I needed to draw some X-damage spell to win or draw the game I drew the next best thing : Ifh-Bifh Efreet. But I was one mana short of getting the draw with it, my opponnent still had 5 life and I had 4, and facing a huge army, including a Tetravus and a copy artifact on Tetravus. Not bad for a first time with a quickly hacked highlander deck, Bro!
Conclusion : that deck is ok, a bit hit and miss, but games typically don’t take too long, which can be nice sometimes in a format where games often devolve into stuffed-board-states grindfests. I think it can be more efficient against slower decks, those give me plenty of times to find my mana oppression to try to take over, but midrangey decks like Henrik’s one do not give me that much legroom.
That’s a format in which you realize that since people can only play one Swords to Plowshares, big creatures become very much playable, where you realize that only two of Lightning Bolt + Chain Lightning means a whole class of non-weeny X/3- cards that were almost unplayable before are real threats in their own right. Cards like Phantom Monster are actually good, dammit! That’s when you realize too, that you don’t have a Hurricane, and will have to proxy that 2 cents card you barely noticed before you discovered the joy that is Highlander.
AdvertisementsExcerpts from The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Patience, and The Nameless City.
The year 2016 has been a wild one for the comics industry. Financially, there’s been a bit of panic: According to analyst John Jackson Miller, sales are down compared to this time last year across a wide array of indicators, from units sold to dollars made. But creatively, there’s cause for excitement. DC Comics, suffering under eternal rival Marvel’s market dominance, has launched an ambitious quasi-reboot called “Rebirth”; Marvel has followed 2015’s lucrative “Secret Wars” event with an array of intriguing new titles; and independent publishers are cranking out high-quality product across the board. Here’s a list of great stuff from the year so far, in no particular order.
But first, some nitpicky rules: This is a list of bound volumes, which can mean anything from self-contained graphic novels to compilations of previously serialized issues. As such, the volumes can contain material initially published in the past, but we’re eschewing anything collecting very old stories (sorry, The Complete Peanuts), as well as reprints of existing volumes (like the reissue of Leanne Shapton’s masterful Was She Pretty?). However, because these have to be bound volumes, there are plenty of great monthly series on the stands right now that we’re not including because they haven’t yet been compiled (for example: apologies to Valiant’s 4001 A.D. and Marvel’s Vision, both of which you should absolutely be reading). We’re also limiting ourselves to North American comics. Okay, enough with the rules; let’s get to the books.
Nod Away, by Joshua Cotter (Fantagraphics)
In the first few pages of Nod Away, a staccato procession of words appears in a series of circles dribbling down the page: “Limit / the / bane / of / all / sentenced / to / bear / the / burden / of / sentience.” That unsettlingly disjointed sentence fragment is a decent summation of the message of the story. It’s hard to describe what, exactly, happens in Nod Away, but it has something to do with a worldwide, telepathic, “mental peer-to-peer file-sharing” network; an attempt to cross into another dimension to stave off overpopulation; a man wandering through a barren landscape; and a woman sent to a space station to soothe a mysterious child. There are echoes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but the biggest similarity to Kubrick lies in Cotter’s understanding that there is nothing more terrifying than experiencing something that lies beyond the limits of your comprehension. There is no catharsis or happy ending in Nod Away, only a nightmare-inducing set of sci-fi vignettes drawn in chilling chiaroscuro.
Megg and Mogg in Amsterdam and Other Stories, by Simon Hanselmann (Fantagraphics)
In 2014, Simon Hanselmann dominated best-of lists with his dynamite collection of grimy, drug-hazed, bleakly hilarious comic strips, Megahex. Megg and Mogg in Amsterdam and Other Stories is, for the most part, just more of the same — which is to say, it’s wonderful. We return to the exploits of chronic fuck-ups Megg (a depressed witch), Mogg (her dead-ender cat boyfriend), Werewolf Jones (hedonism incarnate), and Owl (a decent dude who really needs to stop hanging out with these people). The art is appropriately primitivist but always evocative, and Hanselmann has a terrific ear for dialogue. It’s rare to see such a frank and unremitting depiction of depression and codependence, and if you can get used to the hellscape that is these folks’ lives, you’ll be surprised to see how empathetic the storytelling is.
The Nameless City, by Faith Erin Hicks and Jordie Bellaire (First Second)
Faith Erin Hicks and Jordie Bellaire’s latest is as good a young-adult graphic novel as the market has seen in years. The Nameless City drops the reader into a teeming burg located in a vaguely defined pastiche of the Chinese past and builds a visual world that, in the tight confines of its undersized pages, feels overwhelmingly expansive. The story isn’t revolutionary, but the setting and characterization are gripping: We follow a lad brought to the titular city by his father — an official in the imperial government that dominates it — and watch him befriend a local girl named Rat. Their adventures in this multiethnic, polyglot society will thrill readers of any age.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 3, by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, and Rico Renzi (Marvel)
As the price of individual superhero comics has climbed while page counts have remained the same, it’s been increasingly hard to get sufficient bang for your buck. Luckily, Marvel’s delightfully inventive The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is packed with jokes, action, characterization, bottom-of-the-page meta-commentary, and even fake Twitter conversations between the protagonists. The pitch for the series is as weird as it is simple: Squirrel Girl is a superhero who has some of the powers of a squirrel (mainly meaning she can talk to squirrels and has a big, furry tail), and we watch her eat nuts and kick butts. Erica Henderson’s pencils in this volume’s stories are distinctive and dynamic, whether we’re watching S.G. battle Doctor Doom or just chill with her friends Koi Boi and Chipmunk Hunk. The stories may be light, but they’re dense with new ideas and quality gags.
Patience, by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics)
A master returns, and he doesn’t disappoint. Daniel Clowes has been putting out industry-leading comics for three decades, and while his latest tale doesn’t quite reach the stratospheric storytelling heights of Ghost World, it’s easily his most visually stunning work to date. As we travel through time with the protagonist, we get to see Clowes put forth loopy, futuristic, cosmic insanity inspired by mid-century titans like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. The format, wherein the pages are longer than they are tall, provides a widescreen effect that can turn a moment as tiny as a stroll down the street into something gasp-inducing. And if you, like Clowes, have a hunger for flinty men and disaffected women, you’ll be more than sated by book’s end.
Beverly, by Nick Drnaso (Drawn + Quarterly)
Tales about the secret lives of suburbanites can easily become pat condemnations of homogenized culture and small-minded xenophobia, but Beverly wisely avoids all that. In it, Nick Drnaso offers up a series of lightly interconnected short stories, mostly about people from an unnamed town in Illinois. It has its fair share of passive-aggressive confrontations and dark fantasies, but overall, the book feels like a love letter to flatland beauty and bone-deep bonding. The clean lines and strip-mall landscapes invite obvious comparisons to Chris Ware and the slice-of-life minutiae recall Adrian Tomine, but that’s good company to be in. Drnaso’s art and dialogue bring out the joy of quiet observation and everyday tenderness.
Paper Girls, Vol. 1, by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matt Wilson (Image)
A decade and a half after writer Brian K. Vaughan became a star with the debut of Y: The Last Man, he’s at the height of his powers. He actually has two other books that could easily be on this list — We Stand on Guard and the latest volume of Saga — but Paper Girls is the most exciting of the three. In it, Vaughan and artists Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson present us with a group of tween girls in 1988 who abruptly find their Ohio town thrown into Dali-esque paranormal chaos. Their panicked journey down the rabbit hole is filled with Vaughan’s trademark big ideas and chapter-ending twists, but Chiang’s deft characterization and Wilson’s surreal colors make the story as strange as it is human.
Boy’s Club, by Matt Furie (Fantagraphics)
Let’s get one thing out of the way before we go any further: Yes, Boy’s Club is the comics series that inadvertently introduced ubiquitous internet meme Pepe the Frog. But it’s a damn shame that Furie’s been defined by a few out-of-context panels yanked onto 4chan and appropriated without credit by the likes of Nicki Minaj and Donald Trump. The comic strips from which Pepe emerged have finally been compiled in a single book, and it’s redolent with skeezy magic. The famed amphibian is just one of four post-adolescent male roommates who populate these pages, filling up their apartment with dank weed, greasy shits, and oddly tender affection for one another. Boy’s Club is an ode to the id, but it also contains a kind of sadness that only comes when you look from afar at gleeful guys who will one day have to pay the price for their hedonism. However, that reckoning is far off for Pepe, Brett, Andy, and Landwolf, and it’s a delight to enjoy their ride while it lasts.
Dark Night: A True Batman Story, by Paul Dini and Eduardo Risso (DC)
Anyone who grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series can tell you it was surprisingly dark for a children’s show — but none of us knew how dark things were for one of its principal creators. In this memoir, that man, Paul Dini, recounts the depression, alcoholism, and self-harm he endured during the height of the cartoon’s popularity, and Eduardo Risso provides brutally evocative artwork to accompany it. But Dark Night isn’t a woe-is-me downer. It’s a wise exploration of the ways we let emotional blind spots grow until they keep us from seeing what’s right in front of our eyes. Batman and the Joker make regular cameos in Dini’s visions, and their presence doesn’t feel like a cheap gag — it’s a device that allows Dini to talk about the ways people use fiction (especially superhero fiction) to heal and grow.
Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir, by Tom Hart (St. Martin’s Press)
Any memoir about a dead child is going to be brutal, and although Rosalie Lightning is no exception, there is immense joy to be found in its craft and insight. With this book, Tom Hart instantly elevates himself to the company of fellow graphic-memoirist Alison Bechdel as he interrogates the prelude and postscript of his daughter’s death with excruciating precision. “I guess there are no shortcuts to the most important messages,” a character says about midway through, and it’s true that the story feels like a familiar via dolorosa. But although there are few narrative innovations here, the reader is in the hands of an expert storyteller and the details make the story compelling: an observation that Rosalie died before she could understand what a corn maze is; a strange dream Tom has about James Bond; the scribbled inks of a panel depicting an ambulance ride, and so on. Meditation is a recurring motif in the book, and the book is its own unforgettable meditation.
Providence, Act 1 by Alan Moore, Jacen Burrows, and Juan Rodriguez (Avatar)
We kinda take Alan Moore for granted these days. He wrote his canonical works — Watchmen, From Hell, Swamp Thing — decades ago and he’s retreated into curmudgeonly seclusion in recent years, so it’s easy to forget that he’s still capable of unparalleled verve and innovation. Oh, and terror. In Providence, Moore enlists artist Jacen Burrows to re-explore the world they made in The Courtyard and Neonomicon, which is to say a world where horror legend H.P. Lovecraft’s mythology is real. Providence far surpasses those two previous works (especially Neonomicon, which has some of the most unforgivably gratuitous rape scenes to ever grace the printed page) by telling the story of a New York writer traveling through New England in 1919. Along the way, he encounters characters and creatures from the Lovecraft corpus and lives the life of a queer man in an intolerant age, all while keeping copious notes in a diary that populates each chapter’s back-matter. But despite the Lovecraft-worship, the comic never feels like a stale tribute to a long-dead author. It’s more like an opportunity for one narrative master to build on the work of another, creating a strange and horrifying new synthesis.
Rai, Vol. 3, by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain (Valiant)
It’s frustrating how little attention is paid to Valiant. The company rose from the dead a few years ago and has been putting out some of the most dependably entertaining superhero fiction on the market ever since. But the company’s best series, Rai, doesn’t feel like a traditional superhero narrative at all. It’s a fantastic and visually arresting cyberpunk epic (and aren’t we long past due for a cyberpunk revival?) about a sentient 41st-century machine named Rai, tasked with protecting a space station the size of Japan (because it is Japan, launched into the sky long ago). By the time this latest volume starts, Rai has been banished to the Earth’s surface and his companions — a clever woman named Lula and an eye-patch-wearing adventurer named Spylocke — have to figure out how to continue Rai’s failed revolution against New Japan’s totalitarian overlord, Father. That’s a lot to take in, but that’s kind of the point. Much of Rai’s glory lies in its tendency toward sensory overload (especially in the form of Crain’s jaw-dropping visual style), but Kindt’s well-observed characters keep the whole endeavor from spinning off into total sci-fi gobbledygook. Rai is a wild ride, and more people should be hopping onto it.
Secret Wars, by Jonathan Hickman, Esad Ribic, and Ive Svorcina (Marvel)
It’s possible that superhero comics’ greatest legacy to storytelling is Stan Lee’s concept of the shared universe: the notion that you can weave together disparate tales in order to create a narrative tapestry that spans decades and transcends the visions of |
. A bass-line might sound sculpted; it might have this blobby, stretchy sound. For me doesn't feel natural to play a sound like that on a keyboard because a keyboard is very restrictive and very linear and you only have two hands. I can play a melody but if I wanted to manipulate any kind of parameter of that sound, my other hand is completely used up. It’s quite restrictive.
When your movement is part of the music, it's almost like a dance
I wanted to find a way to be really expressive in using these software instruments and effects that feel like how I feel they should be played and how I feel that represents the sound that's coming out of the speakers.
So in order to free myself up on the stage from my various bits of technology and to bridge the gap between what’s going on on stage and the audience, I wanted to create something where I could manipulate my computer on the move wirelessly so that music becomes more like a dance rather than a robotic act like pressing a button or moving a fader.
Marcus Fairs: How do the gloves work?
Imogen Heap: They have bend sensors in the fingers, they have lights for feedback, they have buzzers integrated in the side so I can sense where I am if I want to get a haptic feedback. They also contain a microprocessor unit that has an accelerometer, a magnetometer and a gyroscope in it.
We've been developing them for about four years and they've come a long way. We started with fibre-optic bend sensors in the fingers but we quickly realised that we needed positional data, accelerometer data, gyroscope data so that we could really be inside the music. Because actually just having the bend sensors in the beginning was almost like just pressing buttons. It felt very unnatural.
It began with little lapel microphones, which are made by Sennheiser. Seven years ago I began to stick them onto my wrists so that I could make sound with wine glasses or I could play my mbira on stage. I would be able to avoid putting microphones on stage for festivals or touring so it would cut down on the weight and the transport costs, which is also a reason for the gloves.
It's so natural that the tech disappears
In the early versions of the gloves it all connects to a hub that I wear on my upper body. It's quite complicated but it basically communicates with the computer wirelessly so I can use it to manipulate music software, enabling me to unchain myself from the computer, to humanise the missing bits of how I interact with technology in music.
I use these gloves with a Kinect so that I can have an extra dimension on top of local gestural movements; I can use the stage as a playground like different zones for whole different presets. I could map the centre of the stage for a certain key, and if I go over to the right and I combine it with a gesture so that I don't accidentally go in there, then I can have a whole different key or a whole different set of sounds to play with. I could unmute and mute different instruments that are inside the music software.
There's really nothing out there on the market like this, that enables me to be this expressive with music on the move in the studio and on the stage. It's very exciting. When you see me play, not maybe every time because maybe it goes wrong or I go wrong, but when it works, when it's effortless and when your movement is part of the music, it's almost like a dance. It's so natural that the tech disappears.
Marcus Fairs: Tell us about the latest version of the gloves.
Imogen Heap: It’s very exciting because it's so much simpler and it needs less gear, less setting up. As you can see it's compact and doesn't need so many extra wires and the main reason for that is this: it has an x-IMU board by Seb Magdwick of x-IO Technologies containing an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer but the main difference is it now has wifi built into the glove. So it doesn’t need an extra unit to send information to the computer.
That is incredible because it's sending Open Sound Control data instead of MIDI serial data. There are two bend sensors in the wrists and we've still got the bend sensors in the fingers and "forchettes" between them telling us how closed or open my hands are and equally how much my hands are bending. We're finding that the bend sensors so far are the simplest solution but really we want to get to the point where it's all e-tech style. So that we can separate the hard tech from the soft tech.
Marcus Fairs:What’s e-tech?
Imogen Heap: E-tech is electronic textiles. So information is passing through fabric by using conductive threads or materials. This is where we are and it's beautiful.
But at the moment it's really simple, it just sees this exoskeleton as a device and then it comes up on your computer as a wifi device and you're ready to go. It's super simple and it's great.
You could hack a speaker onto the system so it could actually speak for you
Marcus Fairs: Could the gloves be used for other creative uses besides music?
Imogen Heap: A lot of people have been in touch. For instance a guy suggested that he could take all the international sign language which you only need one hand for and translate that sonically, so that each posture for a word or gesture for a word could be mapped and generate a word. You could hack a little speaker onto the system so it could actually speak for you as well. So that's one idea.
And in the video for Me, The Machine, which is a song that I wrote with the gloves and for the gloves, you see me manipulating visuals with them. Just drawing lines onto a screen that's in front of me so you can see me drawing in real time.
It’s great fun to do. I can draw little arrows and houses and people. It's not like using a pencil; it's incredible to be able to create these grand shapes, to be able to shift everything, painting out of nothing and spinning it around and stopping it and moving it over here. So I imagine a few people might start to use them with visuals.
Marcus Fairs: What about non-creative uses? Could these gloves be used by surgeons for example, or pilots or bus drivers?
Imogen Heap: I think there's a lot of applications; it doesn't have to be like you're painting or making music with them. For our Kickstarter campaign, we've been starting to think about funny things we could pretend to do with them. So I suppose as long as you can access your computer inside your car, there's no reason why you couldn't just sit in the back of your car and indicate right or left. It's a remote control. It feels like an expressive musical instrument sometimes but it's essentially a remote control and anything that you could potentially do with your hands, you could do with your gloves.
Marcus Fairs: Do you plan to manufacture and sell them as a product?
Imogen Heap: We would love the gloves to be as affordable as something like a MIDI keyboard in time. Imagine if this was something that people would just go to use as one of those expressive things that they feel can't be done with certain types of more rigid technology, because what is exciting about them is that they're totally customisable.
There's a lot of applications where it just feels wrong to use a mouse and a keyboard
You can even hack them, so you might want a screen or maybe you'll want a push button thing, but something that gives off a smell when you move your hand. It's really exciting to see what people might do with hacking them. The software is going to be open source and so is the hardware. We can't wait to see what people do with them. It's early stages.
Marcus Fairs: There’s a lot of talk about how wearable technology could remove the need to interact with computers. How do your gloves fit into that trend?
Imogen Heap: I'm not claiming they're going to be the answer to every interaction with the computer but there's a lot of applications where it just feels wrong to use a mouse and a keyboard. You might want to make something in some architecture software where you could stretch a building or draw little windows and quickly move them around like play-dough and maybe we'll get to the point where people will start to develop software like that. That would be amazing.One of the greatest and most lasting achievements of Jewish civilisation in the Graeco-Roman period was the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE. It was an unprecedented project: not only was it the first translation on such a scale, but it also opened up the core teachings of the Jewish religion to Jews who did not understand the sacred language, as well as to the non-Jewish world. Without this translation, it is doubtful whether Christianity could have spread as quickly and successfully as it did. The translated books – which came to be known collectively as the Septuagint, after the 70 Jewish scholars said to have translated them – became a keystone of teaching and worship for large numbers of Jews and Christians for centuries, and still constitute the Old Testament for Greek-speaking Christians today.
The study of the Christian history of these books has long been pursued in European universities. But the Jewish origin of the translations, although not entirely forgotten, has been sidelined, according to a general supposition that Jews gave up using the translations along with their use of the Greek language.
However, evidence has been unfolding to the contrary, aided by the discovery of long-lost manuscript fragments confirming that Greek Bible translations continued to be used in Byzantine Judaism. A project led by Nicholas de Lange, Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies in the Faculties of Divinity and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, is spearheading this re-evaluation of a mysterious time in biblical history. It is also providing the latest instalment of a quintessentially Cambridge story.
Rediscovering Jewish tradition
In the 1890s, the University of Cambridge was the world centre of Septuagint scholarship. Cambridge academic Solomon Schechter had returned from Cairo with the largest and by far the most important hoard of Hebrew manuscripts ever discovered. One of the most exciting discoveries to emerge from a first trawl through the fragments was a palimpsest, a manuscript that had been reused for writing another text. The original writing was from a handsome Greek copy of the Books of Kings, not in the Septuagint translation but in a later translation made in the early 2nd century CE by a convert to Judaism named Akylas. This was the first evidence of the continuous transmission of Greek Bible translations; many others were to follow.
Since the 1970s, Professor de Lange has been collecting and studying evidence for the use of Greek Bible translations by Jews in the Middle Ages. Over the past three years, these have been gathered into an online corpus that, for the first time, has made the texts and analysis of them available to other scholars.
With funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the corpus is being prepared with the help of Dr Cameron Boyd-Taylor and Dr Julia Krivoruchko in the Faculty, as well as the highly specialised IT expertise of the Centre for Computing in the Humanities at King’s College London. The fully searchable corpus permits comparison of each word with the Hebrew text, the Septuagint, and the fragments of Akylas’ and other Jewish translations from antiquity.
Lifting the shroud of mystery
The project will aid understanding of the Jewish tradition of Bible translation in Greek-speaking lands throughout the Middle Ages: who produced the translations, who used them, and for what purposes? How widespread was their use at different times? To what extent was it an oral rather than a written tradition? The project will offer us a rare glimpse of Byzantine Jewish life and culture, the cross-fertilisation between Jewish and Christian biblical scholars in the Middle Ages, and add to our understanding of the history of the Greek language at that time.Emergency responders are wrapping up their on-site evaluations at the Denver Rescue Mission after a total of about 40 people had to be transported to hospitals for food poisoning.
The 40 people were taken to various hospitals from the Denver Rescue Mission after a turkey dinner made them sick.
Lt. Phil Champagne, a spokesman for the Denver Fire Department, said people started becoming “violently ill” just over an hour after their 5 p.m. dinner.
First responders began arriving at about 7:30 p.m. and were wrapping up about 11 p.m.
About 14 ambulances transported at least two patients each. Lawrence Street has been closed between 22nd and 23rd streets while other people were evaluated outside the center. The street should reopen by 11:30 p.m.
“We eliminated other potential environmental causes,” Champagne said.
About 350 people ate dinner at the Denver Rescue Mission Sunday afternoon, and it is believed at least 200 ate turkey that had been donated to the center.
Champagne said the concern is that many left the facility after dinner and may be sick on the streets or the alleys of the city.
“We’ve started getting calls already, about four or five — relatively nearby — about folks getting really sick,” Champagne said. “They are starting to get dehydrated from all the loss of fluids.”
Crews are now canvassing downtown Denver looking for any other potentially sick homeless people, and treating some on scene who refused to be transported or were less severely sick.
“These homeless are a hardy bunch,” Champagne said.
Alexxa Tavlarides, a spokeswoman for the Denver Rescue Mission, said they are trying to figure out the source of the meat, but said it was immediately pulled off the serving line.
“It sounds like we may have had some donations today, which is fairly common, so we’re looking into that,” Tavlarides said.
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372, yrobles@denverpost.com or twitter.com/yeseniaroblesBrendan Rodgers: Liverpool boss admits the club are close to more signings
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admits he is closing in on his third signing of the summer, but would not confirm whether Adam Lallana would be following former Southampton team-mate Rickie Lambert to Anfield.
Sky Sports sources expect England midfielder Lallana to complete his move from St Mary's in the next 24 hours after the two Premier League clubs agreed a fee of around £25m.
The Reds have also agreed a deal in principle with Bayer Leverkusen to sign 20-year-old Germany U21 midfielder Emre Can, but Rodgers is hopeful Lallana can help improve the squad who finished runners-up in the top-flight last season.
Rodgers, speaking after being presented with an honorary degree by the University of Ulster, told Sky Sports News: "I think there has been a lot of work that has been done.
We've targeted players, we've signed some and we'll have more signings to come over the course of the pre-season. The idea is by the end of August we'll have the squad together and it will be a really exciting time for us next season. Brendan Rodgers
"If you look at us as a club, we haven't been resting over the course of the off-season, a lot of great work has gone on.
"We've targeted players, we've signed some and we'll have more signings to come over the course of the pre-season. The idea is by the end of August we'll have the squad together and it will be a really exciting time for us next season.
"Next season will be equally as tough, we knew it would be tough, we had an incredible performance level and we'll have players who want to prove themselves and the beauty is that we as a club will improve too.
"We've a lot of young players who will have gained experience last season and we will bring in more players with added quality so we will also improve as well and that's something I'm really looking forward to seeing."
Asked if Lallana was the signing he would be bringing in next, Northern Irishman Rodgers said: "I wouldn't tell you.
"I would love to stand here and tell you... we still have signings to make to ensure we have the squad strength to cope.
"Oviously returning to the Champions League is fantastic for the club and for the supporters but we're in four competitions next season and we want to do really well and that's going to take a few more signings to bring in and as soon as we sign them you will know."
Watch Liverpool in Champions League action next season on our new channel, Sky Sports 5. Activate now.Former Saturday Night Live star and current conservative celebrity Victoria Jackson has made a second career as a mascot for deranged opposition to President Barack Obama that includes calls for secession, statistical analyses of the white baby population, and comparing America to The Big Bopper on Election Night, but it looks like restraint has finally gotten the better of her. Wonkette’s Rebecca Schoenkopf called Jackson out earlier today for posting an article suggesting that the persecuted, underrepresented White Christian Male needs some scale-balancing, asking “Why is there a Black History Month but not a White History Month?”
Jackson also featured a video that lists “Things To Thank White People For,” which curiously did not include Baywatch (but does include “recorded music” without noting that black people invented all of the good recorded music) and listed some white accomplishments, on her own, for the ungrateful non-whites who control everything:
Just for the record, white men invented rockets, space travel, airplanes, the automobile, the English language, the U.S.A., most medical advances, electricity, television, telescope, microscope, Ivy League Universities, the computer, the Internet, and on and on. I think white men should be praised and respected. White Christian Conservative Men especially, should be loved and adored. They were the backbone and originators of the greatest nation on earth. We need more of them now.
I’m pretty sure that rockets were invented by Chinese people, and Ivy League Universities aren’t really inventions, and the first man to give his life for this country was black, and since black people did help out with that whole syphilis thing, maybe medical advances aren’t a fair example, but point taken. White people rule. That is the point, isn’t it?
She went on to invoke the timeless mystery that has befuddled loud drunk guys at bars, named Imnotta Racistbut, since 1976:
I wrote a uke(lele) song called “White Men Are Good” and sang it at a comedy club about 4 years ago. I could feel the audience tense up. Why? Why is there a Black History Month but not a White History Month? Now, that the white race is becoming a minority in America, perhaps we need to make…say, January, White History Month.
Since Wonkette’s piece went up, however, Jackson has apparently deleted the article. Some might see this deletion as an indication of consciousness of guilt, but I have another theory. From the Google cache of Victoria Jackson’s White History Month:
Find a white, middle-aged Christian man today and hug him. And then, encourage him and your white Christian sons to stand up, be leaders again, and save our country from the God-hating communists like Alec Baldwin and Obama.
I think Jackson must have gotten a flood of emails complaints from white, middle-aged Christian men asking her to stop her minions from hugging them all day. That’s gotta get old real fast, and there are only a few hours of enjoyment left in White History Month.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comThe 400 Americans with the highest incomes paid roughly 18 percent of their earnings in federal income taxes in 2010, down from just under 20 percent in 2009, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Of the 400 elite taxpayers in 2010, 37 paid an effective tax rate of less than 10 percent.
To put this in perspective, middle-class families earning about $105,000 a year paid 18.5 percent of their income in federal taxes in 2011 (the closest year for which data is available), according to Citizens for Tax Justice. These figures include payroll taxes, which would represent an extremely small and meaningless portion of taxes for America’s top 400.
The wealthiest 400 taxpayers – one out of every 790,000 Americans – accounted for 1.3 percent of the total income reported on tax returns that year. They reported $106 billion in income to the IRS, an average of $265 million per taxpayer.
Composite data on the 400 Americans reporting the most income on their tax returns is released by the IRS every year, and the decline seen in this year’s tax rate mirrors a longer-term trend. Back in 1995, the country's 400 wealthiest paid nearly 30 percent of their income to support public services and investments provided by the federal government.
The IRS lags in reporting the data because taxpayers are allowed to file amended returns for three years after those returns are due. Thus, 2010 data is considered final, with no further amendments to returns allowed.
The most significant reason for the super-rich's low tax rate is that they receive nearly two-thirds of their income in the form of capital gains, which were taxed at a 15 percent rate, less than half the tax rate for income from work.
The IRS data also provides an interesting glimpse into the changes to those at the top of the income ladder. In 1992, the first year the IRS released data, it took $24.4 million to qualify for the list ($40 million in 2010 dollars). By 2010, the cutoff level had more than doubled to $99.1 million.
Ninety-five taxpayers have been on the list in at least ten of the 19 years for which the IRS has released this data. More than 2,900 taxpayers have appeared on the list at least once.
Last year, President Obama signed legislation raising the highest income tax rate modestly and increasing the capital gains tax rate from 15 percent to 20 percent. But if we are serious about reducing inequality and the wealthy paying their fair share of taxes, it is time we stop privileging income earned from investments over income earned from work. The wealthiest 400 should not have their own discounted tax schedule. Instead, they should pay taxes at the same rates as those who work every day for a living.
Photo by Flickr user PhotoAtelier, used under a Creative Commons license.In a moment of rare insight, two weeks ago in response to a question "Why is establishment media romanticizing communism? Authoritarianism, poverty, starvation, secret police, murder, mass incarceration? WTF?", we said that this was simply a "prelude to central bank funded universal income", or in other words, Fed-funded and guaranteed cash for everyone.
prelude to central bank funded universal income — zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 31, 2017
On Thursday afternoon, in a stark warning of what's to come, San Francisco Fed President John Williams confirmed our suspicions when he said that to fight the next recession, global central bankers will be forced to come up with a whole new toolkit of "solutions", as simply cutting interest rates won't well, cut it anymore, and in addition to more QE and forward guidance - both of which were used widely in the last recession - the Fed may have to use negative interest rates, as well as untried tools including so-called price-level targeting or nominal-income targeting.
The bolded is a tacit admission that as a result of the aging workforce and the dramatic slack which still remains in the labor force, the US central bank will have to take drastic steps to preserve social order and cohesion.
According to Williams', Reuters reports, central bankers should take this moment of “relative economic calm” to rethink their approach to monetary policy. Others have echoed Williams' implicit admission that as a result of 9 years of Fed attempts to stimulate the economy - yet merely ending up with the biggest asset bubble in history - the US finds itself in a dead economic end, such as Chicago Fed Bank President Charles Evans, who recently urged a strategy review at the Fed, but Williams’ call for a worldwide review is considerably more ambitious.
Among Williams' other suggestions include not only negative interest rates but also raising the inflation target - to 3%, 4% or more, in an attempt to crush debt by making life unbearable for the majority of the population - as it considers new monetary policy frameworks. Still, even the most dovish Fed lunatic has to admit that such strategies would have costs, including those that diverge greatly from the Fed's current approach. Or maybe not: "price-level targeting, he said, is advantageous because it fits "relatively easily" into the current framework."
Considering that for the better part of a decade the Fed prescribed lower rates and ZIRP as the cure to the moribund US economy, only to flip and then propose higher rates as the solution to all problems, it is not surprising that even the most insane proposals are currently being contemplated because they fit "relatively easily" into the current framework.
Additionally, confirming that the Fed has learned nothing at all, during a Q&A in San Francisco, Williams said that "negative interest rates need to be on the list" of potential tools the Fed could use in a severe recession. He also said that QE remains more effective in terms of cost-benefit, but "would not exclude that as an option if the circumstances warranted it."
"If all of us get stuck at the lower bound” then "policy spillovers are far more negative,” Williams said of global economic interconnectedness. "I’m not pushing for" some "United Nations of policy."
And, touching on our post from mid-September, in which we pointed out that the BOC was preparing to revising its mandate, Williams also said that "the Fed and all central banks should have Canada-like practice of revisiting inflation target every 5 years."
Meanwhile, the idea of Fed targeting, or funding, "income" is hardly new: back in July, Deutsche Bank was the first institution to admit that the Fed has created "universal basic income for the rich":
The accommodation and QE have acted as a free insurance policy for the owners of risk, which, given the demographics of stock market participation, in effect has functioned as universal basic income for the rich. It is not difficult to see how disruptive unwind of stimulus could become. Clearly, in this context risk has become a binding constraint.
It is only "symmetric" that everyone else should also benefit from the Fed's monetary generosity during the next recession.
* * *
Finally, for those curious what will really happen after the next "great liquidity crisis", JPM's Marko Kolanovic laid out a comprehensive checklist one month ago. It predicted not only price targeting (i.e., stocks), but also negative income taxes, progressive corporate taxes, new taxes on tech companies, and, of course, hyperinflation. Here is the excerpt.
What will governments and central banks do in the scenario of a great liquidity crisis? If the standard rate cutting and bond purchases don’t suffice, central banks may more explicitly target asset prices (e.g., equities). This may be controversial in light of the potential impact of central bank actions in driving inequality between asset owners and labor. Other ‘out of the box’ solutions could include a negative income tax (one can call this ‘QE for labor’), progressive corporate tax, universal income and others. To address growing pressure on labor from AI, new taxes or settlements may be levied on Technology companies (for instance, they may be required to pick up the social tab for labor destruction brought by artificial intelligence, in an analogy to industrial companies addressing environmental impacts). While we think unlikely, a tail risk could be a backlash against central banks that prompts significant changes in the monetary system. In many possible outcomes, inflation is likely to pick up. The next crisis is also likely to result in social tensions similar to those witnessed 50 years ago in 1968. In 1968, TV and investigative journalism provided a generation of baby boomers access to unfiltered information on social developments such as Vietnam and other proxy wars, Civil rights movements, income inequality, etc. Similar to 1968, the internet today (social media, leaked documents, etc.) provides millennials with unrestricted access to information on a surprisingly similar range of issues. In addition to information, the internet provides a platform for various social groups to become more self-aware, united and organized. Groups span various social dimensions based on differences in income/wealth, race, generation, political party affiliations, and independent stripes ranging from alt-left to alt-right movements. In fact, many recent developments such as the US presidential election, Brexit, independence movements in Europe, etc., already illustrate social tensions that are likely to be amplified in the next financial crisis. How did markets evolve in the aftermath of 1968? Monetary systems were completely revamped (Bretton Woods), inflation rapidly increased, and equities produced zero returns for a decade. The decade ended with a famously wrong Businessweek article ‘the death of equities’ in 1979.
Kolanovic's warning may have sounded whimsical one month ago. Now, in light of Williams' words, it appears that it may serve as a blueprint for what comes next.“He's gone, Lord Arceus,” Jirachi said, finally finding the strength to return to Arceus after the death of Zygarde.
“You disobeyed my decision,” Arceus said, causing Jirachi to flinch in fear of the coming retribution, “As I expected you both would, though that does not change the fear I felt for this outcome”
“I'm sorry, as you expected we would?”
“There are darker powers at play in Hoenn than Magma and Aqua, darker still than Randomization. I fear the most dangerous Old God is returning, Jirachi. I merely wanted to keep you and Zygarde safe, until this threat could reveal itself. But I knew, unless I told you, you would eventually go to Hoenn.”
“But what will we do, Lord Arceus, Zygarde is dead because of this! No one is left to watch the world with him gone.”
“All is not lost, Jirachi. For there is another in tune with the nature of the world. The Voices must find this Pokemon, save Hoenn, and stop this new threat.”
“Have you told the Voices they have to leave, Arceus?”
“The moment you and Zygarde left.”
--------------------------------------------------
“Ah Hoenn!”
“Where's the Trumpets?”
“Hey did that bird just punch a Charmander?”
“Where are we going again?”
“Why did we have to leave Poketopia again?”
“It was on fire.”
The Voices were chattering as they once again were on the prowl for a new Host.
And at the same time, a moving van was barreling down the roads toward Littleroot. Inside of it was a young woman, packed in with the luggage, watching a video on Pokemon from the local Professor, Birch.
“Hmph, why do I have to move again?” she scoffed to herself, “It's too green around here anyway, who cares if it's closer to Dad?”
Eventually the moving truck came to a stop, and the girl stumbled out the back of it into the sun. “Nina, good to see you didn't fall asleep in there,” her Mother said happily, “Why don't you go take a look around the town while the movers are unpacking?”
Nina grumbled and just went skulking about the small town. Tree, tree, tree, no water, tree.... kid.... woman.... that must be Birch's lab.... and then she tries to head north past the gate to explore the nearby route.
“Hey! You can't go out there!” A kid yells to her, “It's dangerous out there without a Pokemon! Professor Birch says there's weird Pokemon out there.”
“What?” Nina asked the kid, “Why wouldn't I go out there? It's boring enough in here.”
And just then their argument was interrupted by a scream, “H-help!!!”
“That sounded like Professor Birch!” the Kid exclaimed, as Nina immediately ran past the Kid out into Route 101.
Stepping out into the Route, Nina saw a large man running away from a.... tiny dog. It was actually a rather humorous scene, that is until the man tripped and fall into the grass with the little Poochyena growling over him. “Hello! You there,” he called out, “Please! Help me out! In my bag there should be some Poke Balls!”
Nina took a moment to take in the sheer silliness of this, before finally pulling three Pokeballs out of the bag....
--------------------------------------------------
“Treecko~”
“Mudkip~”
“Not Torchic~”
“Torchic~”
Nina shook her head, great now she's hearing things from the move probably. She looked over the Pokeballs for a moment before throwing one out to the Poochyena.
“NO!” an ear-piercing chorus of voices yelled when a Torchic emerged from the Pokeball. Nina visibly covered her ears and scowled at that.
“Put it back! Put it back! Put it back!” she kept hearing in her ears, though at this point the constant calls to get rid of this Torchic was making her just want to keep it.
“Um.... Torchics are birds.... so.... use Peck?” she reasoned through while trying to tune out the noises in her ears. The little bird blinked at the blue-garbed girl giving it orders for a moment.
“....” Nina was quiet, looking awkwardly around, “Please?”
The Torchic blinked, and then hopped around and lept up in the air. Raining down great beams of fire from the sky, utterly wrecking the Poochyena that proceeds to just run away whimpering.
“HOLY ARCEUS!” the ear-voices screamed out, “JUDGEMENTTTT HAS BEEN DELT!”
“What the heck is all this about!?” Nina yelled at her ears, not that Professor Birch would have noticed. “Well I was coming back to Littleroot and that Poochyena jumped me..... thanks for saving me by the way....” he responded, smiling and petting the Torchic as if that display was entirely normal.
“Say, can you come back with me to my lab, and bring Torchic with you,” Birch said as he started picking up his papers and stuffing his bag and jogging off.
“Is he gone?”
“Yeah he's gone.”
“Okay, hello there Human Girl, we are the Voices!”
“Well you're clearly Voices, my ears could tell you that,” Nina quipped as she rubbed her ears, “First I'm told I have to move out to the middle of nowhere, then a Torchic rains fire from the sky, now I'm hearing voices in my head.... this whole month has just gone from bad to worse.”
“Tell us about it.”
“First Poketopia starts falling apart.”
“Then we're told we have to come here and find some 'god-killing threat.'”
“And something about Zygarde needing a successor.”
“So yeah, we've had a bad little bit, too.”
“Well good to know that makes two of us.... hey wait, what am I doing talking with the voices in my head?” Nina asked bitterly, and then was quiet.
“We can't hear you think. We're.... well technically we're Pokemon, not a mental disorder.”
“Unown to be specific!”
“Whole bunch of them!”
“Arceus sent us.”
“Okay now you're just trying to mess with me so you can eat me or something if you are a Pokemon. As if Arceus is actually real.” Nina said and started walking back to Littleroot. “No, no, really. Look, we need your help.” the Voices tried to reason, “You know your Torchic? That was Judgment, Arceus knows how to do that. The whole region is starting to go crazy like that, and we need a human to be our hands and trainer so we can try and fix this.”
“And why exactly should I help some crazy Head-voices?” Nina asked again, standing up against the gate to Littleroot.
“Have you ever heard of Richard? Or Camilla? Or Red? Maybe the Old Gods?”
“Not a single one of those.”
“You ever hear of being a Pokemon Champion?”
“Getting out of here? Heading back to the Sea? Ever Grande? Hmm... maybe getting out of this town would be good....”
“We can do all that for you if you agree to help us with our little problem.”
Nina hmmed and set off toward Birch's lab, “You know what, if Birch is cool with it, tag along all you want.”
And so began the Voices next journey....
Twitch Plays Pokemon: Alpha SapphireMost people associate cannabis with the feeling of being relaxed, calm and even spaced out. Not many people think of hitting the pipe and then hitting the gym but there are several marijuana strains that are good for precisely this. Several strains have been found to assist with insomnia, stress and anxiety, helping to calm the body and mind and ensure relaxation. For this reason, those of us who are a little more prone to getting tired, fatigued and sleepy during the day will avoid cannabis like the plague although this thinking isn’t exactly correct. There are actually several marijuana strains that have gained popularity for their ability to increase energy.
The Traits of Sativa and Indica
Most marijuana strains fall somewhere between a blend of the two cannabis species, sativa and indica, although one variety is usually dominant. Sativa strains are known to be a lot more vibrant and energizing. They’re also regularly noted as cerebral, lively, creative, euphoric, uplifting, social and invigorating. Indica on the other hand gives you a strong body high, relaxing and calming the senses. These strains are perfect for sedating the body and the mind. Hybrids lie somewhere in between, taking aspects from each parent strain. When looking for marijuana strains that have the ability to give you a boost, sativa dominant strains are the way to go.
Understanding Cannabinoids in Your Favorite Marijuana Strains
Another key aspect to look for in the various strains are what cannabinoids are present. Sativa strains tend to have more THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana that creates the high feeling of euphoria. On the other hand, indica strains are higher in CBD, the compound that works as a powerful anti-inflammatory that reduces pain and works to calm the body. There is yet another cannabinoid compound that is essential to consider when investigating strains that will boost energy. This is THCV. This compound has psychoactive effects but they last half the duration of THC’s psychoactive influence. It is very energizing, providing a sense of clarity and a stimulating buzz. Strains that are high in THCV will give you an instant energy boost. It also tends to reduce panic and anxiety without numbing emotions.
Strains Noted for High THCV Content
Higher doses of THCV are necessary to produce the psychoactive effects of the compound and with the reduced duration of the high, it may not be the best compound to use for these |
-off between the time invested in maintaining a high energy level and the time invested in attracting mating partners. We performed experiments in environments with different density of energy sources and observed a variety in the mating behavior when a robot could see both an energy source and a potential mating partner. The individuals could be classified into two phenotypes: 1) forager, who always chooses to capture energy sources, and 2) tracker, who keeps track of potential mating partners if its energy level is above a threshold. In four out of the seven highest fitness populations in different environments, we found subpopulations with distinct differences in genotype and in behavioral phenotype. We analyzed the fitnesses of the foragers and the trackers by sampling them from each subpopulation and mixing with different ratios in a population. The fitness curves for the two subpopulations crossed at about 25% of foragers in the population, showing the evolutionary stability of the polymorphism. In one of those polymorphic populations, the trackers were further split into two subpopulations: (strong trackers) and (weak trackers). Our analyses show that the population consisting of three phenotypes also constituted several stable polymorphic evolutionarily stable states. To our knowledge, our study is the first to demonstrate the emergence of polymorphic evolutionarily stable strategies within a robot evolution framework.
Citation: Elfwing S, Doya K (2014) Emergence of Polymorphic Mating Strategies in Robot Colonies. PLoS ONE 9(4): e93622. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093622 Editor: Stephen R. Proulx, UC Santa Barbara, United States of America Received: July 18, 2013; Accepted: March 6, 2014; Published: April 9, 2014 Copyright: © 2014 Elfwing, Doya. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: These authors have no support or funding to report. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Introduction If you come to any more conclusions about polymorphism, I should be very glad to hear the result: it is delightful to have many points fermenting in one's brain, and your letters and conclusions always give one plenty of this same fermentation. - Charles Darwin, letter to Joseph Hooker, 1846 [1] Polymorphism has fascinated evolutionary biologists since the time of Darwin [2], [3]. Polymorphism is defined as that there exist more than one distinct phenotype of a species occupying the same habitat at the same time [4], [5]. Polymorphism does not include continuous variations, but only discrete variations or in the case of continuous traits, such as body size and color, strongly bimodal or multimodal phenotype variation distributions. The existence of more than one distinct phenotype of a species demands an explanation, because the theory of natural selection predicts that the fittest phenotype should drive the other, lesser fit phenotypes to extinction. In general, polymorphism is maintained if the “fitness curves” of the polymorphic phenotypes intersect, where the crossover-point is an evolutionarily stable state, realizing a polymorphic evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) [6], [7]. Common features of the evolution and the maintenance of behavioral polymorphism include: 1) that time or resources can be invested in more than one activity that contributes to the fitness; 2) that the individuals have rules about how to allocate time and resources among the alternative activities; and 3) that there is a trade-off between the activities that contribute to the fitness, i.e., the allocation of time and resources invested in one activity could be invested in another [8]. Frequency-dependent selection [7], [9], [10] is considered the most important explanation for the maintenance of polymorphism in a population. Frequency-dependent selection occurs when the fitness of the phenotypes depends on their frequencies in the population, and the fitness curves intersect at a crossover frequency where the phenotypes are equally successful. Alternative mating strategies (or alternative reproductive behaviors) [11]–[13] is the area of biological research most closely related to this study. Different mating tactics has been observed in a wide variety of species, both in males (e.g., [14]–[16]) and in females (e.g., [17]–[19]). However, there are relatively few cases where the differences in mating behavior have been confirmed to have a genetic basis [20]–[26], and even fewer studies that have suggested equal average reproductive success, i.e., shown crossing of the fitness curves, of alternative phenotypes [21], [22], [27]. The use of robot evolution experiments to study biological phenomena has gained traction in recent years [28], as a complementary approach to biological studies and theoretical models. In comparison to biological studies, robot evolution has the advantage that the evolution of hundreds of generations of robot controllers can be completed within hours or days. The experiments can easily be repeated for different parameter settings and environmental conditions, which allows for quantitative testing and analysis of robustness and stability. In comparison with theoretical and numerical models, robot models can capture the often complex physical interactions between the agent and the environment, including other agents. Floreano and Keller with different co-authors have used robot evolution experiments to investigate the emergence and reliability of communication [29]–[32], to quantitatively test Hamilton's rule for the evolution of altruism [33], and to test the influence of genetic architecture and mating frequency on the division of labor in social insect societies [34]. A distinctive feature of our earlier proposed embodied evolution framework [35] is that there is no explicit fitness function or algorithm for selecting individuals for recombination and mutations. Instead, offspring can only be created by the physical exchange of genotypes between two mating robots. In general, the choice of selection method requires careful consideration when using artificial evolution to study ESSs. A strong theoretical assumption underlying ESS analysis is that the population is infinitely large. Fogel et al. [36]–[38] demonstrated in simulation experiments, using the Hawk-Dove game, that for finite populations the results differed, at best, significantly from the theoretical ESS values and, at worst, bore no resemblance to the ESS. They, therefore, questioned the usefulness of ESSs to explain real biological phenomena in populations with limited population sizes. In response, Ficici and Pollock [39] showed that the difference between the theoretical ESS predictions and the observed simulation results could be accounted by the two selection methods used by Fogel et al.. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that evolutionary stable alternative mating strategies can emerge in a small robot colony without any predefined mating preferences as a result of the trade-off between the resources spent on energy conservation and the resources spent on courtship of mating partners. As alternative mating strategies is a natural precursor for the evolution of sexual dimorphism, this line of research has the potential of increasing our understanding of the emergence of different sexes. To investigate the ecological conditions for evolution of alternative mating strategies, we performed artificial evolution experiments, in simulation, with a small colony of Cyber Rodent robots [40] using our proposed embodied evolution framework [35]. We performed the experiments in simulation because of the infeasibility of running hundreds of generations of evolution in hardware. In previous work [35], we have shown that learned and evolved behaviors in simulation have similar performance and behavior when transferred to the hardware setting. Each individual interacted in small groups of four robots and during its lifetime of 288 seconds an individual experienced three periods of group interactions, where the participants in each group were randomly selected. We placed the four robots in an arena (2.5×2.5 m) with 4 to 16 energy sources. The robots were equipped with two wheels, an infrared port for the exchange of genotypes, and a camera that could detect energy sources, and tail-lamps and faces of other robots (Figure 1). The robots could execute three basic behaviors, foraging, waiting (for a potential mating partner), and mating, which were learned by reinforcement learning [41]. The mating strategy, i.e., the selection of basic behaviors, was controlled by a linear neural network and the (five) neural network weights were adapted by the evolutionary process (Figure 2). From a biological point of view, the population consisted of simultaneous hermaphrodites, who could reproduce offspring by mating (i.e., an exchange of genotypes with a mating partner). For each of the individuals involved in a mating event, the probability of reproducing offspring was linearly dependent on the individual's internal energy level (see Methods and [35]). This created a trade-off, where, in relative terms, an individual could maximize its fitness by maximizing either the frequency of mating events or the energy level at the mating events. PPT PowerPoint slide
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larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 1. Two physical robots with six energy sources. The Cyber Rodent robots used in the experiments were equipped infrared communication for the exchange of genotypes and cameras for visual detection of energy sources (blue), tail-lamps of other robots (green), and faces of other robots (red). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093622.g001 PPT PowerPoint slide
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larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 2. The neural network controller. The control architecture consisted of a linear artificial neural network. The output of the network was the weighted sum ( ) of the five network inputs ( ) and the five evolutionarily tuned neural network weights ( ). In each time step, if the output was less or equal to zero then the foraging module was selected, otherwise the mating module was selected. The basic behaviors were learned from by reinforcement learning with the aid of evolutionarily tuned additional reward signals and meta-parameters. The foraging module learned a foraging behavior for capturing energy sources. The mating module learned both a mating behavior for the exchange of genotypes, when a face of another robot was visible, and a waiting behavior, when no face was visible. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093622.g002
Discussion In this study, we demonstrated that polymorphic mating strategies can emerge in a small robot colony under homogeneous evolutionary conditions, without a selection scheme or an explicit fitness function that promoted a certain outcome. Our study is, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate the emergence of polymorphic ESSs within a robot evolution framework. This gives further evidence that artificial robot evolution (for an overview see [28]) can be a feasible and a valuable approach for investigating hypotheses of biological phenomena. The importance of specific details of the genetic algorithm and the structure of the genotype were illustrated in this study. A condition for the evolution of the polymorphic ESSs consisting of foragers and trackers was the small proportion of genotype controlling the mating strategy, in combination with the relatively low crossover rate. The mating strategy was controlled by only 5 out of the 51 genes, located at the beginning of the genotype, and with a crossover rate of 0.1 there was only a 0.8% probability that an offspring would have a mating strategy controlled be a mixture of genes from both parents. A much more frequent mixing of the mating strategy genes would have made it more difficult or even impossible to evolve and maintain separate genetic traits in the same population. An assumption underlying evolutionary game theory [7], is that the payoffs that agents are assumed to be without noise. It is therefore very encouraging that evolutionarily stable polymorphic ESSs could emerge in our experiment with a small population size and with large variances in the performance of similar, and even identical, individuals. The lifetime learning of the basic behaviors by reinforcement learning introduced additional stochasticity. Even in the last part of the evolutionary process, a few individuals failed to capture any batteries or engage in any mating activity. This was usually caused by that the individual got trapped in a corner of the environment and failed to learn how to navigate out of it. The forager strategy in the evolved polymorphic populations can be seen as a cheater strategy. To achieve high fitness, a forager relies on that all the other individuals in the environment (i.e., trackers) will adjust their behaviors according to the trajectory of the forager. The forager, therefore, avoids the cost of searching for mating opportunities. There exists a rich literature on the potential of cheating in hermaphrodite mating systems (for an overview see [44]). Usually, cheating refers to the attempt of individuals to take on the male role over the female role in mating encounters to avoid the cost offspring reproduction. The most similar study to ours was conducted by Rold et al. [45]. They co-evolved a population of predefined male and female robots. The robots, as in our experiments, remained alive by capturing energy sources and reproduced by physical mating, consisting of touching a robot of the opposite sex. The only difference between males and females was that the males remained reproductive throughout their lives, while the females became non-reproductive for a fixed period of time after an reproductive mating event. In their experiment, the reproduced offspring were not the result of a genetic exchange between mating robots. Instead, the males and females were evolved separately with the number of reproductive mating events used as fitness objective. The evolved behaviors of the males and females had distinct differences and their behaviors corresponded to observed behaviors of males and females in biological studies. Interestingly, the evolved behaviors of the males and females also matched the behavior of the foragers and trackers, respectively, in our study. The males opportunistically ate all the food they could find while looking for reproductive females. The reproductive females were less active and adopted a mating strategy of waiting for males to mate with them. This give some support to a hypothesis that polymorphic mating strategies, emerged due to basic trade-off between the resources spent on energy conservation and the resources spent on courtship of mating partners, is a precursor of sexual dimorphism. In our experiments, polymorphism could arise because the foragers and trackers optimized, in relative terms, different parts of the fitness function (Equation 1). The foragers maximized their own energy level,, by spending all their lives foraging for energy sources except for when a a potential mating partner was directly visible, while the trackers maximized the mating frequency,, by spending considerable amount of their lives waiting for potential mating partners. The evolution of “proto-sexes” is a research venue we plan to explore in future work. In the current experimental setup, both the sender and receiver can reproduce offspring at the mating events and the cost of mating is equal, whether offspring are reproduced or not (see Methods). A more biological plausible setup would be that only one of the agents took on the female role, e.g., the receiver, and also bore the main cost of reproducing offspring. The goal would then be to investigate if, and in such case under which conditions, a breeding system with distinct male and female roles could evolve from an initial population of hermaphrodites without any predefined mating preferences, and maybe even more exotic breeding systems such as androdioecy (males and hermaphrodites) and gynodioecy (females and hermaphrodites).
Methods Four Cyber Rodent mobile robots [40] were placed in a 2.5×2.5 m arena, together with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 energy sources (Figure 1). The task of the robots were to survive by maintaining their internal energy level through foraging of energy sources and by reproduction of offspring through physical exchange of genotypes by infrared communication. We performed the experiments in a simulation environment, developed to mimic the features of the real Cyber Rodent hardware platform. The robots were equipped with a camera system with color blob detection, used to extract the distances and relative angles to nearest energy source (blue), the nearest tail-lamp of another robot (green), and the nearest face of another robot (red). Mimicking the real robotic hardware, the field of view of the simulated vision system set to. Within an angle range of, the robots could detect energy sources up to 2 m, tail-lamps up to 1.5 m, and faces up to 1 m. Outside this range, the detection capability decreased linearly down to 0.2 m for the maximum angles. We performed 1000 generations of evolution and for each energy source density, we ran 10 evolution experiments. To be able to conduct robot evolution experiments with only only four robots, we utilized time-sharing in subpopulations of 20 individuals within each robot. Each individual in a subpopulation took control, in random order, of the robot for three time-sharings of 400 time steps, i.e., the total lifetime was 1200 time steps. An individual had a maximum internal energy level ( ) of energy units. Each time step, the energy level decreased by unit and a capture of an energy source increased the energy level by units. At birth, an individual had an internal energy level of units. If an individual's energy was depleted, then the individual died and was removed from its subpopulation. When a robot captured an energy source it disappeared from its current position and reappeared in new, randomly selected, position. We did not apply an explicit fitness function or a centralized selection process, instead offspring were created by a mating. The individuals controlling the robots could create offspring by a physical exchange of genotype through infrared communication. The infrared communication ports were located slightly to the right of center in the front of the Cyber Rodent robots, directed straight forward. In the simulation environment, the maximum range of the communication was set to 1 m and the angle range was set to. An individual could initiate the infrared communication by executing a predefined action selected by the mating behavior. For a mating event to be successful, both robots had to be within each others mating range before and after the individuals controlling the robots executed the actions of their currently selected reinforcement learning modules. The probability, for each of the two individuals involved in a mating event, of reproducing offspring was linearly depended on the individual's energy level ( ). A reproductive mating event created two offspring in the individual's subpopulation by applying one-point crossover with a probability of. The genes of the two newly created genotypes were then mutated with probability of, by adding value from a Gaussian distribution with zero mean and a standard deviation of 0.1. After all individuals in a subpopulation had survived for a full lifetime or died a premature death, a new subpopulation was created by randomly selecting a fixed number, i.e., 20 in our experiments, of the offspring reproduced during the last generation. The genotype consisted of 51 real-valued genes: 1) 5 genes controlling the mating strategy by encoding the weights of the top-level neural network that selected basic behaviors (Figure 2); 2) 42 genes determining the parameters of the additional reward signals for the basic behaviors in the form of potential-based shaping rewards [46]; and 3) 4 genes determining the meta-parameters of the reinforcement learning algorithm. The five-dimensional input to the neural network consisted of a constant bias of 1 ( ), the individual's internal energy ( ), and the inverse distances to the nearest energy source ( ), tail-lamp ( ), and face ( ). The sensory inputs were linearly scaled to a range of. If a visual target was not visible, the corresponding input value was set to −1. In each sensory-motor cycle (time step), the output of the neural network ( ) determined which of two reinforcement learning modules that was selected. If the output was greater than zero the mating module was selected, otherwise the foraging module was selected. After a successful mating event, whether it reproduced offspring or not, an individual could not select the mating module again until it had captured an energy source or until time steps had passed. During this time, the tail-lamp was turned off. In the case when only an energy source and a tail-lamp were visible, the energy thresholds for the selection of the mating module,, was given by (11)which depended on the distance to the closest energy source ( ) and the distance to the closest tail-lamp ( ). In order to derive the average energy threshold, we computed the mean of over 676 values of and (26 equidistant values between 0 and 1 for each of the two sensory inputs). The reinforcement learning modules learned their behaviors from scratch in each generation with the aid of evolutionarily tuned potential-based shaping rewards and meta-parameters. The foraging module executed a foraging behavior using the relative angle and the distance to the nearest energy source as state variables. The mating module executed either a mating behavior or a waiting behavior, depending on the current sensory inputs. If a face of another robot was visible, the mating behavior was executed using the relative angle and the distance to the nearest face as state variables. Otherwise, the waiting behavior was executed using the relative angle and the distance to the nearest tail-lamp as state variables. The behaviors were learned by the Sarsa reinforcement learning algorithm [47], [48] with tile coding [48] and potential-based shaping rewards [46]. The global reward for the reinforcement learning modules was set to +1 for a successful mating event and +1 for a capture of an energy source, otherwise the reward was set to 0. The additional experiments, conducted to investigate the evolutionarily stability of the emerged polymorphic ESSs, were performed in a similar manner as the evolution experiments. The only difference was that, in each generation, the subpopulations were created by randomly selecting the genotypes of the different phenotypes from the final generation of the evolution experiment according to the predefined phenotypes ratios. For a detailed description of our embodied evolution framework and algorithm specifics, see [35].
Author Contributions Conceived and designed the experiments: SE KD. Performed the experiments: SE. Analyzed the data: SE. Wrote the paper: SE KD.If this video is real, it's spoiled one of Square-Enix's megaton announcements for E3. Some not-so-secret filming at a pre-E3 briefing appears to show previously-announced Final Fantasy Versus XIII has now become Final Fantasy XV. A full, numbered sequel. But that's not the only (potential) megaton it's dropping: It's only coming out on PS3 and Wii U in 2012 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the series. No Xbox 360.
What can we take from this? The game has been in development for some seven years already, having been announced at E3 2006 and is being produced by Square-Enix's 1st Production Department. We're looking at a AAA entry in the series, so perhaps it makes sense that it becomes a fully-numbered sequel - especially considering Square-Enix had complained about the cost of making full-scale entries for this generation of consoles. Why go through all that again from scratch when a title of this caliber is waiting in the wings?
But that also has large implications for the series. The game was a spin-off for a reason - it's an action-RPG, which isn't quite in keeping with the traditionally turn-based gameplay that Final Fantasy is known for.
Whether it all turns out to be real or not still hinges on next week's press conferences. But seeing as we've heard nothing about this change before now, it's either a pretty convincing fake, or one of the biggest leaked megatons of recent years. But for now, we'll have to add it to our E3 rumours page.It appears that the Toronto Blue Jays are unlikely to sign Ervin Santana or any free agent starter, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reported Wednesday.
However, the Blue Jays continue exploring possible upgrades and would add a starting pitcher at the right price.
Stark reports that the Blue Jays seem unwilling to outbid other teams for Santana. Instead, he reports, they prefer to see if the right-hander might “fall in their lap.” Stark adds that the overwhelming feeling in the industry is that the Blue Jays are content to rely on less experienced arms such as Drew Hutchison, Kyle Drabek and Esmil Rogers.
“We’d love to add a starter to maintain that depth,” Anthopoulos told Stark. “But we’re comfortable with what we have. If the right guy were to come along at the right price, we’re definitely open-minded to the idea of adding one more starting pitcher.
“But again, we’re comfortable with our internal options.”
Santana is undisputably the top starter available after Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez completed $50 million deals with the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles, respectively.
Like Jimenez, Santana is tied to draft pick compensation. The Blue Jays would have to surrender their second round selection (49th overall) to complete a deal for the Dominican righty.AUSTRALIAN Open tournament director Craig Tiley expects Rafael Nadal to be fit for the January 14 Grand Slam - and believes he will arrive as a contender.
The world No.4 last week spoke of his return from a six-month break with knee soreness, but discounted his chances of winning the Open.
There is still significant conjecture whether he will be ready at all by January, but Tiley is confident after recently speaking with the 2009 Australian Open champion.
Tiley needs look no further than Nadal's epic five hour and 53 minute final loss to Novak Djokovic in January to realise his importance as a drawcard.
Nadal has not played since Wimbledon, but Tiley says the Spaniard has been practising regularly and would not enter a tournament half-fit.
"We expect him to play and he is expecting to play himself," Tiley said.
"I know a couple of weeks ago I sent him four cases of balls. I know he's been practising.
"I have been speaking to him and his team. His first planned event is back right after Christmas (a lucrative Abu Dhabi exhibition on December 27), so a lot hinges on where he is at then.
"But we have a full expectation he will be ready to play.
"I think Rafa doesn't walk into anything unprepared. I think he's been playing for a while."
Nadal's presence at a grand slam event for the first time since Wimbledon would round out the field as the strongest seen at Melbourne Park.
The event has already announced record prizemoney of $30 million, and while a round-by-round breakdown has not yet been released, the expectation is first-round losers will pocket an extra 25 per cent.
"Right now we are expecting the top 100 men and the top 100 women," Tiley said.
"Normally around this time you get a sense if someone is injured or still recovering, but all of them are on track and we are talking the top 16 seeds.
"Everyone on the women's side pulled up healthy after their (year-ending) championships and the only question mark is Rafa, but we addressed that a month ago when we spoke to him.
"There is no question he is a drawcard. The Rafa-Roger (Federer) rivalry is the longest and most intriguing one, and then you add in (Andy) Murray and Djokovic.
"Last year it was a dream run with the semis and then the final. I remember at the end of it, seeing both Rafa and Djokovic after the final with no one else around, and they were both flat on the floor and getting attended to, because they were so spent."
Originally published as Fit Nadal an Open contender: TileySporting Kansas City announced on Friday the affiliates that will comprise the Sporting Kansas City Television Network in 2015. Entering its fourth year, the SKCTV Network includes eight affiliates across six states.
"The Sporting KC Television Network continues to offer quality programming to affiliates throughout the Midwest," said Chris Wyche, Sporting KC's Executive Vice President of Operations and Executive Producer of the Sporting KC Television Network. "We strongly believe that with our new broadcast team and the plans we have for the broadcast, we will provide a great viewing experience that connects our viewers with the excitement of attending a game in person."
Beginning this Saturday with the team's MLS road opener, the Sporting Kansas City Television Network will produce 27 games in HD to air on the following affiliates:
KMCI (38 the Spot) - Carrying all 27 games as flagship station in Kansas City
KZOU - Carrying 24 games in Columbia, Mo. market
Cox Channel (Kansas) - Carrying up to 24 games live across select Kansas markets including Topeka and Wichita
Cox Channel (Oklahoma) - Carrying up to 24 games live in Oklahoma City, Okla. and Tulsa, Okla. markets
Cox Channel (Nebraska) - Carrying up to 24 games live in Omaha, Neb. market
Cox Channel (Arkansas) - Carrying up to 24 games in Northwest Arkansas
MC22 - Carrying 24 games in markets across Kansas, Missouri and Iowa
Lake City Channel 32 – Carrying 23 games live in more than 100,000 homes in the Lake of the Ozarks
The club's 10 MLS matches not available on the Sporting Kansas City Television Network in 2015 will be nationally televised on FOX Sports 1 (4), ESPN2 (3) or UniMas (3). All matches in UniMas will also be broadcast in English locally on 38 the Spot. Each month, a complete schedule including which affiliates will carry which broadcasts will be updated at SportingKC.com/BroadcastSchedule.
The Sporting Kansas City Television Network will feature the broadcast team of Nate Bukaty (play-by-play), Andy Gruenebaum (commentator), Jake Yadrich (lead analyst) and Kacie McDonnell (network host). On-site coverage for every home and away broadcast will feature 30-minute pregame and 30-minute postgame shows.Some of the money has been handed to police
The man was heard to shout: "Who wants free money?" seconds before hurling the cash into the air in Alexandra Road.
The incident caused chaos as drivers and pedestrians, some on their hands and knees, picked up the money.
Dyfed-Powys Police said a 40-year-old man was later arrested for driving offences in nearby Aberaeron.
John Morris saw what happened from outside his shop in nearby Terrace Road on Monday at about 1100 BST.
He also caught the act on his CCTV system which scans the area near the town's railway station.
People were shocked and just couldn't believe it
John Morris, eye witness
"I just couldn't believe my eyes," said Mr Morris. "All the money was in £20 notes and I've heard rumours that the man threw about £20,000 away.
"People were shocked and just couldn't believe it.
"It was like something out of the movies. It caused bedlam - people were on their hands and knees eagerly picking the money up.
"I heard that one person picked up about £800, and another banked about £150 this morning so it wasn't fake money."
Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed a man from Aberystwyth had thrown a sum of money in the air in Alexandra Road before driving away.
The police added that some of the cash had been retrieved, and said that a man was later arrested in Aberaeron for driving offences.In the first ten minutes of Captain America: Civil War, we see an example of the use of drone warfare in an international incident. Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon, introduces his colleagues to Redwing, a robotic bird-shaped drone that he has programmed to fight alongside him. This isn’t the first time that the concept of robotic warfare has been introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, either. Tony Stark created a line of peacekeeper androids that have served as allies to the team in the past. Typically, these robots show up to warn civilians away from the battlefield. They’ve been programmed to know who’s friend and who’s foe.
That said, the Avengers haven’t always been so great at programming their robots to tell civilians from combatants. In Age of Ultron, Tony’s attitude about robo-peacekeepers extended far enough that he ended up creating Ultron, a robot designed to enforce “peace in our time.” After some analysis of the world in which we live, Ultron decided that the Avengers posed the biggest threat to peace, and set on a mission to take them out.
In the context of that movie, we’re meant to sympathize with Tony, at least partially. He created his peacekeepers for the “right reasons,” after all. Ultron’s heel-turn invites us to question the efficacy of the Avengers as a team, and might inspire us to wonder about their international overreach and consider the downsides of globalization.
Although the audience is meant to see it as undeniably bad that Ultron turns on the Avengers, we’re not invited to question what Ultron’s original purpose “should” have been. Presumably, Tony Stark believed that Ultron should be killing somebody. And how would Ultron go about calculating that? Could he ever have created a version of Ultron that knew the “right” people to kill? And who are the “right” people to kill? Since that’s already not something that humans seem capable of determining, why would we outsource that job to robots, which are built by humans?
Rather than effectively navigating these questions, Age of Ultron pushes them to the side by introducing us to a “good” robot character in the Vision. I mentioned the Vision recently in my lengthy piece about how to write nuanced robot characters; in the context of his history in the comics, the Vision’s synthetic nature is often used to mark him as “other,” and serves as a metaphor for other potential forms of oppression. The Vision is presented as actively in the process of assimilating into human culture. He’s the only robot on the Avengers right now, and he doesn’t have any other “robot friends,” which is depicted as a good thing. Unlike Ultron, who cloned himself many times over and became a robotic force to be reckoned with, the Vision is presented as a robot who can be “kept in check” – just the way Tony Stark wants it.
As I said at the start of this piece, though, Captain America’s side in Civil War also has a robot on it, thanks to the presence of Redwing. I recently explained why I think Marvel Studios chose to make Redwing into a drone; I would predict they thought it would fit better into the gritty sci-fi world of the movies, as opposed to the various comic book iterations of Redwing. In the comics, Redwing is often depicted as a bird with whom Sam Wilson shares a telepathic link (also, Sam can talk to all birds, sorta like a super-powered version of a Disney princess … not sure why the MCU would see that as a bad thing, but whatever). Anyway, Redwing is a robotic drone now, and he isn’t even an intelligent drone in the movie. In fact, he seems to be the least fictional and exaggerated aspect of the movie overall, due to the use of drone warfare in the real world.
As a pacifist watching Civil War, I could see the upsides and downsides to both Tony and Steve’s arguments. But neither side really seems to consider the implications of their use of robots in warfare. Considering that this is an actual, real-world issue, I’m surprised that no one within the MCU thought to include this as part of the ongoing debate. Arguably Age of Ultron starts to get at the problem, but it doesn’t fully explore the issue, and now that the Avengers have a couple of literal robots on the team, it seems like a plot point that’s worth exploring.
Perhaps it seems inappropriate for me to be directly comparing the events of a superhero movie to literal real-life warfare. After all, you might say, it’s a movie and none of this would ever affect the way that actual governments approach foreign policy. Right? Wrong!
Remember when media critics complained about the depiction of torture in the TV show 24? Even though many studies have shown that torture is not ineffective for use in interrogation, plus it’s legally and morally wrong, shows like 24 have the power to change viewers’ minds towards supporting the use of torture. Even though 24 protagonist Jack Bauer is a fictional character and his adventures do not reflect reality, he is often cited as an example when it comes to political discussions about torture. It’s not difficult to imagine that one might look at a movie as popular as Captain America: Civil War and take it as an indication that drone warfare is also an effective tactic.
As for whether or not drone warfare is effective in real life, well … it depends on what you mean by “effective.” Even if you aren’t a pacifist (as I am), it’s still worth exploring the way that actual people react to the use of drones. Rare has a lengthy piece on the topic, compiling lots of different studies about the use of drones. One massive downside is that drones often kill the wrong people; some research estimates that the kill ratio between civilians and terrorists is 50 to 1. That’s a huge number of innocents.
The nature of war has changed a lot over the millennia, and advances in warfare technology have placed combatants at further and further distance from the battlefield. That’s because it’s actually pretty damn hard to convince yourself to kill someone, especially if you’re looking them in the eye. Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman’s book On Killing explains that many soldiers intentionally miss when firing bullets, because they can’t bring themselves to shoot straight:
In WW2 only one percent of the pilots accounted for thirty to forty percent of enemy fighters shot down in the air. Some pilots didn’t shoot down a single enemy plane. A very interesting statistic when you think about it. In Korea, the rate of soldiers unwilling to fire on the enemy decreased and fifty five percent of the soldiers fired at the enemy. In Vietnam, this rate increased to about ninety five percent but this doesn’t mean they were trying to hit the target. In fact it usually took around fifty-two thousand bullets to score one kill in regular infantry units! It may be interesting to note that when Special Forces kills are recorded and monitored this often includes kills scored by calling in artillery or close air support. In this way SF type units could score very high kill ratios like fifty to a hundred for every SF trooper killed. This is not to say these elite troops didn’t score a large number of bullet type kills but it is interesting to note that most kills in war are from artillery or other mass destruction type weapons (airstrikes, mortars, naval gun fire, etc). If one studies history and is able to cut through the hype, one will find that man is often unwilling to kill his fellow man and the fighter finds it very traumatic when he has to do so. On the battlefield the stress of being killed and injured is not always the main fear.
Arguments abound as to whether or not it’s “easier” to kill someone with a gun versus a knife, but within a military context, it does seem that having a physical distance from the target helps create a necessary distancing effect. As Grossman explains, kill rates increase when “artillery or other mass destruction type weapons” come into play, because the face-to-face element is removed. However, this distancing results in faceless, dehumanized casualties. Even without the face-to-face element, drone pilots still suffer psychological |
ories.
What are the solutions?
Smarter ones than we’ve had before. A lot more focus on demand management, which experts say could account for 30 per cent of electricity demand. For a really good explanation of “unserved energy”, and how it is calculated, read this over at WattClarity.
What did AEMO say was biggest threat to energy security?
There are two big threats identified by the AEMO report. One is not putting in place any policy to encourage dispatchable generation. The second is the failure of a big thermal unit at periods of critical peak demand, which it notes could increase the load-shedding risks in all states.
It even suggests that the loss of big generators is quite likely, given their vulnerability to extreme heat, and their performance last summer when units in South Australia and NSW failed, and units in other states had to shed capacity because of heat related faults. That will be its biggest concern this summer.
Does AEMO recommend more, or less renewable energy
I’ve barely seen this reported anywhere in mainstream media, but one of the core recommendations is to have more renewable energy, not less. AEMO’s analysis makes it clear that having either state-based renewable energy targets or, even better, a national target aiming for 45 per cent renewable energy, would reduce the level of unserved energy in all states in coming years, and eliminate it in some years.
And on the comparison with last year’s ESOO, it says: The risk of USE (unserved energy) from 2018–19 onwards has reduced, based on changed modelling assumptions on generation fleet, such as more renewable capacity and greater uptake of rooftop PV.
One telling graph is AEMO’s forecast of USE in NSW if Liddell closes and another big coal generator shuts as well (green dot on top of the black lines above).
That could push the risk of load shedding well above the reliability standards (dotted line), but would be minimised, and visually eliminated, by a coherent renewable energy policy (blue triangle).
What other policies does AEMO recommend
Policies that encourages dispatchable energy that AEMO can switch on or off to deal with the big swings in demand and supply, and deal with those critical peaks when many of the big generators (coal and gas) may struggle in the heat.
There’s a bunch of things happening as a follow on from the Finkel Review – new connection rules, a “generator reliability obligation” that may require some wind and solar farms to contract “firming” or dispatchable sources such as batteries, pumped hydro or gas.
And then there are new market rules. There is talk of “capacity market” (favoured by only a few), a flexibility market, or a “day ahead” market, as employed in some places in the US and Europe. This latter appears to be favoured by AEMO boss Audrey Zibelman.
More importantly, there needs to be clarity in the overarching energy and climate policy. There is currently no policy to deliver the government’s commitment to the Pris climate accord, and no mechanism to deliver the even stricter targets that will inevitable and urgently require us to meet the stated intent of the Paris goal: to keep average global warming “well below” 2°C and possibly as low as 1.5°C, if there is still time.
Conclusion
Twice in the last few months, with the Finkel Review and the AEMO reports, Turnbull has been given the opportunity to run – or even walk slowly – with his big schtick of being the “innovation” prime minister.
But rather than using these reports to justify an embrace of the future, or even the present, Turnbull has chosen to leap into the past – apparently with the sole aim of appeasing the conservatives in his party. Goodness knows what’s driving them, although one suspects it is big dirty money from the coal lobby.
If these reports cannot change the views of this government, and prompt its shift to a cleaner, smarter, cheaper and more reliable grid, then what hope has the country of moving on from its increasingly costly, dirty, dumber and unreliable system that it has now?AMERICANS have learned to take with a grain of salt much of the rhetoric in a campaign like the current Democratic donnybrook between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Still, there are some red lines that should never be crossed. Clinton did so Tuesday morning, the day of the Pennsylvania primary, when she told ABC's "Good Morning America" that, if she were president, she would "totally obliterate" Iran if Iran attacked Israel.
This foolish and dangerous threat was muted in domestic media coverage. But it reverberated in headlines around the world.
Responding with understatement to a question in the British House of Lords, the foreign minister responsible for Asia, Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, said of Clinton's implication of a mushroom cloud over Iran: "While it is reasonable to warn Iran of the consequences of it continuing to develop nuclear weapons and what those real consequences bring to its security, it is probably not prudent in today's world to threaten to obliterate any other country and in many cases civilians resident in such a country."
A less restrained reaction came from an editorial in the Saudi-based paper Arab News. Being neighbors of Iran, the Saudis and the other Gulf Arabs have the most to fear from Iran's nuclear program and its drive to become the dominant power in the Gulf.
But precisely because they are most at risk from Iran's regional ambitions, the Saudis want a carefully considered American approach to Iran, one that balances firmness and diplomatic engagement.
The Saudi paper called Clinton's nuclear threat "the foreign politics of the madhouse," saying, "it demonstrates the same doltish ignorance that has distinguished Bush's foreign relations."
The Saudis are not always sound advisers on American foreign policy. But they understand that Rambo rhetoric like Clinton's only plays into the hands of Iranian hard-liners who want to plow ahead with efforts to attain a nuclear weapons capability. They argue that Iran must have that capability in order to deter the United States from doing what Clinton threatened to do.
While Clinton has hammered Obama for supporting military strikes in Pakistan, her comments on Iran are much more far-reaching. She seems not to realize that she undermined Iranian reformists and pragmatists. The Iranian people have been more favorable to America than any other in the Gulf region or the Middle East.
A presidential candidate who lightly commits to obliterating Iran - and, presumably, all the children, parents, and grandparents in Iran - should not be answering the White House phone at any time of day or night.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.Denmark overtook Switzerland as the world’s happiest place, according to a report on Wednesday that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and the environment.
The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live.
The top 10, and the least happiest places
The top 10 this year were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland. The bottom 10 were Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria, and Burundi.
Don't Miss 96.5 K SHARES 50.8 K SHARES 65.6 K SHARES 22.5 K SHARES 35.5 K SHARES
The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50
“There is a very strong message for my country, the United States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the last 50 years, but has gotten no happier,” said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
India vs. Pakistan
Pakistan manages to make it to the top 100 (at 92), while India came in at 118! In fact, even the report’s authors seemed surprised: “The largest regional drop (-0.6 points) was in South Asia, in which India has by far the largest population share, and is unexplained by the model, which shows an expected gain based on improvements in five of the six variables, offset by a drop in social support.”
What led to falling happiness
“The 10 countries with the largest declines in average life evaluations typically suffered some combination of economic, political and social stresses. Three of the countries (Greece, Italy and Spain) were among the four hard-hit eurozone countries whose post-crisis experience was analyzed in detail in World Happiness Report 2013. A series of recent annual declines has now pushed Ukraine into the group of 10 largest happiness declines, joining India, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, two North African countries, Egypt and Yemen, and Botswana.” While the differences between countries where people are happy and those where they are not could be scientifically measured, “we can understand why and do something about it,” Sachs, one of the report’s authors, told Reuters in an interview in Rome.
How happiness is ranked
Aiming to “survey the scientific underpinnings of measuring and understanding subjective well-being,” the report, now in its fourth edition, ranks 157 countries by happiness levels using factors such as per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and healthy years of life expectancy. It also rates “having someone to count on in times of trouble” and freedom from corruption in government and business. “When countries single-mindedly pursue individual objectives, such as economic development to the neglect of social and environmental objectives, the results can be highly adverse for human wellbeing, even dangerous for survival,” it said.
“Many countries in recent years have achieved economic growth at the cost of sharply rising inequality, entrenched social exclusion, and grave damage to the natural environment.”
Yardstick For Happiness
The first report was issued in 2012 to support a U.N. meeting on happiness and well-being. Five countries—Bhutan, Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela—now have appointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a goal of public policy. The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular, Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels despite external shocks such as the post-2007 economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake because of social support and solidarity. Sachs pointed to Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy society although it is not an economic powerhouse.
Inputs from ReutersThis is an interview with Graham Morrison, who is one of four people behind the shiny-new Linux Voice magazine, which is printed on (gasp) paper. Yes, paper, even though it's 2014 and a lot of people believe the idea of publishing a physical newspaper or magazine is dead. But, Graham says, when you have a tight community (like Linux users and developers) you have an opportunity to make a successful magazine for that community. This is a crowdfunded venture, through Indiegogo, where they hoped to raise £90,000 -- but ended up with £127,603, which is approximately $214,288 as of this video's publishing date. So they have a little capital to work with. Also note: these are not publishing neophytes. All four of the main people behind Linux Voice used to work on the well-regarded Linux Format magazine. Graham says they're getting subscribers and newsstand sales at a healthy rate, so they're happily optimistic about their magazine's future. (Here's an alternate video linkTimothy Kerswell (timothykerswell [at] umac.mo) is an Assistant Professor of Government and Public Administration at the University of Macau. His research interests include labor, migration, imperialism, class structure, and globalization.
Zak Cope, Divided World Divided Class: Global Political Economy and the Stratification of Labour Under Capitalism (Montreal: Kersplebedeb, 2012), 387 pages, $20.00, paperback.
“Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of the first importance for the revolution.” —Mao Zedong
In confronting global capitalism in the twenty-first century, the most fundamental question is the one Mao posed in 1926 in preparing for the struggle for national liberation and against feudalism and capitalism in China—the same question Zak Cope attempts to answer in Divided World Divided Class. The fundamental question is: What forces are materially opposed to global capitalism and seek a fundamental transformation of society, and what forces simply want a bigger share of the pie at the expense of the rest of the world’s people?
Cope argues that the seemingly pervasive racism and cultural chauvinism in the global North is not the result of false consciousness, misinformation, indoctrination, or ignorance (at least to the extent that much of the political left assumes). Rather, racism and cultural chauvinism are the expression of economic interests shared by a variety of social strata in the global North, all of whom have an interest in exploiting the global South. Central to this argument is the idea that the labor aristocracy—the relatively privileged global North working class—developed as a result of the exploitation of the global South, and therefore has a material interest in continuing this exploitation.
Cope deploys a rich documentation of the development of capitalism, explaining how various stages of imperialism have produced this group. He observes four distinct stages and identifies them with associated forms of chauvinisms. While books like J. Sakai’s Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat cover similar subject matter from the perspective of the United States, Divided World Divided Class is unique in giving a sketch of global imperialism that is often through the eyes of the imperialists themselves.
Cope illustrates the deep divide between workers in the global North and South making use of the concepts of capital export and unequal exchange, and he provides an estimate of the value of superprofits extracted from the global South. He also critiques theories, advanced even by some leftists, that make productivity the source of global wage differentials. His conclusion is that the “labor aristocracy” predominating among the global North’s workers are not exploited, but instead consume surplus value generated by workers in the global South; in fact, the Northern workers are not unaware of their resulting material interests. This argument is buttressed with historical case studies from Britain’s Labour Party, the U.S. Democratic Party, and Germany’s Social Democratic Party; based on these studies, Cope connects the material position of workers in the labor aristocracy to ideologies of empire, settlerism, and social fascism, respectively.
Also documented is the comprador nature of the capitalist classes based in the global South, who are willing partners in exporting surplus value. However, one weak point was the lack of attention to the more internationally mobile sections of the global South. This creamy layer of aspirational classes benefit both from the globalization of business and IT services and from skilled migration programs, allowing them to earn the same or similar super-wages as their imperialist country counterparts. This has a broader impact not only on a certain section of workers in the global South, but on the aspirations of those around them, while their remittances influence the households who receive them.
Divided World Divided Class is valuable to a wide audience, especially those unfamiliar with the history of imperialism, the unequal exchange paradigm, and its impact on class structure. It should be a wake-up call to advocates for the exploited classes of the global South as they attempt to develop a twenty-first-century praxis, and as they engage with advocates for workers in the global North—without denying activists in the global North a role in helping to change the world in favor of the exploited peoples of the world. It reaffirms, with an impressive breadth and depth of evidence and argument, that the Northern workers must help fight for democratic sovereignty in the global South—even if it appears to be against their material interests to do so.I’m going to let ENV readers in on a little secret: When many of us in the intelligent design (ID) movement read the arguments coming from our critics, we’re surprised at their low quality and style. We don’t rejoice at this — we’d much rather see a robust, civil, and fruitful scientific debate over the relevant questions. But the incivility, basic inaccuracy, and unserious tone characteristic of so many criticisms of ID all make you wonder: If the critics had stronger rebuttals to offer, wouldn’t we be hearing them?
To be sure, there are some serious scientific critics of ID out there. These critics should be praised for their civil scientific rebuttals, and rewarded with a serious and civil response. And in fact that’s what they get from ID advocates. Doug Axe’s recent reply to biochemist Arthur Hunt is a good example. Another noteworthy instance is the book Signature of Controversy, which collects scientific responses to a number of critics (some critics who were civil, some not so much) of Signature in the Cell. I’d like to think my recent exchange with Dennis Venema also meets this standard.
But the fact remains that most critiques of ID look more like attempts to dismiss ID’s arguments than to engage them. In particular, many critics try to dismiss ID by harping on alleged religious associations with ID, while ignoring ID’s scientific merits, accomplishments, and arguments. Like a boxer who wants to win a match on a technicality without ever hitting his opponent, some critics want to win the debate without having one. Fortunately, that style doesn’t usually appeal to anyone who’s actually out there seeking truth. In fact, whether or not such a rebuttal style appeals to you is a good indicator of whether you really are seeking the truth.
There are so many examples of incivility among ID-critics that it’s hard to know where to start. And I’m not just talking about the usual Internet suspects, like PZ Myers, Jerry Coyne, or Larry Moran. Earlier this year we covered the brouhaha that was ignited when the journal Synthese published an issue critical of ID, and the journal’s editors-in-chief was forced to distance themselves from that particular issue of the journal because it failed to “follow the usual academic standards of politeness and respect.”
We also saw the methods employed by opponents of Michael Behe in Quarterly Review of Biology, in a would-be rebuttal to Behe’s paper in that same journal. As we discussed here earlier, Behe’s paper was measured, carefully argued, restrained, and cautious in its conclusions. But the paper critical of Behe was almost completely unhinged, making charges like “ID suffers from “complete lack of scientific merits,” or “the IDC [Intelligent Design Creationism] movement was never driven by its arguments but by its religious ideology” or Behe “dodges and weaves like a hunted rabbit.” Of course, no rant against ID would be complete without some comparison between ID and an unwanted, parasitic plant:
We think of creationism as a cluster of ideas that reproduces itself by spreading from mind to mind and struggling with competing ideas for a home among a person’s beliefs. Sometimes it loses out to more powerful rival ideas, but sometimes it finds receptive mental soil, takes root and waits to be passed on again. (Maarten Boudry, Stefaan Blancke, and Johan Braeckman, “Irreducible Incoherence and Intelligent Design — a look into the conceptual toolbox of a pseudoscience,” Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 85 (December 2010).)
This tendency of ID critics to replace sound scientific arguments with uncivil rhetoric goes back for years. It has even attracted the notice of academics, who aren’t pro-ID, and who study the rhetoric of science.
A few months back, I discovered a 2009 paper published in the Journal of Science Communication which evaluated the discourse adopted by evolution-defenders on blogs. It found that the frequency of uncivil attacks at the blog Pandas Thumb in particular “undermines the goals of rational debate and criticism.” The article continued:
In the excerpt below evaluations serve as a technique for reinforcing the boundary between two opposing groups of actors: “us,” the pro-evolution authors of the blog and those readers who agree with them, and “them,” the members of the creationist movement (emphasis added). Excerpt 4 — Panda’s Thumb
It is another mark of the incompetence of the ID movement that they actually hand out an award named after Casey Luskin. Pick the most ineffectual, uninformed, pathetic loser on the creationist side, and use his name to inspire the next generation of IDiots. It’s actually amusingly appropriate. Emotional and often insulting evaluations are very common for this and some other blogs that seem to be eager to demonstrate not only their rightness, but also to distinguish their group of reasonable and worthy individuals from others, who are wrong, unintelligent, and overall worthless. The frequency of such evaluations and mockery undermines the goals of rational debate and criticism. Such activities can foster solidarity among the like-minded individuals, yet at the same time, they may spur hostility in those who are undecided or hold a different opinion. (Inna Kouper, “Science blogs and public engagement with science: practices, challenges, and opportunities,” Journal of Science Communication, Vol. 9(1) (March, 2009) (emphases in original).
Yes, the Casey Luskin mentioned above is the same as the author of this article. You’ll just have to accept my assurance that I don’t take this at all personally. You get accustomed to these things, learn a thing or two about the dark side of human nature, forgive and move on. I cite the passage here only because of what it reveals about the way that even scholars of scientific communication are noticing the uncivil style among ID-critics.
Another scholar who has noticed the uncivil style of ID critics is Dale L. Sullivan, head of the English Department at North Dakota State University. In 2000, he published an article in the journal Technical Communication Quarterly recognizing that proponents of evolution often use “ridicule” as a means of defending Darwin:
Whereas correction is a public reprimand or censure of insiders, ridicule, usually in the form of an exposé, holds heretics up to public scorn in displays of derision, attacking heretical belief and usually denying opportunity for rejoinder in the same forum. (Dale L. Sullivan, “Keeping the Rhetoric Orthodox: Forum Control in Science,” Technical Communication Quarterly, Vol. 9(2):125-146 (Spring 2000).)
Sullivan then explains what happened after Stephen Jay Gould used this strategy against Phillip Johnson’s book Darwin on Trial:
The ultimate rhetorical effect … is to silence the voices of the authors and thereby to control the scientific forum. Gould tries to make a case that these books are not worth reading and certainly not worth discussing. One could argue that he is placing them on the index of heretical and dangerous books. …. Gould’s reviews are good examples of ridicule or expos�. They are public attempts to de-authorize publications that could be perceived as dangerous to the community.
Keeping Sullivan’s and Kouper’s evaluation schema in mind, I’m going to post a few short articles here at ENV looking at some recent examples of ID critics who use “mockery,” “ridicule,” “emotional and insulting evaluations,” and “public scorn in displays of derision” in order to “demonstrate not only their rightness, but also to distinguish their group of reasonable and worthy individuals from others, who are wrong, unintelligent, and overall worthless” and “de-authorize publications that could be perceived as dangerous to the community.”The HTC Vive, despite its levels of public exposure in recent months, still has an air of mystery surrounding it and in particular certain demo’s used to impress those who’ve tried it. 2 of the most anticipated (and least seen outside the demo booths) are the DOTA 2 Secret Shop and ‘Aperture Science’ Robot Repair. Developers NODE, behind the forthcoming VR title Hover Junkers, have no released the most detailed gameplay videos yet of both experiences in action, filmed using their HTC Vive developer kit.
Currently the high water mark for Valve’s forthcoming flagship SteamVR Headset, the HTC Vive, feedback and reactions to Valve’s in-house developer virtual reality demo’s used in the promotion of the hardware has, somewhat predictably, bordered on delirious.
The two demos in question are the ‘Aperture Science’ Robot Repair demo and the more recent DOTA 2: Secret Shop. Both of these experiences were developed by Valve and both have, with one exception, been hidden from view outside of those demo booths. Until now.
The DOTA 2 Secret Shop VR demo, has barely been seen at all up until this point and for those yet to try the HTC Vive is a neat window on its capabilities. A VR prototype, built in the world of the hugely successful DOTA 2, sets you down in the wooden shack of a mysterious shopkeeper. The shack is packed to the rafters with mysterious entities, magical creatures and intriguing looking nooks and crannies. This is the only video we’ve seen thus far to show gameplay of this detail and it demonstrates that fine attention to detail and a keen sense of mischief and fun on the part of the developers. Animation and lighting is beautiful and as the NODE guys take it in turns to uncover the shack’s secrets, each one of them finds something new. It looks stunning and really illustrates the ways in which VR can illicit joy and playfulness in what is, in essence, a very simplistic experience in terms of gameplay mechanics.
See Also: Valve’s ‘Secret Shop’ HTC Vive Demo Introduces You to DotA 2’s Fantastic World Full of Magic
The Aperture Robot Repair demo gameplay is the most detailed yet and emphasises why virtual reality from Valve is potentially so exciting. An excellent demonstration of SteamVR’s room-scale tracking, the experience cleverly restricts your movements around the space with a carefully sized virtual environment and interesting mental barriers to keep you stepping beyond the polygonal boundaries. The demo is exquisitely detailed, with painstaking attention to animation and incidental production design, not to mention typically sartorial humour running throughout. Check it out for yourself below.
See Also: HTC Vive and SteamVR Hands-on – A Stage of Constant Presence
The HTC Vive is set to become available in limited numbers towards the end of this year and widely distributed in Q1 2016.Un-carrier 11, a history-making move dedicated exclusively to saying “thank you” to customers, offers T-Mobile customers ownership in the company, free stuff every week, and free in-flight Wi-Fi
Bellevue, Washington — June 6, 2016 — In a nationwide simulcast to millions of Un-carrier customers today via the web and social media, T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) president and CEO John Legere unveiled the company’s eleventh iconic Un-carrier move—#GetThanked, a set of initiatives dedicated exclusively to thanking T-Mobile customers.
In another unprecedented first, Legere introduced Stock Up™, a first-of-its kind program that could turn millions of T-Mobile customers into T-Mobile owners—something no other publicly traded company has done before. The Un-carrier is offering a FULL share of T-Mobile US (TMUS) common stock to millions of existing and new customers. And customers can grow their ownership up to 100 shares a year by doing what they’re already doing—recommending T-Mobile.
In addition, the Un-carrier announced T-Mobile Tuesdays, a new app that thanks T-Mobile customers with free stuff and epic prizes, every Tuesday. T-Mobile has partnered with some of the best and coolest brands to thank its customers every single week, including Gilt, Domino’s, StubHub, Wendy’s, VUDU, Fandango, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, Lyft and more … with new gifts and more partners unveiled every Tuesday.
“Get ready for a gratitude adjustment, America! This Un-carrier move is all about giving you a good thanking! No strings. No gotchas. Just ‘thank you for being a customer!’” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “At T-Mobile, we already wake up every day working for our customers—so I’ve decided to make it official and turn T-Mobile customers into T-Mobile owners by offering them stock. And we’re thanking customers every week with cool stuff from brands people love. For free. Every Tuesday!”
T-Mobile’s also thanking customers with a full free hour of Gogo Wi-Fi on your smartphone on EVERY Gogo-equipped domestic flight—for all T-Mobile customers. That’s two-thirds (67%) of all connected domestic planes and millions of flights a year. Of course, texting on Gogo is still free for Un-carrier customers for the entire flight—but T-Mobile’s beefing it up with free in-flight messaging on iMessage, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp and Viber.
Most corporations say “thank you” with rewards and loyalty schemes that are not much more than thinly veiled attempts to manipulate customers into forking over more of their hard-earned cash. 7 in 10 (72%) people see through it and agree loyalty programs exist to squeeze more money out of them. That’s why 90% of comments about loyalty programs in social media are negative and why customers don’t bother to use well over half (58%) of the programs they’re on.
T-Mobile is turning all that on its head by saying “thank you” to customers and asking nothing in return. With Stock Up and T-Mobile Tuesdays, you don’t have to spend more, stay longer, collect points, or qualify for special, elite tiers to be thanked for being a customer. Un-carrier 11 is about T-Mobile showing its loyalty to customers—not the other way around.
Stock Up like a boss—up to 100 shares of T-Mobile stock
With this history-making move, T-Mobile wants to turn millions of its existing customers into shareholders, starting with everyone who is the primary contact on their eligible postpaid consumer smartphone account. And, tomorrow, new T-Mobile Simple Choice customers who switch to the Un-carrier will also automatically qualify for a full, free share of T-Mobile US stock when they open a new postpaid consumer smartphone account. Now, T-Mobile customers can share in the future of the company.
Beyond the initial share, customers can stock up … and up … and up … just by doing what they already do—recommend T-Mobile. T-Mobile customers are the #1 most satisfied overall in wireless and nearly three-quarters (71%) of them already say they’d recommend the Un-carrier. And 69% of customers say recommendations were the deciding factor in choosing T-Mobile. Starting tomorrow, T-Mobile is thanking these advocates by giving them another full share – up to 100 shares a year – of T-Mobile US stock for every primary account holder who takes their recommendation and switches to the Un-carrier. That’s roughly $4,200 in just one year, based on the current share price!
As a special thank you to its most loyal customers, T-Mobile’s giving those who’ve been with the Un-carrier for five or more years TWO full shares of T-Mobile stock for each recommendation until 2017.
“For me, there’s no higher praise than hearing a customer say they recommend T-Mobile to family and friends, so we wanted to get this right,” said Legere. “And, what better way to thank you than sharing in the future of our company?! Now, T-Mobile customers own the place!”
It costs nothing to get your shares or set up an account with T-Mobile’s brokerage partner, LOYAL3, and there are absolutely no fees to get or sell your share this year – and no fee to maintain your account as long as you’re an active customer. Your T-Mobile stock is completely free. It’s yours to do with what you want—you can hold on to it or sell it and pocket the cash whenever you choose.
Existing customers can claim their T-Mobile stock starting tomorrow, June 7, through June 21 in the T-Mobile Tuesdays app, and customers can learn more about growing their ownership when they recommend T-Mobile at www.t-mobile.com/StockUp.
T-Mobile Tuesdays—Free stuff. Every week.
If you’re a T-Mobile customer, Tuesday is about to become your very favorite day of the week. And it all starts tomorrow, June 7th—the first T-Mobile Tuesday.
First off, the Un-carrier’s treating customers to dinner and a movie every week. Which means T-Mobile customers can carry out a FREE medium two-topping Domino’s pizza, FREE small Wendy’s Frosty and FREE movie rental from VUDU, Walmart’s video on-demand service. And they can do it again next Tuesday. And the one after that. You get the idea.
“That’s right. We just did that. Until further notice, we’re treating our customers to dinner and a movie—all to say ‘Thank you’!” said Legere.
Each week, customers can count on T-Mobile Tuesdays to thank them with recurring gifts, a surprise gift from a new partner and a chance to win something epic. Of course, the Un-carrier will keep changing up the menu to keep your Tuesdays fresh, fun and full of gratitude with more partners like Buffalo Wild Wings, Condé Nast, Fanatics, Fandango, Gilt, HotelTonight, JackThreads, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, Lyft, Major League Baseball, MGM Resorts International, Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Shell, StubHub, The Clymb, The Grommet and Warner Brothers. That’s for starters.
The Un-carrier will unveil a surprise “thank you” for customers with a new partner each week. Gifts like free movie tickets, free gift cards, free subscriptions, free ride-sharing and more. Tomorrow, everyone can get a free ticket from Fandango to the opening weekend of this summer’s blockbuster movie, Warcraft—just for being a customer.
Finally, someone will win a truly epic prize every Tuesday. Tomorrow, one lucky person’s going to win a trip on a party bus to a private screening of Warcraft along with 40 of their closest friends with all the candy, popcorn and soda they can handle. Every week, you’ll have a chance to win something truly mind-blowing. Here are just a few examples of upcoming prizes:
a trip for two to Vegas to stay at Mandalay Bay with tickets to see UB40 at the Mandalay Bay Beach and roll VIP style at Luxor’s LAX Nightclub. Plus $100 in Lyft credits to get around town.
a trip to MLB All-Star week in San Diego for you and a lucky guest, including exclusive access to the Home Run Derby press conference and batting practice to see the top players up close and personal.
a once-in-a-lifetime expedition for you and your hiking buddy up the legendary Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, complete with accommodations, meals, and tours from The Clymb.
a trip to New York City to refresh your wardrobe with a $10,000 shopping spree with the help of an in-house stylist in the private Gilt showroom.
To see a calendar of possible prizes through June, check out newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-and-blogs/un-carrier-11.
T-Mobile has made it incredibly simple and easy for you to get these “Thank You” gifts through the free T-Mobile Tuesday mobile app. Just download the app and punch in your phone number, and you’re good to go. The app will even remind you when you have free stuff waiting. T-Mobile Tuesdays is open to all monthly postpaid, prepaid and business T-Mobile customers. And – remember – if you don’t get your Thank You gifts this Tuesday, you can always get ‘em next Tuesday.
To download the T-Mobile Tuesdays app and #GetThanked, visit the App Store or Google Play. And, customers who gloat about their gifts in social media can #GetThanked even more. When customers share pics of their T-Mobile Tuesday gifts using #GetThanked, the Un-carrier will plus up some of them in a big way – with extra Warcraft tickets, a blowout Domino’s party, free Lyft rides all month long and more.
#GetThanked at 30,000 Feet
T-Mobile customers can already text away at 30,000 feet on every Gogo-equipped domestic flight—all flight long. Since this game-changer launched in September 2014, millions of T-Mobile customers have sent in-flight texts—all absolutely free.
Now, the Un-carrier’s taking it one giant step further. Starting June 13, all T-Mobile customers can #GetThanked with a free full hour of Wi-Fi on their smartphones to surf, email, and post to their hearts’ content. And, it works on all Gogo-equipped domestic flights—that’s 4 million flights a year – for all T-Mobile customers!
T-Mobile and Gogo are also lighting up iMessage, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp and Viber so customers can use their favorite messaging apps to stay connected – in addition to SMS texting – at 30,000 feet. That’s right. Free messaging and texting, plus a free hour of Gogo Wi-Fi on your smartphone, all in mid-air and all courtesy the Un-Carrier.
For more information on T-Mobile’s in-flight offerings, please visit www.t-mobile.com/offer/free-in-flight-wifi-texting-uncarrier.
For more information on Un-carrier 11, check out www.t-mobile.com/GetThanked and the Un-carrier 11 media kit at newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-and-blogs/un-carrier-11.htm.
Limited time offers; subject to change. Qualifying service required. At participating locations. Certain promotions may include restrictions/limitations; see specific offer for details. Stock Up: Must be majority age; T-Mobile Tuesday app required. One per primary account holder of qualifying postpaid consumer account with active voice service. New LOYAL3 account required; subject to LOYAL3 terms. Timely (15 days) redemption required; may take up to 60 days for shares to be added. Port-in required for new & referred customers. To make a referral, referring account must have qualifying, active, postpaid service through redemption; referred party must activate new qualifying service & be active for 15 days. T-Mobile has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you redeem your offer, you should consult with your tax advisor and read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents T-Mobile has filed with the SEC for more complete information about T-Mobile and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, T-Mobile or LOYAL3 will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request by calling toll free 1-855-256-9253 or visiting https://rewards.loyal3.com/docs/t-mobile/prospectus.pdf. Prizes: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules available at T-MobileTuesdays.com. Gogo: Requires capable device, Wi-Fi Calling functionality, valid e911 address, & 1 prior Wi-Fi call w/ current SIM card.
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game to the largest amount of people. If you remember […] for OpenGL it took quite a while to use the latest specs and for the drivers to be stable. […] It’s important as a community not to say “Vulkan is great” or “Vulkan is bad” just based on one game. It’s going to be one of those things where you look back in a year and say “wow look at how far we have come”. It will be the same as the Mesa drivers – you won’t notice the progress because it will be small steps, constantly. What the drivers for Vulkan really need is multiple titles, to have a lot of things to test against. OpenGL now has hundreds of different things to run against so it’s quite easy to find regressions and edge cases. If you have only 2-3 examples it’s hard to nail down which one of them is doing it the right way or the wrong way, whether or not you are testing all the possible ways of doing things.
We also asked Edwin if he was himself proud of a particular port he worked on – and one from early 2016 came to mind.
Edwin: If I had to pick one… XCOM2. Because we released XCOM2 the same day as Windows. The amount of work and testing and coordination and all of the help we got from 2K and from Valve to make it possible, that was really awesome. And also the feedback we have got after the release. People seem to really love it as well. It was one of those things were the super long hours, trying to get it done until the last minute… it all made it worthwhile. You work on a game for months and months, and when you get it out there, there is always a feeling “will people like this?”
Note that in a separate part of the podcast Edwin mentions that they will try again to have same-day release ports in the future, or at least reduce the time between the Windows release and the Linux one.
Once again you can hear about all the above topics in more details in this podcast (MP3/OGG) and you can register to our podcast RSS feed as well to ensure you miss none of our upcoming interviews.
Many thanks to PSP for joining this podcast and to Edwin from Feral for his availability.
At BoilingSteam, we strongly dislike ads and that is why you won't find any during your visit. If you like what we do, please consider signing up to our newsletter (No Spam!). Register to our RSS feed also works. We are on Mastodon and on IRC too (Freenode, channel #boilingsteam). You can reach us anytime via the contact form for feedback, ideas and news tips. We are always looking for more editors/contributors - feel free to candidate!The Eastern League announced on Thursday that Binghamton Mets’ shortstop Gavin Cecchini had been selected as July’s player of the month.
In July, the former first round draft pick hit for a.387 average, with 48 hits in 124 at bats. Cecchini hit six doubles, three triples, two home runs, and knocked in 18 runs. He also scored 21 runs, held a.453 OBP, and slugged.532 in 29 July games.
He began the month on another hot streak, by reaching base in each of the first 17 games of the month. Furthermore, the 21-year-old Lake Charles, Louisiana native reached base in 26 total games in July. And adding to the impressive hot streak, he also had 11 multi-hit games, including a career-high five hits in an 11-3 win at Richmond on the 30th.
Cecchini, who stands 6’2″ and weighs in at 200 lbs, was the overall batting leader in the Eastern League in July, and was part of the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland, Oregon on July 15th. He was 0 for 1 with a walk as a member of the Eastern Division team. On the year, Cecchini is a.312 hitter, with 22 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 49 RBIs, and 49 RBIs in 97 games. He is second in the Eastern League in batting average, hits (122), and his total bases (173).
The fifth-best prospect in the organization according to MLBPipeline.com was the 12th overall selection in 2012 out of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, La.ADVERTISEMENTS
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Leading Blockchain and Web 3.0 venture capital firm Outlier Ventures has invested in, and become a strategic partner of, Evernym – the foremost developer of self sovereign identity technologies and inventor of Sovrin, the global public utility for decentralised exchange of verifiable claims. Sovrin’s utility token distribution event is slated for mid-2018.
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Using the unique properties of Sovrin, Evernym builds applications that finally enable people, businesses and connected devices to securely control their own identity data, choosing when, with whom and how much they wish to reveal in any given exchange. This technology forms the basis of applications Evernym is building for a number of partners including the US Department of Homeland Security, the UK’s healthcare system and a number of leading global financial institutions.
“Evernym is an organization unlike any other in the distributed identity space,” said Outlier Ventures CEO Jamie Burke. “At their stage, to have earned the cooperation and patronage of such organizations as Hyperledger, the Illinois Blockchain Initiative and the entire U.S. credit union industry, speaks directly to the potential Evernym possesses. We just knew we had to be a part of this story.”
Burke continued:
“Self-sovereign identity for people, organizations and connected devices is the one problem everyone wants to see solved. The deeper you look at Evernym’s breathtaking technological innovation, it feels the solution is at hand. Each of our portfolio companies, present and future, needs this technology, as demonstrated by Evernym’s recent announcement of a partnership with IOTA. Despite a lot of noise in the identity space these are the only innovators who have achieved any serious level of adoption.’’
Evernym offers SaaS services and applications built atop the Sovrin Network, which is thought to be the world’s only distributed ledger purpose-built for self-sovereign identity and the exchange of verifiable claims. The Sovrin Foundation is guided by a constitutional “Trust Framework,” conceived with the Sovrin network’s enduring independence as its primary objective.
“We’ve accomplished a lot in our relatively short existence, but among the highlights I count our new relationship with a firm as well-regarded as Outlier Ventures,” said Evernym Co-founder and CEO Timothy Ruff. “Together, we will break ground destined to prove fundamentally transformative to the internet in general, and digital trust in particular.”The suicide of Dick Moore's 21-year-old son Barney led the former headmaster to immerse himself in the emotional wellbeing of adolescents. Here he tells Barney's story and questions whether schools do enough to protect adolescents with mental health problems.
Have you got children? It's a standard dinner party question, often an area of common ground. But it's a question that I find hard to answer.
Friends, relatives and teachers all say that our four boys are delightful, but they haven't half put us through the mill over the last 30 years!
Numerous visits to head teachers' offices on disciplinary matters (including my own when I was their headmaster), drink, body piercings, dodgy cars and dodgier women, African bandits, police helicopters, South American conmen and any number of calls for help. Is this par for the course for parenthood? Or have we made some ghastly mistakes?
About the author Dick Moore was formerly an English teacher, rugby coach and, for nearly 23 years, a headmaster before immersing himself in adolescent emotional wellbeing after his son's suicide. Hear more from him on Radio 4's Four Thought on Wednesday 12 June at 20:45 BST or download the Four Thought podcast Listen via the Radio 4 website Download the Four Thought Podcast Radio 4: A Point of View
It seems to me that the pleasures generated by children are largely passive - a warmth that gently glows deep within like a large sip of whisky on a cold day - while the pain they provoke is anything but passive. It strikes hard and low (and usually by telephone) and when you least expect it. You're left breathless, emotionally battered and several years older. But still your love as a parent remains unconditional.
Let me tell you a little about Barney, the third of our four sons.
He was reluctant to enter the world, arriving late and by Caesarean section, bawling as if to say: "Put me back. I don't want to be here." He was long, slim and, as babies go, beautiful.
Growing up he was challenged by the new - indecisive, gentle, wilful, kind, but painfully shy. His friends, and there were many, called him "The Gnome". He was always there, reliable and unassuming, but saying very little.
He could laugh at himself, too, for example at his inability to pronounce the word "bulb". His brothers teased him about "belbs", to be rewarded with his infectious grin and chuckle.
Following his 15th Christmas, Barney entered a dark depression where going to school was not an option.
Stubborn, unhappy and uncommunicative, he would not be moved. In the weeks and months that followed and with the support of friends, family, kind doctors and medication, the true extent of his difficulty in coping with growing up - becoming independent and mixing with his peers - became apparent.
Confidence was still a big issue and when [Barney] fell deeply in love again, he seemed to retreat from the world at large, devoting his whole self to his beloved.
A longed-for girlfriend he met on the internet helped him to join the sixth form at the local school. A-levels and a place at university followed. During his gap year he qualified as a master scuba diving instructor and all seemed set fair.
Yet confidence was still a big issue and when he fell deeply in love again, he seemed to retreat from the world at large, devoting his whole self to his beloved.
When she, not unreasonably, wanted to spread her wings, Barney resented the perceived implication that he was not enough. He wanted them to live forever in their own little box. The relationship ended at the beginning of August 2011 and there followed a month of deepening depression and desperation.
Sunday, 11 September 2011, was a beautiful autumnal afternoon. The grounds of the girls' boarding school where my wife and I lived and worked were bathed in soft, warm sunlight.
Suddenly, the peace was shattered by four police vehicles careering up the drive between the main school buildings. They had responded to our frantic call about Barney who was threatening to kill himself if his girlfriend did not return to him. The police were lovely, bumbling and well-meaning, telling Barney in firm but friendly tones to be more considerate to his parents.
Image caption Dick Moore's son Barney killed himself in 2011
The next day, Barney drove away from us in his little red car. During the five days that followed we received some texts in which he tried everything to cajole us - and especially his mother - to persuade his girlfriend to get in touch.
Eventually, in the early hours of Sunday, 18 September, having told us that he no longer had a family and that his mother was unfit for purpose, he informed us that the final deadline for his girlfriend to contact him was noon.
Monday, 19 September, was unremarkable. At 6pm I was working in the staff room when a colleague poked his head around the door. "Some people are here to see you," he said quickly.
The people turned out to be a gentle policeman and a very beautiful young policewoman. It's funny how you can notice such things at such moments. My world tilted.
My wife and I sat down. Barney had been found in a hotel room in Reading. It appeared that he had taken his own life. I remember thinking how sensitively these two people had delivered their terrible message and I apologised to them for their having such a foul job to do.
Warning signs of depression If you, or someone you know, experience at least four of the following symptoms over a period of weeks, professional advice should be sought, usually from your GP: Decreased energy
Appetite and weight loss
Restlessness
Insomnia/Irregular sleep
Difficulty making decisions
Tearfulness
Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
Thoughts of death or suicide
Changes in mood
Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt You can also contact one of the following charities to discuss any concerns you may have: Charles Waller Memorial Trust Samaritans Mental Health First Aid England Papyrus
Twenty months have passed since that awful day. There has been much soul-searching and many tears. Each of us - my wife and I, and Barney's three brothers - deal with Barney's death in our own ways. I find the word "death" difficult to dwell upon.
Waves of grief still roll in from time to time and there isn't a day that goes by that a memory is not stirred, a wistful thought provoked by a smell or a song or a photograph. But we are OK; we have survived and, perhaps oddly, we are able to enjoy life again.
For me, that restorative process has been directly linked to my search for knowledge about the emotional wellbeing of young people. And with knowledge has come some understanding. Not about how Barney's story may have had a less tragic ending, but about the epidemic of emotional turmoil that can threaten to engulf some young people. About the efforts of some to make a difference. About the apparent lethargy of others in positions to make a difference but who fail to do so.
I can remember my mother and father telling the 15-year-old me that they hoped that my headmaster was correct in his assurance that I would emerge from this "horrid phase", this "adolescent tunnel", and that I would become the charming young man they yearned for.
Adolescence, which presents huge and frightening challenges, begins with the onset of puberty but it doesn't end until as late as 25. It is only then that the part of the brain responsible for decision making, planning and organising, for common sense, catches up with that area of the brain which develops earlier and which, amid contortions of shape and size, is responsible for our developing emotions.
Depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts are now common place among young people.
Seventy-five per cent of mental health disorders originate in adolescence.
The statistics are horrendous:
About 13% of sixteen year olds have self-harmed. Why?
Suicide is now the most common cause of death - above even road traffic accidents - in men aged 17 to 34. Why?
Too many schools appear to prioritise academic results above the emotional wellbeing of their pupils, without seeming to appreciate that the former rely on the latter.
Too many schools appear to prioritise academic results above the emotional wellbeing of their pupils, without seeming to appreciate that the former rely on the latter.
They won't admit as much, of course, but sticking plasters don't work - bolt-on counsellors and one-off training are a drop in the ocean. Real progress requires long-term commitment and a genuine desire to change the culture in our schools, our universities, our politics, our medical services and our homes - not least so that those suffering from emotional distress don't feel too embarrassed and stigmatised to access help and support.
Distressed young people often need to trust before they will engage. Such trust is no longer conferred by status, by labels such as "father", or "doctor" or "teacher". GPs are often the first point of referral. But it is increasingly likely that the GP will not know their patient. If they do, it is a 50/50 call whether they have any mental health training. How, then, can they be expected to earn the trust, the engagement, of a person in an average consultation of 11.1 minutes?
School staff, too, are often overwhelmed by planning and targets and emails and paperwork. Young people need to be listened to too, patiently, regularly and non-judgementally. Parents may try, but the sting of emotional involvement makes such listening difficult.
Worldwide suicide statistics Nearly one million people worldwide die by suicide each year - one every 40 seconds on average.
The yearly deaths by suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined.
Suicide attempts may be up to 20 times more than the number of deaths by suicide
About 5% of people are estimated to attempt suicide at least once in their lifetime
About 10-15% of people are estimated to think about suicide
Suicide is believed to be widely under-reported for multiple reasons including stigma, religious concerns, and social attitudes
Documented rates of suicide are highest in eastern European countries, such as Lithuania, and lowest in Latin America Source: International Association for Suicide Prevention
Some schools have been triggered into action by tragedy - just as I have. But some have their heads stuck firmly in the sand. Some schools have invested in a sophisticated network of preventative measures, and support services - a full time counselling psychologist, a retained psychiatrist, health education specialists attached to each group of pupils, open and structured communication between medical and pastoral staff, and a structured programme of training for all staff.
Too many other schools, judging by their websites and their policy documents, have no such provision and prefer instead to talk proudly of their excellent sports injury rehabilitation clinic.
Regrettably, too many schools are akin to the council who fail to respond to the village campaign for a speed limit outside the local school until a child is killed by a speeding motorist. We need to act before the tragedies happen.
The stiff upper lip was arguably indispensable in the 20th Century. Talking about our emotions may not have helped in times of world war and widespread carnage. But the world has changed. The stiff upper lip is a deformity and it's causing so much damage.
I implore school leaders, politicians, and parents to remove their heads from the sand and smell the heartache. Life is not wholly about grades even during this, the exam season. It is time to reassess priorities. It is time to talk. It is time to act. It is time to educate. It is time to invest - for there can be no health without mental health.
Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain - a lesson our Barney didn't manage to master and which led him to leave the world with more determination than when he joined it.
This piece is based on an edited version of Dick Moore's Four Thought on BBC Radio 4
You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook37 percent of edtech funding deals, representing $1.07 billion, were made in China-based edtech companies in 2015, up from 18 percentin 2014. These are companies teaching software development and other technology disciplines. Assuming the trend from 2013 to 2015 remains steady, in my estimation based on the percentages, China will take the top spot in 2016 — ahead of the US — and will be the country to receive the biggest investment in education startups around the world.
As China is rapidly switching from a manufacturing economy to a services-based one, the government is aggressively investing in performing the switch and recently announced a state-owned $30 billion VC fund to invest in startups. The city of Hangzhou, for example, plans to host 30,000 startups by 2020.Therefore qualified talent will become mandatory to power the machine.
So what does this mean?
With its flourishing economy the country is already seeing a lot of companies entering its market which often means opening offices there. The question is, what would happen if on top of that they manage to produce talent companies at scale?
China has been a popular destination for professionals for decades. Public Security Minister, Guo Shengkun, recently announced an immigration office to attract even more talent from abroad. But China knows that the solution needs to ultimately come from its own citizens. The country needs to reverse the brain drain of tech-savvy professionals that occurred over the past few decades as many of the best and brightest went abroad for university. It must persuade those who are already abroad to return home and to, most importantly — train talent locally. The task is huge; China currently counts 806 million workers who potentially need to be retrained and the government knows that the transition will not be easy.
China is getting up to speed providing some of the world’s best of education; multiple Chinese universities broke into the global top 100 index for the first time this year. But many in the Tech industry know that Higher Education as it stands today, college, is not enough and is often no longer appropriate in training the workforce that companies need. The pace at which our world is changing is accelerating, demanding diversified and improved talent pipelines — and China is on the track to do just that. For example, the Chinese government is betting on educating at scale with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) for K-12 and plans to train 13 million teachers to take on the task. In China, everything is done at scale.
The United States, and especially the Silicon Valley, is the current leader in the startup and innovation race, but we are also greatly affected by the lack of talent. The US government understands the importance of this issue and recently announced a new TechHire pledge of $150 million to accelerate the development of institutions teaching the skills Americans need. Alternative education is finally officially getting recognized as effective and the US government will financially assist low-income students who attend these alternative institutions. But will this be enough?
Education under communist China was totally uniformed and state-run. Now the country is aggressively tackling the metamorphosis that will totally change their economy and over the coming decades both private and public funding will be available to support the cause. And the numbers look promising: according to OECD 37 percent of STEM degrees holder will be in China by 2030.
Many doubt China’s ability to surpass the US and becoming the next big innovative super-power, but it is not often that the talent pipe component is considered in the equation. As the country is on-track to take the first place in term of edtech investment, naysayers might be a surprised by the state of our economy in the decades to come. The leadership change may already be happening.Former death metal band Morbid Angel announced that their upcoming crappy album will be called Kingdoms Disdained and revealed themselves to have wussed out as much as Chuck Schuldiner from Death.
Word on the Sesame Street is that the letter J was taken by the earlier live release Juvenilia, screwing up the alphabetical release cycle of Morbid Angel albums that corresponds to their massive drop off in cohesiveness and eventually quality through the years. Blessed Are the Sick, Morbid Angel’s last advance, maintained the quality but the track layout was compositionally jarring compared to Abominations of Desolation and Altars of Madness. Covenant was a step down and “God of Emptiness” and “Pain Divine” a sign of the career self-sodomy to come. What came after is not worth my time to mention here in my fit of rage.
Kingdoms Disdained‘s cover looks like the graphics of an Xbox game that plays like Godzilla eats Katamari Damacy, a boring Steve Tucker’s Warfather album, a Hate Eternal Panturrible dog turd, or one of those deathcore albums Unique Leader has shat out instead of slam over the past decade. The preview track shows a similar disdain for quality, showing influence from those sellout aberrations from the death metal genre such as death ‘n’ roll and deathcore. The Hellhammerisms and hard rock on the rather bedshitting Domination are infinitely superior. Kingdoms Disdained sounds more like something from producer Erik Rutan’s Klingon forehead than Mike and Trey’s best. The title of “Piles of Little Arms” might be an Apocalypse Now reference or it might be about Trey dressing up Sailor Moon figurines like little girls do with Barbies. Who knows, who cares. The track sucks, the cover sucks, and the productions sucks reflecting just how careless and throwaway Morbid Angel views their own new music. The album will probably not live up to Steve Tucker’s assertion that Kingdoms Disdained is “Some of the most warped stuff we’ve ever written”.
What is this? A Planned Parenthood concept album? Do Morbid Angels want to baptize the souls of aborted potential human babies to save them from the entities they previously paid homage to? Can Trey Azagthoth not write riffs anymore? This sounds like deathcore as it is deathcore. I don’t even dig the solo. I don’t even like anything about the song: bad title, boring riffs, boring lead, bad production, the drums are too loud, the drums too processed, the vocals too loud and overdone, a weak guitar tone, awful cover art; it’s just too Hate Eternal sounding. I’d give it an F-, flunk, zero point zero.
The track’s composition is bad too. The reintroduction of a riff that would be bad even as a filler riff is a shitty choice. That part where the drum sticks hit each other by itself in the middle of the song is fucking retarded and is something Tommy Lee would do in Motley Crue. This is a very bad sign when the preview track shown to the fans is this shitty. Our staff will still listen to the whole album when it’s out to be disappointed hoping for one or two good tracks. Here, there’s a slight change of pace right at the end of the song where you think it might develop into something interesting but nope! It is premature ejaculation incarnated. Morbid Angel is soiling their tighty whities before they even get to third base.
Trey Azagthoth’s entire attitude towards death metal has changed. He no longer wants to summon extradimensional entities such as Satan and Lovecraftian gods to slay his enemies and demonically transcend the pitiful, ape-like human existence of toil from dawn to dusk in exchange for the imagined representation of material worth that is currency. Rather:
Just one play of Morbid Angel’s searing, incendiary Kingdoms Disdained, and you’ll realize that this is the only true current aural document of a world sinking into uncharted despair. “The album title says it all,” states Tucker, “everybody’s fed up and nobody can figure out how to fix it. We’ve got all these miniature wars in neighborhoods, cities, countries, and we’ve got people with varying opinions causing chaos, yet everyone is doing what they feel is right. Which all makes it feels like the world has reached a point of utter madness and confusion.”
This is not describing death metal; this is social justice warrior life metal for whiny “secular humanists” like Chuck Schuldiner. This is less metallic than the goddamn Bible. Unlike Jesus, Azagthoth isn’t even promising to come back and kill everyone for real the next time. This is some Barack Obama community activist bullshit. The Christian doctrine of bending over and taking it like a pussy in this life to not have to take it in the next imaginary one isn’t metal. Metal isn’t Jesus letting himself get crucified in Jerusalem for imagined cosmological reasons; metal is Titus leveling the place and carting the Jewish Queen Berenice back to Rome as his concubine like Conan the Barbarian.
Trey Azagthoth and Steve Tucker have chosen to make a Christian rock album. They chose poorly. Burn it in the fires of hell.
Tags: boring, Christian, christian metal, Christian Metal Isn't Metal, christian rock, christianity, death 'n' roll, deathcore, Erik Rutan, GRID, life metal, morbid angel, news, sell outs, shills, shit, Steve Tucker, trey azagthoth, upcoming albumSPRINGFIELD - The 5,563 fans at the MassMutual Center gave a long standing ovation to Willie O'Ree, who was welcomed into the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame in Friday night's pregame.
On a night that celebrated diversity, the Thunderbirds also began the task of overcoming adversity. Their 5-3 victory over Hartford gave them their second victory of the season - and a cherished one over their natural rival.
It was sparked by Curtis Valk, who scored two goals. Samuel Montembeault backed the offense with 38 saves in goal.
Jayce Hawryluk's power-play goal with eight seconds left in the second period broke a 2-2 tie and helped make O'Ree's night a total success.
"I came to do two things, talk to kids at school and see the Thunderbirds play,'' O'Ree told the crowd before dropping the ceremonial first puck. "It's great to be back in Springfield after all these years.''
O'Ree's first visit was brief but historic. The New Brunswick native became the first black player in American Hockey League history during his time with the Springfield Indians in the fall of 1957.
In January of 1958, O'Ree broke the NHL color line with the Boston Bruins. Still spry and dapper at 82, he still carries the banner for opportunity and diversity in hockey as an NHL ambassador who speaks to youth groups and especially encourages minorities and city kids to give hockey a chance.
"I cross paths with Willie quite a bit. We have a team in San Diego, where he lives, and he goes to all the games there. A great guy,'' AHL president Dave Andrews said.
The idea to bring O'Ree to Springfield was a "collaborative effort,'' Thunderbirds president Nate Costa said. Not only had O'Ree's brief time in Springfield been largely forgotten, but even his place as the NHL's "Jackie Robinson of hockey" deserves more of the attention the T-Birds gave it Friday.
O'Ree spoke at Springfield's Renaissance School during the day. He was to fly back to California Saturday.
"We had about 400 kids at the school, and they asked some great questions,'' said O'Ree, who carved out a 25-year pro career (mostly in the Western Hockey League) and played until he was 45.
The game was certainly more than an afterthought for the Thunderbirds, who grabbed a 2-0 first-period lead. Anthony Greco tipped Dryden Hunt's shot from the right circle for a power-play goal at 10:18.
Valk doubled the lead at 16:14. Hunt took a punishing hit in the right corner, but not before feeding Valk, whose high shot beat Hartford goalie Alexandar Georgiev on the short side.
The Wolfpack quickly tied it on two power-play goals in the first 2:09 of the second period, but Hawryluk's goal untied it. Valk and Mike Downing scored in the third period, with Downing scoring short-handed. Henrik Haapala contributed a three-assist night.
Defenseman Tim Erixon was in the lineup after signing with the T-Birds on Wednesday. Erixon played for the Springfield Falcons during the 2013-14 season and has 93 games of NHL experience with the New York Rangers, Columbus, Chicago and Toronto.
Montembeault's first win of the season was well-earned. Hartford outshot the Birds 32-19 over the second and third periods.In December 2007, the Nonesuch Store opened here at nonesuch.com with just a couple of new releases. Now, six years later, the store has grown to showcase hundreds of new and classic Nonesuch albums as CDs, with instant downloads of the album MP3s included at no additional cost; dozens of recordings on vinyl, such as the soundtrack to the new Coen brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis, the latest albums from Chris Thile and Ry Cooder, and Nonesuch debuts from Devendra Banhart, Iron and Wine, and Bombino; and DVDs like the video "liner notes" to Jeremy Denk's recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which the Wall Street Journal calls "the kind of fresh thinking of which we can never have too much."
To celebrate the anniversary of the Nonesuch Store, all currently available CDs, LPs, and DVDs on the site (pre-orders excluded) are now 34% off the standard retail price (SRP). That's an extra savings of about 20% off the everyday prices listed on the site. The total savings will be reflected at checkout.
In addition to these discounted items, the Nonesuch Store also has more than 800 albums available as high-quality MP3s, including classic recordings no longer in print, and, for digital audiophiles, dozens of FLAC lossless files of our latest releases.
To take a look at all that's available and take 34% of Nonesuch CDs, LPs, and DVDs, head to nonesuch.com/store.At the Bay Area R User Group meeting this week, Antonio Piccolboni gave an overview of the design goals and implementation of the RHadoop Project packages that connect Hadoop and R: rhdfs, rhbase and rmr:
(The image above was captured from Antionio's slides.) The most revealing part of the talk for me was the comparison of implementing the K-means clustering algorithm the "standard" way (using Python, Pig and Java, as shown on slides 8-10) compared to using just R (with the rmr package, shown on slides 14-15): it takes much less code, and can be implemented in a single language. Antonio expands on this example at the RHadoop wiki, which makes for a great place to start if you're looking to implement big-data statistical models with the rmr package.
RHadoop wiki: Comparison of high level languages for mapreduce: k meansToronto’s two mayors are at odds over the city’s ice storm response, revealing the imperfections of an “awkward” power-sharing arrangement that left the city without a distinct leader, several councillors say. Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly said Friday he is making “exploratory calls” to find out whether calling in the army might help to ease the massive ice-storm cleanup effort, which is projected to take up to eight weeks.
Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly is considering asking the Canadian military to help with the post-ice storm cleanup. ( RENE JOHNSTON / TORONTO STAR )
“If the army said, ‘Look, we could give you the relevant manpower,’ and our staff here could integrate them in a meaningful way, why wouldn’t you accept that assistance?” Kelly said. “What happens if another storm hits us here and we are caught with our pants down?” Rob Ford fired back on Twitter on Friday evening. “I see no need to call in the army when we have over 600 staff dedicated to clean up efforts,” he wrote. “The City of Toronto is on top of the situation.” Josée Picard, spokeswoman for Public Safety Canada, confirmed that any request for troops would first be made to the province, which would then decide whether to forward it to the federal government.
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In order for a request for military help to be granted, she said “the assistance must not be available otherwise within the private sector because of timeliness, magnitude or specialty of service.” Ontario's Ministry of Safety and Correctional Services did not respond to questions about the circumstances that would warrant passing along a request for help from the army to the federal government. More than 500 troops descended on Toronto in 1999 when then-mayor Mel Lastman asked for help digging out after a major snowfall. According to Picard, “Military assistance to 'clean up' has not been provided in recent history.” On Friday, Kelly also criticized Ford’s decision to ignore his advice — and the initial advice of city staff — to declare a state of emergency as the winter storm whipped through the city. “You don’t know what resources you have unless you’ve called for a state of emergency and alerted everyone to the seriousness with which you are approaching the issue,” Kelly said.
Ford remained steadfast in his opinion that the state of emergency was unnecessary and would only incite panic. “This is not a state of emergency,” he told a press conference on Christmas morning. “We’re not even close.”
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The unprecedented transfer of mayoral powers that city council approved in November following the crack scandal and police investigation left the ability to declare an emergency — a statutory power — in Ford’s hands. But had Ford made such a declaration, Kelly would be in charge of the emergency response. “The current arrangement is awkward,” Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong told the Star. “I don’t think it would be unfair to say that the deputy mayor’s enthusiasm to declare a state of emergency might have something to do with the fact that he wanted to be in charge,” Minnan-Wong said. “By the same token, I think that the mayor may not have wanted to declare that state of emergency because he didn’t want to hand over control to the deputy mayor.” In the storm’s aftermath, Kelly and Ford held separate briefings with city staff, he said. Meanwhile, Kelly was Premier Kathleen Wynne’s main city contact on storm issues. Politicking — whether real or imagined — aside, the result, according to Councillor Karen Stintz, was the absence of clear leadership. “We needed one person in charge, and we didn’t have it,” Stintz said. In the early hours of the storm, Toronto city spokeswoman Deborah Brown said the city’s deputy manager, John Livey, sent an email to both Kelly and Ford suggesting a state of emergency be declared because he believed provincial funding “might be conditional” on that declaration. Livey later clarified that “assistance would be forthcoming from the province without declaring,” she said. “The decision was that the city would monitor the situation and if things worsened, that decision would be revisited,” she added. Brown said in an email on Friday that the deputy mayor does have the authority to request troops be called in, but that it “would ideally be exercised in light of conclusions reached by the (city’s) emergency management committee.” Minnan-Wong said he is not sure the cleanup effort would warrant help from the army, because “it does not appear … that there are significant health and safety issues.” However, Councillor Paula Fletcher said she is “glad that somebody’s thinking about getting this cleaned up.” “There are no streets in my area that don’t have large limbs all over the place, and I wasn’t the hardest hit,” she said. With files from Daniel Dale Correction - January 6, 2013: This article was edited from a previouis version that mistakenly included a reference to the deputy minister instead of the deputy mayor.Billy Sharp struck his 25th and 26th goals of the season as League One leaders Sheffield United stormed back to beat Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium and stretch their unbeaten run to seven games.
Trailing 1- |
I see your papers. They don't do that, and they're not going to start doing that.”
Kriseman, who in 2015 famously tweeted that Trump was not welcome in St. Pete after then-candidate Trump said he'd ban all Muslims from traveling to the U.S., expressed exasperation over what the future holds; not just for Muslims and undocumented immigrants targeted in Trump's executive orders, but for future generations of humans in general, all of whom will need clean air to breath and clean water to drink and, really, the First Amendment, which the Trump Administration kind of stepped on Friday, by the way.
“These are very troubling times. I have two kids, and I am very concerned about the country that we're creating and we're leaving for them, for our children and grandchildren. This country is starting to not represent who we've been, what we've stood for.”“I am not going to shoot you, brother.”
In what world do those words being said by a police officer result in that officer being fired? You don’t have to go down the rabbit hole in search of a place where up is down, left is right, and war is peace. All you need do is go to Weirton, West Virginia.
Police Officer Stephen Mader was fired from his job for not killing a Black man when he could have. He’s now in a battle that seems both absurd and highlights the absurdity of our times: He has to sue to regain his reputation and his right to work because he did not kill a suicidal man who was “armed” with an unloaded gun.
That’s right — an unloaded gun.
R.J. Williams was grappling with depression when his former girlfriend called 911 and reported that Mr. Williams had an unloaded gun and was suicidal. Officer Mader, however, arrived on the scene before that information was even relayed to law enforcement, so he was going to have to rely on his training in the absence of this information. How his use of that training steered his actions tells vital things about police training and police action.
When Mader pulled up, Mr. Williams brought his hands from behind his back, revealing his gun. Mader was facing a Black man with a gun, without backup, at night, on the street. We’ve seen this story before. We’ve seen how it usually plays out: The police kill another Black man. Excuses are made for the officer who shot, and the media cycles through its outrage or lack thereof. Then the nation returns to business as usual. It’s the callous cycle of Black killing.
So why didn’t Mader shoot to kill?
This is a deceptively simple question with important, complex answers that reveal the problems with our criminal justice system.
Given the reality of policing in America, his refusal to shoot an “armed” Black man could not have come from fear of prosecution. In 2015, the Guardian reported that police in America killed 1,145 people. There were 18 prosecutions. Black men were killed at twice the rate of whites, and Black men between 15-34 years of age were killed at five times the rate of whites in the same age group. Unarmed Black men are killed by police every year and the consequences are frighteningly similar — leave with pay until the “no charges to be filed” decision is announced and then head back to work — sometimes with a promotion. Prosecution is the last thing Mader had to worry about. So if it wasn’t fear of prosecution, what was it?
The answer: He followed his training and had a deep respect for the sanctity of life.
Mader did not shoot because he did what conscientious law enforcement leaders say every officer should do. He analyzed the full situation. By taking into account all the factors he could, he consequently saw more than a Black man with a gun. He saw a person in distress who was not acting aggressively. R.J. Williams never aimed his gun at Officer Mader. Having been trained in the military in deescalation tactics, Mader followed his training.
Instead of yelling, “GET ON THE GROUND OR I WILL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF,” he calmed his voice and spoke slowly and softly. He engaged. He listened to what Williams was saying, which amounted to repeated pleas to “just shoot me.” He evaluated Williams’ demeanor. Even though the dispatcher failed to say that the gun was not loaded, Mader came to that conclusion.
Mader understood that he was facing someone who was trying to commit “suicide by cop.” He saw someone in intense pain, not someone looking to hurt him. Officer Mader showed the bravery and compassion we should value in every police officer. “I’m not going to shoot you, brother,” he told R.J. Williams. Then two other officers arrived on the scene, and the situation worsened.
Mr. Williams began to raise his hand with the gun, and one of the newly arrived officers shot and killed him. Officer Mader’s assessment that the gun was unloaded were confirmed when the gun was checked. By this time, Mr. Williams had indeed committed suicide by cop. The situation should have been deescalated. Deescalation saves lives. Full stop.
His training served Officer Mader well, and it led him to make the right decision. His department did not serve him well. It fired him for making the right decision. That is what’s wrong with the criminal justice system today as seen on a community level with law enforcement.
In Chicago, Laquan McDonald had a knife in his hand and was shot 16 times in 14 seconds. The situation was not deescalated. In Camden, New Jersey, a man with a knife in his hand was approached by police and instead of killing him they followed him for several minutes, clearing people out of harm’s way, until they could tackle him and take him into custody with no one injured, no one killed. The situation was deescalated by police.
Respect for life and adherence to deescalation techniques is what we should expect from our police officers. It’s why training is critically necessary. It saves lives.
We should not fire cops who act heroically. We should not fire cops who use their training to protect community members, even when — no, especially when — they are in distress.
Officer Mader did everything in his power to preserve life that night in Weirton, West Virginia. He resisted the impulse to respond with force. He was on his way to saving Mr. Williams’ life when the other two officers arrived. If we mean what we say about the need for deescalation in police departments around America, Stephen Mader deserves our thanks. He deserves our praise.
But most importantly, he deserves his job back.BRUSSELS — When the Ebola virus was first identified in March as the cause of a series of mysterious deaths in the remote forests of Guinea, Europe moved quickly to battle a disease that has now infected more than 7,000 Africans and already killed around half of those. It mobilized more money and health workers than the United States, China or anyone else for West Africa.
But, proud of its long record as the world’s biggest donor of humanitarian aid, Europe has since suffered a blow to its self-image of can-do generosity. Its own efforts to contain the lethal virus have been overshadowed by President Obama’s announcement last month that he was sending 3,000 troops to West Africa to build hospitals and otherwise help in the fight against Ebola.
While a few left-wingers sneered at the American deployment as yet another example of Washington’s taste for military intervention — and praised Cuba for sending more than 100 doctors to West Africa — many European officials and politicians welcomed the move and wondered why what had been a European-led international effort to contain the virus had clearly not worked.
Now, with Europe grappling with the first case of Ebola transmitted on its soil after news on Monday that a nurse in Madrid had been infected, European leaders are scrambling to coordinate and ramp up their response to the lethal disease. As public anxieties grow, politicians on the far right are seizing on the Ebola crisis to demand sharp curbs in immigration, while those on the left rail against Europe’s colonial past and its failure to do more to help Africa contain the virus.
Pressure to contain the epidemic has prompted European Union officials in Brussels to start meeting daily with aid groups and representatives from member states to discuss how to best respond to the crisis. Europe’s emergency response unit, housed in a drab Brussels office block, used to focus on monitoring natural disasters and wars, but now tracks Ebola around the clock.
“Speed is of the essence, and there is a feeling that all of us have been behind the curve,” Claus Sorensen, director general of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, a department of the European Union’s Brussels administration, said in an interview.For two years, purely for my own amusement and education, I’ve co-written a blog called SorryWatch. The site, which I do with my friend and fellow writer Susan McCarthy, applauds good apologies (and analyzes what makes them good) and flings metaphorical monkey poop at bad ones (and examines what makes them terrible). We examine apologies in politics, sports, pop culture, literature, and history, and we look at research on effective and ineffective apologies. Now, as Yom Kippur looms, it seems an opportune time to discuss what I’ve learned about how to say you’re sorry and do it right.
Because, sadly, there are so many epically bad apologies out in the world. Probably the worst we’ve analyzed were by sports figures: Lance Armstrong and Ray Rice (written back in May, before the who-saw-the-inside-the-elevator-tape-and-when scandals erupted). Runner-up: Chris Christie’s eyeball-popping, ultra-defensive post-G.W.-Bridge-closure press conference.
We’ve seen Jews on both the giving and receiving ends of bad apologies. We’ve looked at Henry Ford’s wretched apology to the Jewish community for his anti-Semitic newspaper, Gary Oldman’s wretched apology to the ADL for his anti-Semitic remarks, a German spa’s wretched apology to everyone for its romantic Kristallnacht special on the event’s 75th anniversary, Rupert Murdoch’s wretched apology to no one in particular for inane tweeting about the “Jewish-owned press,” and a young Jewish op-ed writer’s wretched apology to the universe for suggesting that genocide of Palestinians is permissible.
On the more positive side, Susan and I have looked at Emory University’s excellent apology for its history of anti-Jewish prejudice at its dental school, Charles Dickens’ remorse for his hateful anti-Semitic caricature of Fagin, Kveller’s thoughtful apology for running a biased and homophobic essay, and Pharaoh’s pretty decent apology to Moses. (Pharaoh was a jerk, but if you restrict yourself to the text, the man gave good sorry.)
My personal interest in apology dates, of course, from having children. I started writing about teaching kids to say they’re sorry when I was the East Village Mamele at the Forward. I was a new mom, acutely aware of the moral import of bringing up new humans. I was terrified of raising tiny Ed Geins. So, I did a lot of reading of contradictory parenting articles. It was interesting to learn that some experts don’t believe in forced apologies; I discovered that I do. Maybe because Judaism is a religion that’s all about how you act, not what you think. I don’t care if you’re not sorry in your heart; you still have to say it to your sister if you smacked her on the head with a My Little Pony. You can track my own struggles with and questions about children’s apologies as my kids got older through my Tablet columns.
Susan and I both read psychiatrist Aaron Lazare’s book On Apology, as well as a bunch of legal and medical journal articles about the impact of apologizing. Here, as a public service, I’ll take you through what we’ve learned.
The mechanics of good apologies aren’t difficult. The 12th-century sage Maimonides said that true repentance requires humility, remorse, forbearance, and reparation. Not much has changed since then. Basically, you have to take ownership of the offense, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Name your sin, even if it makes you squirm. Use the first person, and avoid passive voice (“I’m sorry I kicked your Pomeranian,” not “I’m sorry your dog got hurt,” or worse, “I’m sorry it was impossible to ignore the incessant yapping of your undersocialized little hellbeast”). Acknowledge the impact of what you did. (“My lateness was disrespectful of your time and inconvenienced you on what I know was a busy day.”) Be real, open and non-defensive. (“What I said was moronic and mean, and I’m ashamed of myself.”) Offer a teeny bit of explanation if it’s relevant, but keep it short and—this is key—don’t use it as justification for your actions. (“I was tired and crabby because I had to work late, but that’s no excuse for taking it out on you.”)
And when you’ve said your piece, let the wronged party have their say. If they need to process, process. If they’re clipped and abrupt but accept your apology, say, “Thank you.” If they remain mad, well, you’ll have to sit with that for a while. Maimonides said that if your first apology isn’t accepted, you have to try twice more. If after that the person won’t forgive you, you’re free to stop trying.
Finally, you have to make reparations. Pay for the broken window or the dry cleaning, tell everyone in the office that the error was yours and not your underling’s, make a donation to the wronged party’s favorite charity, educate yourself if your mistake was an indication of your cluelessness about other cultures, races, or religions. In your heart of hearts, you know what to do to try to make things right. Apologizing well requires both humility and bravery.
Apologizing poorly is a lot easier. Look!
The “Sorry if”: Don’t be “sorry if” anyone was hurt by your words or actions. Be sorry that you were hurtful. Own it. The “if” adds a shadow of doubt—hey, maybe you didn’t say or do anything nasty after all! “If” is cowardly; “that” takes responsibility. Similarly, “it distresses me that you’re upset” is weaselly: You’re implying that their reaction has caused you grief. A good apology is not about you.
The “Sorry but”: “There’s a lot going on in my life” and “I was exhausted” diffuse responsibility. They’re excuses. Similarly, “that’s not who I am” announces that you were possessed by some sort of demon, like Zuul in Ghostbusters. If you said it, is indeed who you are. It’s up to you to face that unpleasant part of yourself and work to change it.
The poisoned apology: Susan coined this term for an insult wrapped in an apology, “like a cupcake with mud filling.” When you say, “I’m sorry I rolled my eyes and cut you off during the meeting, but you just kept repeating yourself,” you’re blaming the other person for triggering your bad behavior. “I’m sorry I yelled … but you provoked me,” likewise avoids ownership—if they weren’t so annoying, you wouldn’t have to apologize! It’s their fault! “I’m really sorry I tried to help” implies that the other person is a jerk—probably a jerk without self-awareness—for not accepting your kindness. “I’m sorry you misunderstood” hints that the other person is dimwitted. (Be sorry you said something hurtful, not that the other person mistook your meaning.) “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but you tend to take everything personally” not only puts the onus on the other person, but also makes their sin a habitual one. You’ve insulted them twice in one apology! Well done!
The “I was just being funny”: You hear this from professional comedians after they insult another race, gender, or group. But regular people do it, too. Saying you’re sorry while telling the other person directly or indirectly that she’s overreacting or has no sense of humor isn’t apologizing.
The extraneous words: Two words that have no place in any apology: “Obviously” and “misconstrued.” Here’s why: The word “obviously” is not a humble word. If you obviously didn’t mean the horrible thing you said, why did you say it? And if something really is obvious—if, say, you obviously didn’t intend to spill red wine all over your friend’s new couch, which I’m sure is true, because you’re not a sociopath—why point out it out? Saying that you obviously are a good person who wouldn’t hurl a fine Merlot hither and yon like a Real Housewife comes off as self-justifying, even if that’s not your goal. The word “misconstrued,” on the other hand, puts the onus on others for failing to see your good intentions. “Misconstrued” means you’re really not at fault. In a good apology, you do not present yourself as the aggrieved party.
The case of the missing nouns: In a lot of public apologies, the politician, celebrity or cretinous CEO never actually says what he did wrong. He apologizes for “what happened” or “the events of last week.” Sometimes the passive voice is favored, as in “unfortunate things were said.” To apologize well, you must name the sin. How else can you show that you understand the harm and won’t repeat it?
The “You are so sensitive!”: Apologizing while telling someone she’s overreacting is like giving her a delicious homemade cookie, then snatching it back and stomping on it.
“Let’s move forward.” Ban this phrase from your apologies. It’s code for “Let’s forget this ever happened.” You have no right to make that request; the person you wronged gets to decide it’s time to move on. The sinner doesn’t have the prerogative to rush the forgiveness process. (And don’t you dare say, “I’m paying the price, too”—that says you feel you’ve been punished enough. Not your call, babe.)
Bad apologies are cagey, ungenerous, grudging attempts to avoid taking full responsibility for whatever you’re putatively apologizing for. Good apologies are about stepping up. And sometimes that means apologizing even if you feel you’re the wronged party. You know the phrase “shalom bayit,” right? It means peace in the house. Not necessarily your actual physical house, though there’s certainly that. (I’ve apologized to my spouse when I felt he was the one in the wrong, and I’ve apologized to my children for laughing at their fury when, I’m sorry, their fury was kind of funny.)
A good apology means laying yourself bare. (Not in a gross selfie way. Anthony Weiner, keep your pants on.) It means putting yourself in the other person’s position, giving them what they want and need. In short, it’s not about you. And even though I’ve been analyzing apologies for two years, it’s something I need to keep reminding myself, during the High Holidays and all the time. Sinning is easy; apologizing is hard.
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Marjorie Ingall is a columnist for Tablet Magazine, and author of Mamaleh Knows Best: What Jewish Mothers Do to Raise Successful, Creative, Empathetic, Independent Children.I missed this story earlier in the week, so I'll take you to the beginning (via MLB.com's Tom Singer and Joey Nowak):
As sharp-eyed television viewers quickly noticed on Tuesday night, the Stargell Stars made a comeback on the Pirates' caps during the National League Wild Card Game against the Reds at PNC Park. It was not a completely faithful revival of Willie "Pops" Stargell's incentive of awarding little gold stars to Pittsburgh teammates for exceptional performances. For instance, even after hitting two home runs in the 6-2 victory over Cincinnati, Russell Martin still only had the one star with which he started out. And everyone in a Pirates uniform had them, even those on the bench or not on the active roster. The inspiration behind the new Stargell Stars -- black five-pointed stars with a gold "P" in the middle -- was bench coach Jeff Banister, the longest tenured man in a Bucs uniform. "I was privileged to know Willie, and he taught me what it meant to be a Pirate," Banister said. "He had so much influence on what this organization was -- and what it is again becoming. I felt it was very appropriate for Willie to be a part of this. "I'd had the thought all year. I was just waiting for the right time. It was time."
I'm embarrassed to admit that I did not notice the Stargell Stars, Tuesday night. But in my defense -- and in yours, if you also didn't notice -- they're pretty damned hard to notice.
The original Stargell Stars were impossible to not notice, because they were big and they were canary yellow. As you can see in the image above, the new version is quite subtle. So subtle, in fact, that I've got a hard time proving that "everyone in a Pirates uniform had them." Scrolling through all the images in our photo tool, I noticed them on Jason Grilli's and Tony Watson's caps... but I couldn't spot one on Clint Hurdle's cap, or Andrew McCutchen's or Francisco Liriano's.
I didn't know anything about this story until Saturday morning, when I came across this:
@KeithOlbermann MLB Gestapo at work, Bucs directed 2 remove Stargell Stars from public view on caps. No tradition w/o license fee. Sad. — George Contis (@GEORGECONTIS) October 5, 2013
... which sent me looking for some official word:
Due to licensing concerns, Major League Baseball cracked down on the Pirates for wearing Stargell stars in the National League wild-card game. The small, black stars with a gold “P” are not allowed to be visible on uniforms. Yet that hasn't stopped some players and coaches from wearing them during the NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. They've tucked the stars out of sight, such as under the bill of a cap.
Why would Major League Baseball crack down on something like this?
Two reasons. One, the legitimate impulse to control the imagery on the field. Sure, this seems an odd place to draw the line. One player can wear beautiful stirrups, and another can pull his cuffs down over his shoes? A player may wear a gaudy Phiten necklace? Brian Wilson is allowed to be Brian Wilson? But the line must be drawn somewhere.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid this line has been drawn purely for the sake of the bottom line. In the postseason, players are forced to wear caps that include that awful postseason logo patch on the side. It's not the logo that's awful. But the patch is awful, when placed on the side of an otherwise solid-colored cap. You know what I mean. And the players wear those caps because Major League Baseball sells those caps. It's a marketing decision that drives the livery, rather than the other way around. In this case, Major League Baseball is afraid that Pirates fans won't purchase the postseason caps if the players on the field are wearing a different cap. So any difference must be excised, posthaste.
Granted, there's an easy (if inelegant) solution: Sell postseason caps with the Stargell Star. Wouldn't those caps be significantly more desirable for Pirates fans? Of course they would be. But there's no time for that. Not yet, anyway. Maybe for the World Series. Or the next time around. Anyway, that would make the Pirates' postseason caps different from all the other teams'. And differences are discouraged, uniformity encouraged. At least on the marketing side of the operation.
Having said all that, I'm not really impressed with these new Stargell Stars. The original versions were handed out as rewards by Stargell (by the way, who awarded stars to Stargell?). But the new ones are just for being there, which I suppose is more in keeping with the 21st Century, when every kid on every last-place team gets a trophy.
The new Stargell Stars were a neat idea. But they're traditional only to a point. And they would look truly good on the Pirates' caps only if they were a little more noticeable, and in the absence of MLB's horrible mandated affairs.
Update: Okay, it seems that at least some Pirates were wearing their stars on the other side of their caps. Here's a great look at Francisco Liriano (and my thanks to Justin Koskovich for the link).Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerBrennan fires back at'selfish' Trump over Harry Reid criticism Trump rips Harry Reid for 'failed career' after ex-Dem leader slams him in interview Harry Reid: 'I don't see anything' Trump is doing right MORE (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday accused President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee of wriggling out of answering questions at a closed-door meeting.
"The judge today avoided answers like the plague," Schumer said of Neil Gorsuch. "This president is testing fundamental underpinnings of our democracy and its institutions. These times deserve answers and Judge Gorsuch did not provide them."
Gorsuch is meeting with top Democrats this week, including Schumer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinHillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid | Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration | New malicious cyber tool found | Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators Ocasio-Cortez adviser says Sunrise confrontation with 'old-timer' Feinstein'sad' Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid MORE (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.
Absent a historic rules change, Trump's nominee will need the support of eight Democrats to help overcome a 60-vote procedural hurdle on his nomination.
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Schumer noted that he spent a "great deal of time" asking Gorsuch "straightforward and direct" questions.
"Not about specific cases that could come before him or the court but about constitutional principles that would inform his decision making," he said.
Schumer noted that he asked if the "concept" of a Muslim ban could be constitutional, about the president's comments on voter fraud and his thoughts on the Emoluments Clause — which Democrats argue Trump's financial conflicts could violate.
"He refused to say even say what the framers thought about that clause," Schumer added.McDonalds will be opening a full outlet this spring in the Larry Uteck area, but before that McDs will open Dec 30th in Scotia Square but there may be a catch with the Scotia Square location as all the signage only indicated McCafe.
In Mic Mac news Spencer Gifts is open, IT Store v2.0 I was worried that there would never be a place to buy lava lamps again. Zumiez as well will be opening in Mic Mac this spring. However Wicker Emporium will be closing in the new year.
Harvest Wines has moved from their Bedford Highway spot and are now opened in Dartmouth’s Russel Lake Sobeys.
Vogue optical is now open on Robie where Pizzatown was beside Tareks
Rona got the go ahead to build the Bedford Place Mall store on end where Winners used to be.
Last Days for Spring Garden Second Cup as they will be vacating their longtime home on Dec 31. Hell that store was there before I knew what a Starbucks was.
Still a few shopping days left, remember to be friendly and courteous to all merchant staff you run across as they are working full tilt. Also plan more time than you need because you never know when the Costco line will go to the back of the store
Sirens in HSC will be closing after Christmas
its the though that countsStates that claim they’re committed to Paris do nothing for the climate and ill serve their citizens
Paul Driessen and David R. Legates
Ten states, some 150 cities, and 1,100 businesses, universities and organizations insist “We are still in” – committed to the Paris climate agreement and determined to continue reducing carbon dioxide emissions and preventing climate change. In the process, WASI members claim, they will create jobs and promote innovation, trade and international competitiveness. It’s mostly hype, puffery and belief in tooth fairies.
Let’s begin with the climate. When Delaware signed on to WASI, for example, Governor Carney cited rising average temperatures, rising sea levels, and an increase in extreme weather events. In Delaware, sea level rise is almost entirely due to subsiding land resulting from compaction of glacial outwash, isostatic response from the retreat of the ice sheets more than 12,000 years ago, and groundwater extraction.
The biggest threat to homes, roadways and wildlife habitats lies not in sea level rise – but in the effects of nor’easters, tropical storm remnants and other weather events that impact Delaware’s sand-built barrier islands. Moreover, not a single category 3-5 hurricane has struck the US mainland for a record 11.5 years.
Climate models have long overstated the supposed rise in air temperature. Recently, even alarmist scientists like Ben Santer have agreed that a warming hiatus has kept air temperatures unchanged for over 15 years, even as plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere rose to 400 parts per million.
No trends exist in tropical cyclones, tornadoes, floods, droughts or other weather extremes. Contentions that these changes will pose health risks and threaten our economy are purely scare tactics. Climate has always changed and weather is always variable, due to complex, powerful natural forces. Insisting that these events must be caused or exacerbated by human activity reflects a denial of basic climate science.
Full adherence to the Paris Treaty by all nations would prevent an undetectable 0.3°F (0.2°C) rise by 2100 – assuming that all climate change is driven by humans and not by natural forces. This meaningless achievement, by switching to 100% renewable energy, would cost $12.7 trillion to $93 trillion by 2030.
Surely, WASI members and the rest of the world have better uses for that money than chasing climate chimeras. Paying their massive state debt, pension, welfare and retirement obligations, for instance; in developing nations, getting electricity and safe water to people and ending their poverty and disease.
But substantially reducing CO 2 emissions will create jobs, won’t it? For every job these mandates and subsidies create, multiple jobs will be lost in businesses that require affordable, reliable energy. Your local or statewide CO 2 emissions may decrease. But in 150+ countries that are under no obligation under Paris to reduce their fossil fuel use, emissions will increase. WASI groups may take pride in “resisting Trump,” but their actions really hurt America’s working class families, who had no vote on the matter.
WASI members California, Connecticut, Hawaii and New York already have among the worst unfunded pension liabilities. Their residential electricity prices are already outrageous: 17 cents a kilowatt-hour in NY, 19 in CA, 20 in CT and 29 in HI – versus 9 cents in North Dakota. Honoring “Paris commitments” would send rates skyrocketing to German and Danish levels: 37 cents per kWh. Expensive energy will hurt poor and minority families the most and send jobs to countries where energy costs less.
Just imagine what your WASI actions would do to households, hospitals, businesses, factories, malls and schools. How it would kill jobs and swell unemployment and welfare rolls – while creating a lot of low-pay, largely part-time jobs. Rather than producing jobs, the Paris Treaty is a job-killer for the USA.
For all these reasons, we should be glad we are out! We ask those who have told their constituents they are “still in,” How exactly will you meet your Paris commitments, and what exactly will you achieve?
How will you slash your CO 2 emissions by 26-28% by 2025, as required for the USA under the Paris pact? The United States reduced CO 2 emissions by 12% between 2005 and 2015. But that was accomplished by a downturn in the economy and increased reliance on natural gas, most of which is produced by hydraulic fracturing. Will you support fracking and build more gas-fired power plants?
Or will you build new nuclear and hydroelectric power plants to reduce your fossil fuel dependence? You cannot rely on wind and solar, as they currently account for barely 2% of overall US energy needs and the mining required to get rare earth metals, cadmium, iron, copper, limestone and other raw materials for these technologies has extensive, often horrendous environmental, health and human rights impacts.
Growing populations mean more energy will be needed. Do you expect wind and solar to grow to cover the new demand? These highly expensive technologies require vast land areas, much of it taken from wildlife habitats – and huge government/taxpayer subsidies. From whom will you take this money?
What will you get for your efforts? The cost is enormous, for minimal benefits. Higher electricity prices will affect businesses, hospitals, jobs and families in your state. The impact of 30, 40 or 50 cents per kilowatt-hour electricity will be devastating – especially for the poor, minority and blue-collar workers and families you say you care deeply about. They will be forced to choose among energy, food, clothing, shelter, health and safety. How will this serve climate and environmental justice?
By contrast, a change in global air temperature of about 0.01°F will have zero impact. That’s how much reduced warming the world is likely to see from all the sacrifices imposed by “We are still in” programs. Storms, floods and droughts are not linked to CO 2 concentrations, so your actions will have no effect in these areas. Avoidance of an un-measurable increase in air temperature is simply not worth the cost.
Governors who have committed their states to this climate-centered resistance movement have done so without approval from the legislature or their constituents. How do you propose to pay for this unilateral executive decision? With tax increase and soaring energy costs? How will your constituents react to that?
The “We are still in” press release proudly proclaims that its members contribute $6.2 trillion a year to the US economy. That’s one-third of the United States $18.5 trillion GDP in 2016.
Under the Paris formula, the United States is to contribute $23.5 billion per year initially to the Green Climate Fund – with the US contribution rising to some $106 billion per year by 2030, based on the same percentages. Your one-third WASI share of that would be $7.8 billion in 2017, rising to $35 billion a year by 2030. Is this part of your vaunted commitment to the Paris treaty? How do you anticipate paying that?
Can individual cities and counties opt out of your pact, and become sanctuary cities or counties, to protect their jobs and families against runaway energy costs, climate fund payments and more autocratic actions?
By deciding that their schools will stay in the Paris Treaty, college and university presidents will drive up energy and other costs on their campuses. Did you consult with and get approval from your boards of trustees, legislators, taxpayers, students and parents – or was this simply another executive decision?
Delaware gets 95% of its electricity from natural gas, coal and oil. How exactly will the University of Delaware slash its fossil fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions by the 26-28% required by Paris? How will George Mason University, with Virginia getting 63% of its electricity from fossil fuels?
Have you calculated how much this will cost? Will you make up the difference by increasing tuition? How will you compensate those who can least afford these increasing expenses? In the interest of integrity, accuracy, transparency and ethics, have you made those analyses public (if they exist)?
Did all you “socially responsible” companies and organizations in WASI get approval from your boards of directors, shareholders, customers and clients before committing to stay in Paris? Did you analyze and discuss the likely economic and employment ramifications? Or are you the real climate deniers – denying the costs of anti-fossil fuel, renewable energy commitments, regulations, subsidies and mandates?
Finally, for the millions of voters, taxpayers, citizens, students, workers and consumers who are being impacted by “We are still in” states, cities, colleges, universities, businesses and organizations, we ask:
Are you still in with expending trillions of dollars to have an undetectable effect on Earth’s future climate? If not, perhaps it’s time you made your voices heard – and started resisting The Resistance.
Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org) and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power – Black death. David R. Legates is professor of climatology at the University of Delaware and a former Delaware State Climatologist.THE same week that Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008, a Swedish crime novel titled “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” was published in America. The book didn’t receive a ton of hype, not least because the author, a journalist named Stieg Larsson, was unavailable for interviews; he had died in 2004 of a heart attack at the age of 50. The mixed Times review appeared in the back pages of the Sunday Book Review. Many more readers were riveted instead by the Lehman article on that morning’s front page: “A Wall Street Goliath Teeters Amid Fears of a Widening Crisis.”
Larsson’s novel, the first of a “Millennium” trilogy he left behind, would nonetheless soar onto best-seller lists in America, as it has in much of the world. It remains a best seller 18 months later, even as the first of what may be two movie adaptations opens this weekend. In the many dissections of this literary phenomenon, much has been said about Larsson’s striking title character, a brilliant, if antisocial, 24-year-old female computer hacker who bonds with a middle-age male journalist to crack a chain of horrific crimes against Swedish women. Strangely, far less attention has been paid to the equally prominent villains in this novel — whether they literally commit murder or not. They are, without exception, bankers and industrialists. At the time of its American release, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” was far more topical than most anyone could imagine.
“A bank director who blows millions on foolhardy speculations should not keep his job,” writes Larsson in one typical passage. “A managing director who plays shell company games should do time.” Larsson is no less lacerating about influential journalists who treat “medi |
own "must read" suggestions in the comments section below will be entered to win one of two copies of 1000 Comic Books You Must Read in Wired.com's giveaway. Two winners will be randomly selected.
Wolverine No. 1-4 (1982, pictured top, image courtesy Marvel Comics)
In Frank Miller's take on the saber-clawed mutant, Wolverine battles ninjas in Japan and first utters his memorable tagline: "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice."
Batman No. 1 (1940)
Great villains beget great heroes, and this first full-on Batman comic features The Joker, Hugo Strange and Cat Woman. (Spoiler alert: The Joker dies.) Batman was introduced two years earlier in Detective Comics #27 in a six-page shorty that Isabella says essentially "plagiarized" The Spirit.
Weird Fantasy No. 17 (1953)
Artists Joe Orlando and Wally Wood illustrated Weird adaptations of Ray Bradbury's stories. The legendary sci-fi author cut a deal with EC comics to produce illustrated versions of his tales after catching several uncredited swipes of his material. "There Will Come Soft Rains," like many mid-century comic book stories, was inspired by the fear of imminent nuclear annihilation.
The Hulk, left, and Spider-Man make their debuts.
Images courtesy Marvel Comics
Incredible Hulk No. 1 (1962)
Tapping into nuclear angst, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee introduce scientist Bruce Banner in their origins story about a creature created when a gamma radiation bomb goes bad.
Amazing Fantasy No. 15 (1962)
Priced at 12 cents, this piece laid the Spidey foundation, showing how Peter Parker morphs into a superpowered hero after getting bitten by a radioactive spider. For the story, Lee crafted one of his best lines: "With great power, there must also come great responsibility."
1963 is a good year: Iron Man makes his debut (left) and the Fantastic Four get an annual.
Images courtesy Marvel Comics
Tales of Suspense No. 39 (1963)
Iron Man takes his bow. Anticipating by a couple of years the mainstream impact of the Vietnam War, Stan Lee and artist Don Heck introduce Tony Stark as a weapons manufacturer who devises an armored metal suit after getting wounded in Southeast Asia combat.
Fantastic Four Annual No. 1 (1963)
"Fantastic Four changed my life," says Isabella. After purchasing the comic book for a quarter at a gas station during a summer vacation, 11-year-old Isabella became "mentally exhausted" by the supercharged adventures. After reading the story of Submariner, Human Torch and gutsy Sue Storm, Isabella writes, "I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I wanted to make comic books."
The X-Men No. 1 (1963, image courtesy Marvel Comics)
Blurbed as being "in the sensational Fantastic Four style!" Marvel's Lee hit the teen demo in his first story about Professor Xavier's School for Gifted youngsters.
Love and Rockets and Swamp Thing expand comics' frontier.
Images courtesy Fantagraphics and DC COmics
Love and Rockets No. 1 (1982)
By focusing on Hispanic characters tangling with real-life issues, writer-illustrators Jamie and Gilbert Hernandez produced "the most important alternative comic of the 1980s," according to Isabella.
Saga of the Swamp Thing No. 21 (1984)
A couple of years before creating his own mythology in Watchmen, British comics writer Alan Moore wows readers when he takes over the Swamp Thing franchise and pens "The Anatomy Lesson."
Clockwise from top left: Maus, Superman and Jonah Hex
Images courtesy Pantheon and DC Comics and
Maus: A Survivor's Tale (1986)
Art Spiegelman won a Pulitzer Prize for this graphic novel drawn from material serialized in Raw comics between 1973 and 1985. The concentration camp saga forced high-brow critics to take comic books seriously.
Jonah Hex No. 1 (2006)
Isabella ranks this return of the scar-faced Civil War veteran as his favorite DC comic of the '00s.
All-Star Superman No. 10 (2008)
Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely stud their dense tale with fresh techniques, 70 years after Superman first rescued Lois Lane in Action Comics. Isasbella writes: "This issue packs more character bits and story into its 22 pages than most series do in a year."
Follow us on Twitter: @hughhart and @theunderwire.
See Also:The DD sequel is just days away and — like many of you, I’m sure — I’m wondering if Harry and Lloyd can deliver again. The original was such an out-of-nowhere tour de force of comedy. Still, if the sequel is even half as funny as the first, I’ll leave the theater sides aching and happy.
We know Dumb and Dumber To picks up with Harry and Lloyd 20 years later, but what about that original road trip to the magical town of Aspen and their quest to deliver a brief case to Mary “Samsonite”? To celebrate the return of Harry and Lloyd, here are some facts you might not know about their 1994 cross-country adventure in the Shaggin Wagon.
1. “We’ve landed on the moon!” was improvised by Jim Carrey. Many of the movie’s most memorable lines were simply thought up on the spot, and the Farrelly brothers gave Jim Carrey free rein to try stuff out. Jim simply thought of the moon line after noticing the newspaper headline hanging on the wall.
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2. Jim Carrey negotiated a $6.3 million pay raise for his part. As mentioned back in our facts post for The Mask, 1994 was a very good year for Jim Carrey. When producers came to him with the part in 1993 they offered $700,000, which was still pretty good for a guy who was only known for In Living Color. Then Ace Ventura: Pet Detective came out and broke the movie industry. This bumped Carrey’s salary up to $7 million in the course of about a week.
3. Jeff Daniels got the part because of an old Pepto Bismol commercial. Jeff Daniels was a well-established actor by the time Dumb & Dumber went into production, but it was an old — and kind of weird — commercial he had done in the early 80s that had the Farrelly brothers convinced he’d be a good fit for the part of Harry.
4. The most annoying sound in the world was improvised. The line where Lloyd asks Harry if he wants to hear the most annoying sound in the world wasn’t in the script. That look on Jeff Daniel’s face is one of genuine curiosity.
5. Harry had already pulled the Sea Bass scam in 1986. The scam that Lloyd pulls on Sea Bass at the diner is of course a reference to a movie he saw on TV once. What you might not know, is that the character who pulled that scam — but only nearly had his throat slit — is Jeff Daniels in the 1986 movie Something Wild."Max?" I yell into the air. "Would you be so kind as to stand on the bumper and keep this thing from rolling down this mountain?" It's late. Dark. Alcohol-fueled animal snorts, both human and machine, fill the air and soak into Johnson Valley's topsoil.
We'd ascended a peak to improve our view of the tens of thousands of dirty, teeming, and partying masses below. They seem totally irrelevant now. The Jeep balances on two wheels and stretches time. Max, man of action, thin of experience, has sensed that the Jeep is tilting dangerously in the dark. "Okay!" He yells over the clatter of falling rock. The perfect man for the job.
Max gamely summits the Jeep, bounces his mass against gravity and through the windshield the halogen-lit horizon glides back into view. Far below, the drunken nocturnal racket of King of the Hammers goes on as before. We'd found the macho thing we were looking for.
I guess it's been here all along. The Wrangler Willys Wheeler edition Jeep Wrangler is that broadly macho thing, distilled. Everything you need, nothing you don't; that's the thought. Purity of essence, as Cold War hero Jack D. Ripper would say. It's Jeep. Just Jeep. America's uncorrupted vital fluids collected, cooked solid, boxed and marketed and wholesome. Pure as rainwater.
My high school idiot chariot was a Jeep; a custard-colored and lifted CJ-7 that poured gasoline out its broken fuel filler at the slightest overfill or incline. With low gears and monsterous Super Swampers it could barely handle the highway. Hell, it could barely handle a corner. It was glorious and I loved it.
In the Willys Wheeler I find that same cool ambivalence. It's a nice fit now, attached to actual competence. We spent a weekend with the Jeep, chasing the world's toughest single-day off-road race. Dunes, rock crawling, whoops, ridges, high speeds, low. Everything, and the teeter-tottering moment perched on a tall hill over Hammer Town in-between. The Wrangler held up and hauled ass. It did whatever we were up for. It was game, and I was surprised, because cool ambivalence is a sure invitation for a thrashing. Did I mention it has a stick?
The Willys Wheeler package, that's the stuff you'd probably add to the option sheet anyway if you give a damn and don't want to shell out and go full Rubicon. Besides the fairly agreeable Willys decals there's a limited-slip differential, meaty springs and gas shocks (plucked from the Rubicon), shiny black wheels, monster tires and 3.73 front and rear axle ratios. That's the stuff you need. A leather-wrapped steering wheel and satellite radio make the cut as well. Argue the niceties all you like. You run out of decent terrestrial radio far out in the desert, and I spent the better part of my drive in a death-grip. I didn't mind having either.
All told, the options run this particular Jeep out to cool $32,480. Not shabby, as bargains go. A minimalist can get the Willys Wheeler package down to an MSRP of $28,895, which seems impossible. And desirable.
Electric windows, Good cloth seats. Decent stereo. The soft top seals up so well I forget we're towing dust in our wake until we check in with a track marshal, then the cabin fills with brown talc and we have a conversation in coughs. The steady stream of racers has slowed to a drip. We cross the track and look for action.
About the time we engage low-range is the same time I start worrying about my face coming apart from sun and bump exposure. The gas shocks don't seem to be capable of bottoming out, but my chin can, on my sternum. It does once, and we cackle like lunatics. Soon thereafter Max and I smell the sweet reek of coolant.
We are squarely in the middle of nowhere, even by King of the Hammers standards. My sweet little Chinese-made two-way radio, tuned to the frequency of the racer's meat wagon for fun and safety, has bounced out the window, never to be seen again.
"Disaster." I say.
"Coolant cap, knucklehead." Replies the Jeep.
And we carry on.
Six-speeds and a low-range are a hell of a thing if you're trying to stay ahead of the stink of burned coolant. Transitioning from a steep rock slab to a fast downhill just means stepping across the box and skipping some gears. They're long, luxurious throws, you lob the Wrangler into gear, doesn't matter which one. The 3.6-liter Pentastar six-banger doesn't mind. The spec sheet gives the appearance of modesty, 285 hp, 260 lb-ft. Neither are stirring figures in these days of monster turbochargers, but it'd be insulting to the nature of a Jeep if they were.
So would criticism, really.
Chris Cantle
The Jeep has been so good for so long you already know what you need to know about it. Don't buy one if you care about gas mileage. Don't buy the soft top if you live in a city. The rear seat is nearly vestigial. Otherwise, game on. You've probably had one, or had a friend that had one. You probably liked it and admired its sense of purpose. This one is like all of 'em, just better. More refined. Distilled. Pure as rainwater.To combat the mine threat, the United States, France and Turkey have sent about 65 experts to set up mine-awareness and mine-removal programs for the Afghan refugees, working under the auspices of the United Nations. That education effort began two weeks ago, and it is already evident that far more needs to be done, relief groups say.
''The problem is huge and the program is tiny so far,'' said A. Zahir Mohyuddin, a senior staff member of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief.
The use of mining warfare is nothing new. But military analysts say the Soviet mining campaign was extraordinary by any standard. Western estimates of the number of mines strewn across Afghanistan, a nation about the size of Texas, are at best educated guesses. The United States Defense Department puts the number at 10 million to 30 million mines, coming in nearly 30 varieties aimed at people and at vehicles. Scattered by Helicopter
''Most of the mines are antipersonnel devices that have been scattered almost indiscriminately,'' Edward W. Gnehm Jr., a Defense Department deputy assistant secretary, said in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs last week.
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Though the American-armed guerrillas also used mines, those mines' locations are known and the guerrillas lack the weapons needed for indiscriminate mine scattering, American officials said last fall.
The range of Soviet mines runs from the mundane to the sinister. There are ''stick'' mines - grenades on a stick with a trip wire attached. There are large pressure mines buried under roads on which trucks travel, and smaller pressure mines, about the size of pipe-tobacco tins, just under the surface of walking trails.
Smaller pressure mines have sensor wires extending from them, so that the mine explodes a few feet from the person who stepped on the sensor. Another variation is the multipressure mine, which explodes not the first time it is stepped on, but with the second or third foot tread.
Most of those mines have been placed around military garrisons to frustrate attacks by the Afghan guerrillas. Yet far greater in number, military experts and relief workers say, are ''butterfly'' mines, camouflaged booby traps with a pair of distinctive wing-like appendages. Those small plastic mines were scattered randomly around villages from Soviet helicopters, arming upon impact and waiting for someone to step on one or pick it up. Casualties Expected to Rise
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Still more insidious devices were dropped, including mines that resembled toys, balls and ball-point pens. Filled with liquid explosives, they explode when picked up, often children.
Neither the butterfly mines nor the booby-trapped trinkets have any military purpose. ''The purpose is really just to maim and terrorize people,'' said Gay-Leclerc Brennar, project manager of Freedom Medicine, the American-backed organization that runs the field hospital in Thal, near the Afghan border.
Medical-relief groups estimate that there have been several thousand mine-related wounds since the war began in 1979, but there is no way to know precisely. The comparatively fortunate victims are near the border and get attention from the couple of hundred of Afghan paramedics, such as those trained by Freedom Medicine, who travel with the mujahedeen guerrillas. If they can be kept alive and transported across the border, they have a good chance of survival. The less fortunate die of blood loss and shock.GRAHAME L. JONES / ON SOCCER It's not always rosy for U.S. soccer players in Europe
Many more than in previous years are making the jump, but not always with success.
For almost everyone else, it continues to be an immense struggle. Going into this weekend, this season's statistics tell a sad tale.
You need fewer than 10 fingers to count the Americans who are regarded as key figures on their respective European teams — Tim Howard at Everton, Clint Dempsey at Fulham, Steve Cherundolo at Hannover 96, Maurice Edu at Rangers, Michael Bradley at Borussia Monchengladbach, Brad Friedel at Aston Villa, Stuart Holden at Bolton Wanderers, Michael Parkhurst at FC Nordsjaelland and Carlos Bocanegra at Saint-Etienne.
Those days are gone, but simply because there are now scores of U.S. players plying their trade at various levels all across the continent does not mean that all are thriving.
It wasn't all that long ago when you could scour the professional soccer fields of Europe in vain looking for an American player.
• Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has been replaced as the starter at relegation-bound Wolverhampton Wanderers.
• Striker Jozy Altidore has not started a league game for Villarreal and has made only three substitute appearances.
• Defender Oguchi Onyewu could not get on the field at all for AC Milan and has been loaned to Dutch champion FC Twente, where he made his debut Wednesday.
• Winger DaMarcus Beasley made the move from Rangers in Scotland to Hannover 96 in Germany, but he has played in only four games, all of them off the bench.
• Defender Jay DeMerit could not find a club willing to take him after his contract with Watford expired and he moved back to Major League Soccer to join the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps.
• Goalkeeper Brad Guzan could not oust fellow American Friedel as the starter at Aston Villa, where he made only six starts, and has been loaned to second-division Hull City to get playing time.
• Midfielder Ricardo Clark has started only two league games and has been a substitute in three since joining Eintracht Frankfurt.
• Defender Jonathan Spector has played in only six games and started only five for West Ham United.
Yet, these same eight players made up more than one-third of the U.S. World Cup roster in South Africa last summer. If top-level Americans find the going tough, imagine what it is like for lesser players trying to break through in Europe.
Some, such as striker Kenny Cooper, gave it a shot and called it a day. Cooper, who was scoring goals with regularity when he was with FC Dallas, joined TSV 1860 Munich in the German second division. Two injury-riddled seasons, 15 games and three goals later, he has returned to MLS, joining the expansion Portland Timbers.
Others, such as Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj, keep plugging away. Lichaj, seen by some as the eventual successor to Cherundolo as the starting U.S. right back, recently has been getting more playing time at Villa and his future looks promising.
For every success story, such as Holden's, there are 10 times as many tales of woe.
"There are so many factors to playing in Europe, but the bottom line is that day in and day out you've got to earn your spot," U.S. Coach Bob Bradley said. "There can be moments in any club when things aren't easy.The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has upheld a number of complaints against the Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 in which the issue of abortion was discussed.
Colm O’Gorman of Amnesty International was a guest on the show last June following the publication of Amnesty’s report “She is Not a Criminal: The impact of Ireland’s Abortion Law”.
Those aggrieved by the content of the interview accused D’Arcy of a lack of balance, advocacy for a change in the Constitution to facilitate legal abortion and an absence of any challenge to Mr O’Gorman’s view.
RTÉ, defending the item, said the publication of the report, which was written by Amnesty’s senior legal advisor Christina Zampas, was a “significant” news story on the day because the organisation had used Ireland as a focal point for its campaign.
The study of abortion law in Ireland states the “near total abortion ban criminalises women for seeking the healthcare they need”.
Of six complaints regarding the content of the show and how it was handled by Mr D’Arcy, three were upheld, two in part, and one rejected.
One of those upheld argued the presenter “openly advocated a change in the Constitution” to favour legalised abortion, and a lack of balance.
“The complainant states that presenters such as Mr Ray D’Arcy can exert a strong influence on their listeners, particularly younger ones,” the BAI report noted in its summary of those views.
“It is therefore unacceptable to use his position to pursue an agenda, particularly this one which may again become the subject of a national referendum.”
The complainant also rejected the defence offered by RTÉ that the show’s interview with Ben Conroy of the Iona Institute 11 weeks later was a satisfactory claim of balance.
RTÉ said that interview allowed Mr Conroy to field a response to Mr Gorman’s views on the subject.
The BAI compliance committee upheld the complaints under section 48(1)(a) - fairness, objectivity and impartiality in current affairs - of the Broadcasting Act 2009.THE LEADER OF Ireland’s newest political party Identity Ireland has answered some questions TheJournal.ie put to him about the party’s policies and beliefs.
At the launch of Identity Ireland yesterday, anti-racism campaigners held a protest before being escorted out.
Leader Peter O’Loughlin, an unemployed primary teacher, told us he believes the party will take votes from people across the board and that accusations about the party being racist are ‘nonsense’.
“We don’t tailor our message to particular groups or demographics like most parties. Our message is for all voters,” said O’Loughlin.
1. What does Identity Ireland believe is the solution to the direct provision situation?
Peter O’Loughlin: An overhaul to ensure that genuine asylum seekers are catered for and bogus asylum seekers are refused and deported. An initial application plus one appeal is fair.
2. What’s the basis of your claim that 90% of asylum seekers are bogus?
From the Department of Justice and Equality website, Irish naturalisation and immigration service. “Most asylum applications (more than 90%) are found not to meet the criteria for refugee protection.”
3. What proportion of asylum seekers arriving in Europe do you believe are terrorists?
Without proper border checks it’s impossible to know, a highly irresponsible attitude by EU and government leaders.
4. If Identity Ireland had the power to, what specifically would it change in Ireland regarding border control and immigration policy?
Proper border controls to vet those who wish to enter the country, similar to the Canadian or Australian models which Irish people must go through. The number of Visas on offer would be based on Ireland’s economic and social needs for the benefit of the Irish people.
5. How would the party deal with the situation in the Mediterranean?
If people are picked up in the Mediterranean they should be returned to point of departure. It may also be a good idea to set up vetting centres in North Africa to distinguish between genuine refugees and economic migrants.
6. Given our membership of the EU, how specifically do you plan to change or limit immigration into Ireland?
We stand for EU dismemberment and the creation of a co-operative Europe of sovereign nation states, similar to the EEC, where Ireland would control these issues.
7. Would the party propose changing EU open border rules? Does it think Irish people would support tighter restrictions given that it would probably also limit our movement within the EU?
We would not be part of the EU. Movement should be based on bilateral treaties between individual countries instead of catch-all free movement areas. In terms of support, we will see in the future.
8. How does the party square its anti-immigration stance with Ireland’s history of emigration?
Very easily. The nations which Irish people have emigrated to generally have strict criteria in terms of entry requirement and demand that people are working. Social assistance would not be available. Ireland is perfectly entitled to insist on the same standards.
9. What do you say about the accusations that your immigration policy is racist?
Nonsense.
10. How would you respond to protesters’ claims that several of the party members have posted anti-Islam content on social media?
I have no idea what members do in their own time. Also what constitutes anti-Islam in the eyes of the extreme left? These are people who believe calling for proper border controls as practised by most nations of the world is somehow “racist”.
11. How many immigrants do you actually know? Are you friends with any?
I’ve worked with a lot of immigrants over the years. I’ve always gotten on well with the vast majority.
Identity Ireland founders Alan Tighe, Peter O'Loughlin and Gary Allen. Source: Catherine Healy via TheJournal.ie
12. “Immigration control” parties often subscribe to right-wing policies. Does your party? What are the party’s specific views on same-sex marriage, women’s rights/feminism, abortion, law and order, the role of Catholicism in Irish society, repealing the 8th amendment?
No. Our party is concerned with issues relating to sovereignty. These issues do not relate to regaining our sovereignty. Therefore we have no position on them barring law and order due to the very worrying level of crime.
13. What specifically are some of the party’s economic plans?
Regain our economic sovereignty and regain control of our natural resources. These resources should be worked for the benefit of the Irish people. For example we would hope that a 25% tax on our fishing grounds which are fished mostly by European fisherman who pay nothing to the Irish state would raise circa a billion per annum. This money could be invested to restart our sugar industry for example without the need to borrow or increase taxes, creating positive economic conditions. These type of actions can only be taken outside the EU.
14. Identity Ireland wants to disband the euro and return Ireland to the punt. Has it done an economic and social analysis of how exactly that could take place, how it could play out, and what the various possible consequences could be?
The Euro is a political tool designed to help create an European superstate. It is economically unviable. It needs to be voluntarily disbanded. Otherwise it will be torn apart in a crisis situation which will have disastrous economic consequences for all European nations.
Many European economies are on the brink. Unless decisive action is taken these economies will eventually succumb to their massive economic problems such as debt and record unemployment. Greece is only a few years ahead of the rest of us.
15. What party would Identity Ireland most like to be in a coalition with?
There is no other party which advocates for Irish sovereignty. They all support the European project and mass immigration. We could not go into coalition with any of them unless perhaps they radically altered their policies.
16. Which political leader or party, from history or today, do you most admire?
Michael Collins. He gave everything he had for Irish freedom.
17. How similar to Ukip would Identity Ireland consider itself?
Fairly similar. Our party is based in the Irish tradition of fighting for our freedom from oppressive forces. Our parties would have broadly similar policies though.
18. Why did you leave NIP?
Didn’t work out.
19. Why did NIP fail? It was the same thing.
Different people. Different thing. Why did it fail? Because it didn’t succeed.
Protester being escorted out of Identity Ireland launch. Source: Catherine Healy via TheJournal.ie
20. Can you explain what this statement from your website means? “Zero tolerance approach towards demands to alter national life, culture and traditions to accommodate minority held beliefs and cultures.”
If anyone demands that we alter our culture in order to practise their culture instead we give a polite but firm no. For example if someone were to demand that only males be allowed teach boys and females teach girls in certain Irish schools. This is not compatible with our culture. It’s a protective policy, just in case.
21. Can you explain what the “two strike rule for the most serious offences” in the party’s law and order policies means?
If you are incarcerated for committing a serious crime such as rape or murder and after you serve a sentence you re-offend in a similar manner you should be incarcerated for life.
22. Has it been brought to the party’s attention that “Aitheantas Éire” isn’t actually correct Irish?
The English language does not always translate directly into Irish. There can be different ways of writing something and it can still be correct. We have a number of very strong, fluent Irish speakers in the party and they have raised no objection.Senior Minister of State for Finance and for Law Indranee Rajah went “On the Record” with Bharati Jagdish about today’s political landscape, whether Singapore politicians are sufficiently in touch with people on the ground, and how Singapore can weather economic challenges in the coming years.
SINGAPORE: She was a lawyer who first entered Parliament in 2001. Her appointment to political office came after the 2011 General Election, when she took on the posts of Senior Minister of State for Education and for Law in November 2012.
At the time, the People's Action Party (PAP) was coming off a watershed election which saw it garner its lowest share of the popular vote since independence. She herself acknowledged then that it was not an easy time to be a politician, but she did it anyway.
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Since then, Indranee Rajah has been deeply involved in spearheading key initiatives such as ASPIRE, the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (ASPIRE), and speaking up about issues such as constructive politics. Most recently relinquishing her education portfolio for finance, she has continued to be involved in the Committee on the Future Economy, which aims to keep the Singapore economy competitive by positioning it for the future and identifying areas of growth.
She went “On the Record” with Bharati Jagdish about today’s political landscape, whether Singapore politicians are sufficiently in touch with people on the ground, and how Singapore can weather economic challenges in the coming years.
Indranee Rajah: I think many people, especially businessmen – small- and medium-sized enterprises in particular – worry about the economy as it is. There's a global slowdown. Everybody feels it. Their employees worry about whether they will be able to keep their jobs, businesses worry if they can stay competitive and keep their businesses going as they have been.
But I think if you look at it globally, everybody feels that there is a sense of impending change and people aren't sure how to deal with that change so there's a holding of breath, wait-and-see attitude. But this is not something that we have not undergone before.
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I did a talk for polytechnic students recently and as part of that, I asked my staff to do a little bit of research for the period when I entered the workforce which was back in 1986 and that was actually a recession period. That was the time of the Pan-El Crisis. I thought that there's a sense of deja vu now. I think the message that I would like to get out to people is that we've actually been in situations like this before and each time, we've managed to overcome the challenges. It's a question of being able to identify the right strategies and doing the right things to set things off in the right direction. So that is actually what the Committee on the Future Economy is intended to do, in tandem with the Budget.
Bharati: While you correctly point out that we've actually been through similar times in the past and history is probably littered with periods like these, does the situation today feel different to you?
Indranee: The change agent will be different at different times and I think what's different about this one from the others is the role of technology. I was reading in the newspapers the other day about “Tina the Turner”. In England they make cheeses, you need people to turn the cheeses. They've now automated that. The machine is called “Tina the Turner”. It just goes around turning these cheeses at exactly the right momentum, the right timing. You don't have to have an individual do that anymore.
I was thinking about it in the context locally, more and more people are moving to online shopping. What does that mean for retailers? Retailers after a while will feel this. How do you cope with something like that? One possibility would be for our big department stores to go into online shopping as well and actually let people shop online as well and then you do delivery. If you do delivery, you then create opportunities for dispatch guys or delivery people. So, you may have technology. Technology upsets things but you may see opportunities in it. It will work for every sector but in a different way.
OPPORTUNITIES EVEN AMID GLOOM
Bharati: How to succeed in spite of the pessimism that many businesses seem to be feeling today?
Indranee: I think that's the key. People are anxious. You can’t run away from that. They are worried because they are not sure what the future holds and they can see signs that look a little gloomy. But I think the right way to approach this is basically to have the kind of mindset that okay, if change is going to come, how can I deal with it? There will be some businesses that can go on as per normal, there will be somewhere the entire business may have to go and there will be somewhere where the business stays, but you have to do the same job in a different way.
Take IT for example, employers tell us they need people in the IT sector. When you speak to the potential employees in the IT sector, they say they've been trying to get the jobs but they can’t. So there's this odd mismatch because the employers say there's demand, the employees say that they're not taking up the supply. So we asked some of the employers what the issue was here and they said there are applicants, but they don't have the right skillsets – meaning that they are familiar with operating systems from before, they can’t write the necessary code for what is needed. In other words, they don't have the current skills.
So the key to that means that you have to get them to re-skill. That is what the TechSkills Accelerator from last year’s Budget is all about. But that requires a few things. It requires the potential employee to be willing to undergo this skills retraining. It requires in this case, the Government to step in and give support. It requires the employers to be willing to take on people who are learning these skills and to teach them. It requires a shift, an adjustment but you have to do this adjustment in order to get that sector going.
Bharati: How to get the companies to invest in people? Because while the Government does provide huge subsidies and opportunities for people to learn and re-skill, companies need to play a part here and they may not be willing to.
Indranee: The very best companies, the ones that have been able to grow and retain talent, usually will find that the key factor is not just remuneration. Money is only a part of it. For the employees who stay with companies or those who say they think their employers are good ones, usually it boils down to companies that invest in people. That means they see their people not just as a resource for the company, but they see the company’s role as developing talent, growing talent and that way, you get loyalty from your employees and your employees see their future with you.
I was in the private sector before and I found that to be true. Not all your employees will stay with you all of their careers but even when they leave, they can be very good friends. But what they appreciate the most is when you take time to develop them. And it has paybacks because obviously the employees are spending more of their time thinking about how to make things better for the company. It's better all round.
Bharati: I understand that you chair a working group within the CFE looking at the legal and the accounting industries. How can those industries be the example for all other industries as well?
Indranee: Legal and accounting are specialised skills but even they are not immune from the advance of technology and the current needs of the economy. In the past, it was enough to be a good lawyer. You just had to know the law, you give the legal advice and that's it. What the clients now say is, that's not enough. They need the lawyers and accountants to help them see round the corner. What comes next in terms of regulatory frameworks, what's the current thing in the region that they should prepare for? So the challenges for the lawyers and accountants would be internationalisation and regionalisation because the local market is really not big enough to absorb all the work that they can do.
I personally think that we have very good professionals in the legal and accounting sector and they are ready to regionalise, but how to do that? Going out and marketing and leveraging on technology as well. Using technology for research. There's a lot of talk in terms of AI for legal research. This is at a very nascent stage, but our people need to be ready to deal with that when it comes. Otherwise, you will find that you're obsolete, your system is obsolete, your approach, your methodology is obsolete. You need to think about these things and you need to think how to go out there and market. So these will be some of the themes that we will be picking up in our recommendations in the legal and accounting sector.
Ms Indranee speaking at the Singapore Accountancy Convention on Aug 25, 2016. (Photo: Calvin Hui)
HOW HELPFUL IS GOVERNMENT HELP?
Bharati: In spite of government help, many businesses remain pessimistic.
Indranee: For some of them, the ones that I have spoken to, usually it's a result of not knowing what's available. So there’s a sense of "I need some help and I can’t get it". This really results from the lack of awareness of what’s available. The trick is really to get the help targeted in a fashion that it does the most good. And that is |
extraordinaire of mythology. The Augustan poet Ovid tells us that upon the loss of his wife Eurydice, Orpheus shunned intercourse with women in favor of homosexual relations (Metamorphoses 10.78–85). Hence even if the wedding between Nero and Sporus did occur, Edward Champlin is surely right that Nero himself meant the whole thing as a joke, timed to match the Saturnalia.
At any rate, it is even more problematic to suppose that’s wrong and that the episode is real and that it was meant in earnest, because in that case Nero’s “marriage” to Sporus stands to real marriage as sexual intercourse between consenting adults does to prison rape. Nero was the supreme chancellor of an authoritarian state, with inducements or coercions to dole out as he wished. In this context, Sporus’ ability to grant or withhold consent is meaningless. (Neither Dio nor Suetonius mentions whether Sporus agreed to be castrated, either.)
Real or fictitious, the anecdote has no place in a discussion of gay marriage as we know it. To think of it as analogous to two consenting men or women wanting to get married in twenty-first century America is to make a category error, like calling a whale a fish. As a whale is not a fish, Nero’s purported castration of and “marriage” to Sporus is not an example of gay marriage.
Unlike the stories about Nero, other texts held up as examples of gay marriage in ancient Rome depict both partners consenting to the union fully. The problem with these relationships for the Latin authors who tell us about them lies, however, not in an abuse of power but in the upsetting of traditional gender roles.
Consider Juvenal’s second satire. In it, we are told, one Gracchus — a name with aristocratic connotations, like “Kennedy” — wedded a “horn dog” (cornicen — literally, a “horn player,” but the pun is as deliberate in Latin as in English). Gracchus provided the dowry, which makes him “the wife,” and the marriage was celebrated in the usual fashion (119–20):
Papers were signed, “Yay!” was shouted, a huge
reception’s waiting, the weird (nova — a pun, since it also means “new”) bride lay in his husband’s lap.
Juvenal finds the thought an abomination and continues (124–6),
The same man who sweat it out in combat while
duly wielding sacred implements
is putting on ruffles and a dress and a veil!
Whereas Nero’s “marriage” resembled prison rape, not gay marriage, Juvenal’s revulsion is rooted in transphobia. The poet is disgusted by the idea that Gracchus, who had formerly acted in a manner befitting a Roman man, has voluntarily become a “wife.” His anger at Gracchus calls to mind the scorn poured on Bruce Jenner in recent months.
Of course the cases are not identical; Jenner remains attracted to women, whereas many men in ancient Rome were never attracted exclusively to women to begin with. All the same, it is Gracchus’ adoption of feminine clothing and a woman’s sexual role that upsets Juvenal. And if Gracchus did identify as female (as the third-century emperor Elagabalus is sometimes thought to have done), then calling her wedding a “gay marriage” makes for a second category error.
The last piece of evidence for Roman gay marriage, Martial 12.42, tells a similar tale:
Bearded Callistratus became the bride of (nupsit) taut Afer
by the same rite (hac qua lege) that maidens (virgo) and husbands (vir) do:
Torches lit their way, a veil draped his face,
And your words didn’t fail you either, Talassus.
Even a dowry was declared. Rome! Aren’t you
satisfied yet? What — are you waiting for him to give birth, too?
Martial’s point is the same as Juvenal’s. It brings to mind Plautus’ Casina, which is set in Greece but performed in Rome. The play ends (in a bawdy scene that probably stems from popular farce) with a groom tricked into marrying a false bride, another man who has stolen into the bedchamber after the wedding and surprises her “husband.”
One point that Plautus, Martial, and Juvenal have in common is that each says one of the two men getting married dresses as a bride for the ceremony. If the weddings celebrate relationships between one transgender and one cisgender individual, that makes sense. If they don’t, the depiction suggests parody or metaphor rather than reality, as a famous ESPN cover from 1999 illustrated:
Mike Ditka, then coach of the New Orleans Saints, and his newly drafted running back, Ricky Williams (source: http://blog.nola.com/saintsbeat/2009/04/wedding_photo_of_mike_ditka_an.html)
But that scenario doesn’t match the reality of gay marriage as we know it in most cases.
None of these texts makes more than passing reference to the couple living life together after their wedding ceremony. The confusion between wedding and marriage is pervasive and it’s due in part to language, which brings us to the question of polygamy.
It is commonly said that legalizing gay marriage opens the door for legalizing polygamy. At first blush this may seem reasonable, as though expanding the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman to include marriage between two men or two women would remove barriers to state sanction of other nontraditional relationships. On consideration, however, it seems to do the opposite. In my view, legalizing gay marriage would shut the door on legal polygamy, firmly and decisively so, because it would confirm the government’s support of monogamous relationships. If that strikes you as a paradox, consider how Schopenhauer viewed the matter.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) was one of history’s great observers of human conduct. Though rarely studied today, his influence on Nietzsche, Freud, Einstein, J. D. Salinger, and countless others is a matter of record. Classicists should all read — nay, trumpet — his essay on the value of learning Latin. The text I am about to quote from is not that gem, however; it is part of the radioactive essay that, late in life, he devoted to his views of women. (It’s a text I don’t think anyone should trumpet.)
“There can be no argument about polygamy,” wrote Schopenhauer in 1851:
It is useless to argue about polygamy, it must be taken as a fact existing everywhere, the mere regulation of which is the problem to be solved. Where are there, then, any real monogamists? We all live, at any rate for a time, and the majority of us always, in polygamy. Consequently, as each man needs many women, nothing is more just than to let him, nay, make it incumbent upon him to provide for many women. … The Mormons’ standpoint is right.
Schopenhauer is drawing a distinction that is familiar to all of us who read Thucydides. Logos and ergon, res and verbum, name and thing, rhetoric and reality. They often don’t line up. Monogamy refers to a sexual relationship but polygamy refers to a conjugal (legal, social) one.
Schopenhauer forces us to confront that ambiguity and the values we attach to it. His solution — perhaps offered in jest — is to institutionalize polygamy among men and women, and force men to take care of all the women they’re sleeping with. The obvious corollary is to institutionalize gay marriage, because in doing so the state would demonstrate that it values monogamy among gay men and women as highly as it values monogamy among straight men and women. If we put it in Schopenhauer’s terms, a vote by the state against gay marriage is a tacit vote by the state sanctioning gay polygamy.
Just as monogamy refers to a sexual relationship but polygamy to a conjugal (legal, social) one, so in English does “getting married” make us think of a wedding — a party, with flowers and a cake — whereas “marriage” ought to make us think of a legal relationship. Galeatum sero duelli paenitet, warns Juvenal. If you are thinking of getting married, you would do well to distinguish weddings from marriages, ceremonies from contracts, before you do. They aren’t the same thing, although they sometimes sound like it. That is one reason bakers and florists have been boycotted for refusing to bake cakes or provide flowers for gay weddings, though we do not hear of them refusing gay couples their services on other occasions.
This confusion brings us back to Roman law. Marriage in ancient Rome was forever aimed at producing legitimate children for the state. Other sexual relationships were surely common, but a gay partnership was not one of those the state dignified with legal recognition. Scholars sometimes point to a text in the Theodosian Code that condemns the seeming practice of “when a man becomes a woman’s bride” (cum vir nubit in feminam — whatever that means) to maintain that gay marriages — they mean weddings, but say marriages — were actually happening in Rome. Here it is (9.7.3, dated to 342 CE):
Impp. Constantius et Constans aa. ad populum. Cum vir nubit in feminam, femina viros proiectura quid cupiat, ubi sexus perdidit locum, ubi scelus est id, quod non proficit scire, ubi venus mutatur in alteram formam, ubi amor quaeritur nec videtur, iubemus insurgere leges, armari iura gladio ultore, ut exquisitis poenis subdantur infames, qui sunt vel qui futuri sunt rei. Dat. prid. non. dec. Mediolano, proposita Romae XVII kal. ianuar. Constantio III et Constante II aa. conss. (342 dec. 4).
Unfortunately, the first part of this text is unintelligible and the only way to fix the Latin is to presuppose what it means. The first two clauses are obviously corrupt, probably in several places (nubit could be cubit, in feminam could be infamem, viros could be viro or viris, proiectura could be pro iactura or porrectura[m], and so on — forever), and we can’t even tell if it’s supposed to be a statement or an indignant question. All we can tell is that whatever the behavior is, the law definitely doesn’t like it — and definitely doesn’t sanction it.
Stare decisis, abiding by precedent, is the cornerstone of American law. When we have precedents to abide by, it works well. If we don’t and we’re tempted to cast our net wider, to see how ancient societies that seem like ours did or might have settled modern social questions, we had better have a clear understanding of what those precedents are.
Ancient Rome offers no precedent for gay marriage, just as it offered no precedent for the abolition of slavery or the emancipation of women. Juvenal, Martial, Plautus — those texts are fascinating witnesses to transgender women or transphobia, while Nero’s purported abuse of Sporus is a monument to power unchecked. You should read them all — but don’t forget they have nothing to do with gay marriage.
It is a mistake to classify a whale as a fish. As a whale is not a fish, “gay marriage” in ancient Rome is not gay marriage today.
Whatever the Supreme Court decides over the coming weeks, therefore, one hopes that the personal relationships of ancient Roman women and men won’t be relevant, and that the personal relationships of American men and women will.
Michael Fontaine is Associate Professor of Classics and Associate Dean of the Faculty at Cornell University, where he teaches courses on Latin literature and Roman society. His newest book is Joannes Burmeister: Aulularia and Other Inversions of Plautus. Read more of his work here.The Pakistani government has increased its efforts to restrict access to content on Facebook that it believes is blasphemous or critical of the state, data released by the social networking website revealed on Tuesday.
The Facebook ‘Government Requests Report’ shows that during the period Jan-June this year, the Pakistani government sent a staggering 1,773 requests to Facebook to restrict content, up almost 10 times from just 162 such requests during the July-Dec period in 2013.
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“We restricted access in Pakistan to a number of pieces of content primarily reported by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology under local laws prohibiting blasphemy and criticism of the state,” said Facebook.
Facebook curtails access to pages and posts by users from within Pakistan at the government’s request through a non-transparent agreement with the PTA.
No details of the requests, or specific content restricted were provided by the social networking giant.
Pakistan sent the third largest number of requests globally for content restrictions in the Jan-June 2014 period.
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India sent the highest number of such requests – 4,960 – in the first half of this year, with Facebook saying most of them related to “local laws prohibiting criticism of a religion or the state.”
Turkey made 1,893 such requests, the second highest number in the world, under “local laws prohibiting defamation or criticism of Ataturk or the Turkish state”.
In the first half of 2014, the Pakistani government also sent 116 requests for personal data of 160 users or accounts, with Facebook saying it produced data in 35.34 per cent of requests.
Facebook says governments make these requests as part of official investigations, and that the vast majority relate to criminal cases.
“In many of these cases, these government requests seek basic subscriber information, such as name, registration date and length of service. Other requests may also seek IP address logs or account content,” it says.
In the second half of last year, the Pakistani government sent 126 such requests seeking information for 163 users, with 47 per cent requests producing data. Only 35 such requests were sent in the first half of 2013.
’Censorship not a solution’
“Despite the government's claim that Pakistan is a democratic country, this trend of curtailing freedom of expression is against all democratic and political norms and unacceptable for any democratic society,” says Shahzad Ahmad, Director for Pakistani digital rights group Bytes for All.
Shahzad says digital rights groups in Pakistan are trying to tell the government that censorship is not a solution but a problem in itself.
“We have concrete examples from the past that there have been attempts to block political expression, including that from Balochistan. About two months ago, several pages were blocked which also included Roshni, the page for left-liberal rock band Laal, and others. We saw that there was nothing blasphemous on these pages — they were pages of political expression, against fanaticism and promoting religious harmony.
“Except for Laal, none of these pages ever came back online,” he says.
Govt requests for user data rise 24% globally
Reuters adds: Facebook said requests by governments across the world for user information rose by about a quarter in the first half of 2014 over the second half of last year.
In the first six months of 2014, governments around the world made 34,946 requests for data. During the same time, the amount of content restricted because of local laws increased about 19 per cent.
“We're aggressively pursuing an appeal to a higher court to invalidate these sweeping warrants and to force the government to return the data it has seized,” the company said on Tuesday.
Google Inc reported in September a 15 per cent sequential increase in the number of requests in the first half of this year, and a 150 per cent rise in the last five years, from governments around the world to reveal user information in criminal investigations.
—Data visualisations generated by Jahanzaib HaqueURBANA – Following two reports of job scams within the past couple weeks, the Division of Public Safety is hoping to remind students and others to be judicious when looking for employment.
A U. of I. student reported on June 15 that she had been the victim of deceptive practices after applying on a U. of I. online job board for a job that does not exist. The student said she became suspicious the job was not legitimate and called police after being asked to wire $150 from her account to another.
In the second incident, a U. of I. student reported on June 26 that she had been the victim of deceptive practices after applying on a U. of I. online job board for an office position. The student said she became suspicious the job was not legitimate after being asked to send $250 from her account to someone in Nigeria.
Job-seekers should never accept any job from someone who wants to send or receive a check or cash before the applicant is hired or actually working. This goes for all cases, whether the job is listed on a public board or through a service offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Some other commonalities between recent reports of deceptive practices exist:
Fraudulent employers have sought some sort of assistant.
Applicants are asked to set up a Yahoo! Messenger account to communicate with the fraudulent employer.
Applicants are asked to complete a series of menial tasks before asking the applicant to wire money to someone else’s account.
Applicants may be asked to buy supplies with a promise of reimbursement.
The University’s Virtual Job Board is monitored for suspicious or fraudulent listings, but there may be some delay between the time the job is posted and the time it is vetted and deleted by University staff.
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of deceptive practices or fraud should contact the University of Illinois Police Department at 217-333-1216.
The FBI also fields claims of Internet crime at www.ic3.gov. This does not take the place of a police report – it is offered only as an additional resource to report and track Internet crime.
Technology Services also offers a phishing resource page.Originally published Dec. 21, 2017.
When Evie Webb journeys to Haiti next month, she will be able to claim at least two new homes that dog treats built.
The eloquent 10-year-old, a fifth grade student at Flint Springs Elementary, is baking homemade treats for pooches and selling them for donations to her project of funding earthquake-resistant homes in the ravaged country.
It all came about when she learned that millions in Haiti are still in need of aid years after an earthquake hit that region in 2010. Evie, only 8 at the time, wanted to help.
“My dad told me about how the people in Haiti live in really small houses, because their houses got destroyed, or they were living in tents in tent communities,” she explains. “I wanted to make that not happen anymore, and so I got together Evie’s Dog Treats.
“My dad asked me three questions: What do I love? What am I good at? And what do I know? I love dogs, I love baking and I knew that the families in Haiti were still living in tents.”
Evie, who loves dogs but doesn’t have one, started the venture to make homemade dog treats to raise funds; she sells them for only a donation. She is raising the money for Maxima SA, an organization in Haiti that has a foundation to build storm and earthquake-resistant homes for families.
Eva Webb, Evie’s mother, says the entire family has helped her with the venture, but it’s pretty much Evie’s baby.
“We try to help her in the process of understanding something she could do to try to help in a situation that needs help,” Eva Webb says. “We brainstormed with her and when she landed on that she seemed excited about it.”
Evie would sit outside various dog parks, selling the treats at the gate for donations as people brought their canines to use the park.
“Sometimes we brought our skates, and we would skate around, asking people if they wanted dog treats,” she adds.
Her family also rented a booth at the farmers market in Huntington and featured her treats on a Facebook page, mailing them off to online customers. They also sold ornaments, homemade dog toys and even tutus, among other items, to help boost the amount of donations.
Evie was largely inspired by her family’s “One Year Road Trip” project, in which the Webb family spent 14 months driving 37,000 miles across America to interview and videotape youths in every state who are changing the world in a positive way with their own “changemaker” projects.
“I wanted to be a changemaker too,” she says.
Matt Webb, Evie’s father who teaches filmmaking at Huntington University, will lead a group of 13 university students to go to Haiti during the upcoming J-Term in January to finish shooting the One Year Road Trip documentary and two other ministry assignments. Evie and her family will go along. She plans to do some swimming and hiking, but she will also meet up with representatives of Maxima and see where her change making donations are going.
“They buy the supplies for the house and will build it there,” she adds.
It costs $3,000 to purchase one of the homes for a displaced family in Haiti. So far, Evie has raised about $3,500. Her determination brought a surprise response from Maxima SA.
“Maxima said, ‘If you raise this much by this time’ they’ll match it – and they are matching her amount,” Eva Webb says, meaning they can build two houses instead of only one.
Evie is still baking the dog treats, raising as much money as she can before the Webb family leaves for Haiti. She has had some repeat customers, whose dogs relish the whole wheat and peanut butter-based biscuits, cut into various holiday and seasonal shapes. She says they taste good enough for people to munch on as well.
She’s also brought treats to the dogs at the Huntington Humane Shelter. They were well received, she says.
Evie is excited to know that her efforts over the past two years will result in a new home for at least two families.
“It feels really good,” she says, demurely. “I’m pretty excited.”
To purchase the dog treats or make a donation to Evie’s project, visit her Facebook page, Evie’s Dog Treats.
More information about the Maxima SA Foundation can be found on the Maxima Company’s website, maximasa.com/?page_id=2.Hipster chronometer uses squares inside a golden rectangle to tell the time, and even doubles as a lava lamp.
Fibonacci clock: can you tell the time on the world's most stylish nerd timepiece?
Don’t you find clock faces quite aggressive, their hands and numbers constantly reminding you of the passing of the time?
If so, this beautiful invention is for you.
The Fibonacci clock lets you know the time more subtly, by changing colours and requiring you do some adding up.
The Fibonacci sequence is the sequence beginning 1, 1 and where each number is the sum of the previous two. Its first five digits are:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5
Philippe Chrétien from Montreal, Canada, noticed that these numbers are all you need to express all the numbers from 1 to 12.
1 = 1
1+1 = 2
...
1 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 5 = 12
Which means that it is possible to use them to describe the twelve positions on a clock, and therefore tell the time in 5 minute intervals.
Here’s what he did. It is possible to arrange squares whose side lengths are the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence into a rectangle. (This is the famous golden rectangle - here’s a previous post about that).
The squares in his clock have side length 1, 1, 2, 3, and 5. The squares lit up in red tell you the hour, and the squares lit up in green give you the minutes (in multiples of five). A square lit up in blue means it is to be added for both hour and minute. White squares are ignored.
I’ll do the first one below: for hours, you have red 5, red 1 and blue 3. 5 + 1 + 3 = 9 o’clock. For minutes: green 2 and blue 3. 2 + 3 = 5. Then 5 x 5 = 25minutes. So, the time is 9.25.
Photograph: Philippe Cretien/Kickstarter
Philippe Chrétien says the clock is for “curious and inventive people who like a time piece that keeps them on their toes.”
And there are lots of them out there. Since Philippe put the clock on Kickstarter this week he has already reached way over his target.
Photograph: Philippe Cretien/Kickstarter
I think the clock is rather lovely. Although you would stare at it adoringly for a while before realising you were late.
And unlike most clocks, it has a lava lamp mode. For when you just want to forget what time it is.
My latest book Alex Through the Looking-Glass: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life is just out in paperback.
If you want to be kept in touch with this blog I’m on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.The Nashville Predators have a wealth of forward prospects, both in the AHL and around the world. One of those prospects is 18-year-old Justin Kirkland, who plays for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. He was the only Predators prospect to participate in the 2015 Mastercard Memorial Cup tournament.
Kirkland spoke exclusively with Predlines.com, and talked about the Rockets’ Memorial Cup Final loss to the Oshawa Generals, as well as his future with the Predators. He is a big fan of the new-look Predators, and has followed them throughout Peter Laviolette’s first season at the helm. He wants to make an impact on the team, and in a big way.
“My ultimate goal is to be a top-six forward with the Predators,” he said. “I’m a bigger body, and I want to develop into a full-time power forward in the NHL. If I could do that, I would be more than happy.”
On the Memorial Cup Final loss, he said it was one of the toughest he experienced.
“Obviously, it was a huge disappointment,” he said. “All year, we worked for that trophy, and we were right there and so close. That’s the part that hurts the most.”
Kirkland also said that despite not reaching the ultimate goal, his team accomplished a lot.
“There’s not a whole lot to dwell on when you look at what we accomplished as a team,” he said. “We were WHL champions and made the Final. For me, I look back on it as a very successful year and a learning experience for all of it.”
In his second full season in the WHL, the 2014 third-round pick in the had a career year, despite missing extended time due to injuries, He put up 51 points in 50 games during the regular season, more than he put up last season in 68 games. His playoff performance was phenomenal as well. Kirkland had five points in the WHL playoffs, and five points in the Memorial Cup tournament. He said that dealing with the injury was the biggest lesson for him in his second major junior season.
“My ultimate goal is to be a top-six forward with the Predators.” –Justin Kirkland
“Those were the first injuries that really took me aside from the game in my career,” he said, “I think I learned a lot about how to manage that and how to stay in shape while I was injured.”
Kirkland also figured out how to step up and be a leader on the ice.
“I learned how to be a game-changer every night,” he said. “You’re a second-year guy now, so you’re going to be relied on more. I thought I did a good job of it.”
With the offseason beginning, Kirkland is turning his focus to Nashville. Last summer, he attended Development Camp, the Rookie Tournament, and Training Camp. This year, Kirkland will be back in Music City for Development Camp and Training Camp. He hopes to make an impression this time around.
“I’m looking forward to getting back and seeing some of the guys,” he said. “We battle in Development Camp, but it’s a lot of fun. After that, we’ll be back in camp in September. Hopefully, this year, I’ll be able to stick around a lot longer than last year. My goal is to improve every year and leave my mark there.”
Kirkland has been mentored by Rockets alum and Predators captain Shea Weber since he was drafted. He said it’s been very helpful to have a guy like Weber around.
“Shea’s been so good to me,” he said. “He’s reached out and sent good luck texts during the Memorial Cup process. I think it’s given me even more motivation to be the best I can be. I can’t thank him enough. He’s been a guy to look up to.”
As for his future with the Predators, Kirkland has high hopes. He has two years of junior eligibility left, and will at least use one of them. But, he wants to play in the NHL, whether or not that happens this year, the next year, or three years from now.
“I want to play in the NHL as soon as I can,” he said. “Obviously, I need one more year in the WHL. After that, I’m hoping to make the jump at 19 either to Nashville or Milwaukee.”
He’ll be back in Kelowna for the 2015-2016 WHL season. Kirkland said he has some aspects of his game to work on.
“I mostly want to work on my strength and speed,” he said. “This is a big offseason for me, especially with one more year to earn myself a contract with Nashville. I’m looking to go back and leave a good impression on them at Camp.”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
Parents were told if they refused to send children as young as eight to a workshop on Islam then a “racial discrimination note” would be attached to pupils’ files.
Angry mums and dads were sent a letter by Littleton Green Community School, in Huntingdon, Staffs, warning their children would be considered racist if they did not go on the school trip.
The visit to Staffordshire University - for Year 4 and Year 6 pupils - had been arranged as part of the children’s “cultural education”.
Headteacher Lynn Small wrote to parents and said if kids did not attend a note would be made on the pupil’s records and would remain there for their school careers.
Littleton Green school later withdrew the threat. But mum Tracy Ward was shocked by the letter.
She said: "To be told my kids have got to attend this workshop is disgusting.
“Everyone should have a choice but that’s my opinion and I don’t want a stain on my kids’ record as a result.
“They are not old enough to be called racist.”
Another parent Gillian Claridge, 55, added: “To be told we had to pay for the trip as well was just a kick in the teeth.
“How dare they threaten to brand the children racist at such a young age. Its going to make them feel like little criminals.
“The very nature of religion is all about choice - on this occasion they were not being given any choice at all.
“It was draconian move and its left a lot of parents fuming.”
The school made a U-turn and withdrew the threat after council chiefs intervened. A letter from the head to parents apologised for “inaccuracies” in the previous correspondence.
South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson slammed the original move - labelling it “bonkers”.
He said: “The idea of attaching a ‘racial discrimination note’ to children’s education records saying it will remain on their file for the duration for their school career seems unfair, particularly when it is no the child’s decision whether or not he or she attends.
“It seems a very heavy-handed approach.”
Defending the decision Mrs Small said that exposing the pupils to other faiths was part of the school’s statutory duty.
She said: “We are a mainly Christian school, but we have to cover at least one other religion as part of the national curriculum.
“This visit is part of that.
“They would not be taking part in any religious practices. We have had similar workshops on a variety of religions in the past - including one on Islam with no problems at all and the children have absolutely loved it."A leading legal aid firm has accused the Metropolitan police of criminalising a generation of students for taking part in the protests against tuition fees.
Hodge Jones & Allen, which specialises in protest litigation, argues that the Met has handed out an excessive number of cautions for the offence of aggravated trespass to students.
The offence is committed when someone trespasses on open land and causes disruption or intimidates. It results in a criminal record.
The Met said it had issued 26 cautions for aggravated trespass after the 10 November protest against higher tuition fees. It said that no one else had been issued with a caution for this offence after subsequent protests, on 24 and 30 November and 9 December. However, up to 150 people were arrested in total at the four protests and lawyers say most of these are still awaiting a police decision and could still be issued with a caution for aggravated trespass.
Lawyers at the London firm said they were acting for a "significant number" of students arrested after the November and December protests. They argue that the offence of aggravated trespass is easily committed and is "being used by the Met to criminalise people for exercising their right to protest". They warn that students with cautions for the offence could be turned down by future employers.
"Conduct falling within the category of aggravated trespass can literally be anything that is potentially disruptive, such as playing a musical instrument," said Ruth Hamann, one of the firm's criminal lawyers.
Cautions are formally recorded on the police's national computer database as an admission of guilt to a relatively minor criminal offence.
It would be unlikely for someone with a caution on their record to be given another if they re-offended, Hamann said. Instead, they would be treated more harshly.
"This may dissuade some young people from attending subsequent protests for fear that they might be charged with an offence and required to attend court," she said.
She warned that students had to disclose any cautions when applying for jobs in teaching, law and medicine, among other professions. "While aggravated trespass might not be the sort of offence that would automatically make a person ineligible for a job, it may encourage an employer to favour another candidate over the candidate with a caution. Our concern is that, by using these wide discretionary powers, the Met are criminalising a generation of political activists."
Hamann said she thought further arrests would be likely after a major protest, being organised by the TUC, against cuts to education and public services in central London on 26 March. Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to take part.
Last week Scotland Yard announced that it had employed a "kettling manager" before the 26 March protest. The Met has been working on plans to avoid the violence that marred student protests last year and is poised to request assistance from neighbouring forces.
The TUC is working with Scotland Yard, and both insist they expect the protest to be peaceful.
A spokesman for the Met said decisions to caution people had not been made lightly. "To be cautioned, you have to admit the offence. We would not normally release someone who had admitted an offence without any action. We would, of course, follow any national guidelines on how to deal with young offenders."
Rees Johnson, a 20-year-old student from Newcastle who was issued with a caution after the 10 November a protest in central London last November said he would not be going to any further demonstrations out of fear that he might be arrested again. "It seemed as if the police could arrest people for just being there," he said. "If I found myself in trouble again, I wouldn't be entitled to a caution, so I won't be going to any more protests."PHUKET - Police believe they have found the body of Alexei Slabinskiy, a Russian businessman thought to have been abducted along with his girlfriend in Phuket almost a month ago.
The body was found in the island's Thalang district Saturday. The Russian property developer disappeared from his home on March 7.
He is believed to have been abducted with his girlfriend, 23-year-old Russian Yana Strizheus, who was later found in a resort. Police discovered the body while searching for the suspected abductors.
Earlier: Body believed to be Russian
Local media sources reported Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont as saying the suspects - Oleksandr Boychuk, 44, and Aleksandr Novichkov, 58 - had rented a house in Soi Koktanode in Cherng Talay.
"We dispatched 40 officers and specially trained police sniffer dogs brought in from Nakhon Si Thammarat to search the area," he said.
"At 1pm today, I received a report that the body of a foreign male was found at a lagoon near the suspects' rented house.
"We believe the body is that of Mr Salbinskiy as the sniffer dogs found the remains while searching the area using scent from Mr Salbinskiy's belongings."
The body was sent for forensic examination.
Ms Strizheus sustained multiple external injuries, mainly to the neck. She also appeared weak when she was discovered.
Phuket Provincial Court have issued arrest warrants for Mr Boychuk, a Ukrainian, and Mr Novichkov, a Russian national.
The two are wanted in connection with the alleged kidnapping of Ms Strizheus. The suspects are facing charges of illegal detention, robbery and attempted rape.
The search team checked the area in tambon Cherng Taley after questioning Ms Strizheus.
Cherng Taley is where Ms Strizheus was discovered injured in a hotel room on March 16, more than a week after the couple were reported missing. Local police and border patrol police from Nakhon Si Thammarat took part in the search operation for Mr Slabinskiy.
Relatives and friends of Mr Slabinskiy recently offered a cash reward of 500,000 baht for any information leading to the arrest of the two kidnappers.
The investigators believe the suspects are still hiding on Phuket.In a patch of otherwise empty desert 30 miles south of Dubai, the outline of what is |
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Giuseppe Nelva February 13, 2012 12:17:25 PM EST
We all know that LEGO produces a very successful series dedicated to the Star Wars franchise. What we didn’t know yet is that they are releasing two kits dedicated to Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The kits, showcased at the Toy Fair in New York, will be themed after the Imperial Fury class interceptor (that you can pilot as a Sith Warrior and Inquisitor) and the Republic Striker class variable starfighter. They will also include characters from the game like Darth Malgus, Satele Shan and Jace Malcom.
You can see some pictures below or check out the extensive photo sets by From Bricks to Bothans here and here. Both sets will be available in August. The Fury will be priced $89.99 and the Striker will take $44.99 out of your wallet.
I’m starting to wonder if we’ll get a LEGO Star Wars: The Old Republic video game.There will be a point in the future when the number twenty-six no longer occupies the heart of the Chelsea back four. The number is venerated at Stamford Bridge; in many ways it embodies everything about the Chelsea that I know. It will only ever represent one person. Twenty-six is the captain, the heartbeat of this football club. Twenty-six runs through brick walls for this team. He has been an intrinsic part of the extreme highs and extreme lows of the Roman era: that is the beauty of supporting this football club. We rarely do things easily. It does not matter what era, that common trait is woven into the tapestry of how things are done here. I think above all else John Terry gets that.
"If you need help with anything, John is always there." - Juan Mata
Since making his debut in 1998, Terry has developed into a phenomenal player. Through determination and a desire to work harder than anyone else he became the best centre back on the planet. Plaudits from world class strikers, players and managers on the continent cemented his place as one of Europe's greats. His regular selection in the FIFPRO XI said everything that the English media did not want to. Domestically, there is a vitriolic defiance in giving him the credit he actually deserves. The last defender to win the PFA Player of the Year award, he could not even make the Team of the Season when he was patently the best centre back in the league.
Your perception of John Terry is, at this point, likely to be cast in stone. Much like this football club, Terry is imperfect. However, his trials and tribulations have never inhibited his commitment to Chelsea. In the face of adversity Terry seems to grow. With the world at his door he responded in the only way he knows how by scoring at Burnley. Absolutely nothing distracts him from winning. Think of the goals against Napoli, that glorious header at Highbury and that defining moment against Barcelona in 2005. When the chips are down and we are at our lowest Terry is always there with a moment of inspiration.
Social media mixed with footballers forms a highly volatile cocktail. Rarely does anyone greatly enhance their reputation via tweeting, and more often the opposite occurs. However, through Instagram, we are finally getting to see Terry for what he is beyond the media painted persona. Anecdotally Terry has always gone above and beyond with very little fanfare, but his recent exploits have finally garnered him positive headlines.
What captain goes out of his way to reply to an impassioned fan asking him to help solve issues surrounding atmosphere? Even beyond that, what captain actually takes time out of his day to call the fan and talk with him about what is going on? Terry's reaction to a fan who had recently lost her mother was particularly poignant. He is one of us.
As always Juan Mata says it best: "If you need help with anything, John is always there. And even if he has made mistakes, does he have to be reminded of them all his life?"
Every academy player has glowing things to say about him. It's not difficult to see why - in the most touching story, Terry famously lobbied the team to use their "discipline fund" to pay for a youth team player to go on holiday with his mother. The player was coming back from injury at the same time as Terry and the two formed a bond in rehabilitation. During the players first game back Terry turned up five hours before a training session to watch him play. You can read the full account here and I would strongly recommend you do so. These are not the acts of a normal footballer at any club. They come from being inherently Chelsea and growing up as part of this clubs transformation into a European powerhouse. He is the link between our past and the Roman era.
In a way Terry is the embodiment of why it is paramount for the club to produce its own players. You look at the likes of Dominic Solanke and Lewis Baker (amongst many) who have been here since they were babies. They get the club. You notice it in how they perform for their relative age groups and you can tangibly see the pride they have in stepping on the pitch as a first team player. When Terry goes who is here to uphold that link? Who gets what it means to play for the club they grew up in?
The intricacies of football support are as unique as the makeup of each team. Terry enjoys a particularly special relationship with the fans in this respect. Other fans who continually love to berate him (is that full kit joke still doing the rounds?) are mostly doing so out of jealousy. At any point during his career, Terry would walk into any side and take the captain's armband within weeks. As a footballer and as a leader no one really touches him. In a season where Yaya Touré is content to earn millions while sulking about the Etihad every weekend Terry reportedly took a pay cut to remain at the club. He is playing as well as ever and you get the feeling that anything is possible while he remains at the core of the club.
Far too many people let their view of Terry frame their thoughts on him as a player. Name me a list of centre backs who can hit 50 yard passes from either foot? Or name a centre back that has remained at such an elite level without genuine pace? Terry's intelligence, positional play and instincts are so rarefied that few will ever approach them. It is why Terry is playing at such a high level now. When you combine pure defensive acumen with the intangible will to win that Terry possesses, there is little to fault.
As a footballer and as a leader no one really touches him
The evolution of Terry from his bizarre treatment under Villas-Boas and the Interim One to defensive stalwart are again testament to his capacity to adapt and succeed. Whenever you feel that this might be the season that Terry is finally eased into a more rotational role, he exceeds himself time and time again. He was always the aggressor with his defensive partners. Countless times Terry would attack the man or the ball and simply win the contest. He was unbeatable when paired with William Gallas, as their record attests. Also, he was equally magnificent when playing with Ricardo Carvalho. Throw in the presence of Claudé Makélélé and you had a perfect trifecta of defensive ability.
Transitioning from this role over the past two seasons has been fascinating to watch. Instead of being the defender to engage, press and destroy he is now sitting back and cleaning everything up. There is a wonderful balance between him and César Azpilcueta on the left. The understanding is near telepathic and Azpilicueta provides the necessary pace to compensate if required. Terry is still physically dominant - he rarely loses anything in the air and his tackling is still outstanding. We now see him making far less crashing challenges. Instead he now wins possession easily through interceptions or simply being in the right position.
While other defenders naturally regress with age Terry has had a renaissance. His goal against Maribor this season showed that there is plenty of life in his legs yet. Terry has always been extremely technical, nonetheless rarely draws praise for this side of his game. A great passer of the ball off both feet, unexpectedly skilful and one of the biggest threats from set pieces the game has ever seen. Terry's goal tally stands above some contemporary midfield luminaries. It is often the nature of these goals that elevates Terry's status. There may never have been a more celebrated goal at Stamford Bridge than his header against Barcelona. Big goals, big moments and big games.
There have been frustrations as well. Moscow, the red card in the Nou Camp, missing out on Munich and then Amsterdam will all haunt Terry. However, we as a club are stronger for these disappointments and Terry in particular reflects this ability to overcome insurmountable odds. Terry may never quite get over the disappointment of Moscow, but that loss was a catalyst. The nature of that defeat stayed with the squad and manifested itself in the spirit that somehow saw Munich happen.
As a leader Terry is the greatest that the Premier League has ever seen. He was, unofficially of course, the captain for the first ever FIFPRO XI team of the year. The respect amongst his peers is tangible and perhaps this excerpt from an interview with Stiliyan Petrov talking before a charity game is most revealing:
"Before I was ill I knew John only from shaking hands before kick-off in matches, and as a fierce competitor. We had also met and talked at the meetings the Premier League hold for captains before the start of each season. But from the moment the news came out about my illness he was one of the first to get in touch and he has carried on being supportive ever since. He doesn’t always have an easy time with the fans, but I have seen a very different man to that image. He has gone out of his way to encourage me at different times – always sending messages and texts while I was going through treatment, even though sometimes it might have been a month before I felt strong enough to return them. When I was planning this game he was the first to sign up. I rang and asked if he could take part and he just said: ‘Tell me when and I’ll be there’".
Leadership will always be a quality inextricably linked to Terry and his Chelsea career. There has never been someone with the tenacity and will to win that compares with what he has regularly delivered. Consistently playing through injury, habitually taking painkillers to get through games and putting his body on the line with shuddering frequency are the hallmarks of Terry as a captain. I cannot recall a player in the modern era who has given as much to a club. Terry represents the level of effort any fan would give for just 5 minutes on the pitch.
Away from matches it is regularly reported just how much effort Terry puts into cultivating team spirit. Any new player is given Terry's number and told to call about absolutely any concerns they might have. How he is acting with Kurt Zouma currently could have a lasting impact beyond his years. For how Marcel Desailly worked with Terry, you would expect the current skipper to cover everything to ensure Zouma takes every ounce of knowledge needed to succeed him. Give the twenty year old 10 percent of Terry's defensive instincts and you are looking at a ridiculous prospect.
Terry's role is as much about playing centre back as it is about imbuing the current generation with the same type of spirit as the old guard in Munich. While he is incredibly important on the pitch his role now transcends that of a player. What the future holds for Terry is a mystery. Just how long does he have left? He is showing no signs of slowing down and he may actually be getting better as he adjusts to his new role. I would love him to finish his career here.
He is the greatest captain this club has ever had and certainly one of the greatest players. Seeing him lift the Premier League title at the end of the season would be a fitting tribute to his exceptional time here. Hopefully there are a few more years left in JT - we definitely need him.
"For John Terry, dying on the pitch would be an honour. You'd have to kill him and he might still play" - Luiz Felipe Scolari
John Terry is the captain of all team captains, he was born with the captain's armband on his arm. Even without the band, it's as if he wears it anyway, and that's how it ought to be. He's different from all the others, Chelsea is his home, it always has been, ever since the youth squad. One word from him, and the locker room holds its breath. He's the first one to sit down at meals, the first one to stand up. Being part of this club is his mission, that's how he was made. He pays close attention to the performances of the youth team, he keeps up, he knows all the scores, he misses nothing (although he often loses at ping-pong in the dining room - and when that happens, watch out). He works twice as hard as everyone else, he has the sense of responsibility of someone who runs a company, a people, a philosophy that above all has to win. There is no room for second place; there can only be room for us. - Carlo AncelottiFor all of the can-you-top-this qualities to Mr. Clarridge’s operation, it is a startling demonstration of how private citizens can exploit the chaos of combat zones and rivalries inside the American government to carry out their own agenda.
It also shows how the outsourcing of military and intelligence operations has spawned legally murky clandestine operations that can be at cross-purposes with America ’s foreign policy goals. Despite Mr. Clarridge’s keen interest in undermining Afghanistan’s ruling family, President Obama ’s administration appears resigned to working with President Karzai and his half brother, who is widely suspected of having ties to drug traffickers.
Charles E. Allen, a former top intelligence official at the Department of Homeland Security who worked with Mr. Clarridge at the C.I.A., termed him an “extraordinary” case officer who had operated on “the edge of his skis” in missions abroad years ago.
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But he warned against Mr. Clarridge’s recent activities, saying that private spies operating in war zones “can get both nations in trouble and themselves in trouble.” He added, “We don’t need privateers.”
The private spying operation, which The New York Times disclosed last year, was tapped by a military desperate for information about its enemies and frustrated with the quality of intelligence from the C.I.A., an agency that colleagues say Mr. Clarridge now views largely with contempt. The effort was among a number of secret activities undertaken by the American government in a shadow war around the globe to combat militants and root out terrorists.
The Pentagon official who arranged a contract for Mr. Clarridge in 2009 is under investigation for allegations of violating Defense Department rules in awarding that contract. Because of the continuing inquiry, most of the dozen current and former government officials, private contractors and associates of Mr. Clarridge who were interviewed for this article would speak only on the condition of anonymity.
Mr. Clarridge declined to be interviewed, but issued a statement that likened his operation, called the Eclipse Group, to the Office of Strategic Services, the C.I.A.’s World War II precursor.
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“O.S.S. was a success of the past,” he wrote. “Eclipse may possibly be an effective model for the future, providing information to officers and officials of the United States government who have the sole responsibility of acting on it or not.”
A Pentagon spokesman, Col. David Lapan, declined to comment on Mr. Clarridge’s network, but said the Defense Department “believes that reliance on unvetted and uncorroborated information from private sources may endanger the force and taint information collected during legitimate intelligence operations.”
Whether military officials still listen to Mr. Clarridge or support his efforts to dig up dirt on the Karzai family is unclear. But it is evident that Mr. Clarridge — bespectacled and doughy, with a shock of white hair — is determined to remain a player.
On May 15, according to a classified Pentagon report on the private spying operation, he sent an encrypted e-mail to military officers in Kabul announcing that his network was being shut down because the Pentagon had just terminated his contract. He wrote that he had to “prepare approximately 200 local personnel to cease work.”
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In fact, he had no intention of closing his operation. The very next day, he set up a password-protected Web site, afpakfp.com, that would allow officers to continue viewing his dispatches.
A Staunch Interventionist
From his days running secret wars for the C.I.A. in Central America to his consulting work in the 1990s on a plan to insert Special Operations troops in Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, Mr. Clarridge has been an unflinching cheerleader for American intervention overseas.
Typical of his pugnacious style are his comments, provided in a 2008 interview for a documentary now on YouTube, defending many of the C.I.A.’s most notorious operations, including undermining the Chilean president Salvador Allende, before a coup ousted him 1973.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, things have to be changed in a rather ugly way,” said Mr. Clarridge, his New England accent becoming more pronounced the angrier he became. “We’ll intervene whenever we decide it’s in our national security interests to intervene.”
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“Get used to it, world,” he said. “We’re not going to put up with nonsense.”
He is also stirred by the belief that the C.I.A. has failed to protect American troops in Afghanistan, and that the Obama administration has struck a Faustian bargain with President Karzai, according to four current and former associates. They say Mr. Clarridge thinks that the Afghan president will end up cutting deals with Pakistan or Iran and selling out the United States, making American troops the pawns in the Great Game of power politics in the region.
Mr. Clarridge — known to virtually everyone by his childhood nickname, Dewey — was born into a staunchly Republican family in New Hampshire, attended Brown University and joined the spy agency during its freewheeling early years. He eventually became head of the agency’s Latin America division in 1981 and helped found the C.I.A.’s Counterterrorism Center five years later.
In postings in India, Turkey, Italy and elsewhere, Mr. Clarridge, using pseudonyms that included Dewey Marone and Dax Preston LeBaron, made a career of testing boundaries in the dark space of American foreign policy. In his 1997 memoir, he wrote about trying to engineer pro-American governments in Italy in the late 1970s (the former American ambassador to Rome, Richard N. Gardner, called him “shallow and devious”), and helping run the Reagan administration’s covert wars against Marxist guerrillas in Central America during the 1980s.
He was indicted in 1991 on charges of lying to Congress about his role in the Iran-contra scandal; he had testified that he was unaware of arms shipments to Iran. But he was pardoned the next year by the first President George Bush.
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Now, more than two decades after Mr. Clarridge was forced to resign from the intelligence agency, he tries to run his group of spies as a C.I.A. in miniature. Working from his house in a San Diego suburb, he uses e-mail to stay in contact with his “agents” — their code names include Willi and Waco — in Afghanistan and Pakistan, writing up intelligence summaries based on their reports, according to associates.
Mr. Clarridge assembled a team of Westerners, Afghans and Pakistanis not long after a security consulting firm working for The Times subcontracted with him in December 2008 to assist in the release of a reporter, David Rohde, who had been kidnapped by the Taliban. Mr. Rohde escaped on his own seven months later, but Mr. Clarridge used his role in the episode to promote his group to military officials in Afghanistan.
In July 2009, according to the Pentagon report, he set out to prove his worth to the Pentagon by directing his team to gather information in Pakistan’s tribal areas to help find a young American soldier who had been captured by Taliban militants. (The soldier, Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, remains in Taliban hands.)
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Four months later, the security firm that Mr. Clarridge was affiliated with, the American International Security Corporation, won a Pentagon contract ultimately worth about $6 million. American officials said the contract was arranged by Michael D. Furlong, a senior Defense Department civilian with a military “information warfare” command in San Antonio.
To get around a Pentagon ban on hiring contractors as spies, the report said, Mr. Furlong’s team simply rebranded their activities as “atmospheric information” rather than “intelligence.”
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Mr. Furlong, now the subject of a criminal investigation by the Pentagon’s inspector general, was accused in the internal Pentagon report of carrying out “unauthorized” intelligence gathering, and misleading senior military officers about it. He has said that he became a scapegoat for top commanders in Afghanistan who had blessed his activities.
As for Mr. Clarridge, American law prohibits private citizens from actively undermining a foreign government, but prosecutions under the so-called Neutrality Act have historically been limited to people raising private armies against foreign powers. Legal experts said Mr. Clarridge’s plans against the Afghan president fell in a gray area, but would probably not violate the law.
Intelligence of Varying Quality
It is difficult to assess the merits of Mr. Clarridge’s secret intelligence dispatches; a review of some of the documents by The Times shows that some appear to be based on rumors from talk at village bazaars or rehashes of press reports.
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Others, though, contain specific details about militant plans to attack American troops, and about Taliban leadership meetings in Pakistan. Mr. Clarridge gave the military an in-depth report about a militant group, the Haqqani Network, in August 2009, a document that officials said helped the military track Haqqani fighters. According to the Pentagon report, Mr. Clarridge told Marine commanders in Afghanistan in June 2010 that his group produced 500 intelligence dispatches before its contract was terminated.
When the military would not listen to him, Mr. Clarridge found other ways to peddle his information. For instance, his private spies in April and May were reporting that Mullah Muhammad Omar, the reclusive cleric who leads the Afghan Taliban, had been captured by Pakistani officials and placed under house arrest. Associates said Mr. Clarridge believed that Pakistan’s spy service was playing a game: keeping Mullah Omar confined but continuing to support the Afghan Taliban.
Both military and intelligence officials said the information could not be corroborated, but Mr. Clarridge used back channels to pass it on to senior Obama administration officials, including Dennis C. Blair, then the director of national intelligence.
And associates said that Mr. Clarridge, determined to make the information public, arranged for it to get to Mr. Thor, a square-jawed writer of thrillers, a blogger and a regular guest on Mr. Beck’s program on Fox News.
Most of Mr. Thor’s books are yarns about the heroic exploits of Special Operations troops. In interviews, he said he was once embedded with a “black special ops team” and helped expose “a Taliban pornography/murder ring.”
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On May 10, biggovernment.com — a Web site run by the conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart — published an “exclusive” by Mr. Thor, who declined to comment for this article.
“Through key intelligence sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Mr. Thor wrote, “I have just learned that reclusive Taliban leader and top Osama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar, has been taken into custody.”
Just last week, he blogged about another report — unconfirmed by American officials — from Mr. Clarridge’s group: that Mullah Omar had suffered a heart attack and was rushed to a hospital by Pakistan’s spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence.
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“America is being played,” he wrote.
Taking on Afghan Leaders
Mr. Clarridge and his spy network also took sides in an internecine government battle over Ahmed Wali Karzai, head of the Khandahar Provincial Council.
For years, the American military has believed that public anger over government-linked corruption has helped swell the Taliban’s ranks, and that Ahmed Wali Karzai plays a central role in that corruption. He has repeatedly denied any links to the Afghan drug trafficking.
According to three American military officials, in April 2009 Gen. David D. McKiernan, then the top American commander in Afghanistan, told subordinates that he wanted them to gather any evidence that might tie the president’s half brother to the drug trade. “He put the word out that he wanted to ‘burn’ Ahmed Wali Karzai,” said one of the military officials.
In early 2010, after General McKiernan left Afghanistan and Mr. Clarridge was under contract to the military, the former spy helped produce a dossier for commanders detailing allegations about Mr. Karzai’s drug connections, land grabs and even murders in southern Afghanistan. The document, provided to The Times, speculates that Mr. Karzai’s ties to the C.I.A. — which has paid him an undetermined amount of money since 2001 — may be the reason the agency “is the only member of the country team in Kabul not to advocate taking a more active stance against AWK.”
Ultimately, though, the military could not amass enough hard proof to convince other American officials of Mr. Karzai’s supposed crimes, and backed off efforts to remove him from power.
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Mr. Clarridge would soon set his sights higher: on President Hamid Karzai himself. Over the summer, after the Pentagon canceled his contract, Mr. Clarridge decided that the United States needed leverage over the Afghan president. So the former spy, running his network with money from unidentified donors, came up with an outlandish scheme that seems to come straight from the C.I.A.’s past playbook of covert operations.
There have long been rumors that Hamid Karzai uses drugs, in part because of his often erratic behavior, but the accusation was aired publicly last year by Peter W. Galbraith, a former United Nations representative in Afghanistan. American officials have said publicly that there is no evidence to support the allegation of drug use.
Mr. Clarridge pushed a plan to prove that the president was a heroin addict, and then confront him with the evidence to ensure that he became a more pliable ally. Mr. Clarridge proposed various ideas, according to several associates, from using his team to track couriers between the presidential palace in Kabul and Ahmed Wali Karzai’s home in Kandahar, to even finding a way to collect Hamid Karzai’s beard clippings and run DNA tests. He eventually dropped his ideas when the Obama administration signaled it was committed to bolstering the Karzai government.
Still, associates said, Mr. Clarridge maneuvered against the Karzais last summer by helping promote videos, available on YouTube, purporting to represent the “Voice of Afghan Youth.” The slick videos disparage the president as the “king of Kabul” who regularly takes money from the Iranians, and Ahmed Wali Karzai as the “prince of Kandahar” who “takes the monthly gold from the American intelligence boss” and makes the Americans “his puppet.”
The videos received almost no attention when they were posted on the Internet, but were featured in July on the Fox News Web site in a column by Mr. North, who declined to comment for this article. Writing that he had “stumbled” on the videos on the Internet, he called them a “treasure trove.”
Mr. Clarridge, his associates say, continues to dream up other operations against the Afghan president and his inner circle. When he was an official spy, Mr. Clarridge recalled in his memoir, he bristled at the C.I.A.’s bureaucracy for thwarting his plans to do maximum harm to America’s enemies. “It’s not like I’m running my own private C.I.A.,” he wrote, “and can do what I want.”Indeed, Ferguson summed up his own success as the art of managing change.
We stand now at midseason of Moyes’s first season at United. The team sits in seventh place in the Premier League, which means it will struggle to finish as one of the four English teams to qualify for next season’s Champions League, let alone retain its domestic title.
Moyes is not, and could never be, a second Sir Alex Ferguson. He has similar Glaswegian roots, the same accent to his voice, and a shared belief that, no matter how famous and celebrated the players, success is built upon a solid work ethic.
Image David Moyes faces many tough personnel decisions in the coming days. Credit Peter Powell/European Pressphoto Agency
Even Ferguson acknowledges that times have changed, and instilling that ethic gets harder by the season. Not only that, but in the Internet age, former triumphs are about as useful as yesterday’s stock valuation.
Here’s the rub. There is a gigantic banner rolled out at every Old Trafford match proclaiming Moyes “The Chosen One.” The fans behind that banner were asked by Ferguson to give his successor time, and they are doing that.
But they see last season’s stars fading before their eyes. In defense, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are aging, vulnerable to injuries and no longer the indomitable forces they were. In attack, both Wayne Rooney and last season’s top scorer in the league, Robin van Persie, have been missing with more injuries.
In midfield, the engine room of a team, there is no one like the now retired Paul Scholes to make the passes. It is an indictment on Ferguson’s rebuilding, rather than Moyes’s inheritance, that Ryan Giggs, at 40, is more reliable as a creative source than Tom Cleverley, who was nurtured to be Scholes’s successor.
Giggs has been more of a starter under Moyes than the Brazilian, Anderson, who is about to be sold, or Marouane Fellaini, whom Moyes persuaded United to buy from his former club, Everton. Fellaini, another player who is injured right now, is a fighting soldier, but he has little of the guile required of a United playmaker.Diego Maradona has claimed Lionel Messi lacks the character to be a leader.
Argentina great Maradona was caught on microphone discussing the Barcelona star with Pele at a publicity event on Thursday in Paris.
Iconic former Brazil forward Pele asked his fellow World Cup winner if he knows his compatriot personally, prompting Maradona to offer an unguarded response.
"He's a really good person, but he has no personality," Maradona said.
"He lacks [the] character to be a leader."
Pele responded: "Ah, I get it, he's not like we were back in the days. In the 70s we [Brazil] had really good players like Rivellino, Gerson, Tostao.
"Not like Argentina now, which depends only on Messi. He [Maradona] is saying that Messi is a good player, there's no doubt about it, but he has no personality."
Maradona's assertion may perhaps be greeted favourably by some in Argentina.
Messi's commitment to his country has at times been questioned, the forward having struggled to replicate his extraordinary club performances when playing for the Albiceleste.
The 28-year-old has twice lost in the final of the Copa America and once in the decider of the World Cup, with an Olympic gold medal in 2008 his only significant international honour.
He missed Argentina's opening game of the Copa America, a 2-1 win over holders Chile, due to a back injury.Google appears to be going all in for the USB Type C future with the Nexus 5X. The LG-made phone ships with a USB-C to USB-C cable, but it won't include a USB-C cable that plugs into most computers and chargers today (which use USB Type A). You'll have to shell out for a separate USB-C to USB-A cable (starting around $13) if you actually want to do that. It's a particularly surprising decision from Google, since USB-C isn't exactly common these days, and since it's also including both sets of USB-C cables with the Nexus 6P. Sure, it saves Google a bit of money, but the omission of a cable compatible with typical USB ports will likely frustrate many upcoming Nexus 5X owners. Even if you don't plug your phone into your computer, it'll make charging much more difficult. So consider this a PSA: If you're planning to get the Nexus 5X, make sure you've got an order in for a USB-C to USB-A cable in as well.A Copper Cliff woman used a hidden camera to take more than 250 photographs of her teenage daughter while she was bathing, a Sudbury court was told Tuesday.
The woman was also caught with a variety of child pornography material in 2011 and 2012.
For all of that, she will spend 90 days in jail.
"These offences are abhorrent and disgusting and are worthy of a jail term," Ontario Court Justice Richard Humphrey said Tuesday. "It needs to be known to the public that people who involve themselves with child pornography of any form that the likelihood of incarceration is a strong possibility, even for a first offence."
Humphrey accepted a joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence lawyer Denis Michel for the now 36-year-old woman, who cannot be named due to a publication ban.
The woman had pleaded guilty to two of 12 charges she was facing: possession of child pornography and visual recording of a person in privacy.
The woman, who had no prior record, was also put on three’ years probation, which includes such conditions as having no contact with her children; including the teen she videotaped; a weapons ban; and not having computer or Internet access except with advanced written permission from her probation officer.
The woman must also take any recommended counselling or treatment for psychological, psychiatric or sexual deviancy issues; cannot hold a job or volunteer position involving a position of trust with minors; cannot attend such places as schools, daycares and swimming pools where minors would be present; and cannot have any communication with a minor unless in the presence of an adult who is aware of her conviction and the probation order.
As well, Humphrey ordered the woman be registered on the national Sex Offenders Registry for 10 years, that she provide a genetic sample to the national DNA databank, and that the computer in the woman’s home found to contain child pornography be forfeited to the Crown.
Three other computers seized by police, which did not contain child pornography, were ordered returned.
"She has not had any contact with her daughter," Michel told the court on the woman’s behalf. "She just wants her to know nothing was reproduced, duplicated or copied anywhere. She is having a hard time dealing with this."
The woman’s 30-year-old boyfriend, meanwhile, who was facing identical child pornography-related charges, plus a careless storage of a firearm charge, pleaded guilty to the gun charge. He was fined $500. The Crown dropped the other charges.
While there is no publication ban on the man’s name, naming him would identify the woman.
The couple had one child together. The man, who was represented by Glenn Sandberg, had no prior record.
The teen who was secretly filmed did not provide a victim impact statement to the court.
The court heard the woman set up a secret camera in the washroom of her home from Oct. 1, 2011, to March 28, 2012.
During a search of the residence April 12, 2012, Greater Sudbury Police found a long gun with no trigger lock on a shelf and two loaded magazines and two boxes of ammunition nearby.
At the time, a young child was living in the home.
A quick check of four computers in the home found no child pornography was present on three of them. But child pornography was found on a desktop computer with three hard drives. A forensic examination of that computer turned up 447 images of child pornography, including 251 of the woman’s teenage daughter taken while she was bathing, and 87 videos of child pornography.
The Greater Sudbury Police Cyber Crime Unit had become aware of a computer in the home being involved in file-sharing of child pornography in late October of 2011 and began monitoring its activity.
When a connection to the computer was made, an officer was able to download and view child pornography. That led to a search warrant being executed at the residence April 12, 2012.
Sandberg told the court his client was unaware of the child pornography activity occurring on the computer, and was only accepting responsibility for the firearm in the home.
Michel said the woman’s pleas went a long way to resolving the case.
"The big issue would have been identification of the user – a large triable issue," he said.
Still, Michel |
low-level tip, but one that can come in handy... most compilers support some form of explicit conditional hinting. GCC has a function called __builtin_expect which lets you inform the compiler what the value of a result probably is. GCC can use that data to optimize conditionals to perform as quickly as possible in the expected case, with slightly slower execution in the unexpected case.I've seen a 10-20% speedup with proper use of this.Back at a game studio, I think it was near the end of the project, we had an object in one of the levels that needed to be hidden. We didn't want to re-export the level and we did not use checksum names. So right smack in the middle of the engine code we had something like the following:The game shipped with this in.Maybe a year later, an artist using our engine came to us very frustrated about why an object in their level was not showing up after exporting. The level they had a problem with resolved to level 10. I wonder why?Stack allocation is much faster than heap allocation since all it really does is move the stack pointer. Using memory pools, you can get comparable performance out of heap allocation, but that comes with a slight added complexity and its own headaches.Also, stack vs heap is not only a performance consideration; it also tells you a lot about the expected lifetime of objects. The stack is always hot, the memory you get is much more likely to be in cache than any far heap allocated memory.Downside of the stack is that it is actually a stack. You can't free a chunk of memory used by the stack unless it is on top of it. There's no management, you push or pop things on it. On the other hand, the heap memory is managed: it asks the kernel for memory chunks, maybe splits them, merges thems, reuses them and frees them. The stack is really meant for fast and short allocations.For indie / solo developers who are working on an iPhone or Android game on their own, while you're looking for an artist etc, you should be developing your game at the same time. Use programmer art, stand-ins, free sprites anything. Most of the time, before even thinking about final assets, I just want something up and running quickly to see if it's fun. Prototype the crap out of it and find the game. Then, when the gameplay's locked down, you can start putting in the proper art. Doing it the other way around leads to lost money, and work that needs to be redone multiple times, which aside from harming your project, sucks your motivation to finish it (and if you're making a game to get a job, showing that you can finish a project is a good thing). Another tip if you're lacking upfront finance is to find a freelance game artist who will accept a revenue sharing deal, e.g. typically something like 30% of game revenue, payable once it gets published to the AppStore.On some platforms and with some compilers, branches can throw away your whole pipeline, so even insignificant if() blocks can be expensive.The PowerPC architecture (PS3/x360) offers the floating-point select instruction, fsel. This can be used in the place of a branch if the blocks are simple assignments:Becomes:When the first parameter is greater than or equal to 0, the second parameter is returned, else the third. The price of losing the branch is that both the if{} and the else{} block will be executed, so if one is an expensive operation or dereferences a NULL pointer this optimisation is not suitable. Sometimes your compiler has already done this work, so check your assembly first.I was one of a few interns at IMAGIC in 1982-83. We were all doing Intellivision carts. One of the programmers had to leave to go back to school, and I was chosen to fix the random crash bug in his game. It turned out to be a stack overflow in the timer interrupt handler. Since the only reason for the handler was to update the *display* of the on-screen timer, I added some code to test the depth of the stack at the beginning of the interrupt routine. If we were in danger of overflowing the stack, return without doing anything. Since the handler was called multiple times per second, the player never noticed, and the crash was fixed.There's an old joke that goes something like this:Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this."Doctor: "Then stop doing it."Funny, but are these also wise words when applied to fixing bugs? Consider the load of pain I found myself in when working on the port of a 3D third person shooter from the PC to the original PlayStation.Now, the PS1 has no support for floating point numbers, so we were doing the conversion by basically recompiling the PC code and overloading all floats with fixed point. That actually worked fairly well, but where it fell apart was during collision detection.The level geometry that was supplied to us worked reasonably well in the PC version of the game, but when converted to fixed point, all kinds of seams, T-Junctions and other problems were nudged into existence by the microscopic differences in values between fixed and floats. This problem would manifest itself in one case with the main character touching a particular type of door in a particular level in a particular location; rather than fix the root cause of the problem, I simply made it so that if he ever touched the door, then I'd move him away, and pretend it never happened. Problem solved.Looking back I find this code quite horrifying. It was patching bugs and not fixing them. Unfortunately the real fix would have been to go and rework the entire game's geometry and collision system specifically with the PS1 fixed point limitations in mind. The schedule was initially aggressive, and since we always seemed close to finishing, the quick patch option won over against a comprehensive (but expensive) fix.But it did not go well. Hundreds of patches were needed, and then the patches themselves started causing problems, so more patches were added to turn off the patches in hyper-specific circumstances. The bugs kept coming, and I kept beating them back with patches. Eventually I won, but at a cost of shipping several months behind schedule, and working 14 hour days for all of those several months.That experience soured me against "the patch." Now I always try to dig right down to the root cause of a bug, even if a simple, and seemingly safe, patch is available. I want my code to be healthy. If you go to the doctor and tell him "it hurts when I do this," then you expect him to find out why it hurts, and to fix that. Your pain and your code's bugs might be symptoms of something far more serious. The moral: Treat your code like you would want a doctor to treat you; fix the cause, not the symptoms.This scene is familiar to all game developers: It's the day we're sending out the gold candidate for our Xbox 1 game. The whole team is playtesting the game all day long, making sure everything looks good. It's fun, it's solid, it's definitely a go in our minds.In the afternoon, we make the last build with the last few game-balancing tweaks, and do one last playthrough session when disaster strikes: The game crashes hard! We all run to our workstations, fire up the debugger, and try to figure out what's going on. It's not something trivial, like an assert, or even something moderately hard to track down, like a divide by zero. It looks like memory is garbage in a few places, but the memory reporting comes out clean. What's going on?One dinner and many hours later, our dreams of getting out on time shattered, we manage to track it down to one data file being loaded in with the wrong data. The wrong data? How's that possible? Our resource system boiled down every asset to a 64-bit identifier made out of the CRC32 of the full filename and the CRC32 of all the data contents. That was also our way of collapsing identical resource files into a single one in the game. With tens of thousands of files, and two years of development, we never had a conflict. Never.Until now, that is.It turns out that one of the innocent tweaks the designers had checked in that afternoon made it so a text file had the exact same filename and data CRC as another resource file, even though they were completely different!Our hearts sank to our feet when we recognized the problem. There's no way we could change the resource indexing system in such a short period of time. Even if we pulled an all-nighter, there was no way to know for sure that everything would be stable in the morning.Then, as quickly as despair swept over us, we realized how we could fix this on time for the gold candidate release. We opened up the text file responsible for the conflict, added a space at the end, and saved it. We looked at each other with huge grins on our faces and said:"Ship it!"The extra space meant the CRC32 checksum of the text file was altered and therefore no longer conflicted with the other resource.Back on Wing Commander 1 we were getting an exception from our EMM386 memory manager when we exited the game. We'd clear the screen and a single line would print out, something like "EMM386 Memory manager error. Blah blah blah." We had to ship ASAP. So I hex edited the error in the memory manager itself to read "Thank you for playing Wing Commander."For a launch product of a certain console I had a nasty bug report from QA that took 20+ hours to reproduce. Finally (with 24 hours left to go to hit console launch) tracked it down to some audio drivers in the firmware that were erroneously writing 1 random byte "somewhere" at random times where the "somewhere" was always in executable code space. I finally figured out that any given run of the game that "somewhere" was always the same place, luckily. 1st party said sorry, can't fix it in time as we don't know why it's being caused! So I shipped that game with stub code at the very start of main that immediately saved off the 1 byte from the freshly loaded executable in the place I knew it would overwrite for that particular version of the exe. There was then code that would run each frame after audio had run and restore that byte back to what it should be just in case it had been stomped that frame. Good times! We hit launch.To this day I still feel very very dirty about this hack, but it was needed to achieve the objectives and harmed no-one :)I used to work for a company that had a horrific hardware requisition policy. If your team needed a server, it had to go through a lengthy and annoying approvals process - and even then, it took months before Infrastructure would actually provide said servers.In other words, when a project gets handed down from above to launch in, say, 3 months, there's no way in hell you can get the servers requisitioned, approved, and installed in that time. It became standard practice for each team to slightly over-request server capacity with each project and throwing the excess hosts into a rainy day pool, immediately available and repurposeable as required.New servers will still get requested for these projects, but since they took so long to approve, odds are they'd go right into the pool whenever they actually arrived, which sometimes took up to a year.Of course, it was horrifyingly inefficient. Just on my team alone I think we had easily 50 boxes sitting around doing nothing (and powered on to boot) waiting to pick up the slack of a horrendously broken bureaucracy.In order to avoid stalls in the processor pipeline due to branching, one can often use a branchless equivalent, that is, code transformed to remove the if-then-elses and therefore jump prediction uncertainties. E.g. a straightforward implementation of abs( ) in C might beWhich is simple enough but contains an inline if-then-else. As the argument, x, isn’t all that likely to follow a pattern that the branch prediction unit can detect, this simple function becomes potentially costly as the jump will be mispredicted quite often.How can we remove the if-then-else, then? One solution is to use the right shift operator (>>) and the bitwise XOR operator (^) as following:Where the expression (8 * sizeof(int) - 1) evaluates to 15, 31, or 63 depending on the size of integers on the target computer.An evacuation of The Globe and Mail newsroom in Toronto has been lifted and no threat to public safety found after police confirmed a bomb threat had been made against the newspaper Friday afternoon.
Police said the building, located at 444 Front St. W, was evacuated due to the threat just before 3 p.m. ET.
Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) officers and K-9 units responded to the scene and a command post had been set up in the area.
Const. Scott Mills said an unidentified man called a receptionist at the newspaper and reported a bomb had been placed on the premises. Police were then contacted.
Update: our CBRN team has advised that all is clear. No bomb, or threat to public safety. Roads will be re-opened momentarily.^adc — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) July 22, 2016
A memo sent out to staff shortly after the announcement said the building had been evacuated due to a “security related concern.”
“All staff have left the building. People who can leave for the day are encouraged to do so. We are unable to access the parking lot at this point, so will not be able to get to cars or bikes at this point,” the memo read.
“Do not go back into the building until the police give us clearance. We will provide updates as they become available.”
READ MORE: CBC building in Toronto evacuated after ‘donated’ artillery shell discovered
Journalists with the newspaper said on social media they were told to leave the building due to the threat and a heavy police and firefighter presence could be seen in the area.
One reporter tweeted employees were informed over an intercom that the building was under a “state of emergency.”
Front Street West north of Spadina Avenue, from Portland Street to Spadina Avenue and Wellington Street westbound were closed for what police initially deemed a “suspicious incident.” No injuries were reported in the incident
Police said roads were expected to reopen at around 6 p.m. Friday.
Re: Bomb Threat Investigation: Front St W closed between Spadina Av & Portalnd St~A command post is set up at Front St W & Draper St ^sm — Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) July 22, 2016
Trained officers known as CBRN Officers (Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear) are working with K9 to make safe 444 Front St ^sm — Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) July 22, 2016
444 Front St W is being evacuated for a police investigation, avoid the area ^ma — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) July 22, 2016
Bomb threat at the Globe and Mail. Building evacuated. — Peter Scowen (@scowen13) July 22, 2016
We just evacuated the Globe and Mail office. — Laurent Bastien (@BastienLaurent) July 22, 2016
Police is outside. Unclear why. Emergency was announcedz — Laurent Bastien (@BastienLaurent) July 22, 2016
Whole building was evacuated. pic.twitter.com/mrbuo4OpUJ — Laurent Bastien (@BastienLaurent) July 22, 2016
Dozens of people streaming out of the building. We're being told it's a bomb threat. pic.twitter.com/90tDbTAxCg — Alex Migdal (@alexem) July 22, 2016
We were told over the intercom that the Globe building is under a "state of emergency." — Alex Migdal (@alexem) July 22, 2016
The Globe and Mail newsroom is under evacuation right now. The whole building has been cleared and a section of Front Steet is closed off. — Alex Migdal (@alexem) July 22, 2016
We're being evacuated from @globeandmail for a bomb threat pic.twitter.com/S8Zkl1sIb3 — Nicole MacIntyre (@NicoleMacIntyre) July 22, 2016
Area sealed off my police. General sense of uncertainty. And it's a million degrees outside. — Leyland Cecco (@LeylandCecco) July 22, 2016
Globe and Mail evacuated due to bomb threat. pic.twitter.com/Bf4WwskMh0 — Leyland Cecco (@LeylandCecco) July 22, 2016
Things are getting meta. TV crews covering an evacuated newsroom. pic.twitter.com/ZxvJj68G1y — Alex Migdal (@alexem) July 22, 2016
Firefighters now arriving to the Globe office pic.twitter.com/JDjipmUgTt — Laurent Bastien (@BastienLaurent) July 22, 2016
Hazardous Material Unit now on scene. pic.twitter.com/xMInPusUw2 — Alex Migdal (@alexem) July 22, 2016
Fires crews now joining police at The Globe and Mail. Area sealed off due to bomb threat. #to pic.twitter.com/ehT91ehrEg — Leyland Cecco (@LeylandCecco) July 22, 2016
PSA: @globeandmail building has been evacuated. But there will still be a newspaper tomorrow. — jasonachiu (@jasonachiu) July 22, 2016Steve Bannon, the chief strategist and right-hand man to President-elect Donald Trump, denied in an interview that he was an advocate of white nationalism -- and gave hints instead about how his brand of “economic” nationalism will shake up Washington.
In The Hollywood Reporter, Bannon, the controversial former head of Breitbart News who went on to chair Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, discussed why he believed his candidate won the election.
“I’m not a white nationalist, I’m a nationalist. I’m an economic nationalist,” Bannon told the news outlet earlier this week. “The globalists gutted the American working class and created a middle class in Asia. The issue now is about Americans looking to not get f—ed over.”
Bannon’s appointment to the White House has drawn criticism from Democrats and several civil liberties groups, in part because of his (and Breitbart’s) strong association with the alt-right, a political movement with strains of white supremacy.
In the past, the former Breitbart CEO has admitted the alt-right’s connections to racist and anti-Semitic agendas.
“Look, are there some people that are white nationalists that are attracted to some of the philosophies of the alt-right? Maybe,” Bannon told Mother Jones in August. “Are there some people that are anti-Semitic that are attracted? Maybe. Right? Maybe some people are attracted to the alt-right that are homophobes, right? But that’s just like, there are certain elements of the progressive left and the hard left that attract certain elements.”
In the Reporter interview, Bannon challenged the notion that racialized overtones dominated the Trump campaign on the trail. He predicted that if the administration delivered on its election promises, “we’ll get 60 percent of the white vote, and 40 percent of the black and Hispanic vote and we’ll govern for 50 years.”
“It’s everything related to jobs,” Bannon said and seemingly bragged about how he was going to drive conservatives “crazy” with his “trillion-dollar infrastructure plan.”
“With negative interest rates throughout the world, it’s the greatest opportunity to rebuild everything. Ship yards, iron works, get them all jacked up,” he proposed. “We’re just going to throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks. It will be as exciting as the 1930s, greater than the Reagan revolution — conservatives, plus populists, in an economic nationalist movement.”
Bannon, in the Reporter interview, also gave some insight into how he viewed his political foes (presumably, liberals and the media) -- and the “darkness” he touts in fighting against them.
“Darkness is good,” Bannon said. “Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That’s power. It only helps us when they...get it wrong. When they’re blind to who we are and what we’re doing.”The debate centers on an international accord that most people outside the industry have never heard of, the so-called Basel III rules. The core issue and main point of dispute is capital — the money that banks accumulate through issuing stock and holding onto profits, money that they do not have to repay. The regulators want banks to finance their operations with more capital and less borrowed money. Advocates argue that the bigger the capital buffer, the greater the stability of the financial system. But financing operations from capital, rather than borrowing money, is less profitable, and that means lower bonuses.
“In the financial crisis the banks got the upside and the public got the downside,” said Stephen G. Cecchetti, head of the monetary and economic department of the Bank for International Settlements, in Basel, Switzerland. The bank houses the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the secretive panel that establishes global banking standards. “We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
After some fierce battles, proponents of the tighter rules have achieved some success in pushing through measures that will force banks to reduce risk. The Federal Reserve on Tuesday published draft regulations that draw heavily on the agreements reached in Basel. But there is a long phase-in period that the banking industry could use to try to water down the rules. And many economists fear that the new regulatory regime still allows banks to take outsize risks.
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Flaws in earlier Basel rules, known as Basel II, allowed the financial crisis to gather in the first place, many economists say, enabling the illusion that banks were comfortably cushioned against risk. In fact, the banks had badly underestimated the malignant potential of their holdings. Faulty regulation also worsened the European sovereign debt crisis, assigning government bonds virtually zero risk. That encouraged banks to extend billions in credit to countries like Greece and Italy, setting up a dangerous correlation between the solvency of countries and the health of banks. The thinking, in effect, was “Why imprison capital to insure against losses that were unlikely ever to happen?”
The technical term was “risk weighted assets.” It was as if a homeowner only had to make a down payment on the part of a house that might catch fire. Other parts of the property, like the swimming pool and the lawn, would not count.
The flaws in this model became obvious in the days after investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008. Banks that appeared to be well capitalized discovered that they had hugely underestimated risk. Derivatives tied to the United States real estate market, with top credit ratings, suddenly became impossible to sell and effectively worthless.
One of the most vivid examples was right around the corner from Mr. Hildebrand’s office in Zurich, the Swiss bank UBS. In the years before the crisis, UBS was, on paper, one of the best capitalized banks in the world. But in the course of 2008 UBS rapidly depleted its cushion as it absorbed losses from investments in the American real estate market.
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On paper the risk-weighted assets of UBS — the total of all the money it had at risk — were 374 billion Swiss francs (about $400 billion in today’s dollars) at the end of 2007. But that was an adjusted figure based on the bank’s overly optimistic estimate of the amount at risk.
Gross assets, counting everything without adjusting for perceived risk, were much larger: 3.3 trillion Swiss francs. Measured against these total assets, UBS capital was well below 2 percent.
In October 2008, the Swiss National Bank, where Mr. Hildebrand was then vice president, was forced to commit $60 billion to rescue UBS.
In response, Mr. Hildebrand as well as top officials in the United States and Britain began trying to revive an old-fashioned idea, the so-called leverage ratio, as an extra layer of insurance in addition to tougher capital requirements for risk-weighted assets.
The aim was to set a minimum level of capital to be held against gross assets, regardless of estimated risk, to restrain the banks’ strong incentive to make optimistic assumptions and supercharge leverage.
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Banks considered the leverage ratio a blunt tool, an insult to all the investments they had made in the last decade to create sophisticated risk management systems, as well as a threat to potential profits and payouts to top bankers.
A few months before Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, when UBS was already in trouble and Swiss regulators proposed a leverage ratio as part of a package of new capital rules, “the reaction was that we were completely crazy,” said Daniel Zuberbühler, vice chairman of the board of the Swiss financial regulator, known as Finma.
After Lehman, the mood swung sharply. “My impression was that at the highest political level there was pretty close to a global consensus that things needed to change,” said Stefan Ingves, governor of Sweden’s central bank, who has been chairman of the Basel Committee since June.
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But there was powerful resistance from organizations like the Washington-based Institute of International Finance, whose membership includes most of the world’s largest banks.
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Industry groups lobbied their national representatives on the Basel Committee furiously, to some effect. In countries like Germany and France, bankers helped convince top officials that differences in accounting standards effectively required European banks to hold more capital than their counterparts in the United States, putting them at a disadvantage.
The debate peaked in mid-2010, as the European sovereign debt crisis was emerging as a threat to the survival of the euro. In July of that year, the heads of central banks and top regulatory officials, who oversee the work of the Basel Committee, met to try to sign off on an agreement that would be approved by the Group of 20 leaders.
It was, Mr. Hildebrand and other participants agree, a difficult meeting. More than 50 representatives of 27 countries sat around a large elliptical table in a conference room at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel. Jean-Claude Trichet, then president of the European Central Bank, served as chairman.
According to several participants, the debate frequently became emotional, and it looked as if the meeting could break up without reaching an agreement, leaving the global financial system as vulnerable as before.
Mr. Trichet reminded the participants that it was up to them to prevent another financial crisis. The Western democracies, he warned darkly, could not survive another.
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And he used a simple pressure tactic. The meeting began in the morning, with only beverages like coffee and water for sustenance. At lunchtime, employees set up a buffet lunch, but Mr. Trichet refused to adjourn.
The meeting dragged on until late afternoon. Finally, the exhausted and hungry delegates agreed on a compromise. It included a leverage ratio of 3 percent of assets, as well as several other provisions advocated by the Swiss, British and Americans but opposed by the banks. But the leverage ratio would not be fully enforced until 2018, to give banks plenty of time to raise more capital.
Soon after, the leaders of the G-20 nations endorsed the proposals. But that is hardly the end of the story. The rules are simply a benchmark, and it is up to individual nations to enshrine them in local law.
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The Institute of International Finance has published studies maintaining that the Basel rules will force banks to substantially curtail lending and undercut economic growth. One study predicted that the Basel III rules would cost seven million jobs. Many economists counter that such studies ignore the huge cost to society of financial crises.
Mr. Cecchetti, of the Bank for International Settlements, called the Institute of International Finance forecasts “completely outside historical experience.”
Will Basel III make the world a safer place?
Many economists worry that the leverage ratio, at just 3 percent, is much too low. Banks can still borrow $32 for every dollar they hold in capital.
In Switzerland, Mr. Hildebrand pushed for local rules that would be more rigorous than the Basel rules. It was this push that inspired so much bile from the banks in 2010.
But circumstances were on Mr. Hildebrand’s side. As Swiss legislators were debating the proposals earlier this year, UBS disclosed that a 31-year-old employee had caused losses of $2.3 billion by making unauthorized trades.
Afterward, it was harder for banks to argue they had learned the lessons of the crisis. The law passed.The Ligier JS P217 and Dallara P217 cars have been granted aero updates only in the LMP2 ‘Joker’ allowance, according to ACO Sporting Director Vincent Beaumesnil.
The ACO confirmed last weekend that the Ligier, Dallara and Riley Mk. 30 will be permitted performance evolutions for next year, in order to bring them up to the level of the Oreca 07, which has served as the category’s baseline.
It will result in varying degrees up updates, which have yet to be fully defined from each constructor.
“All the cars are not at the same level of performance gap, so we will not allow the same thing for each car,” Beaumesnil told Sportscar365.
“Everybody will have a specific development allowed based on the technical discussion between the technical guys with the target of a gain.
“Only Riley will be allowed to work on the car. Dallara and Ligier will only be aero.”
While significant mechanical and aero updates are in the works by Multimatic for the Riley LMP2, aimed to improve the Mazda RT24-P DPi, both the Ligier and Dallara will roll out with Evos as well, but to a lesser extent.
Performance targets were communicated to the constructors in a meeting earlier this month.
“We have some information and targets and it’s under the finalization on what we will exactly be done on the car,” Beaumesnil said.
“Once we communicate the target, they have to propose exactly what they will do on the car.”
Beaumesnil said the updates will be validated at the Windshear wind tunnel in Concord N.C. next month, in cooperation with IMSA, which has organized a Balance of Performance test at Daytona in early December that will likely see the first on-track running.
“It’s a tight timeline but it will all be controlled before the end of the year,” he said.
The updates, which has been contended by ORECA as penalizing the French constructor’s success, are aimed to bring the rest of the LMP2 field up to the level, and not surpass it, according to Beaumesnil.
“If the gain is higher than what we allow, it will have to be changed,” he said.
“We cannot leave people having open development that will overshoot ORECA and put them in front of ORECA. It would be just nonsense. We have to respect this.
“It’s just to help bring them back in the game.”
Per LMP2 regulations, Beaumesnil said the constructors will be required to provide the updates to all cars, free of charge.
Joker Updates “Not Balance of Performance”
Beaumesnil has insisted the updates are not a method of Balance of Performance, which doesn’t exist in the LMP2 regulations.
“Balance of Performance is taking into account the performance of each race weekend and balancing cars race by race over a complete period,” he explained.
“The model of P2 is to really provide a business case for the constructors and also to be competitive in terms of price for the teams.
“This is why we we’re going to have the same cars for four years, and only four constructors because it allows the constructors to sell more cars, to have better prices and provide better service.
“If some cars are uncompetitive, it would create an issue on LMP2 market.
“We just want to make sure we don’t [put] the paddocks in a bad situation where they all want to get rid of their cars.”By of the
ESPN’s Chris Broussard had an NBA assistant coach rank the current and potential NBA head coaching vacancies from best to worst.
The name of the assistant was not disclosed.
"This should give you some insight as to how people within the league, including guys who could be interviewing with these teams, view the openings and potential openings," Broussard wrote for ESPN Insider.
Of the 11 current and potential vacancies listed, the Bucks’ opening was ranked ninth, ahead of only the Kings and Bobcats.
"Here comes the bad," the assistant coach told Broussard, referring to Milwaukee. "There's a ton of uncertainty there. I've heard through the grapevine that they could move, so you don't know where they potentially could be. It's a poor market. It's a tough city. You're going to have to undo some things there. You can't brag on the facilities. You're not going to be able to just walk in there and attract free agents. (General manager) John Hammond does a good job, but how do you sell free agents on this place? They got into the playoffs this year, which probably was worse than if they didn't make the playoffs. Being mediocre is not what you want to be. I think you keep either (Brandon) Jennings or (Monta) Ellis. I don't think you want both from a cultural standpoint. You're going to want some change. They haven't been terrible, but they haven't been good enough.
"J.J. Redick is OK," the coach said. "Larry Sanders carved out a little niche for himself. Those are some selling points. But are those guys good enough to draw a big-time free agent? I don't think so. That's a place you might have to build it with a bunch of good players. You might not get a superstar, but maybe you can do it with a bunch of good players and play a style that gives you a chance to have a little bit of an advantage."
According to this coach, the best-to-worst head coaching opportunities, current or potential, in the NBA are, in order:
1. Nets
2. Clippers
3. Hawks
4. Timberwolves
5. Raptors
6. 76ers
7. Pistons
8. Suns
9. Bucks
10. Kings
11. BobcatsWashington’s partisan divide is spreading all the way to space.
President Obama and many Republicans agree that NASA should pursue a mission to Mars. What they can’t agree on, however, is the best route to get there.
Specifically, the parties are divided over which space rock to use for a waypoint on the Mars mission.
Some Republicans — most famously Newt Gingrich but also a large passel of House lawmakers — see the moon as the most logical waypoint. A lunar base, they say, would allow NASA to test landing technologies and surface operations. It would also allow astronauts to launch humankind’s first attempts to utilize extra-Earth resources, including extracting water from the moon’s dust.
Obama and NASA’s current leadership, however, favor a further foray into the final frontier: capturing, redirecting, and exploring an asteroid. To do so, they want the space agency to invest in solar propulsion engines, technology that is also a prerequisite for a long-distance Mars mission. While the Mars astronauts themselves will travel on a fuel-powered ship, the resupply craft they’ll meet along the way will use the slower but more cost-effective solar power.
The battle between the competing visions plays out in annual battles over NASA’s budget, where the Obama administration requests funding for its goals, and Republicans — particularly in the GOP-controlled House — push back. And the competition is made all the more intense as the funding pool shrinks: NASA’s funding has diminished by more than a billion dollars since 2010 — more than 7 percent of a budget that then totaled $18.7 billion.
What everyone agrees on is that without consensus, neither plan will work. The Mars plan, said a National Research Council report earlier this month, cannot succeed “without a sustained commitment on the part of those who govern the nation — a commitment that does not change direction with succeeding electoral cycles. Those branches of government — executive and legislative — responsible for NASA’s funding and guidance are therefore critical enablers of the nation’s investment and achievements in human spaceflight.”
For now, at least, the unity appears far from likely. Rep. Lamar Smith, a Republican who chairs the House Science Committee, calls the asteroid mission “uninspiring.”
Meanwhile, Obama and NASA chief Charles Bolden have accused Congress of whining about NASA’s lack of ambition while simultaneously cutting its budget. “We can only do so many things,” Bolden said last year.
Obama cited underfunding when he scrapped the Bush |
bs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I ever knowingly violate this my Entered Apprentice obligation. So help me God, and keep me steadfast in the due performance of the same.
I am firmly convinced based on mystical and metaphysical evidence presented to the sixth sense superseding my other five that Edward Tudor/Vere was murdered on the Isle of Mersea by Luciferian Masons under the control of the Luciferian King James I and that his body was sunk in the sea at the mouth of a river of the coast of the Isle of Man. I strongly recommend a sea expedition of said coast in search of Edward's remains so that he can be given a proper Christian burial on the occasion of the 400 year anniversary of his death in 2015, when he was assassinated at age 64 by Luciferian Masons for revealing certain untimely secrets in the play “The Tempest”.
Pallas Athena Shakes Her Spear at the Twin Serpents of Ignorance and Vice Shaking a Spear at Ignorance:
A Resolution to the Shakespeare Authorship Problem
By Timothy Spearman
This paper was originally inspired by a discovery the author had made concerning a similarity in the likenesses of the subject featured in the portrait of William Shakespeare by John Taylor and that of Edward de Vere by Marcus Gheeraedts. The conjecture of the author of this paper is that the subject featured in the Taylor portrait of Shakespeare is the same man shown in the Gheeraedts portrait only advanced in age by some fifteen years and therefore with a receding hairline resulting from middle age. The hypothesis is that, having lost caste in the Elizabethan Court for writing subversive plays that failed to meet their sole objective of serving the propaganda aims of the Court in addition to causing other scandals, including an affair with the Queen’s handmaiden, Anne Vavasor, Edward de Vere, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford became increasingly defiant of the establishment, adopting a bohemian lifestyle and dress, growing what was left of his hair long, allowing his courtier goatee and mustache to grow into a full but scruffy beard, while sporting an earring and commoner’s dress.
Further study resulted in the discovery that the author was a Freemason initiated into the Higher Degrees of Freemasonry and a British intelligence operative under the cover of a diplomat, who visited the courts of Europe on several occasions. The life of privilege led by Edward de Vere, seventeenth Earl of Oxford, so dwarfed the life of the mediocrity from Stratford-upon-Avon as to eliminate him altogether from the authorship candidacy. Why, thought the author of this paper, would the Stratford man so clearly support the ideology of caste and privilege, as evidenced by his early plays in particular, when such an ideology disqualified him from upward social mobility? In addition, it did not make any sense whatsoever that he had such a breadth of knowledge gleaned from having participated in aristocratic sports, while studying jurisprudence, medicine, and several languages, in addition to traveling widely, when none of these privileges would be open to the commoner from Stratford. The author of this paper therefore thought to shake his spear at the ignorance of a naïve world blinded by four hundred years of incalculable oversight. The author hopes the findings here presented will sufficiently shake a spear at the serpent of ignorance that he might seek safe haven in the same hole he crawled out of. We also hope, but by no means hold our breath, that the academic world that has been so spitefully unkind to our person will offer a warmer reception to this our “spear-shaking” than it has in the past. It is also hoped that those who gaze upon the countenance of Edward de Vere will have the vision to see the resemblance in the two portraits this study has herein brought to the world’s attention.
What’s in a name? In the name “William Shakespeare”, there is a great deal. One would assume then that, as a name of great import, the author would at least endeavor to adopt a uniform spelling of his name and a uniform signature to go with it. Yet, of the six signatures found attached to documents ascribed to the man from Stratford, each displays a different spelling and style of handwriting. Why would this be when literate men of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries developed personalized signatures just as people do today? As evidenced by the signatures extant, the man from Stratford whose name was most commonly spelled Shakspere seems not to have developed a consistent signature. 1 Baptized Gulielmus Shakespere, he would go on to be known in other documents by William Shaxpere, William Shackespere, Willelmus Shackspere, William Shackspere, William Shakespeare of orthodox spelling, William Shackspeare, Willelmus Shakespeare, Willelmum Shakespeare, Willielmi Shakespeare, Willelmus Shackspere, Willelmus Shakspeare, Wyllyam Shaxpere, Mr. Shakespere, etc. These names appear on records ascribed to the man known by the name most commonly spelled William Shakspere from Stratford-Upon-Avon. It makes no sense whatsoever that a man of such importance would not endeavor to standardize the spelling of his name as well as his own signature for simple purposes of identification if nothing else. Indeed, the fact that there seems to have been no effort on the part of the Stratford man to do so is where a good part of the confusion rests and has contributed in no small degree to the authorship problem itself. Some of the scholars who examined these records initially decided that some of these documents belong in the biography of some other man of that name. Scholar Sydney Lee, for example, concluded Anne Whately became engaged to another of the numerous “Shakespeares” who then abounded in the diocese of Worcester. Then, in two articles entitled “Other William Shakespeares,” Charles William Wallace established that one of the documents pertaining to malt sales should be reassigned to a man other than the Stratford man. 2 So the already scant record on the Stratford man, a record showing no evidence of any literary life, may be reduced still further by the fact that many of the “Shakespeares” referred to under different spellings in diverse documents may in fact be different men. The question that immediately springs to mind is why is the record so blank on William Shakspere of Stratford? Why is there such abject poverty in terms of documentation, including written records, letters, manuscript materials, etc.? Bear in mind that the question is asked of the man deemed to be the greatest author of English letters. How can this be, when significantly more documentation has been found on contemporaries of lesser note such as Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton? Michael Drayton, a much less revered contemporary and fellow poet from the same town, has exactly the kind of documentation associated with him one would expect to find in the great bard’s record, including letters, direct references to works, a brief description of his physical appearance, evidence of revision and polishing of his works, evidence of attending educational institutions, etc. Why the comparative destitution in the Stratford man’s record? And why is there no surviving evidence that these two famous poets from the same town had known each other or even met? 3
We might just as well ask: What’s in a face? The sheer abundance of disparate visages appearing in engravings and paintings of the bard indicate that hardly anyone seems to have had a clear impression of what the man actually looked like. In the opinion of the author of this paper, there is only one true likeness of the author of the plays and sonnets, and that is the portrait of Shakespeare painted by John Taylor circa 1610. While the painting by Taylor has been given the date 1610, this date must be erroneous since the subject of the painting, Edward de Vere, died in 1604. While many will be surprised by this claim, since the Stratford man is known to have died in 1616, I contend that it is not the Stratford man who is the subject of the Taylor portrait. The subject is indeed the man posterity knows as William Shakespeare, but that man is not from Stratford-Upon-Avon, nor was his real name William Shakespeare. The portrait is in fact a likeness of Edward de Vere, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford, who wrote the plays under the pen name, William Shakespeare. The man shown in the Taylor portrait bears a striking resemblance to a well-known portrait of Edward de Vere painted by the Dutch painter Marcus Gheeraedts. An approximate date for the Gheeraedts’ portrait is given as 1586. The marked difference of course is the fact that the man appearing in the Taylor portrait is bald, while the portrait of de Vere shows a man with a full head of hair. The reason for this is that the subject in the Taylor portrait is some fifteen years older and has gone bald with advancing years, while the de Vere portrait depicts the same man in his prime and with a full head of hair. The subject featured in the Taylor portrait is in fact the same man shown in the de Vere portrait only fourteen to fifteen years older, since the de Vere portrait shows the same man at approximately 36 years of age, since an approximate date of 1586 has been given to the painting. The author of this paper believes the Taylor portrait depicts de Vere at approximately fifty years of age, four years before his death in 1604. The dating of the Taylor portrait would, therefore, have to be reassigned to circa 1600, ten years earlier than that assigned by orthodoxy. Included in this paper is a composite photo comparison of the subjects featured in the two paintings. Both the aging process and unkempt appearance is eliminated in the painting of the bard with the aid of Photoshop, restoring his full head of hair, while eliminating his earring and long hair. Before and after photo analysis reveals that the middle-aged bard bears a striking resemblance to Edward de Vere featured at the age of 36, suggesting that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, is the bard writing under the pen name William Shakespeare. (See the accompanying composite portrait comparisons of before and after likenesses).
The authorship controversy has not been helped by the fact that irresponsible researchers have deliberately misled lay people and scholars alike by making grossly erroneous claims. Perhaps the best example of this is Gareth and Barbara Lloyd Evans’s grievously errant contention in their Companion to Shakespeare:
We no more about the life of Shakespeare, both in
terms of facts and of rational conclusions that they
suggest, than of any other Elizabethan dramatist…
Documents relating to Shakespeare’s activities,
including letters to him and material relating to
his family, are extant in quantity in the Shakespeare
Centre records office at Stratford upon Avon. 4
Note that the Evans’s tell us that there are many “letters” extant to Shakespeare, that is “letters” in the plural, misleadingly implying that there are many such letters extant. The truth is, however, that there is only one letter on record addressed to William Shakspere, the man from Stratford, and it was never delivered. 5 How can so-called scholars mislead the public so irresponsibly? No wonder the authorship question has never been adequately resolved. With such gross distortions of the actual facts, many of the misinformed are discouraged from even embarking on the quest for the true author due to the erroneous weight of evidence tilting the balancing scales in favor of orthodoxy.
The surname “Shakespeare,” it should be noted, appears as the hyphenated name, “Shake-speare,” in the dedications to Venus and Adonis and Lucrece. Of the thirty editions of the Shakespeare plays published before the First Folio of 1623, in which authorial attribution was given, the name appeared hyphenated in fifteen of these cases. This suggests that the name is of the order of a sobriquet or nom de plume. The only legitimate case for hyphenating an Anglo-Saxon name would be in the case of two noble families brought together through the bonds of marriage and who wished to retain their family peerage mutually by preserving both names in a hyphenated surname, but in such cases, the family name appearing after the hyphen would be capitalized. The “speare” in “Shake-speare” is most definitely not capitalized, leaving little doubt that it is pseudonymous. 6
What’s in such a name? If a dramatist were to assign himself a pen name, would it not be apropos to take on a name that canonized him as a dramatist in some kind of homage to his art form? True, he would be under no obligation or compunction to do so. Still, it would be no less fitting. This being the case, it will constitute no shock to learn that the name “Shake-speare” or “Shakespeare” is derived from Pallas Athena, patron goddess of the Greek theater in Athens, who was nicknamed “Hasti-Vibrans” in Latin, meaning the “Spear-shaker”. The reason assigned to the sobriquet for both the goddess and the bard is that Pallas was known for shaking her spear at the serpent of ignorance and vice. 7 In Greek mythology, Pallas Athena was the goddess of wisdom, philosophy, poetry, and the fine arts. Her original name was Pallas…from palein, meaning ‘shake’. Athens, the home of Greek drama, was under the guardianship of Pallas, the spear-shaker. The phrase, “The spear of Pallas shake,” can be read in a line of verse from a collection of Shakespeare’s poems of 1640. 8
Pallas always shook her spear at ignorance, which is what the poet himself is doing, shaking his spear at the ignorant mass of humanity for believing the ridiculous ruse that an ignorant rustic from the country could be a claimant to the throne of the immortal bard, this a mere stand-in, substitute, or understudy brought in to play the part of the bard so that the true author could remain behind the scenes hidden from view. Pallas Athena also wore the “helmet of invisibility,” which rendered her invisible each time she drew the visor down over her face. The bard is, therefore, wearing Pallas’s helmet of invisibility, as his true identity is concealed behind a mask or visor. Ben Jonson recognized the true significance of the sobriquet when he wrote of Shakespeare’s “true-filled lines,” that “In each of which, he seems to shake a lance, /As brandished in the eyes of ignorance.” 9 How did Jonson know about the Pallas Athena connection unless he was in on the plot? Gabriel Harvey, a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, in an address to the queen during one of her visits to the university, paid tribute to Oxford as a prolific poet, and one whose “countenance shakes spears.” 10 Why the strange reference to the Shakespeare-Pallas Athena sobriquet once again?
Why was the Bard so inspired by Pallas Athena that he chose to adopt her nickname? From whence did this influence arise? It is known that, while studying law at Gray’s Inn, the young Francis Bacon formed there a secret literary society called “The Honourable Order of the Knights of the Helmet”. The “Helmet of the Order” was of course the helmet of Pallas Athena, the helmet that occulted her and rendered her invisible. She was Francis Bacon’s patron goddess since his early experience with the French Academie on the Continent whose patron was Pallas Minerva, the same goddess under her Roman designation. The candidate for initiation within the order swore allegiance to Pallas Athena and to uphold her ideals, banishing the serpent of ignorance to the remotest corners of the civilized world in order to spawn an age of enlightenment and a literary renaissance capable of enlightening the world. The initiate would then kiss the helmet, after which it was placed on his head. Just as the Helmet of Pallas was said to make the wearer invisible, so the initiate would become an invisible of Bacon’s invisible college or mystery school and secret literary society. In his right hand simultaneously was placed the spear of Pallas, which he was sworn to shake with valor at all the serpents of ignorance and vice to be found in the world. 11 The author of the Shakespeare plays, who the author of this paper believes was Edward de Vere, would have worn the helmet of one of Bacon’s ‘invisibles’ within the Order and would have been sworn to write in secrecy. Given the political import of many of the plays including, Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth, the author would have been forced to write under a pen name and to conceal his authorship. The Shakespeare Sonnets would also have to have been written under a pseudonym since they contained the story of the author’s invisible or secret life.
The visor of invisibility Pallas Athena drew down over her helmet to render herself invisible makes sense of an otherwise obscure scene from Act V, scene I of Henry the Fourth, Part Two, in which Davy speaks of one William Visor to his master Justice Shallow, a name of obvious allegorical import, “I beseech you, sir, to countenance William Visor of Woncot…” (Henry IV, Part II in Shakespeare’s Complete Works, Collins Classics, V.I, ll.38, 39) To this entreaty, Shallow replies, “There is many complaints, Davy, against that Visor. That Visor is an arrant knave, on my knowledge.” (V.I.ll.40-42) “Woncot” is a probable allusion to Wincot. Wincot is where Will Shakspere’s uncle and aunt lived and is clearly a name of Warwickshire designation. The gratuitous exchange has no relevance to the play and makes no sense at all unless it is to point to Will Shakspere of Stratford as the “visor” of Pallas Athena’s helmet behind which the true author of the plays may remain obscured. 12 In other words, Will Shakspere from Stratford is the front man behind which the true author, Edward de Vere, can conceal his identity as the bard out of political and social necessity. To substantiate the point, the Earl of Oxford’s wife died in 1612. In her will, she stipulated that a certain sum be laid aside as a provision “to my dombe man.” Was this the continuance of an allowance to be paid to the Stratford man, Will Shakesper, to continue in his capacity as the front man? 13 He certainly was mute in terms of composition and functioned as a kind of “dummy” of the real bard, a mere stand-in or double.
Alfred Dodd believes that Bacon wrote under many masks including, Thomas Nashe, Thomas Watson, Robert Greene, and John Lyly. In fact, amazingly, if it can be believed, Dodd claims that even Edmund Spenser was a mask employed by Bacon to conceal his authorship. According to Dodd, it was in July 1580 that a clerk, who worked for the Earl of Leicester, named Edmund Spenser, left to take up a job in Ireland. Before he left, Francis paid him for the use of his name in the publication of certain writings. 14 According to Dodd, John Lyly is just one of the masks under which Francis Bacon wrote secretly. Using the initials I.L., since the author of John Lyly’s work often signed himself Ihon Lillie, the author wrote a commemorative poem about Edward de Vere. It must be remembered that it was common practice in the age of Elizabeth for authors to suppress their names and substitute initials or a pen name. 15 This probably resulted from the fact that Elizabeth had enforced such strict censorship laws and mete out such severe penalties on violators. The author of the poem here in question attributes the valor Edward de Vere exhibited in the naval battle against the Spanish Armada to the inspiration provided by his patron goddess, Pallas, whom he refers to by name:
De Vere, whose fame and loyalty hath pierced
The Tuscan clime, and through the Belgike lands
By winged Fame for valour is rehearsed,
Like warlike Mars upon the hatches stands,
His tusked Boar ’gan foam for inward ire,
While Pallas filled his breast with warlike fire. 16
It seems rather odd that Pallas Athena, patron goddess of the Greek theater in Athens and goddess of wisdom sprung from the brow of Zeus, should be placed on board Edward de Vere’s ship at the time of battle. One could imagine the goddess of war or some other goddess being at his beck. Why of all goddesses it should be the goddess of the Greek theater inspiring him in time of battle is extremely odd, unless of course Lyly, or Bacon, if indeed Lyly was a Baconian mask, knew Pallas was de Vere’s patron goddess. If de Vere’s patron goddess was Pallas Athena, then it would not be surprising for him to borrow her attributes, since it was custom for noblemen to employ pen names to conceal their authorship at this time anyway. It must be remembered that the nobility seldom attached their names to works of poetry and especially dramatic works, as it was considered beneath their dignity to publish lines of verse or plays.
Why would Edward de Vere employ a pen name? Recourse to pen names and anonymous authorship by men of noble rank is not unique to Elizabethan England. Precisely the same practice was employed by the nobility in diverse cultural milieu. In Korea, for example, two classical operatic works were composed anonymously by persons of the noble class, Shimjong Jeon and Chung-hyang Jeon, and for precisely the same reasons. Gentleman of rank in the Choson Dynasty were forbidden to attach their names to dramatic works and works of poetry. It will come as no surprise then that the same practice was adhered to in another feudal society halfway around the world at the time of Queen Elizabeth. Any nobleman writing poetry for publication or dramatic works for the theater would have lost caste immediately.
The threat of losing caste was so real for the author of the Shakespeare plays that it is even alluded to in a poem by John Davies, a contemporary, appearing in the Stationer’s register of 1610. What becomes abundantly clear is that the entire poem is written in the past tense, which suggests that its import is addressed to a poet already dead. Edward de Vere was of course already dead in 1610. He is known to have died in 1604 in fact. Will Shakspere of Stratford, however, would not be referred to in the past tense in 1610, as he still had six more years of life to live. The other thing to notice about the Davies’ poem is the fact that the Will. Shakespeare referred to is most definitely of the noble class, which the Stratford man was most definitely not, and has lost his noble rank as a consequence of his having performed in his own plays, a definite no-no for a nobleman:
To our English Terence, Master Will. Shake-speare.
Some say (good Will) which I, in sport, do sing,
Hadst thou not played some Kingly parts in sport,
Thou hadst been a companion for a King;
And been a King among the meaner sort.
Some others rail; but, rail as they think fit,
Thou hast no railing, but, a reigning Wit:
And honestly thou sowst, which they do reap;
So, to increase their stock which they do keep. 17
The import of the poem is that “Shake-speare”, the name once again appearing hyphenated, indicating it is pseudonymous, is a nobleman who lost rank by performing on the stage. So addicted was he to the stage that he would take to the stage secretly under his pen name, but was probably recognized by the Queen’s omniscient ‘Gestapo’ or secret service and reported. “Thou would have been a companion for a King,” is an allusion to his status as an earl. The title “count”, being equivalent to “earl” in the English caste system, is in fact designated as a “companion to the King” in terms of peerage. “And been a King among the meaner sort” refers to the fact that de Vere had played kingly parts for the theater, which would in fact be seen as “a meaner sort of King”, since the theater was considered low and common. There is in fact a well-known portrait of Edward de Vere extant showing him in costume as King Henry. The last two lines of the poem indicate that the bard labors without gain, since others profit from his work. The implication seems to be that certain individuals reap the benefits of his work and keep the profits for themselves. At the same time that a nobleman who has lost caste is implied, so an allusion is also made to the man from Stratford known as Will Shakspere. The clue for this occurs in the allusion to “our English Terence”. The English Terence refers to the Roman poet Terence, a slave who became a free man and a well-known poet. The man summoned from Stratford to act as the front man and to double as the bard, in order that the true author could conceal his authorship of the plays is here implied. 18
To corroborate the above account, where a tribute is given to an author already dead, when the man from Stratford is still living, we have the first edition of the sonnets published in 1609 under the title, Shake-speares Sonnets. Once more the name appears hyphenated implying a pen name, but there is something else this time. This kind of locution is usually reserved for one who is already dead. The byline should read, “By William Shake-speare” for a living author. Then, there is the text of the dedication, which refers to “our ever-living poet.” Implying once again that the author is no longer living. “Ever-living” is used in memorials to signal the fact that someone dead lives on in the memory of the living. 19
Is the Elizabethan social ethos and the question of caste the only issue? Are there other reasons for adopting a pen name? The author of this paper would like to suggest that there is. Edward de Vere would have a rather good reason for adopting a code name were he a spy or agent of the British Crown. And the evidence strongly supports the fact that he was. The most convincing piece of evidence for his status as a secret agent can be found in a Privy Seal Warrant issued by the Queen on June 26, 1586. The warrant calls for a grant to be issued to the Earl to the tune of 1,000 pounds a year, a sizeable sum equivalent in today’s terms to three times the Prime Minister’s salary. The reason for the grant is not given, but what is abundantly clear is that the Queen issues instructions at the end of the letter that no accounting for the expenditure is required by the Exchequer, standard practice in the case of secret service money:
Elizabeth, etc., to the Treasurer and Chamberlains
of our Exchequer, Greeting. We will and command
you of Our treasure being and remaining from time
to time within the receipt of Our exchequer, to
deliver and pay, or cause to be delivered and paid,
unto Our right trusty and well beloved Cousin the
Earl of Oxford or to his assigns sufficiently
Authorized by him, the sum of One Thousand
Pounds good and lawful money of England. The
same to be yearly delivered and paid unto Our
said Cousin at four times of the year by even
portions: and so to be continued unto him during
Our pleasure, or until such time as he shall be by
Us otherwise provided for to be in some manner
relieved; at what time Our pleasure is that this
payment of One Thousand Pounds yearly to our
said Cousin in manner above specified shall cease.
And for the same or any part thereof, Our further
will and commandment is that neither the said Earl
nor his assigns nor his or their executors nor any
of them shall by way of account, imprest, or any
other way whatsoever be charged towards Us,
our heirs or successors. And these shall be your
sufficient warrant and discharge in that behalf. 20
What the last two sentences mean is that no accounting of expenditures implied by the grant are to be required by the Exchequer, which is tantamount to saying that the transaction is secret and classified. The scholar B.M. Ward claims that this is the usual formula followed in the case of secret service money. The Earl had no known office other than his place on the Privy Council, so there is no good reason for the payment in terms of official function or capacity. There is no evidence of any official assignment calling for such an annuity. The Earl never left the country following the issuing of the grant which he received beginning in 1586 when he was 36 until the time of his death in 1604 at the age of 54. 21
For so large an amount to be paid out of the secret service fund, it had to have been used for purposes of state, Dorothy and Charlton Ogburn arguing that it was used for England’s first Ministry of Propaganda. The purpose of the propaganda ministry would be to educate the English people, most of whom could not read, through a medium of education analogous to today’s Hollywood, opening their eyes to the world around them, while acquainting them with a revisionist history that would have them bursting with pride. And while the state was busily taking charge of the theater for purposes of state propaganda, it was simultaneously clamping down on the printing presses, the Queen authorizing Archbishop Whitgit and the Privy Council to draft legislation to strictly regulate them. A Star Chamber decree was duly authorized on June 23, 1586 calling for stricter governance over the printing press, with a list of pains and penalties for violations of the censorship laws. No publication could be released without first receiving approval from the Archbishop of London. The success of the Queen’s Propaganda Ministry cannot be underestimated for its power to instruct the uneducated masses on their history, enlightening them on their place, and furnishing them with so thorough a knowledge of rewards and punishments they would have known what would invite praise and censure. A more vivid description of the state propaganda apparatus the theater guilds served could not be found than Thomas Heywood’s aptly named Apology for Actors, which is none other than an apology for the theater arts being held subordinate to the state to which the performers themselves had been held ransom:
Plays have made the ignorant more apprehensive,
taught the unlearned the knowledge of many
famous histories, instructed such as cannot read
in the discovery of all our English chronicles;
and what men have you now of that weak
capacity that cannot discourse of any notable
thing recorded even from William the Conqueror,
nay from the landing of Brute, until this day?
Being possessed of their use, for or because
plays are writ with this aim, and carried with
this method, to teach their subjects obedience to
their king, to show people the untimely ends of
such as have moved tumults, commotions, and
insurrections, to present them with the
flourishing estate of such as live in obedience,
exhorting them to allegiance, dehorting them
from all traitorous and felonious stratagems. 22
Is it mere coincidence that history plays remained in vogue from 1586 until the conclusion of the Anglo-Spanish war? Chronicle plays were very popular, the pseudonymous author Shakespeare, Marlowe, and others writing several, many of which were original, but some of which Oxford apparently permitted his apprentices to revise and reshape. At the cessation of the war, the demand for such plays from the state and the appetite for them from a people weary of war dried up. Considering how scarce money was at the time, and how careful the Queen had to be with funds in providing for the war effort, it is clear that, if not the Queen, the state apparatus, had to be sufficiently pleased with the propaganda produced for the Elizabethan stage to maintain Lord Oxford’s annuity until the time of his death.
Why would the Earl receive such an annuity? If he is not being paid for his official duties, what is the reason for so exorbitant a salary? Is he being paid for covert operations of some kind? Once again, the evidence would support such a hypothesis. Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson both faced prosecution for libelous and blasphemous allusions made in their plays, great risks for commoners to take without protection from higher personages, institutions or organizations. In May 1593, the Star Chamber prosecuted Christopher Marlowe for “lewd libels” and “blasphemes”. Certain papers of Thomas Kyd were found keeping company with Marlowe’s manuscripts. Testifying under duress on the rack, Kyd protested that, “My first acquaintance with this Marlowe rose upon his bearing name to serve my Lord, although his Lordship never knew his service, but in writing for his players.” It is one of the most tantalizing mysteries in the Marlovian biography question that Kyd omits to identify the mysterious lord of whose household he had been a member for nearly six years. Six years places Kyd in the services of the mysterious lord back to the end of 1587, from his time of arrest in 1593. The Spanish Tragedy attributed to Kyd on the strength of a single reference is assigned by scholar Edmund Gosse to the period 1584 to 1586. Researcher E. T. Clark believes that the mysterious lord under whose supervision Kyd worked for six years, and for whose players Marlowe wrote, was none other than Lord Oxford. It is more likely to have been Sir Francis Bacon, since the author of this paper believes that both Kyd and Oxford were working under Bacon as ‘invisibles’ in his secret literary societies, which in essence were employed as compartments within the state propaganda apparatus. The period of Kyd’s employment nevertheless coincides with the period in which Oxford’s annuity of 1,000 pounds commences. 23 It also happens to coincide with King Philip II of Spain’s rage over the manner in which he was portrayed on the Elizabethan stage. The Venetian ambassador of Spain even reported on King Philip’s complaints concerning the Elizabethan stage to the Signory:
But what has enraged him much more than
all else, and has caused him to show a
resentment such as he has never displayed
in all his life, is the account of the
masquerades an comedies which the Queen
of England orders to be acted at his expense. 24
What King Philip’s complaint, as related by the Spanish ambassador, makes explicit is the fact that the plays had some effect in rousing a reaction from the foreign courts. It is at this time that we begin to hear about the so-called “university wits”. Researcher E. T. Clark believes that Oxford’s apprentices turned out dozens of plays under his supervision, including chronicle plays, revenge plays, Senecan plays, most of them conceived to sustain the people’s morale during wartime. Since his early twenties, Oxford had served as a patron for other writers, so it was easy for him to slip into his new role as the master of young propaganda initiates. 25 Clark maintains that Oxford turned to recent graduates of Cambridge and Oxford, and even to those at the point of graduating, who showed promise as writers, to assist in the task of writing state propaganda for the stage. Clark also contends that it was Oxford who discovered Marlowe’s dramatic gifts, encouraging him to write Tamburlaine to portray as a ruthless conqueror the personage of King Philip. 27
According to the great Baconian scholar, Alfred Dodd, in 1579 and by 1580, Sir Francis Bacon had founded the secret literary societies Fra Rosi Cross and The Honourable Knights of the Helmet, the latter named in honor of his patron goddess Pallas Athena who always whore the ‘helmet of invisibility’. This was all part of Bacon’s effort to achieve “The Universal Reformation” or English Renaissance in literature. Fra Rosi Cross and The Honourable Knights of the Helmet were invisible colleges or mystery schools, whose initiates wore Pallas Athena’s helmet of invisibility and were known as ‘invisibles’. The founding of these societies began at Gray’s Inn law school, the Grand Patriarchs of the orders being Bacon’s personal friends such as Gabriel Harvey, his old literary professor, and Fulke Greville, a well-known poet. Bacon’s cousin, Sir Philip Sydney, and Sydney’s sister, Lady Mary, Countess of Pembroke, would also be on the planning committee. And according to Alfred Dodd, “He would have the warm support of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, also a poet.” 28 Was Oxford a poet or a concealed poet, one of the invisibles? Dodd has provided strong evidence that Oxford and Bacon were associates and that he was even in on the planning of these invisible literary societies? Was he also a member? It is very likely. He was referred to as a poet and playwright and yet he stopped writing poetry at least under his own name at a very young age, while strangely none of his plays survive under his own name.
Kid, Jonson, Marlowe, Lord Oxford as Shakespeare and others were working together as a syndicate of writers under the patronage of Sir Francis Bacon, whose source of funding came from the Queen, which is one explanation for the great flowering that occurred in Elizabethan drama and the unity of style found among the major playwrights of the time. Similarities found between the Shakespearean and Marlovian works, which have hitherto been explained away by charges of plagiarism and even the speculation that Marlowe was covertly writing the Shakespeare plays following a staged death in a tavern brawl, can now find a more logical explanation. What is more likely is that the similarities in styles found among the playwrights resulted from them working closely together as part of the same secret literary society and propaganda ministry, writing and sometimes sharing plays to meet deadlines assigned to them either by Bacon’s propaganda ministry or the Court. Similarities found between Shakespeare’s early historical dramas and Marlowe’s Edward the Second, published in 1594 as Marlowe’s, which orthodoxy acknowledges as proof of the greater author’s debt to the lesser, can instead be explained by the reverse scenario, in which Marlowe, as a initiated member of Fra Rosi Cross, is apprenticing under de Vere, the author known to posterity as William Shakespeare. What is more likely than Shakespeare being the plagiarist of the inferior dramatist’s work is that de Vere turned one of his own early plays over in draft form to his apprentice Marlowe to complete, perhaps in order to meet some pressing deadline assigned by their patron Sir Francis Bacon or the court. 29
Othello would have been one of the plays that caused King Philip |
knickers and underpants. [1950s]
tromboning Noun. A sexual act performed on a male, whereby the partner orally stimulates the males anus from behind, whilst masturbating the male's penis.
tromp Verb. To trudge, to walk. E.g."I'm worn out, having tromped around the shops for the last 6 hours."
trots Noun. Having diarrhoea. The origins are quite apparent, the need to hurry to the toilet with sickness. Cf. `runs'.
trouble and strife Noun. Wife. Cockney rhyming slang.
trough Verb. To eat. The imagery is of eating like an animal.
trouser Verb. To pocket. E.g."Chris trousered all his winnings and left the casino with no chance to win back their losses."
trouser cough Noun. An emmision of intestinal gases from the anus, a 'fart'.
(the) trouser department Noun. The male genitals.
trousered Adj. Drunk, or very intoxicated.
trousers Adj. Nonsense, gibberish.
trouser snake Noun. Euphemism for the penis. A shortening of 'one-eyed trouser-snake'.
trouser tent Noun. A penile erection, when visible beneath clothing.
trout Noun. An unattractive woman, often prefixed with old. Derog.
trump Verb. To break wind from the anus, to 'fart'. E.g."There's a disgusting smell in here. Has someone trumped?"
Noun. 1. An act of breaking wind.
2. The resulting smell of having broke wind from the anus, a 'fart'.
trumpton Noun. The fire brigade. After the children's UK television programme of the same name, circa 1960s. [Police use]
T.T.F.N. Abb. Ta ta for now. Goodbye for now. See 'ta-ta'.
tubby Noun. A fat person, often of short stature. Not necessarily derogatory.
tube Noun. A contemptible or idiotic person. [Scottish use]
tub of lard Noun. A fat person. Cf. 'lardarse'. Derog.
tuck Noun. Food. {Informal}
tuck in Verb. To eat, usually with enthusiasm. E.g."To start the day I love tucking into a full English breakfast." {Informal}
tuck shop Noun. A confectioners, a sweet shop. Children's expression.
tug Noun. An act of male masturbation.
tummy banana Noun. A penis. Juvenile expression.
tumshie Noun. A turnip. [Scottish use]
tuned to the moon Phrs. Of a person, crazy, eccentric. [Scottish use]
tup Verb. 1. To have sexual intercourse.
2. To headbutt. E.g."He said my girlfriend looked like Quasimodo, so I tupped him." [Wigan use]
turd Noun. 1. A lump of faeces. Derived from the Anglo-Saxon tord. [1000s]
2. A contemptible person. E.g."That new bloke in accounts is a right turd, fawning all over the receptionist."
turd burglar Noun. A homosexual male. Derog./Offens.
turd fish Noun. A lump of faecal excrement, when viewed floating in water.
turf Noun. The area felt to belong to a person or gang.
turf out Verb. To expel a thing or a person, to throw out. E.g."Haven't you turfed out that broken chair yet?" {Informal}
turkey Noun. A stupid or idiotic person. [Orig. U.S. 1940s]
turnip Noun. 1. An idiot.
2. The head.
turn-off Verb. To disgust.
Noun. A thing that is disgusting.
turn-on Verb. To excite, often sexually.
Noun. Something that excites.
turn over Verb. To rob by ransacking a premises. E.g."The library got turned over at the weekend and three computers got stolen."
turtle's head Noun. See 'have a turtle's head'.
tut Noun. Rubbish, nonsense. E.g."Whatever he told you about me is just a load of tut." or "I think we need to clear up all this tut before your parents arrive."
TV Noun. Abb. of transvestite. Cf. 'trannie'.
twag Verb. To play traunt. E.g."No wonder he failed his exams, he's been twagging for most of the last year." [Hull/Lincolnshire use]
twannock Noun. An idiot, an objectionable person. [Yorkshire use]
twat Noun. 1. The female genitals. [1600s]
2. A contemptible person, an idiot.
Verb. To hit, to thump. E.g."I twatted him before he had chance to twat me."
twat face Noun. A contemptible person.
twatfaced Adj. Intoxicated with alcohol or drugs.
twatted Adj. Very intoxicated due to alcohol or drugs.
twatting Adj./Adv. A general intensifier. E.g."You wouldn't twatting believe the colour of her car, it's pink and it matches her hair."
twentyfour-seven Noun. All the time. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
twernt Noun. Anatomically, the area between the genitals and the anus. Derived from the expression "if it twernt there your guts would fall out".
twerp Noun. An imbecile, a fool. Fairly inoffensive term. Also twirp.
twig Verb. To understand, to realise. E.g."Once I saw the look on her face I twigged it was a joke." {Informal}
twilight zone Noun. The term phrased in recognition of a bizarre occurrence. Taken from the title of the U.S. television mystery sci-fi series of the same name. Often used in conjunction with a vocal rendition of the theme tune, to add emphasis.
twine on Verb. To rant, talk incessantly. E.g."Stop twining on and get on with your job, we've a deadline to make."
twinkle Noun. A term of endearment or form of address.
twinnie Noun. Affectionate term for a twin.
twirly Noun. A senior citizen, or OAP (old age pensioner). Originally bus driver's slang, from supposed senior citizen's regular attempts at using their cheap off-peak journey passes before the permitted off-peak hour, and therefore being "too early" (a verbal corruption of). E.g."How can I keep the bus on schedule when at every bus stop I have to refuse all the twirlies." Also twearly, twearlies.
twisting Noun. A telling off, a scolding, a reprimand.
twit Noun. An idiot. Patronising and derogatory but often jocular.
twitchell Noun. A narrow alleyway. [Nottinghamshire use]
twitcher Noun. A bird watcher, an ornithologist.
twittern Noun. An alleyway. [Sussex use]
two and eight Noun. State, or condition. Cockney rhyming slang. E.g."He was in a right two and eight, having drunk 12 pints of lager in 3 hours."
two bob bit Noun. An act of defecation. Rhyming slang on'shit'. In pre-decimal currency, a 'bob' was slang for a shilling (5 pence), and a 'two bob bit' being a two shilling coin, usually called a Florin. See 'bob' (noun).
TWOC Acronym. Taking WithOut Consent. Originally and usually applied to the stealing of vehicles. Originates from the proliferation of car theft in the UK during the 1990s.
two cans short of a picnic Phrs. Of a person, eccentric, insane.
twocker Noun. A person who steals vehicles. Also spelt twoc-er. See 'TWOC'.
two finger salute Noun. The insulting hand gesture which involves raising the hand with two fingers extended vertically. See 'two fingers'.
two fingers Noun. The insulting gesture of the V-sign using two fingers. Cf. 'finger' (noun 2).
twonk Noun. A fool, idiot.
two sandwiches short of a picnic Phrs. Eccentric, insane, odd. Also phrased as one sandwich short of a picnic.
two's (up)! Exclam. Said to put claim on a share of something, often a drink or cigarette.
Noun. Second opportunity to have a turn with something. E.g."Can I have two's on your cigarette?"
two ticks Noun. A short time, a couple of moments. See 'tick'.
two-time Verb. To be unfaithful to one's partner. E.g."He's been two-timing on his girlfriend for the last 6 months."
twunt Noun. An idiot, a fool. A combination of the words 'twat' and 'cunt'. [1990s]"When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Donald Trump at the White House they looked to melt the ice that had formed under the previous administration...
The Palestinians have tried to internationalize the conflict; we need to regionalize its resolution.
The Palestinians have spent years using international forums like the United Nations to wage diplomatic war. But the road to the 'ultimate deal' does not run through the U.N. The U.N. is systematically, institutionally hostile to Israel and in his speech the president condemned its 'unfair and one-sided actions.' But it is systematically hostile to America too, its institutions all too often hijacked by dictators to push extremist, pro-terror and anti-peace agendas. Paradoxically, the U.N.'s biggest funder is the American taxpayer, who last year contributed $9.2 billion to U.N. linked groups. That gives the new president a golden opportunity to hold the U.N. to account. It can no longer remain anti-Western, anti-democratic and unaccountable and expect to get a star-spangled paycheque...
The last eight years exposed the limits of U.S. soft power. Israel, and the region, would welcome the return of U.S. superpower."The federal health and safety officer who made the highly controversial order 15 years ago to arm Canada’s national park wardens for their protection faced an “unlawful reprisal” for making that decision, according to a recent labour board ruling.
The Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (PSLREB) concluded that Robert Grundie, a health and safety officer, was wrongly reprimanded for doing his job and enforcing provisions of the Canada Labour Code.
Adjudicator Deborah Howes said Parks Canada was seeking “retribution” against Grundie for his 2001 report, which directed Parks Canada to give wardens handguns for law enforcement despite management’s firm objection to arming them.
“The evidence demonstrated beyond a doubt the antagonism that Parks showed towards Mr. Grundie,” wrote Howes.
Howes denounced how Parks Canada and Grundie’s employer, Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) teamed up to investigate and discipline Grundie. She said no private sector company, unhappy with a health and safety officer’s decision, could partner with that officer’s employer to investigate his conduct.
Such a practice “offends all the principles in guiding human resources investigations into an employee’s conduct,” she said.
“Any other employer would not likely have been able to initiate and compel the extent of the investigations that occurred into Mr. Grundie’s conduct. However, Parks’ status as a federal agency enabled it to access the HRSDC’s highest officials and pursue its concerns.”
HRSDC has since been renamed Employment and Social Development Canada. The portfolio includes the Labour Program for which Grundie worked as a health and safety officer. Grundie was represented in this case by the Public Service Alliance of Canada. PSAC is also the union for the park wardens.
Howes said HRSDC spent an “untold amount of resources” to prove Grundie was involved in some kind of misconduct while investigating park wardens’ complaints that they didn’t have the protective equipment to do their jobs.
“I infer that it did so in part because of Parks’ involvement, which wanted retribution against Mr. Grundie for finding that park wardens were in an unsafe situation and for forcing Parks to address that safety concern.”
Grundie, who recently retired, said the fallout caused by his report and the subsequent investigation into his conduct consumed one-quarter of his life.
His decision to arm park wardens wound through the courts and tribunals for years where it was challenged, appealed and rescinded before it was finally upheld by a safety appeals officer in 2008. That’s when the departments turned their attention to investigating him.
Grundie said Howes’s decision vindicates his career, reputation and the independence of health and safety officers.
But he bears “unimaginable bitterness” for Labour and Parks Canada conducting a “witch-hunt” to find something to pin on him. He said his department should have defended him, particularly since the Labour Program’s mission is to set standards of behaviour for employers and employees.
“I will never forgive Labour for not defending me as their employee against these unfounded allegations,” Grundie said. “They demand loyalty from their employees but it is not reciprocal.
“The unlawful, egregious and unethical conduct of Labour and Parks with respect to the witch hunt I was subjected to is reprehensible behaviour for any department or agency and should never again be tolerated. The Labour Program is supposed to set the standard for employer and employee behaviour in the work place. I think they failed miserably in that regard.”
The case turned on whether Grundie was disciplined for misconduct or whether that discipline was in “reprisal” for his decision. Howes concluded there was a “direct link” between the disciplinary action and his report on arming wardens.
The arming of park wardens was a highly controversial and emotional issue that divided Parks Canada employees, including many wardens at the time. In January 2000, then-CEO Tom Lee told wardens they would not be armed for handling law enforcement.
Many wardens, however, felt they weren’t adequately protected and needed sidearms. A meeting was called in Canmore, Alta. and Grundie was asked as a local health and safety officer to explain their options under the Canada Labour Code.
Banff warden Doug Martin later launched a safety complaint about the risks facing unarmed wardens and sent it to Grundie, who was appointed to conduct the investigation.
Six months later, Grundie issued a report concluding wardens were in a “dangerous situation” and should be issued sidearms for law enforcement. He directed Parks to immediately strip wardens of law enforcement duties until they were given sidearms for protection.
Parks Canada rejected Grundie’s conclusions and appealed the ruling. But the agency did take away wardens’ law enforcement duties, bringing in the RCMP to handle enforcement in national parks.
That appeal set off seven years of legal wrangling before Doug Malenka, a labour appeals officer, reviewed Grundie’s decision and upheld them.
But it wasn’t over then. A few months later, Parks Canada’s CEO, Alan Latourelle, contacted Munir Sheik, then deputy minister of Labour Canada, with concerns that Grundie might have colluded with PSAC and wardens during his investigation.
The two departments eventually agreed to team up to investigate Grundie and three park wardens. Grundie didn’t learn of the investigation until nearly a year later.
That investigation included a fact-finding review, an internal investigation, and private investigators who examined thousands of emails between 1999 and 2006.
Grundie was accused of breaching the public service’s code of ethics and its oath of loyalty to government, and was also accused of bias and collusion with PSAC and the wardens.
The investigation went through various changes in direction and focused on different allegations, which Howes said looked as if HRSDC was intent on finding a case against Grundie.
“The evidence showed the investigation changed course a number of times in what I can characterize only as an attempt to substantiate a case against Mr. Grundie for some cause,” she wrote.
But Howes was particularly critical of the many “erroneous findings” in the final report of the investigation into Grundie. She said evidence showed Grundie properly handled the Canmore meeting and his subsequent investigation without bias.
“Had he done anything improper I expect Parks would have initiated a complaint with HRSDC in 2000 rather than waiting until 2008,” she said.
She acknowledged some language Grundie used in his communications near the end of the investigation was “less than professional” but was not surprised that he would have reached conclusions by then. She said he “had moved beyond the open minded inquiry portion of his work to the conclusion with justification portion of his work.”
The government described emails Grundie wrote in 2005 criticizing the departments as “ venting, spitting bitterness, verbally abusive and juvenile.” But Howes said they reveal Grundie’s frustrations and state of mind in 2005, not what it was while he was conducting his inquiry in 2000.
She said using those emails to “infer a lack of impartiality and integrity” during his 2000 investigation was a “leap simply too great and is not supported by the evidence.”
She noted investigators found nothing in emails between 2000 and 2001 proving he was biased. She said his superiors, as well as technical and legal advisers, were consulted on his report so “had Mr. Grundie not been impartial or demonstrated less integrity at the time, his superiors would have identified it.”
She also said that health and safety offices have a statutory role with sweeping powers that can affect the workplace and that trump the obligations of the public service’s ethics code.
“HRSDC cannot hold a health and safety officer to a standard of conduct that could make it impossible for the officer to complete his statutory role,” she said.
kmay@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/kathryn_mayImage copyright Getty Images Image caption The unidentified man got lost in scrub adjoining his own home
An Australian man has been rescued by police after getting lost in his own garden, while investigating what he thought was a wild dog, it's been reported.
The man, identified as "self-confessed idiot Jason", by Darwin's NT News, was eventually located 300m (330 yards) from his house. Jason says he had been watching TV and having a few beers when his dog became agitated. He thought he saw a dingo and went outside into his 8ha (20 acre) property to look for it.
But soon he was lost in the scrub, wearing only shorts, with a phone fast running out of battery. "I don't even know how it happened," Jason says. "I turned to come back and all of a sudden I was in long grass. I just thought 'Where the bloody hell am I?'"
He called the emergency operator, but was rebuffed by a dispatcher who said the situation was not an emergency. Police eventually found him uninjured - except for a few scratches and a mass of midge bites.
Jason says he's grateful to police and neighbours for rescuing him. But comments on the NT News site are less forgiving, with one person using the catch-all Australian insult "Drongo".
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Caddo Parish to offer gift cards in exchange for guns
Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Caddo Parish to offer gift cards in exchange for guns
CADDO PARISH, La. - The Caddo Parish District Attorney's and Caddo Parish Sheriff's offices, along with the Caddo Parish Commission, plan to hold a gun buy-back in early May.
Assistant District Attorney Mekisha Smith Creal said, "Plans are well underway for the second installment of the Gun Buy Back Program and we believe that this will be even better than the first."
The buy-back will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 6 inside the gym at the Peaceful Rest Missionary Baptist Church on 8200 St. Vincent Ave. in Shreveport.
The anonymous, drive-up event will offer $300 gift cards for assault-style rifles, $100 cards for.380 or larger semi-automatic pistols and $50 cards for smaller-caliber handguns, revolvers, rifles and shotguns.
There is a limit of two guns per vehicle. Guns must be unloaded and in the trunk of the vehicle. Cards will be given only for working firearms, though non-working guns and ammunition will be accepted for disposal and destruction, with no payment. No negotiations will be made for firearms.
In January, the three parish offices held a debut buy-back that netted 41 firearms and provided 61 gift cards in return, worth more than $3,000.The South Korean Minister of Unification expressed his intention on expanding cultural exchange with North Korea in a conference on Friday.
“I’ve been thinking of promoting the unification movement in a more cultural way,” Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said in a conference hosted by the Korean National Association of Christian Pastors in Soongsil University. “It’s culture and art which can arouse sympathy, after all.”
The Ministry of Unification plans to hold an exhibition dedicated to unification in the heart of Seoul at the end of May, Ryoo said.
“Should many inter-Korean cultural exchange projects bloom with North Korea’s response, it would be a good opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations and trigger a unification movement within our society,” he said.
Ryoo has been emphasizing the Park administration’s resolution for “principle” over flexibility regarding North Korea policy and the Friday’s remarks were no exception.
“Though there was no big advancement during the last two years in our government’s Korean Peninsula Trust Process, I don’t think that the last two years just passed in idleness,” Ryoo said. “The North could learn, from our attitude at the negotiations over the Kaesong industrial complex, the Park administration’s principle, I think.”
“The Park administration won’t be a ‘soft touch,'” Ryoo said, employing the term of derision conservatives used for progressive South Korean administrations’ Sunshine Policy in the decade prior to 2008. “We, however, will try to provide the minimum humanitarian aid.”
Ryoo also stressed how important the role of civil society is in the effort for unification.
“Unification is too big a project to be done by government alone,” he said. “In this sense, there’s plenty of room for religion to do.”
Picture: Subin KimRoughly twice per year, the internet at large confidently declares that PC gaming is dead. Factors contributing to its cyclical and greatly exaggerated demise include rampant mobile game growth and declining subscriptions for MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) titles. Yet according to a new report commissioned by the PC Gaming Alliance, this slice of the industry grew 8% in 2012 with revenue of $20 billion.
Of course, one must consider that AMD and Intel are both members of the not-for-profit group. Still, the research from their annual report is littered with positive findings, especially when compared to late 2012 findings by the NPD declaring that 12 million gamers had "vanished" and that our favorite industry was in serious decline.
For the record, NPD didn't tally free-to-play revenues or digital sales, which could explain those missing gamers, eh?
David Cole, an analyst with DFC Intelligence, explains part of the sales surge: "DFC was surprised the industry still showed growth in 2012 with the decline of large subscription MMOs, heavy attention being paid to the impact of mobile games, and the struggle of many social network games. However, 2012 saw significantly increased distribution of successful titles that positively impacted the market, including Diablo III, Guild Wars 2, Minecraft and the Mists [of Pandaria] expansion to World of Warcraft."~From Appendix A of the 2012 PCGA Report
Unsurprisingly, the fastest growing market in 2012 was China -- a country bereft of gaming consoles -- growing 9% to a revenue of $6.8 billion. Korea, Japan, U.S., U.K. and Germany also had growth spurts totaling a 9% increase in revenue over 2012.
So what is surprising? The growth of mobile gaming -- a segment expected to triple its revenue by 2015 -- is actually propelling the PC game business. The report suggests that the continued convergence of PC and mobile platforms is "helping drive the growth of small self-funded teams that can develop more targeted products on a modest budget.
A segment of the report authored by Jon Peddie Research rightly points out that console versions of multiplatform games (for example Call of Duty) outsell their PC counterparts because developers typically port the games to PC rather than optimizing them for the hardware. As you'd expect, however, the PC gaming market is significantly larger when it comes to hardware sales.
I think PC gaming can only continue its climb toward dominance. Consider these points:
Sony's PlayStation 4 boasts an x86 architecture which will only serve to improve the PC versions of those multiplatform releases. They'll require less optimization and resources on the developer's part.
NVIDIA's recently released GeForce Experience software takes all the guesswork out of complicated PC graphics settings by analyzing your system and optimizing each installed game (provided you're using an NVIDIA GPU). This lowers the barrier to entry and should only serve to further expand the market.
2013 and 2014 will see a concentrated push toward the living room, and not just from Sony and Microsoft. PC companies like Valve and Xi3 plan to release compact, living-room friendly gaming PCs. Boutique PC manufacturers like Falcon Northwest, Digital Storm, and Origin already offer "Small Form Factor" rigs that boast serious performance without taking up much space.
For "hardcore" gamers, it's often cheaper to game on a PC thanks to frequently and heavily discounted software on digital distribution platforms like Steam.
I've grown to prefer gaming on PC simply because of the portability it affords. I can have SimCity installed on my desktop computer, Surface Pro, or any other compatible Windows device and pick up where I left off thanks to the built-in cloud saving. Being tethered to my living room just isn't for me.
Numbers, biases, and statistics aside, what is your preferred gaming platform and why? Sound off in the comments or continue the conversation on Twitter.Forum Forums Share Share
Following on from the revised park admission guidelines for guests wearing costumes, Disney has today moved to further clarify how the policy will apply to participants at runDisney events.
The new rules come into effect January 6 2016, just head of this weekend's Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. You can read the full policy at the official runDisney website.
All participants and their Guests may dress as their favorite character, but must follow these guidelines as determined solely by Disney.
Costumes must be family-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable or violent.
Guests who dress like Characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.
Costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
Costumes may not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest.
For runDisney participants ages 13 and under:
Costumes and some masks may be worn, as long the mask does not cover the entire face and eyes are visible.
For runDisney participants ages 14 and older:
Layered costumes, that could conceal prohibited items, are not permitted (e.g. Jedi robes).
Costume props, including those that surround the entire body (e.g. Death Star, UP House) are not permitted.
Costumes may not reach or drag on the ground. (e.g. full-length Princess dresses)
Capes may be worn if the length does not go below the waist.
Themed T-shirts, blouses, sweatshirts, and hats are acceptable.
Acceptable accessories include: transparent wings, plastic light sabers, toy swords, and tutus. Headwear may be worn as long as it does not cover the face.
Guests may not wear masks of any kind.
Please note that while costumed attire may be worn during runDisney events, Guests 14 and older are not permitted to wear costumed attire in the theme parks. As a result, Guests may need to change their attire prior to visiting the parks after participating in a runDisney race.
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Article Posted:Buy Photo Detroit Free Press logo. (Photo: Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo
Stephen Henderson, managing director of opinion and commentary, was terminated from the Free Press on Friday, Free Press Editor and Vice President Peter Bhatia announced.
At a Dec. 6 news conference, Detroit minister W.J. Rideout III mentioned Henderson and two other members of the local media as individuals who had engaged in acts of sexual harassment. Rideout did not cite any evidence or specifics about Henderson and this week the minister’s radio show was suspended over that lack of evidence. The Free Press immediately launched an investigation and subsequently uncovered examples of inappropriate behavior by Henderson with female colleagues dating back several years.
Gannett, owner of the Free Press, released this statement: “Effective today, Stephen Henderson will no longer be employed by the Detroit Free Press. The decision was made after an internal investigation was conducted which uncovered credible allegations that Mr. Henderson’s behavior has been inconsistent with company values and standards.”
Henderson won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2014 for his columns in the Free Press. He worked at the Free Press from 1994-96 as an editorial writer and reporter and returned to the Free Press in 2007. He has worked as a journalist since his graduation from the University of Michigan in 1992.
“This is a devastatingly sad day for us at the Free Press. Stephen is a magnificent journalist and a treasured colleague who has done so much for Detroit,” said Bhatia. He said, however, that the incidents involving inappropriate behavior and comments directed at Free Press employees were counter to company policies and practices. There were no accusations or evidence of sexual assault.
Bhatia said there would be no further comment from the Free Press. “Out of respect for the privacy of the women involved and Stephen, we have no further details to share.”
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In What Lies the Rectitude of the Child, the Youth, the Middle-Aged, the Woman and the One Who Harms Others?
Posted on Friday, August 26, 2011 Al-Hakeem al-Tirmidhi said: صلاح خمسة في خمسة صلاح الصبي في المكتب وصلاح الفتى في العلم وصلاح الكهل في المسجد وصلاح المرأة في البيت وصلاح المؤذي في السجن The rectitude of five lie in five: The rectitude of a child lies in the study-room. The rectitude of a youth lies in (seeking and acquiring) knowledge. The rectitude of the mature, middle-aged man lies in the masjid. The rectitude of a woman is in her house. And the rectitude of one who harms others is in the prison. Al-Siyar of al-Dhahabi (13/441). Share or Bookmark this page: You will need to have an account with the selected service in order to post links or bookmark this page.
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Follow us through RSS or email. Click the RSS icon to subscribe to our feed. Link to this news item: Show: HTML Link Full Link Short LinkBetween 2009 and 2010, Iran's nuclear program was the target of a devastating cyber attack. A virus, reportedly developed by the American and Israeli governments and known as Stuxnet, took control of centrifuge controls in facilities across the country, causing thousands of machines to break. But apparently the attackers weren't content with just crippling the country's nuclear efforts — they wanted to show their control in another way. To do that, they reportedly hijacked the facilities' workstations and used them to play AC/DC.
And they played it loud. Speaking at the Black Hat security conference, Finnish computer security expert Mikko Hypponen recalled an email he received from an Iranian scientist at the time of the Stuxnet attacks. VentureBeat quotes from the correspondence.
"There was also some music playing randomly on several of the workstations during the middle of the night with the volume maxed out. I believe it was the American band AC-DC Thunderstruck. It was all very strange and happened very quickly. The attackers also managed to gain root access to the machine they entered from and removed all the logs."
Of course, "Thunderstruck" is a song from 1990 album Razor's Edge, not a suffix to the Australian band's name, but the scientist can be forgiven for getting it wrong. Under the country's censorship laws, only Iranian folk, classical, or pop music are acceptable. Since the Stuxnet attack, President Obama has reportedly warned against using cyber weapons to target other countries, for fear their source code could be repurposed and turned back on the United States. As yet, the president hasn't commented on the dangers of deploying AC/DC.If only, Arsenal's supporters say, they could sign one or two players of the highest order. It is the eternal refrain
Guardian writers' predicted position: 5th (NB: this is not necessarily David Hytner's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)
Last season's position: 4th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 11-1
Arsène Wenger never really changes. "It's a bit like if you start the 100 metres and suddenly somebody buys Usain Bolt," he said, during Arsenal's pre-season tour of east Asia. "I don't know how quick you are but it will be a problem for you."
His club, to quote the chief executive Ivan Gazidis, have entered a new era of "financial firepower," due to renegotiated commercial contracts, and they have the ability to compete for the very biggest names on the market. But there is still a part of Wenger that finds it all a little crass, somewhat artificial and against the general spirit of things.
Deep down, the manager has reservations about plundering the footballing equivalent of Bolt, a turbo-charged individual to turn heads and hold the key to glory. He continues to bang the drum hard for the values that he has always held dear; to talk down the great expectation of transfer market largesse.
It is even possible to imagine him smiling that mischievous smile, which conceals raucous laughter, and explaining, on 3 September, how his squad is good enough as it is, how a top quality addition would merely have been a bonus. The players' character is outstanding. The young ones have tremendous potential. And Abou Diaby will be like a new buy when he recovers full fitness.
"It takes a little bit something out," Wenger added, on the subject of quick-fix mega-signings. "Because it doesn't give a chance to somebody who works well in the club and develops people and players, and focuses on the quality of the game."
And yet, the bloody-minded Wenger, who is about to enter his 18th season at Arsenal – his obsession, his life's work – has still come to realise how badly he needs this signing, this statement. It felt as though Gazidis was leaning on him when he made his bold mission statement in early June and the club's directors are not the only ones that are keen to the point of desperate to see him spend big.
During the tour, it was hard to find any player or member of staff that did not want a morale-boosting, high-class and yes, very expensive, purchase and then, there are the supporters. Quite simply, there stands to be mutiny among them if the club were to end this transfer window without a major signing. Wenger, whose contract is set to expire next June, might find himself on the back foot without an expensive new arrival, and a related narrative could develop involving his longer-term future, at least until he signs the new deal that Gazidis has suggested is or will be on the table.
The bottom line is that Arsenal finished 16 points off the title pace last season for a reason – the lack of world-class quality – and, particularly as their rivals strengthen, they sorely need a shot in the arm. Everybody knows it; everybody says it. The issue has become all-consuming, and it has even undermined the tick-boxes for optimism.
There is the momentum from the form at the end of last season; the lack of a damaging summer departure; the fantastic spirit; a fit Jack Wilshere; the scope for players to improve and the sense that this is a team that can beat anybody on their day. The all-conquering Bayern Munich would attest to that.
And so Wenger, Gazidis, the negotiators and the contacts on the payroll have poured everything into an unprecedented coup. Nerves have been tested, especially as, so far, the club have added only the 20-year-old striker Yaya Sanogo on a free transfer from Auxerre in France's Ligue 2. In many respects, the French-African is the classic old-school Wenger signing: unheralded but with plenty of potential. He even has a chequered injury history. Wenger says that Sanogo "will surprise you … he is top-class," and he has not hidden his exasperation that the player's arrival has barely registered due to the lack of a transfer fee.
Arsenal's summer so far has been shaped by a high-stakes gamble, which came after they had reached agreement in principle over personal terms with Gonzalo Higuaín for the Argentina striker to join from Real Madrid.
"We managed to get permission from Real to negotiate face-to-face with Arsenal," said Jorge Higuaín, the player's father and agent on 4 July. "Fortunately, I will soon be able to watch my son play in the Premier League." It should be noted that there was no agreement between the clubs.
But Arsenal hesitated. They thought that they could upgrade to an even better striker - Liverpool's Luis Suárez, who, they were told, had a clause in his contract that allowed him to move for £40m. Well, a little over £40m, to be precise. They were also told that Suárez wanted out of Anfield for Champions League |
rape?
By definition, rape is the lack of consent in a sexual act. The marital rape exception in Indian law traces its history to the 1600s, when a woman was considered the property of her husband. The then Chief Justice of England, Sir Mathew Hale said, “The husband cannot be guilty of a rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract, the wife hath given herself in kind unto the husband, whom she cannot retract.”
While married men are exempt from prosecution, even a man judicially separated from his wife is given a lower punishment. In fact, in a country where child marriage has been apparently abolished, a man who rapes a girl between the ages of 12 and 15 will get a lower punishment if he was ‘married’ to her.
What about evidence?
Coming back to the question of evidence, and the second argument of burden of proof.
Firstly, that something is difficult to prove cannot be an argument to ignore a crime.
“Even in cases of rape by someone who knew the girl, it is difficult to prove rape. Proving rape is always based on circumstantial evidence,” points out Dr Prasanna Gettu, CEO of International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care. While in popular imagination, ‘rape’ means a stranger assaulting a woman, in 96% of the registered cases in India, the rapist is known to the victim.
Dr Gettu further points out that marital rape cases will present a different scenario, unlike other rape cases which could be single incidents. “Marital rape will not happen in isolation, there will be a history of violence and physical abuse, and will fit into the larger picture of domestic violence. We have to look at it from that perspective,” she says. Dr Gettu also points as to how even workplace sexual harassment is often difficult to prove, but we have still have laws against it.
Arguments against criminalising marital rape focus on forensic evidence, or the ‘lack of’ it. How can you prove that the act was not-consensual using DNA samples as evidence? The answer is in the judgment of Supreme Court in Sheik Zakir vs State of Bihar, case, where it ruled that the absence of a medical record would not be of much consequence if the other evidence on record is believable.
Even so, Akila RS, a lawyer based in Chennai, points out the relevance of medical evidence in cases of marital rape too, “A history of physical violence, results of a rape-kit and medical examination of the wife, witness testimony and possible admission of the husband in electronic communications could be ample evidence to prove his guilt,” she says. Timely medical examination can differentiate between consensual sex and forced sex.
“Yes, there is some difficulty in the criminal jurisprudence here, but we have to develop it. And at least, in cases where there is enough proof for proving marital rape, the law will help punish the husbands,” says Akila. A case in point being the woman who reached out to Sudha Ramalingam few years ago.
"Let’s get one thing clear: those of us arguing for criminalising marital rape are not asking for a ‘special provision’ for married women. What we are asking for is the special status accorded to some rapists to be removed. We cannot have 'good rape' and 'bad rape', there cannot be gradations based on the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator,” says Ragamalika.Etymology
An older English name for bats is flittermouse, which matches their name in other Germanic languages (for example German Fledermaus and Swedish fladdermus), related to the fluttering of wings. Middle English had bakke, most likely cognate with Old Swedish natbakka ("night-bat"), which may have undergone a shift from -k- to -t- (to Modern English bat) influenced by Latin blatta, "moth, nocturnal insect". The word "bat" was probably first used in the early 1570s.[2][3] The name "Chiroptera" derives from Ancient Greek: χείρ – cheir, "hand"[4] and πτερόν – pteron, "wing".[1][5]
Phylogeny and taxonomy
Anatomy and physiology
Ecology
Social behaviour
Social structure Bracken Bat Cave, home to 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats Some bats lead solitary lives, while others live in colonies of more than a million. Living in large colonies lessens the risk to an individual of predation.[38] Temperate bat species may swarm at hibernation sites as autumn approaches. This may serve to introduce young to hibernation sites, signal reproduction in adults and allow adults to breed with those from other groups. Several species have a fission-fusion social structure, where large numbers of bats congregate in one roosting area, along with breaking up and mixing of subgroups. Within these societies, bats are able to maintain long term relationships.[186] Some of these relationships consist of matrilineally related females and their dependent offspring.[187] Food sharing and mutual grooming may occur in certain species, such as the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), and these strengthen social bonds.[188][189] Communication [190] Acoustics of the songs of Mexican free-tailed bats Bats are among the most vocal of mammals and produce calls to attract mates, find roost partners and defend resources. These calls are typically low-frequency and can travel long distances.[38] Mexican free-tailed bats are one of the few species to "sing" like birds. Males sing to attract females. Songs have three phrases: chirps, trills and buzzes, the former having "A" and "B" syllables. Bat songs are highly stereotypical but with variation in syllable number, phrase order, and phrase repetitions between individuals.[190] Among greater spear-nosed bats (Phyllostomus hastatus), females produce loud, broadband calls among their roost mates to form group cohesion. Calls differ between roosting groups and may arise from vocal learning.[192] In a study on captive Egyptian fruit bats, 70% of the directed calls could be identified by the researchers as to which individual bat made it, and 60% could be categorised into four contexts: squabbling over food, jostling over position in their sleeping cluster, protesting over mating attempts and arguing when perched in close proximity to each other. The animals made slightly different sounds when communicating with different individual bats, especially those of the opposite sex.[193] In the highly sexually dimorphic hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), males produce deep, resonating, monotonous calls to attract females. Bats in flight make vocal signals for traffic control. Greater bulldog bats honk when on a collision course with each other. Bats also communicate by other means. Male little yellow-shouldered bats (Sturnira lilium) have shoulder glands that produce a spicy odour during the breeding season. Like many other species, they have hair specialised for retaining and dispersing secretions. Such hair forms a conspicuous collar around the necks of the some Old World megabat males. Male greater sac-winged bats (Saccopteryx bilineata) have sacs in their wings in which they mix body secretions like saliva and urine to create a perfume that they sprinkle on roost sites, a behaviour known as "salting". Salting may be accompanied by singing.
Reproduction and life history
Group of polygynous vampire bats Strategies Most bat species are polygynous, where males mate with multiple females. Male pipistrelle, noctule and vampire bats may claim and defend resources that attract females, such as roost sites, and mate with those females. Males unable to claim a site are forced to live on the periphery where they have less reproductive success.[194][38] Promiscuity, where both sexes mate with multiple partners, exists in species like the Mexican free-tailed bat and the little brown bat.[195][196] There appears to be bias towards certain males among females in these bats.[38] In a few species, such as the yellow-winged bat and spectral bat, adult males and females form monogamous pairs.[38] Lek mating, where males aggregate and compete for female choice through display, is rare in bats[198] but occurs in the hammerheaded bat.[199] Mating For temperate living bats, mating takes place in late summer and early autumn. Tropical bats may mate during the dry season.[201] After copulation, the male may leave behind a mating plug to block the sperm of other males and thus ensure his paternity. In hibernating species, males are known to mate with females in torpor.[38] Female bats use a variety of strategies to control the timing of pregnancy and the birth of young, to make delivery coincide with maximum food ability and other ecological factors. Females of some species have delayed fertilisation, in which sperm is stored in the reproductive tract for several months after mating. Mating occurs in the autumn but fertilisation does not occur until the following spring. Other species exhibit delayed implantation, in which the egg is fertilised after mating, but remains free in the reproductive tract until external conditions become favourable for giving birth and caring for the offspring. In another strategy, fertilisation and implantation both occur, but development of the foetus is delayed until good conditions prevail. During the delayed development the mother keeps the fertilised egg alive with nutrients. This process can go on for a long period, because of the advanced gas exchange system.[203] Life cycle Pipistrellus pipistrellus Newborn common pipistrelle, For temperate living bats, births typically take place in May or June in the northern hemisphere; births in the southern hemisphere occur in November and December. Tropical species give birth at the beginning of the rainy season.[204] In most bat species, females carry and give birth to a single pup per litter.[205] At birth, a bat pup can be up to 40 percent of the mother's weight,[38] and the pelvic girdle of the female can expand during birth as the two halves are connected by a flexible ligament. Females typically give birth in a head-up or horizontal position, using gravity to make birthing easier. The young emerges rear-first, possibly to prevent the wings from getting tangled, and the female cradles it in her wing and tail membranes. In many species, females give birth and raise their young in maternity colonies and may assist each other in birthing.[207] Most of the care for a young bat comes from the mother. In monogamous species, the father plays a role. Allo-suckling, where a female suckles another mother's young, occurs in several species. This may serve to increase colony size in species where females return to their natal colony to breed.[38] A young bat's ability to fly coincides with the development of an adult body and forelimb length. For the little brown bat, this occurs about eighteen days after birth. Weaning of young for most species takes place in under eighty days. The common vampire bat nurses its offspring beyond that and young vampire bats achieve independence later in life than other species. This is probably due to the species' blood-based diet, which is difficult to obtain on a nightly basis. Life expectancy The maximum lifespan of bats is three-and-a-half times longer than other mammals of similar size. Six species have been recorded to live over 30 years in the wild: the brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus), the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), Brandt's bat (Myotis brandti), the lesser mouse-eared bat (Myotis blythii) the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), and the Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus).[210] One hypothesis consistent with the rate-of-living theory links this to the fact that they slow down their metabolic rate while hibernating; bats that hibernate, on average, have a longer lifespan than bats that do not.[211][212] Another hypothesis is that flying has reduced their mortality rate, which would also be true for birds and gliding mammals. Bat species that give birth to multiple pups generally have a shorter lifespan than species that give birth to only a single pup. Cave-roosting species may have a longer lifespan than non-roosting species because of the decreased predation in caves. A male Brandt's bat was recaptured in the wild after 41 years, making it the oldest known bat.[212][213]
Interactions with humans
See also
Notes
^ ; from the χείρ – cheir, "hand" and πτερόν – pteron, "wing".[1] Pronounced; from the Ancient Greek, "hand" and πτερόν –, "wing". ^ [130] Earlier reports that only fruit bats were deficient were based on smaller samples.When the Chicago Bears met with Jay Cutler early this month, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that they left the room convinced they had to pick up the quarterback's $10 million option for 2016.
Coach John Fox's commitment falls short of that often provided for franchise quarterbacks of Cutler's contract level, however.
Although Cutler will top the offseason depth chart by dint of his experience edge, Fox made it clear Wednesday that the Bears will have an "open competition" at quarterback.
"Obviously you've got to start somewhere," Fox said, via CSN Chicago, "and my experience in football, really in anything, it's not where you start a competition; it's where you finish it."
Cutler was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen late last season, in part because he didn't fully embrace the coaching staff's philosophy and struggled to make the correct pre- and post-snap adjustments.
Fox believes Cutler's confidence might have been shot as well.
"I think maybe he got to the point where he lacked confidence a year ago," Fox added Wednesday. "To build that back up, it's going to take time, daily. It takes trust, like any relationship."
Cutler has an obvious advantage due to the $25.5 million in guaranteed money he's collecting over the next two years.
Contract discrepancies aside, there are mitigating factors in this competition.
The new Bears regime has nothing beyond money invested in Cutler. Next month's draft could bring an early-round quarterback hand-picked by Fox and new general manager Ryan Pace.
If Fox is to be taken at his word, Cutler won't be under center in Week 1 if he's outplayed by Clausen and/or a rookie quarterback in August.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast unveils our annual division power rankings and welcomes Bucky Brooks back to the show. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.On Saturday May 17th 2014, the Firestorm team hosted another of their Q and A sessions to discuss Firestorm and Second Life, and to address users’ questions. Unfortunately, no public video for the meeting is available. The following transcript is therefore provided from a personal audio recording made by myself.
For those who wish to listen to the audio, and for ease of reference, it has been broken down into a number of files, each of which precedes the text to which it relates
When reading, please remember:
This is not a word-for-word transcript of the entire meeting. While all quotes given are as they are spoken in the audio, to assist in readability and maintain the flow of conversation, not all asides, jokes, interruptions, etc., have been included in the text presented here
If there are any sizeable gaps in comments from a speaker which resulted from asides, repetition, questions to others etc,, these are indicated by the use of “…”
Questions / comments were made in chat while speakers were talking. This inevitably meant that replies to questions would lag well behind when they were originally asked. To provide context between questions and answers, questions in the transcript are given (in italics) at the point at which each is addressed by a member of the Firestorm team, either in voice or via chat
This transcript is provided for informational purposes only. I am not an official member of the Firestorm team, and technical or support issues relating to Firestorm cannot be addressed through these pages. Such requests for assistance should be made through the in-world Firestorm Support groups or at the Firestorm support region.
Firestorm 4.6.5 and the Release Cycle
00:00 Jessica Lyon (JL): So we released 4.6.5 two months early – surprise! It’s been a more-or-less, pretty much across-the-board, a really good release for folks, with few problems and lots of improvements, although it is primarily just bug fixes which are in it anyways. So that was sort-of to be expected and hoped.
00:25 JL: It was a bit of an experiment, because we’ve had a lot of people complain about how long our releases take, including some of our own developers and even some support people. So it was a bit of an experiment in some ways just to see what happens if we do a release in half the time. And the results are interesting.
00:48 JL: Adoption – the rate at which people upgrade from whatever older version they’re on, has been very slow compared to other releases; although that’s not to say it’s non-existent. We have … 85,000 people on 4.6.5 now, and that’s not quite in a full week [since release]. So that’s no slouchy number; but in a typical release, we’re usually up around 140,000, so almost twice that.
01:28 JL: It’s easier for support, certainly, because fewer people are updating all at the same time, so I guess that stretches out the support load. [It’s] easer for QA, that’s good to know. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be able to do releases in that two-month time frame all the time.
01:56 JL: For example, our next task is going to be project interesting, which I’m sure most of you are aware of, Linden Lab just finally released it, and it’s apparently really, really good. Things rez much faster, and we can’t wait to get … to the point after we’ve merged it … [there’s a description of the interest list work, as per the blog post linked to above].
04:45 JL: Anyway, we’re looking forward to having it in a release state; we’re not looking forward to trying to merge it … because it’s a ridiculous amount of code … and trying to merge that in is going to be really tough. It touches thousands of files.
05:10 JL: So don’t expect us to be releasing that in a two-month period. It’s going to take some time to merge it; it’s going to take some time to work out the bugs, of which we’re going to have plenty, because any time we merge, our code is far enough away from the Linden code that any kind of merge causes all kinds of problems, especially a merge that touches almost every file that we have …
05:56 JL: So the way the process works [is]: we do a merge, and then we have builds internally, which is just support and developers have it. And we find obvious things. If we put that out to the beta testers, when there’s obvious things, they’re going to be reporting things that we already know about …
06:14 JL: So we do internal testing first, and as we’re doing internal testing, support or developers will notice things, and those things get fixed. We try to get it to a state where there are no more painfully obvious issues; and that’s when it goes out to the Quality Assurance team, the beta testers. And they hammer it and find all the stuff that’s not obvious. Because everyone uses the viewer differently, you find more issues as people use different things differently … And QA find things and report them, and then developers go at it again and try to fix these bugs.
06:58 JL: And then we’ll do another build to QA; one every week or every two weeks, and they find more bugs, and it’s a process until we’re not finding any more major bugs. Then we get to a point where we say, “OK. we’re going to go into a release cycle.” And we go into a release mode, and the way that works is we take our main LGPL repository, or main branch, and make a copy of it. And the release branch is going to be that copy. In this way, developers can continue to do their thing in the main repository without anything new landing in the release repository.
07:45 JL: So we make another build with that, and get that out to beta testers. New fixes than land in the main repo, and if they’re chosen to go into the release, then we’ll copy them over to the release branch. And eventually we get it to a point where we think it’s ready, and then it goes out to the preview group for a couple of days. Again, more people, more hands on it, more eyes using the viewer in ways we’d never imagine someone would use the viewer, and then we release.
08:16 JL: So it’s not just a thing where we say, “OK, let’s just cut it here and let’s release this.” We don’t do it that way …
08:29 Ed Merryman (EM): Just to make the next release more interesting, it’s not just going to be project interesting … I’m going to be jumping up and down and insisting we get the group ban code it as well. So it’s actually two merges which need to be done.
08:51 JL: The interesting thing about group ban is that chances are it’ll be released by Linden Lab by the time we get to a release … and we’ll be able to use it on our internal builds, because there’s a lot of server-side work involved. So even if there are people on viewers which don’t have group ban, we can still ban you. but anyway group ban is a big priority because that’s huge.
[There is at this point a note about the SL scheduled maintenance with will see grid log-ins suspended for around an hour on Thursday May 2nd – see the Grid Status Page for more details.]
Firestorm Crash Rates and What Next for 64-bit Versions
00:04 JL: We got some early stats from Oz [Linden] … some interesting things … with 4.6.5. The 32-bit version of 4.6.5 has a crash rate of 10.6%. The 64-bit version of 4.6.5 has a crash rate of 6.5%, nearly half.
00:34 JL: It’s not because the 64-bit is more stable than the 32-bit … well, it is in a way … they’re exactly the same, code-wise; There’s not changes in the code. It’s just that 64-bit operating systems handle memory better, handle the viewer better, and if you have a 64-bit operating system on Windows, I highly recommend that you use the 64-bit Firestorm version.
01:07 JL: This seems to be the same for Singularity, which also has a 64-bit version as well. Their crash-rate on the 64-bit is way lower than on the 32-bit. And again, it’s not necessarily that [the 64-bit] version of the viewer is better, it’s just that the operating system handles it better. most likely that’s what we think it is, anyway.
01:32 Tonya Souther (TS): Have we got any indication from Oz about a 64-bit Havok [library, which is used with the mesh uploader, and pathfinding’s navmesh]?
01:40 JL: No. And someone mentioned before the meeting that they’re still waiting for their 64-bit version, which would be Mac … So Linden Lab is interested in doing 64-bit. They see our stats … our crash rates between 32- and 64-bit, and its usually beneficial for people if we could offer a 64-bit build for all of our operating systems …
02:19 JL: In order to do that, Linden Lab will have to issue a 64-bit compiled library for Havok … Once that happens, then our Second Life version of the viewer will be Second Life only; in other words the Havok version of Firestorm will have a 64-bit a well, which it doesn’t currently, because we don’t have a 64-bit Havok [library] because that’s a closed library, we can’t see it, we can’t do anything with it. But Linden Lab aren’t making any promises on time; there’s nobody currently working on it at this moment, as far as I’ve been told; but it’s on the “do want to do” list.
On a 64-bit Mac Build and Third-party Libraries
03:15 TS: Can I growl for a minute about the Mac stuff? We know that we would all dearly love to see a 64-bit Mac OS X version of Firestorm; me as much or more than anybody else. And quite frankly, folks, right now, I’m the hold-up.
03:42 TS: The problem is that to build a 64-bit distributable version of Firestorm, we have to rebuild all the libraries as 64-bit libraries. and Cinder did almost all of that work. There are two libraries that still need to be rebuilt, and one of them is called Boost, and Boost is … working on Phoenix and then Firestorm has taught me to thoroughly, deeply and passionately hate C++, and I consider the existence and necessity of Boost to be a major indictment of the language. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with it …
04:33 TS: Not only have I not been able to build the version of Boost we need, but we cannot use the current version of Boost, because they’ve made incompatible changes to their programming interface, and we have to use the version from before that change. So I have to get an older version of Boost built, and that means backporting a couple of fixes from versions after the programming interface change … Remember the old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times”1? Project interesting fits that, but Boost is even more interesting than project interesting!
05:16 TS: So it’s not that we don’t want to do a 64-bit OS X, we would dearly love to, I would dearly love to … unfortunately, until I can get over that hurdle, it’s not going to happen … I’m working on it as my time and real life schedule permits, but I’m not even going to try to make any promises as to when. You’ll see it when it gets announced, and unfortunately not any sooner than that.
05:59 JL: So it boils down to that it isn’t that we did Windows 64-bit bit because there’s more people on Windows … we did Windows 64-bit because it’s easier. 64-bit on Mac for the viewer is exponentially harder … And take note, nobody has done it yet … it’s not been done by any third-party viewer ever in history. It’s not because there’s not a want for it … it’s because it’s really hard to do.
06:52 JL: How many people know what devs are talking about when they say “libraries”? I’ll try to put it into layman’s terms. So, [in] Encyclopaedia Britannica there’s different books for different things. When they’re all together, it makes a collection. We’ll call that collection the viewer. But if you don’t have one of those books, you don’t have a collection, you just have a bunch of books …
07:32 JL: The viewer doesn’t just run everything by itself. there are a lot of other little applications, you can call them, that in themselves don’t do anything, but when tied into the code, or when the code calls on them, they do stuff. And that’s kind-of like what a library is when you hear developers talk about libraries.
07:55 JL: So there’s the viewer code, and then there’s Quicktime, for example, these are all kind-of like modules that are required at the time you compile the viewer. So when you guys get the viewer, it’s all in one package. But when you’re compiling the viewer, there are all of these other little packages that the compiler looks into to link that functionality from each of the libraries into the viewer.
08:26 JL: Boost is a huge one, and it’s really convoluted and complicated and big, messy and ugly … so I like to think of it as Encyclopaedia Britannica set, and if you’re missing one of those books, it’s just not going to work …
9:18 JL: Anyway, Mac 64 is coming … It’s inevitable, it will happen. Be patient, I can’t tell you when it’s going to happen … We all want it … Asking for it every day is not going to make it come any faster. It’s not because we don’t want to work on it, it’s just because it’s not easy … And that’s a point with Linden Lab as well. Linden Lab really wants the 64-bit; but it’s a matter of resources and time. They don’t have an infinite number of developers they can take off something and assign to something else; so it’s time on the calendar.
[At this point Ed gives his usual promotion for the Firestorm Classes, which are held at the Phoenix Firestorm Support region classroom and at Junkyard University. Class times are scheduled throughout the week at different times to meet the needs of different time zones, and recordings of classes can also be obtained on the Firestorm YouTube channel. There is also the help area on the Support region where assistance can be sought.]
Q & A Session
00:09: Is there a problem with alphas being stuck on but not showing and won’t come off until I go back to the default character? For example, shoes.
00:54 JL: It doesn’t sound like it’s a well-known issue for support … Sometimes people will post a question in our support group repeatedly and they don’t get an answer. Quite often it means that the people who happen to be there at the time, support people, don’t know the answer … When the comes into the case, file a JIRA. Because once we have a JIRA, that’s something that is stationary, it’s static, it’s going to stay there and we can link. We can have our developers look at it and we can have the rest of the support team look at it until somebody has an idea and we can also communicate back and forth through the JIRA.
JL: A lot of people don’t file JIRAs because they think it gets lost and never seen again; I can promise you, Whirly will see it, and she will assign it somewhere and make sure it’s looked at.
02:02 TS: Let me add another couple of items to Jess’ comment … If you send support questions by e-mail to admin@phoenixviewer.org, it’s not going to help. That goes to Jess and me and one other person, and none of us do support, so we have to forward it to the support group … and it takes a while, so it doesn’t help to do that.
TS: And especially, please don’t ask support questions and comments on our blog …
03:46: What about alphas not reappearing after setting them to invisible then trying to make them visible again (in script) they remain invisible Sometimes it doesn’t happen at ground level. Sometimes a higher LOD helps. Sometimes zooming out and back in helps but at other times nothing helps.
JL: I don’t know, but I’ll bet there’s a bug report about that, and it probably is … an across the board issue.
04:22: Is the Nvidia driver problem still around?
04:26 JL: Which one? … There’s plenty.
04:43 TS: We’re pretty heavily dependent on the driver makers to get things right, and they all have their issues. Nvidia’s got problems, ATi/AMD’s got problems …
05:10 JL: Any computer that has built-in on-board graphics is not going to do well in Second Life most of the time … Right now, we’ve just released 4.6.5, and let’s say next week Nvidia releases a new driver. We can’t test the viewer against that driver, because the viewer is already out. And quite often when video card companies come out with new versions, sometimes it fixes problems and sometimes it doesn’t. Rolling back drivers is sometimes something you’re just going to have to get used to doing, especially for Second Life. And that’s not just for us, it’s Second Life viewers in general.
JL: If you’re on Nvidia … and it comes with this Experience, and it scans my computer for games and tries to choose default setting for whatever games, because they have this database of games. I can promise you that SL is not in the database. They are not worrying if their graphics drivers are going to work for SL. So when there’s updates, it could cause problems.
06:36 JL: On the bright side, we now have the ability to … there’s a text file that comes with the viewer, if you look in the install directory, it’s called the GPU Table. It basically lists instructions for the viewer on how to handle different video drivers and video cards. We recently … made a change to that; we can actually update that table on the fly. So just like you get an update when we do a message of the day, and just like the viewer takes a look at our server to see if it’s allowed to be logged-in to [SL] … the viewer now also checks the GPU table that we have on the server versus the one you have in the installation and if there’s a new one, it will automatically download it.
JL: So, if a new video card driver comes out and we discover problems with it and you report it – we can’t do anything unless you report it – if you file a JIRA on it, saying this driver has got this problem, Tankmaster [Finesmith] is going to get hold of you through that JIRA, he’s going to take a look at the driver you’re using, he’s going to make changes to the GPU table on our server, and when you start the viewer, it will download those changes which make the viewer compatible with those drivers when we can do it.
08:37 Some merchants send out a note card saying to change your LOD to 4, like when wearing shoes.
09:19 EM: We generally recommend people leave their LOD settings at the defaults … the default changes depending on your graphics level, and the ideal is anywhere between 2 and 4, depending on your system … Even going just to 4, some people experience that necklaces and things just don’t rez because the level of details is too high for the small nanoprims to render. And there is no solid answer here. Generally, sculpties need to be created with a reasonable, sensible, level of detail.
12:02 JL: If you turn-up your LOD, you’re going to see things really nice … it’s also more complex because your video card is rendering more things … So if you want to take really nice pictures in SL, crank up your LOD; but it’s going to have an effect on the performance of your viewer.
12:55 JL: So what a lot of content creators do – and if you’re one of the content creators that do this, yes I’m pointing at you … is they want their stuff to look really good, so they’ll have their LOD cranked up really high …. and then they’re making their necklace or their shoes … and it looks really great to them, it looks really perfect and they package it up and they send it out. And people who don’t have their LOD cranked up, get that item and it looks like crap. And then the content creators says, “Oh, it’s because you have your LOD down too low; turn up your LOD and it’ll look fine.”
13:40 JL: Let me tell you something. If you’re that content creator, if you’re that person, you are doing it wrong. You make your content at a low LOD, and you make it look good at a low LOD level, and it is guaranteed to look good at a higher level … That’s the way to do it, because that’s how you make sure it looks good for everybody. not be making it to settings most people can’t use … you make your content based on a low LOD level, and that makes sure it’s going to look good on a low LOD level and on a high LOD level.
JL: Don’t tell people to turn their LOD up … it’s not good for them … because they forget they’ve turned it up and then they have really bad performance because they go to a region full of all kinds of prims and avatars with mesh and all these things, and their viewer performance is just utterly crap And they come to us and say, “Firestorm is a piece of crap. I just ran Singularity in the same situation and Singularity runs really well in the same situation!” But it’s not the same situation, because the LOD isn’t turned-up on Singularity …
JL: And that’s very common. People will compare one viewer with another viewer, not realising that they’ve changed a setting in one viewer that they haven’t in the other, and that setting has a huge impact on performance … Just leave the LOD alone in the viewer.
15:36 EM: The ideal setting for most people is between 2 and 4, which is why our LOD slider only goes to 4.
15;44 TS: And in fact, LOD is restricted in the viewer, there is an upper bound above which, no matter how high you set it, won’t make any difference anyway. My fuzzy memory tells me that number is four, but i could easily be wrong. i haven’t looked at that chunk of code in quite some time.
16:03 JL: If you want to do pictures, go into Preferences and crank-up your LOD. But when you’re done taking pictures, bring it back down again. Or just jiggle the graphics slider, because the LOD is affected by what setting you have in the performance slider. So if you choose low, it’ll have a lower LOD, and if you choose Ultra it will have the highest LOD that we would possibly recommend. But for content creators, drop your LOD when you make your content, make it look good on a low LOD and you’re going to be putting out a really good product.
16:57 TS: Which is why the defaults are good choice, because they’ve been tweaked pretty well … for most systems.
17:38 JS: Just generally speaking, we have had arguments, big arguments, internally on the team on what we should make default LODs. We try to follow along with Linden Lab, although seldom do we agree with Linden Lab’s defaults. We |
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Since our opening of mortonsfoot.com in 2001, we have offered a 90 day unconditional guarantee that even incudes outbound shipping. Our return rate have fluctuated between 3 to 4.5%, so we feel confident in claiming a 95% success rate. Our repeat purchase rate is also excellent, and once a customer, you too will be able to take advantage of our customer specials.Thirty-four control children with 1 study visit each were enrolled. Forty-seven percent of these children were female, and their median age was 24.2 months (Table 1). As expected, the control children had a significantly higher median CD4+ T-cell percentage (33.4%, range, 17%–48%) (Fig. 1A) and lower CD8+ T-cell percentage (23.6%, range, 0.4%–35%) (Fig. 1B) than HIV-infected children, consistent with few, if any, of the control children being HIV infected.
T-Cell Subsets at Baseline
Before HAART initiation, EM cells constituted the largest mean percentage of CD4+ T cells in HIV-infected children (37.2%), followed by effector (27.4%), naive (19.4%) and central memory CD4+ T cells (4.6%) after adjusting for age and sex (Figs. 2A, B; see Supplemental Table S2a, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). In contrast, naive cells were the largest subset in control children and comprised one-third of CD4+ T cells. Although statistically significant differences in CD4+ T-cell subsets between age categories and sex were observed among HIV-infected and control children, these differences were less than 1% (see Supplemental Figure S3 and Supplemental Table S3a, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566).
A majority of CD8+ T cells were of the effector phenotype in both HIV-infected (46.6%) and control children (50.7%) (Fig. 3; see Supplemental Table S2b, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). Although naive cells comprised the next largest percentage of CD8+ T cells in control children (24.2%), EM CD8+ T cells were the second largest percentage in HIV-infected children (39.8%). Central memory cells constituted a substantially smaller percentage of CD8+ T cells in the circulation of both HIV-infected and control children at less than 0.1%, reflecting recruitment to the bone marrow.22
Consistent with increased cellular immune activation during HIV infection, the percentages of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in HIV-infected children were 3- and 2-fold higher, respectively, than those of control children (Fig. 4; see Supplemental Figure S5, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). Additionally, the memory capacity of CD8+ T cells, as measured by expression of IL-7Rα, was 27 percentage points lower in HIV-infected children than in control children. Similar to CD4+ T cells, differences among CD8+ T-cell subsets by age categories and sex were less than 1% for HIV-infected and control children except for naive CD8+ T cells, which were 2.75% (95% CI: 0.16 to 8.51) higher in female compared with male control children (see Supplemental Figure S4 and Supplemental Table S3b, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566).
Changes in CD4+ T-Cell Subsets After HAART
Almost 3-quarters (73%) of HIV-infected children achieved at least 20% CD4+ T cells within 6 months of HAART initiation. After adjusting for age and sex, the mean percentage of total CD4+ T cells increased significantly within 3 months of starting HAART and continued to increase through 9 months of treatment, reaching 27.5% of the T-cell population, after which no statistically significant changes occurred (Fig. 1C; see Supplemental Table S2a, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). The rate at which total CD4+ T-cell percentages increased from baseline to 9 months after HAART did not differ between age groups (see Supplemental Figure S6a, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566).
During the first 6 months of HAART, naive and central memory CD4+ T cells increased significantly and maintained percentages similar to those of control children for the remainder of study follow-up (Fig. 2B). There were no differences in the rates of naive and central memory CD4+ T-cell increases after HAART initiation between age groups (see Supplemental Figures S6b and S6c, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). EM cells decreased in HIV-infected children on HAART, although not to percentages observed in control children (Fig. 2A), and the rate of decrease did not differ with age (see Supplemental Figure S6d, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). Effector cell percentages remained similar to those of control children (Fig. 2A). Changes in the mean absolute counts of CD4+ T-cell subsets showed patterns similar to CD4+ T-cell subset percentages after children began HAART (see Supplemental Table S4a, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). These findings suggest increases in CD4+ T cells were driven primarily by gains in naive CD4+ T cells.
Changes in CD8+ T-Cell Subsets After HAART
Although the mean percentage of total CD8+ T cells in HIV-infected children decreased significantly after 6 months of HAART, this percentage remained higher (34%) than in control children (24%) for the remainder of follow-up (Fig. 1C). As observed among CD4+ T-cell subsets, naive CD8+ T-cell percentages in HIV-infected children increased significantly after HAART initiation but maintained mean percentages between 10% and 15% over study follow-up, slightly lower than 24% of CD8+ T cells among control children (Fig. 3; see Supplemental Table S2b, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). After HAART, percentages of central memory and effector cells remained similar in HIV-infected and control children, comprising <0.1% and 50%, respectively, of the total CD8+ T-cell population. In contrast, the mean EM CD8+ T-cell percentage in HIV-infected children decreased significantly during HAART but remained higher than that observed among control children, with EM T cells largely responsible for the decline in total CD8+ T cells. Similar changes in absolute CD8+ T-cell counts were observed in response to HAART (see Supplemental Table S4b, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). Sex and age were not associated with differences in the rates of change in any CD8+ T-cell subsets among HIV-infected children (see Supplemental Figures S7a-S7e, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566).
Cellular Activation and Memory Capacity
Activated CD4+ T cells decreased to less than half of baseline levels 6 months after starting HAART and approached levels observed in control children (Fig. 4). Activated CD8+ T cells demonstrated a similar decline after HAART initiation but remained slightly higher than was observed in control children (Fig. 4; see Supplemental Table S3b, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566). Memory capacity of CD8+ T cells, as measured by IL-7Rα expression, more than doubled after 6 months of HAART, but remained lower than the mean percentage observed in control children. Sex and age were not associated with changes in activated CD4+ or CD8+ T-cell subsets or IL-7Rα expression by CD8+ T cells (see Supplemental Figures S8a-8c and Supplemental Table S3, Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/QAI/A566).
DISCUSSION
The cellular immune activation status and levels of memory T-cell subsets in HIV-infected Zambian children were substantially altered after starting HAART. As expected, untreated HIV-infected children had lower percentages of naive T cells and higher percentages of EM and activated T cells than control children, consistent with changes in T-cell composition during chronic HIV infection and persistent immune activation.23,24 HAART significantly reduced levels of cellular immune activation and EM CD4+ T cells, and promoted reconstitution of naive T cells and IL-7Rα-expressing CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, CD4+ and CD8+ effector T-cell percentages did not differ between HIV-infected and control children. However, increased CD8+ effector T-cell percentages at HAART initiation were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality in this cohort of children,25 possibly reflecting T-cell exhaustion and loss of polyfunctional cytokine responses commonly observed in HIV-infected individuals.26
Most HIV-infected children require lifelong treatment with HAART, as the major barrier to cure is the development of a cellular reservoir that harbors latent infectious virus.27 Current approaches for HIV cure include purging the latent reservoir through re-activation of resting cells28; thus, understanding both the relative contributions and maximum counts and percentages of cellular subsets is important for assessing reservoir size, calculating HIV clearance kinetics, and estimating the potential impact of cure strategies. The cellular distribution of the proviral reservoir in HIV-infected children has not been thoroughly investigated, but evidence suggests it is comprised of resting memory CD4+ T cells, including long-lived central memory T cells29 that predominantly home to lymphoid organs.30 Whether the increase in central memory T cells observed in Zambian children represents increased memory cell levels that typically develop with aging or redistribution of central memory T cells in circulating blood relative to those sequestered in secondary lymphoid organs is unclear. In healthy children younger than 10 years, the proportions of naive T cells decrease as the immune system matures and encounters antigens, whereas memory T-cell proportions increase.5 Since control children were enrolled for only a single visit, our ability to differentiate between phenomena associated with aging, such as antigen exposure, and HAART duration was limited when comparing cellular subsets among HIV-infected children. We attempted to control for this by adjusting for age in statistical models and believe a large part of the considerable changes in T-cell subsets can be attributed to HAART, as observed upon stratification of cell subset trajectories by age and sex. Additionally, the proportion of central memory T cells that developed in response to HIV and non-HIV antigens was not determined.
This is one of the largest studies to assess long-term changes in T-cell subsets in HIV-infected children, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Of 13 studies assessing cellular subsets among HIV-infected children, 10 included fewer than 50 children.2,11–14,31–38 Only 2 previous studies assessed T-cell activation status among HIV-infected children before HAART initiation in sub-Saharan Africa, but these studies used cross-sectional study designs.14,31 After HAART initiation, T-cell subsets of European and American HIV-infected children demonstrated patterns of change similar to those of Zambian children.32,38 Among European children starting HAART, both naive and total memory CD4+ T cells increased within 3 months of HAART, but only naive CD4+ T cells sustained increases after 12 months.32 Similarly, naive CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell percentages increased after 144 weeks of HAART in American children, whereas memory cell percentages decreased or remained unchanged.38 The shift in T-cell composition after HAART initiation, most notably the increase in naive T cells and reduction in EM T cells, is consistent with control of HIV-mediated T-cell stimulation and differentiation.39
Although the pattern of T-cell subset changes after HAART initiation was similar between HIV-infected children in Zambia and those in developed countries, Zambian children had lower levels of naive T cells and higher levels of EM T cells. Among HIV-infected American and Spanish children, for example, naive cells constituted 55%–56% and 30%–38% of the CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell populations, respectively, before HAART initiation,33,37,38 whereas the corresponding percentages in HIV-infected Zambian children constituted only 19% and 4%. These differences are underscored by the older median ages of 7–10 years in the American and Spanish cohorts, as older age typically is associated with lower naive T-cell percentages. Similarly, control Zambian children had lower proportions of CD4+ and CD8+ naive T cells than HIV-uninfected American, Brazilian, and Cameroonian children.11,36,40 Naive T cells comprised 54% of CD4+ and 49% of CD8+ T cells in 12- to 24-month old Cameroonian children40 compared with only 34% and 24% in Zambian children. These differences are more pronounced upon comparison with HIV-uninfected American children who had CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell percentages of 75% and 58%, respectively,36 possibly reflecting more frequent exposures to pathogens that induce cellular differentiation in the Zambian children.
A limitation of this work was the inability to measure T-cell subsets for all children at later study visits due to short duration of follow-up. We performed sensitivity analyses to determine the extent to which estimates change after restricting analyses to HIV-infected children with at least 12 months of follow-up and no more than 1 missing visit, resulting in 87 HIV-infected children and 34 control children. However, the estimates did not differ between the original and sensitivity analyses. Moreover, inferences regarding differences between HIV-infected and control children remained the same. Although we were unable to adjust for HIV viral load changes after HAART initiation, the decline in the percentages of CD4+ EM cells and cellular immune activation is consistent with decreased HIV stimulation as EM cells migrate to nonlymphoid tissues to quickly respond to cognate antigens41 and turnover rapidly.42
HAART significantly reduced levels of cellular immune activation and EM CD4+ T cells, and promoted reconstitution of naive T cells and IL-7Rα-expressing CD8+ T cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the relative proportions and sizes of T-cell subsets, specifically the central memory CD4+ T-cell population, in HIV-infected children from sub-Saharan Africa before and after HAART initiation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank the participants of this study and the clinicians and study staff who collected data and cared for the participating children. They also thank Fred Menendez and Tricia Niles for their assistance with optimizing the flow cytometry.
Keywords: HIV; immune reconstitution; T cells; antiretroviral therapy; children
© 2014 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Source Changes in Cellular Immune Activation and Memory T-Cell Subsets in HIV-Infected Zambian Children Receiving HAART JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes67(5):455-462, December 15th, 2014.
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Related ArticlesDuring his playing days, Hall of Famer Bernard King was one of NBA’s fiercest competitors. But, his unbridled passion on the court came from a dark place at home.
Growing up in a small apartment in hard-nosed Fort Greene during the 1960s and ’70s, King had an abusive relationship with his mother. He detailed his anguish in his autobiography “Game Face: A Lifetime of Hard-Earned Lessons On and Off the Basketball Court,” which releases Tuesday.
“I found a place mentally to go to escape the pain,” King told amNewYork while promoting the book. “In escaping the pain, that was the face that I fashioned in interacting with my mother. That’s where my game face comes from, to defeat the pain.”
Basketball was his distraction from the moment he first shot a ball as a third-grader at P.S. 67. He became one of the city’s best players at Fort Hamilton High School, all the while struggling internally.
“What you see on the cover is not always what’s inside,” he said. “The turmoil existed within, but you never saw it manifest itself, but it certainly was there each and every time I stepped on the court.”
His personal insecurities grew at the University of Tennessee, where he experienced racism in the deep South. The shy kid from Brooklyn turned to alcohol as an escape, a habit that followed him to the NBA.
In 1979, he was traded by the New Jersey Nets despite being, at 22, one of the top young scorers in the league.
“When you’re traded, that wakes you up,” he said. “There has to be something other than basketball that impacts an organization to the extent that they decide to trade you.”
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He then underwent treatment, winning comeback player of the year with the Golden State Warriors in 1981. He again revived his career in the late ’80s after losing two years to a torn ACL suffered while with the New York Knicks in the prime of his career. Neither could’ve been accomplished without first picking up a basketball in Fort Greene.
“I am still the same little kid that was standing underneath the basket looking up, always looking up,” he said. “Always looking to build, grow and be better every day.”— A technique is demonstrated, calling Object#tap to reuse an ActiveRecord relation instance in order to accomplish more than one task — 2-minute read
(Yes, I know I said I was probably not going to write here anymore, but while I like Medium for long-form articles, it didn’t quite fit the bill for posts that wanted syntax highlighting. Thus, I’ll probably continue to use the Buckblog for technical articles, and Medium for long-form.)
Not a lot of surprises in today’s post. I just wanted to share a convenient technique that I came across this week.
You’re all familiar with Object#tap, right? It’s terribly useful, in many situations. The example from the documentation is pretty good:
( 1.. 10 ). tap { | x | puts "original: #{ x. inspect } " }. to_a. tap { | x | puts "array: #{ x. inspect } " }. select { | x | x % 2 == 0 }. tap { | x | puts "evens: #{ x. inspect } " }. map { | x | x * x }. tap { | x | puts "squares: #{ x. inspect } " }.
You’re also probably all familiar with ActiveRecord::Relation, at least indirectly. This is what is returned any time you query a model in ActiveRecord:
User. where ( "created_at >?", Date. yesterday ) #-> #<ActiveRecord::Relation [...]>
These relation objects allow query operations to be chained together (which you probably also already knew):
q = User. where ( "created_at >?", Date. yesterday ) #-> #<ActiveRecord::Relation [...]> q = q. limit ( 5 ) #-> #<ActiveRecord::Relation [...]> q = q. order ( :name ) #-> #<ActiveRecord::Relation [...]>
I’ve taken advantage of both Object#tap and the chaining of Relation instances, numerous times, but I don’t think I’ve ever done them together. Recently, though, I saw it done, something like this:
updated_ids = [] Composition. where ( author_id : old_id ). tap do | relation | updated_ids. concat ( relation. pluck ( :id )) relation. update_all ( author_id : new_id ) end p updated_ids. uniq
Here, the code collects the ids ( updated_ids ) of all records that are affected by merging one author ( old_id ) into another author ( new_id ). The #tap block just yields the relation, appends the ids of all matching records to the array, and then updates all matching records.
(Warning! This particular implementation has a race condition, and is not particularly efficient. A better way would be to use UPDATE with RETURNING to fetch the updated ids, thus keeping the operation atomic, and efficient. This was just a novel application of ActiveRecord::Relation with Object#tap …)
I love this about writing software. No matter how familiar you become with the toolbox you’ve been given, someone always manages to combine those tools in ways you wouldn’t have considered.The 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship is set for Buffalo, New York, from Dec. 26, 2017 - Jan. 5, 2018, and will include the first ever outdoor game in tournament play when the United States takes on Canada at New Era Field on Dec. 29.
Motzko, who led the U.S. to a gold medal in his international head coaching debut, aims to lead the U.S. to back-to-back gold medal finishes for the first time ever.
"I'm deeply honored that USA Hockey has asked me and my staff to lead the United States in this event once again," said Motzko. "While winning gold was special, the opportunity to win gold on home ice is even more enticing. We're excited to work together again and begin our journey towards another gold medal at our National Junior Evaluation Camp in August."
Head men's ice hockey coach of his alma mater, St. Cloud State University, Motzko is representing the United States for a third time. In addition to his gold-medal head coaching performance last year, Motzko served as an assistant coach for the 2014 U.S. National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Malmo, Sweden.
In his 12 seasons at the helm of St. Cloud State, the 2014 NCHC Coach of the Year and two-time WCHA Coach of the Year (2007, 2006), has produced seven 20 or more win seasons; seven NCAA tournament appearances; one NCAA Frozen Four appearance; two regular-season conference titles (one each: WCHA, NCHC); and one NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship.A small army of bloggers and tweeters is filling the gaps left by traditional media in Mexico that are increasingly limiting their coverage of the country's drug wars because of pressure from the cartels.
"Shots fired by the river, unknown number of dead," read one recent tweet on a busy feed from the northern border city of Reynosa, #Reynosafollow. "Organized crime blockade on San Fernando road lifted," said another. "Just saw police officers telling a group of narcos about the positions of navy checkpoints," ran a third.
Nothing of this kind appeared in the city's papers which, along with most media outlets in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas, have become better known for what they do not publish than for what they do.
Tamaulipas is one of the most intense battlegrounds of the drug wars being fought in Mexico between the federal forces and at least seven cartels.
Gun fights lasting hours, grenade attacks in shopping streets, military swoops on suspected kingpins – all ignored. Six local journalists in one city disappeared in two days, and there was hardly a word from their terrified colleagues.
One editor on a regional paper – who does not want to be named for security reasons – has meticulously followed directives from the dominant local traffickers ever since a story she published about a shoot-out, based on an official report, earned her a death threat a couple of months ago.
She does not even dare complain too openly about this to colleagues, in case they are in the pay of the gang. But every now and then she cannot resist tweeting. "Sometimes the emotion of a story gets to me and I put it on Twitter," she says. "Especially when I know it won't get out otherwise."
Earlier this month, she revealed the kidnapping of a former local mayor who is also a cousin of Mexico's biggest media magnate.
This reporting is not just the preserve of citizen journalists and frustrated reporters, all too aware that at least 30 Mexican journalists have been killed or disappeared since the drug wars began in December 2006. There are also plenty of rumourmongers, official sources, and cartel propagandists.
El Blog del Narco was set up in March and posts the information, photographs and videos it receives unedited and without comment.
The result is a catalogue of horror absent even from the national press, which still covers the violence from the relative safety of its headquarters in the capital.
Offerings last week included a video of the interrogation and execution of four alleged hit men, photographs of a car found in a Pacific coast resort with two heads on the roof – the headless bodies were on the back seat – and the army's discovery of a torture house about an hour's drive from Mexico City. Much of the material comes from the cartels themselves, but in an email interview with the Guardian, the anonymous administrator insisted he has no direct relationship with them.
"We just publish the information," he wrote, adding that the blog sometimes receives 4m visits a week.
"Blog del Narco grew because the media and the government are trying to pretend that nothing is happening in Mexico."
This is not quite true. At least not yet. Although regional media in all the hot spots are resorting to some degree of self-censorship, the extent varies from front to front.
Journalists in the infamously violent border city of Ciudad Juárez have long ago reduced their investigations, but they still cover the daily murders and massacres in detail.
Some say the unusually high number of outlets in Juárez are just too hard to control, others point out that the city's warriors are often happy to publicise their crimes. But many wonder whether the rules of the game are now changing even in Juárez.
The city's biggest paper, the Diario de Juárez, responded to the recent murder of one of its photographers with a front page editorial appealing to organised crime for advice on how to avoid more deaths among its staff.
"We need you to explain to us what you want us to publish and what not," it said.
If the answer turns out to be silence, the experience elsewhere in Mexico suggests there will be plenty of twitter feeds and blogs ready to occupy the information vacuum they leave behind.Here's something for those who feel that north-eastern people are being discriminated against in the city to chew over. As many as 150 runners from all over Mumbai pooled in their strength and resources, participating in a 10-km charity run in the city on Sunday, to raise around Rs 3 lakh to help a single-mother cancer patient, after 'Gorkha girl' Roshni Rai came out with an online plea.
In fact, the online plea was for finding donors for blood.
Jyotika Khati, 24, had come all the way from Darjeeling to Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel to get treated for blood cancer. Mother of a two-year-old girl, Jyotika separated from her husband one-and-a-half years back and has been living with her parents ever since.
“I wanted to die when I heard that she was suffering from blood cancer. We didn't know how to find resources for treatment. Some well-wishers then advised us to approach Tata hospital,” said Ritu Khati, Jyotika's mother, who is her bystander at the hospital.
Her cousin, Premika Khati, had left her nursing job to join her to Mumbai. Her father, a home guard with West Bengal police, is on three-month leave and has found a rental accommodation in a building near to the hospital.
“We had Rs 2 lakh for treatment but the cost of care was Rs 6 lakh. We had already spent Rs 80,000 on travel,” said Ritu Khati adding she feels like living a soap opera as'miracles' have been happening ever since they landed in Mumbai in February.
It was through a well-wisher in Darjeeling that Jyotika got the contact details of Roshni Rai, who has been in Mumbai for the last 10 years. Roshni is an advocate and had participated in many marathons across the world. “She called me, and it was regarding blood donation. I was supposed to donate blood to her on that day but unfortunately got my periods. I put the request online and my runner friend Vivek Sagar came up with the idea that why not hold a charity run for her. In a week's time we organised it with the help of Gorkha Youth of Mumbai and Bhartiya Gorkha Ekta Samaj. I am overwhelmed with the support Mumbai gave us,” said Roshni.
“Only five out of 150 were from Darjeeling. Others had come from all over Mumbai and we managed to raise close to Rs 3 lakh. Many are still donating,” said an ecstatic Roshni.
Jyotika's blood report on Tuesday was encouraging. “She may get discharged in 15 days. It is very important that she stays in a hygienic place and we are looking for the same. She will be in the city for the next six months till she recovers fully,” said Premika, who wrote down what Jyotika had to say about the run.Comcast Fined $2.3 Million For Improperly Charging Customers
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tali Arbel/AP Tali Arbel/AP
Cable giant Comcast Corp. has been ordered by federal regulators to pay $2.3 million for wrongfully charging customers for gear and services they never requested. Officials say it is the largest civil penalty imposed on a cable operator.
On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission ordered Comcast to pay the fine after investigating complaints that some customers were charged for equipment such as set-top boxes, and services such as premium channels even after they had specifically rejected offers from Comcast representatives.
That practice, known as "negative option billing," is illegal under federal law.
The fine was announced in a statement issued by the chief of the Enforcement Bureau at the FCC, Travis LeBlanc.
"It is basic that a cable bill should include charges only for services and equipment ordered by the customer—nothing more and nothing less. We expect all cable and phone companies to take responsibility for the accuracy of their bills and to ensure their customers have authorized any charges," said LeBlanc.
The company agreed to make it easier for customers to know what equipment or services are on their account and to simplify the process for disputing charges.
Comcast acknowledged that "in the past, our customer service should have been better and our bills clearer, and that customers have at times been unnecessarily frustrated or confused."
But in a statement, the company defended itself saying that the FCC "found no problematic policy or intentional wrongdoing, but just isolated errors or customer confusion."The Enduring Legacy Of Jane Austen's 'Truth Universally Acknowledged'
Enlarge this image toggle caption De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images
Geoff Nunberg (@GeoffNunberg) is a linguist who teaches at the School of Information at the University of California at Berkeley.
Shortly after Amazon introduced the Kindle, they put up a page with a ranked list of the most frequently highlighted passages across all the books. It's not there anymore, but when I first looked at the list in 2013, the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice was in third place. That was all the more impressive because eight of the other top 10 finishers were passages from the Hunger Games series, which was the hit of the season that year, as Austen's novel had been exactly 200 years earlier.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
We can argue about whether that's the most famous first line in English literature or whether the honor belongs to the opening sentence of Moby Dick or A Tale of Two Cities or 1984. But there's no other opening sentence that lends itself so well to sampling, mash-ups and adaptation.
If you're looking to add a literary touch to your article on pension schemes or emergency contraceptives, you're not going to get very far with "Call me Ishmael." But "It is a truth universally acknowledged" is always available as an elegant replacement for "As everybody knows" when you want to introduce some banal truism.
The phrase is ubiquitous in the age of Jane-o-mania. Rummage around on the Internet and you'll learn that it is a truth universally acknowledged that a "pop star in possession of a good fortune must be in want of baubles," that business class is more comfortable than economy, that "online dating sucks" and, needless to say, that Jane Austen "has left quite a mark on pop culture."
Here's the puzzling thing. Those adaptations of Austen's sentence are almost never ironic or facetious. They only underscore the prevailing wisdom, rather than throwing it into question.
Yet my guess is that a large portion of the people who adapt that sentence know perfectly well that the original version is anything but straightforward. It may be the single most celebrated example of literary irony in all of English literature. Pick up a paperback of Pride and Prejudice at a garage sale and it's even money you'll find the first sentence underlined with "IRONY" written in the margin.
The sentence may look like a truism, but the first part actually undermines the second. In her book Why Jane Austen, Rachel Brownstein points out that if the novel had begun simply with "A single man possessed of a good fortune must be in want of a wife," we'd snuggle in for a stock romantic story. We might expect the next sentence to describe an aristocratic Colin Firth lookalike galloping full-tilt toward the Bennets' house at Longbourn.
But prefacing that clause with "It is a truth universally acknowledged" implies that's only what most people say they believe — after all, if everybody really does accept it, why bother to mention the fact? In fact, as Austen says in the following sentence, nobody really cares what the wealthy man himself thinks he needs. There's only one truth that matters to Mrs. Bennet and the other families in the neighborhood — that a daughter who has no fortune must be found a well-to-do husband to look after her, which Mrs. Bennet has made "the business of her life."
But we suspect that Austen has her reservations about that single-minded pursuit of an advantageous marriage, even if she doesn't say so outright. And we're flattered to think that she counts on astute readers like us to pick up on that, while others will miss it. It makes us feel complicit with her. As the modernist writer Katherine Mansfield wrote in 1920, "every true admirer of [Austen's] novels cherishes the happy thought that he alone — reading between the lines — has become the secret friend of their author." (That pronoun "he" gives us a start now, but bear in mind that back then the most prominent Austen devotees were the male literati of the Bloomsbury set.)
Austen's sentence is a masterpiece of indirection, and it's no wonder that people keep trying to repurpose it in the hope that they can pluck it from its original context and its irony will somehow cling to its roots. But that can't happen without the covert wink, the tip-off to the sharp reader that the truth isn't as pat as the rest of the sentence makes it seem. Otherwise, the phrase is an empty gesture. It merely signifies irony, the way an empire waistline or a neck cloth signifies Regency gentility.
OK, it's just a sentence. But it points to what always happens when Austen is repackaged for export. There have been some wonderful stage, film and TV adaptations of Pride and Prejudice over the years. But as charming as they are, they can only depict the second half of that opening sentence, the Colin Firth bits. We get a beguiling story of romance and courtship. But we don't see it at Austen's skeptical remove. We miss the arched eyebrow, the sly and confiding voice.
That's the paradox of Austen's novels. Like the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice, they cry out for adaptation. They seem infinitely resilient: You can relocate them to Beverly Hills or Delhi; rewrite them as murder mysteries or erotica; populate them with vampires or zombies — they'll always retain some trace of their original appeal. Yet there are few other novels so unwilling to give up their souls.The New Propagandist For Al-Qaida In Syria And His Link To Hollywood
Al-Qaida's arm in Syria, a group called Jabat al-Nusra, has just deployed a new weapon – a young British convert named Lucas Kinney.
Kinney, 26, is making videos for the group and he's no stranger to filmmaking. His father is Patrick Kinney, a well-known Hollywood assistant director who worked on such iconic films as Rambo, Braveheart, and the Indiana Jones series, among others.
The younger Kinney began appearing in slickly produced videos this month in a bid to help the al-Qaida affiliate recruit fighters to their cause. Among the things that set these latest productions apart is that Kinney's focus not on America, but rather on the sins of the Islamic State, or ISIS.
"You can see here behind me the remnants of homes of innocent Muslims," he begins in a video he says was shot in the Syrian countryside outside Aleppo, where an attack by the Islamic State, or ISIS, had just taken place.
"The followers of the |
Since both natural rewards and addictive drugs induce expression of ΔFosB (i.e., they cause the brain to produce more of it), chronic acquisition of these rewards can result in a similar pathological state of addiction.[90][112] Consequently, ΔFosB is the most significant factor involved in both amphetamine addiction and amphetamine-induced sex addictions, which are compulsive sexual behaviors that result from excessive sexual activity and amphetamine use.[90][119][120] These sex addictions are associated with a dopamine dysregulation syndrome which occurs in some patients taking dopaminergic drugs.[90][118]
The effects of amphetamine on gene regulation are both dose- and route-dependent.[113] Most of the research on gene regulation and addiction is based upon animal studies with intravenous amphetamine administration at very high doses.[113] The few studies that have used equivalent (weight-adjusted) human therapeutic doses and oral administration show that these changes, if they occur, are relatively minor.[113] This suggests that medical use of amphetamine does not significantly affect gene regulation.[113]
Pharmacological treatments [ edit ]
As of 2015, there is no effective pharmacotherapy for amphetamine addiction.[121][109][122] Reviews from 2015 and 2016 indicated that TAAR1-selective agonists have significant therapeutic potential as a treatment for psychostimulant addictions;[123][124] however, as of February 2016, the only compounds which are known to function as TAAR1-selective agonists are experimental drugs.[123][124] Amphetamine addiction is largely mediated through increased activation of dopamine receptors and co-localized NMDA receptors[note 11] in the nucleus accumbens;[86] magnesium ions inhibit NMDA receptors by blocking the receptor calcium channel.[86][125] One review suggested that, based upon animal testing, pathological (addiction-inducing) psychostimulant use significantly reduces the level of intracellular magnesium throughout the brain.[86] Supplemental magnesium[note 12] treatment has been shown to reduce amphetamine self-administration (i.e., doses given to oneself) in humans, but it is not an effective monotherapy for amphetamine addiction.[86]
Behavioral treatments [ edit ]
Cognitive behavioral therapy is currently the most effective clinical treatment for psychostimulant addictions.[94] Additionally, research on the neurobiological effects of physical exercise suggests that daily aerobic exercise, especially endurance exercise (e.g., marathon running), prevents the development of drug addiction and is an effective adjunct therapy (i.e., a supplemental treatment) for amphetamine addiction.[sources 5] Exercise leads to better treatment outcomes when used as an adjunct treatment, particularly for psychostimulant addictions.[91][93][126] In particular, aerobic exercise decreases psychostimulant self-administration, reduces the reinstatement (i.e., relapse) of drug-seeking, and induces increased dopamine receptor D 2 (DRD2) density in the striatum.[90][126] This is the opposite of pathological stimulant use, which induces decreased striatal DRD2 density.[90] One review noted that exercise may also prevent the development of a drug addiction by altering ΔFosB or c-Fos immunoreactivity in the striatum or other parts of the reward system.[92]
Dependence and withdrawal [ edit ]
According to another Cochrane Collaboration review on withdrawal in individuals who compulsively use amphetamine and methamphetamine, "when chronic heavy users abruptly discontinue amphetamine use, many report a time-limited withdrawal syndrome that occurs within 24 hours of their last dose."[127] This review noted that withdrawal symptoms in chronic, high-dose users are frequent, occurring in roughly 88% of cases, and persist for 3–4 weeks with a marked "crash" phase occurring during the first week.[127] Amphetamine withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, drug craving, depressed mood, fatigue, increased appetite, increased movement or decreased movement, lack of motivation, sleeplessness or sleepiness, and lucid dreams.[127] The review indicated that the severity of withdrawal symptoms is positively correlated with the age of the individual and the extent of their dependence.[127] Mild withdrawal symptoms from the discontinuation of amphetamine treatment at therapeutic doses can be avoided by tapering the dose.[1]
Toxicity [ edit ]
In rodents and primates, sufficiently high doses of amphetamine cause dopaminergic neurotoxicity, or damage to dopamine neurons, which is characterized by dopamine terminal degeneration and reduced transporter and receptor function.[128][129] There is no evidence that amphetamine is directly neurotoxic in humans.[130][131] However, large doses of amphetamine may indirectly cause dopaminergic neurotoxicity as a result of hyperpyrexia, the excessive formation of reactive oxygen species, and increased autoxidation of dopamine.[sources 8] Animal models of neurotoxicity from high-dose amphetamine exposure indicate that the occurrence of hyperpyrexia (i.e., core body temperature ≥ 40 °C) is necessary for the development of amphetamine-induced neurotoxicity.[129] Prolonged elevations of brain temperature above 40 °C likely promote the development of amphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in laboratory animals by facilitating the production of reactive oxygen species, disrupting cellular protein function, and transiently increasing blood–brain barrier permeability.[129]
Psychosis [ edit ]
A severe amphetamine overdose can result in a stimulant psychosis that may involve a variety of symptoms, such as delusions and paranoia.[79] A Cochrane Collaboration review on treatment for amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, and methamphetamine psychosis states that about 5–15% of users fail to recover completely.[79][134] According to the same review, there is at least one trial that shows antipsychotic medications effectively resolve the symptoms of acute amphetamine psychosis.[79] Psychosis very rarely arises from therapeutic use.[80][66]
Interactions [ edit ]
Many types of substances are known to interact with amphetamine, resulting in altered drug action or metabolism of amphetamine, the interacting substance, or both.[3][135] Inhibitors of the enzymes that metabolize amphetamine (e.g., CYP2D6 and FMO3) will prolong its elimination half-life, meaning that its effects will last longer.[5][135] Amphetamine also interacts with MAOIs, particularly monoamine oxidase A inhibitors, since both MAOIs and amphetamine increase plasma catecholamines (i.e., norepinephrine and dopamine);[135] therefore, concurrent use of both is dangerous.[135] Amphetamine modulates the activity of most psychoactive drugs. In particular, amphetamine may decrease the effects of sedatives and depressants and increase the effects of stimulants and antidepressants.[135] Amphetamine may also decrease the effects of antihypertensives and antipsychotics due to its effects on blood pressure and dopamine respectively.[135] Zinc supplementation may reduce the minimum effective dose of amphetamine when it is used for the treatment of ADHD.[note 13][139]
Pharmacology [ edit ]
Pharmacodynamics [ edit ]
Amphetamine and its enantiomers have been identified as potent full agonists of trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), a GPCR, discovered in 2001, that is important for regulation of monoaminergic systems in the brain.[145][146] Activation of TAAR1 increases cAMP production via adenylyl cyclase activation and inhibits the function of the dopamine transporter, norepinephrine transporter, and serotonin transporter, as well as inducing the release of these monoamine neurotransmitters (effluxion).[20][145][147] Amphetamine enantiomers are also substrates for a specific neuronal synaptic vesicle uptake transporter called VMAT2.[21] When amphetamine is taken up by VMAT2, the vesicle releases (effluxes) dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, among other monoamines, into the cytosol in exchange.[21]
Dextroamphetamine (the dextrorotary enantiomer) and levoamphetamine (the levorotary enantiomer) have identical pharmacodynamics, but their binding affinities to their biomolecular targets vary.[146][148] Dextroamphetamine is a more potent agonist of TAAR1 than levoamphetamine.[146] Consequently, dextroamphetamine produces roughly three to four times more central nervous system (CNS) stimulation than levoamphetamine;[146][148] however, levoamphetamine has slightly greater cardiovascular and peripheral effects.[148]
Related endogenous compounds [ edit ]
Further information on related compounds: Trace amine
Amphetamine has a very similar structure and function to the endogenous trace amines, which are naturally occurring neuromodulator molecules produced in the human body and brain.[20][149][150] Among this group, the most closely related compounds are phenethylamine, the parent compound of amphetamine, and N-methylphenethylamine, an isomer of amphetamine (i.e., it has an identical molecular formula).[20][149][151] In humans, phenethylamine is produced directly from L-phenylalanine by the aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) enzyme, which converts L-DOPA into dopamine as well.[149][151] In turn, N-methylphenethylamine is metabolized from phenethylamine by phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase, the same enzyme that metabolizes norepinephrine into epinephrine.[149][151] Like amphetamine, both phenethylamine and N-methylphenethylamine regulate monoamine neurotransmission via TAAR1 ;[20][150][151] unlike amphetamine, both of these substances are broken down by monoamine oxidase B, and therefore have a shorter half-life than amphetamine.[149][151]
Pharmacokinetics [ edit ]
This section is transcluded from Amphetamine
The oral bioavailability of amphetamine varies with gastrointestinal pH;[135] it is well absorbed from the gut, and bioavailability is typically over 75% for dextroamphetamine.[152] Amphetamine is a weak base with a pK a of 9.9;[3] consequently, when the pH is basic, more of the drug is in its lipid soluble free base form, and more is absorbed through the lipid-rich cell membranes of the gut epithelium.[3][135] Conversely, an acidic pH means the drug is predominantly in a water-soluble cationic (salt) form, and less is absorbed.[3] Approximately 15–40% of amphetamine circulating in the bloodstream is bound to plasma proteins.[7] Following absorption, amphetamine readily distributes into most tissues in the body, with high concentrations occurring in cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue.[13]
The half-lives of amphetamine enantiomers differ and vary with urine pH.[3] At normal urine pH, the half-lives of dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine are 9–11 hours and 11–14 hours, respectively.[3] Highly acidic urine will reduce the enantiomer half-lives to 7 hours;[13] highly alkaline urine will increase the half-lives up to 34 hours.[13] The immediate-release and extended release variants of salts of both isomers reach peak plasma concentrations at 3 hours and 7 hours post-dose respectively.[3] Amphetamine is eliminated via the kidneys, with 30–40% of the drug being excreted unchanged at normal urinary pH.[3] When the urinary pH is basic, amphetamine is in its free base form, so less is excreted.[3] When urine pH is abnormal, the urinary recovery of amphetamine may range from a low of 1% to a high of 75%, depending mostly upon whether urine is too basic or acidic, respectively.[3] Following oral administration, amphetamine appears in urine within 3 hours.[13] Roughly 90% of ingested amphetamine is eliminated 3 days after the last oral dose.[13]
CYP2D6, dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH), flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3), butyrate-CoA ligase (XM-ligase), and glycine N-acyltransferase (GLYAT) are the enzymes known to metabolize amphetamine or its metabolites in humans.[sources 9] Amphetamine has a variety of excreted metabolic products, including 4-hydroxyamphetamine, 4-hydroxynorephedrine, 4-hydroxyphenylacetone, benzoic acid, hippuric acid, norephedrine, and phenylacetone.[3][153] Among these metabolites, the active sympathomimetics are 4-hydroxyamphetamine,[154] 4-hydroxynorephedrine,[155] and norephedrine.[156] The main metabolic pathways involve aromatic para-hydroxylation, aliphatic alpha- and beta-hydroxylation, N-oxidation, N-dealkylation, and deamination.[3][157] The known metabolic pathways, detectable metabolites, and metabolizing enzymes in humans include the following:
History, society, and culture [ edit ]
Racemic amphetamine was first synthesized under the chemical name "phenylisopropylamine" in Berlin, 1887 by the Romanian chemist Lazar Edeleanu. It was not widely marketed until 1932, when the pharmaceutical company Smith, Kline & French (now known as GlaxoSmithKline) introduced it in the form of the Benzedrine inhaler for use as a bronchodilator. Notably, the amphetamine contained in the Benzedrine inhaler was the liquid free-base,[note 15] not a chloride or sulfate salt.
Three years later, in 1935, the medical community became aware of the stimulant properties of amphetamine, specifically dextroamphetamine, and in 1937 Smith, Kline, and French introduced tablets under the tradename Dexedrine.[166] In the United States, Dexedrine was approved to treat narcolepsy, attention disorders, and obesity. In Canada indications once included epilepsy and parkinsonism.[167] Dextroamphetamine was marketed in various other forms in the following decades, primarily by Smith, Kline, and French, such as several combination medications including a mixture of dextroamphetamine and amobarbital (a barbiturate) sold under the tradename Dexamyl and, in the 1950s, an extended release capsule (the "Spansule").[168] Preparations containing dextroamphetamine were also used in World War II as a treatment against fatigue.[169]
It quickly became apparent that dextroamphetamine and other amphetamines had a high potential for misuse, although they were not heavily controlled until 1970, when the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act was passed by the United States Congress. Dextroamphetamine, along with other sympathomimetics, was eventually classified as Schedule II, the most restrictive category possible for a drug with a government-sanctioned, recognized medical use.[170] Internationally, it has been available under the names AmfeDyn (Italy), Curban (US), Obetrol (Switzerland), Simpamina (Italy), Dexedrine/GSK (US & Canada), Dexedrine/UCB (United Kingdom), Dextropa (Portugal), and Stild (Spain).[171]
In October 2010, GlaxoSmithKline sold the rights for Dexedrine Spansule to Amedra Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of CorePharma).[172]
The U.S. Air Force uses dextroamphetamine as one of its "go pills", given to pilots on long missions to help them remain focused and alert. Conversely, "no-go pills" are used after the mission is completed, to combat the effects of the mission and "go-pills".[173][174][175][176] The Tarnak Farm incident was linked by media reports to the use of this drug on long term fatigued pilots. The military did not accept this explanation, citing the lack of similar incidents. Newer stimulant medications or awakeness promoting agents with different side effect profiles, such as modafinil, are being investigated and sometimes issued for this reason.[174]
Formulations [ edit ]
Dextroamphetamine sulfate [ edit ]
Dexamphetamine 5 mg generic name tablets
In the United States, immediate release (IR) formulations of dextroamphetamine sulfate are available generically as 5 mg and 10 mg tablets, marketed by Barr (Teva Pharmaceutical Industries), Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Wilshire Pharmaceuticals, Aurobindo Pharmaceutical USA and CorePharma. Previous IR tablets sold by the brand names of Dexedrine and Dextrostat have been discontinued but in 2015 IR tablets became available by the brand name Zenzedi, offered as 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg and 30 mg tablets.[192] Dextroamphetamine sulfate is also available as a controlled-release (CR) capsule preparation in strengths of 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg under the brand name Dexedrine Spansule, with generic versions marketed by Barr and Mallinckrodt. A bubblegum flavored oral solution is available under the brand name ProCentra, manufactured by FSC Pediatrics, which is designed to be an easier method of administration in children who have difficulty swallowing tablets, each 5 mL contains 5 mg dextroamphetamine.[193] The conversion rate between dextroamphetamine sulfate to amphetamine free base is.728.[194]
In Australia, dexamphetamine is available in bottles of 100 instant release 5 mg tablets as a generic drug.[195] or slow release dextroamphetamine preparations may be compounded by individual chemists.[196] Similarly, in the United Kingdom it is only available in 5 mg instant release sulfate tablets under the generic name dextroamphetamine sulphate having had been available under the brand name Dexedrine prior to UCB Pharma disinvesting the product to another pharmaceutical company (Auden Mckenzie).[197]
Lisdexamfetamine [ edit ]
Dextroamphetamine is the active metabolite of the prodrug lisdexamfetamine (L-lysine-dextroamphetamine), available by the brand name Vyvanse (Elvanse in the European market) (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate). Dextroamphetamine is liberated from lisdexamfetamine enzymatically following contact with red blood cells. The conversion is rate-limited by the enzyme, which prevents high blood concentrations of dextroamphetamine and reduces lisdexamfetamine's drug liking and abuse potential at clinical doses.[198][199] Vyvanse is marketed as once-a-day dosing as it provides a slow release of dextroamphetamine into the body. Vyvanse is available as capsules, and chewable tablets, and in seven strengths; 10 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, 50 mg, 60 mg, and 70 mg. The conversion rate between lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse) to dextroamphetamine base is 29.5%.[200][201][202]
Adderall [ edit ]
Adderall 20 mg tablets, some broken in half, with a lengthwise-folded US dollar bill along the bottom
Another pharmaceutical that contains dextroamphetamine is commonly known by the brand name Adderall. It is available as immediate release (IR) tablets and extended release (XR) capsules. Adderall contains equal amounts of four amphetamine salts:
One-quarter racemic (d,l-)amphetamine aspartate monohydrate One-quarter dextroamphetamine saccharate One-quarter dextroamphetamine sulfate One-quarter racemic (d,l-)amphetamine sulfate
Adderall has a total amphetamine base equivalence of 63%.[203] While the enantiomer ratio by dextroamphetamine salts to levoamphetamine salts is 3:1, the amphetamine base content is 75.9% dextroamphetamine, 24.1% levoamphetamine. [note 17]
Amphetamine base in marketed amphetamine medications drug formula molecular mass
[note 18] amphetamine base
[note 19] amphetamine base
in equal doses doses with
equal base
content
[note 20] (g/mol) (percent) (30 mg dose) total base total dextro- levo- dextro- levo- dextroamphetamine sulfate[205][206] (C 9 H 13 N) 2 •H 2 SO 4 368.49 270.41 73.38% 73.38% — 22.0 mg — 30.0 mg amphetamine sulfate[207] (C 9 H 13 N) 2 •H 2 SO 4 368.49 270.41 73.38% 36.69% 36.69% 11.0 mg 11.0 mg 30.0 mg Adderall 62.57% 47.49% 15.08% 14.2 mg 4.5 mg 35.2 mg 25% dextroamphetamine sulfate[205][206] (C 9 H 13 N) 2 •H 2 SO 4 368.49 270.41 73.38% 73.38% — 25% amphetamine sulfate[207] (C 9 H 13 N) 2 •H 2 SO 4 368.49 270.41 73.38% 36.69% 36.69% 25% dextroamphetamine saccharate[208] (C 9 H 13 N) 2 •C 6 H 10 O 8 480.55 270.41 56.27% 56.27% — 25% amphetamine aspartate monohydrate[209] (C 9 H 13 N)•C 4 H 7 NO 4 •H 2 O 286.32 135.21 47.22% 23.61% 23.61% lisdexamfetamine dimesylate[191] C 15 H 25 N 3 O•(CH 4 O 3 S) 2 455.49 135.21 29.68% 29.68% — 8.9 mg — 74.2 mg amphetamine base suspension[note 21][71] C 9 H 13 N 135.21 135.21 100% 76.19% 23.81% 22.9 mg 7.1 mg 22.0 mg
Notes [ edit ]
Image legend
Reference notes [ edit ]Kia’s Sportspace wagon concept is so damn gorgeous and near perfect that we count just three things we don’t like about it. First, the large ventlike things in the rear fascia seem out of place; second, the rear license-plate mount needs to be relocated from the otherwise gloriously spare tailgate; and third, the front running-lamp/vent pieces seem to riff a bit too hard from Volvo’s playbook. Seriously, that’s it—we’d eat up the rest of the Sportspace in one bite, chewing optional.
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Now this is the part where we tell you that the Sportspace is just another piece of vaporware, another heart-tugging preview of a Europe-market-only station wagon that we’ll never be able to buy. Well, that’s only partially true, as far as we know. What we’re looking at here, folks, is very likely the next-generation Kia Optima mid-size sedan, gussied up in station-wagon clothes in a bid to capture the interest of European types at the 2015 Geneva auto show.
MARC URBANO
Follow along with us here: The Optima sedan is currently sold in Europe in basically the same form it is sold in here, and a redesigned version of the car is due this year. It’s pretty easy to connect the two dots with a very straight line and assume that this is the new Optima, as we did when Kia teased the Sportspace last week.
Having shown the car in this form, however, it would appear as though Kia is at least considering adding a liftback model to its European Optima lineup. We’re also glad it doesn’t appear to be following the lead of corporate sibling Hyundai in dialing back the hotness of its mid-size offering. The current Optima wowed the automotive world with its daring and remarkably upscale design in 2010, and the Sportspace is even more impressive.
View Photos MARC URBANO
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Details surrounding the car’s powertrain and interior are forthcoming—we’ll know more when we see it in person next month in Geneva. Our inner nerds have our fingers crossed for some sort of diesel-electric hybrid setup like that in the Optima T-Hybrid concept from the 2014 Paris auto show, but a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder would better fit the sporty vibe. It is almost certainly front-drive, but all-wheel drive would come in handy when traversing the snowy backdrop in the press photos.
Should the next Optima spring forth from the scorching Sportspace relatively intact, it would immediately render Toyota’s newly stylized Camry boring, let alone the conservative four-doors from Honda, Hyundai, and Chevrolet. The Kia would give even Mazda’s drop-dead-gorgeous 6 a run for its money. We have our fingers crossed that we can get in on the wagon action—after all, the last Kia-badged station wagon sold in the U.S. was the somewhat dumpy Rio Cinco from the early 2000s, and that’s a terrible way to close the book on the body style.Consider the following two headlines during the past three weeks:
“U.S. Strike Kills ‘150 al-Shabaab Terrorists’ in Somalia” (March 7, The Telegraph)
“49 Killed in U.S. Airstrike Targeting Terrorists in Libya” (February 20, CNN)
The reason for the Somalia killings? U.S. officials say that the 150 dead people were terrorists who were planning to carry out an attack in Somalia.
The reason for the Libya killings? U.S. officials say that the 49 dead people were ISIS terrorists.
Now, let’s just take U.S. officials at their word. Let’s assume that all the people they killed were terrorists who were planning to carry out attacks in Somalia and Libya.
Questions naturally arises: What business is that of the U.S. government? Under what constitutional authority does the U.S. national-security establishment kill people with impunity overseas? How do we really know that they were guilty? What impact will those killings have on the American people, especially in terms of terrorist retaliation?
After all, there is no allegation that any of those 199 dead people planned to invade and conquer the United States, take over the IRS, and establish a nation-wide Muslim caliphate here in the United States.
Let’s acknowledge that that part of the world is rife with civil war. Groups are battling to take control over regimes in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere. Let’s acknowledge that the opposing factions are violent. Let’s acknowledge that if the insurgents were to win the civil wars, they would establish regimes that are even more oppressive than the ones currently in power.
I repeat: What business is that of the U.S. government? And under what constitutional authority does the U.S. national-security establishment embroil our nation in such conflicts by killing people? And what good does embroiling the United States into those conflicts do for the American people?
Let’s not forget another factor about all this chaos: It was the U.S. national-security state’s killing campaign that unleashed most of the chaos in the first place.
Think Iraq. Here was a nation headed by a brutal dictator, Saddam Hussein, who had been a loyal partner of the U.S. government. Then they turned on him, as they do with many of their dictatorial partners, but failed to oust him from power during the Persian Gulf War and during the 11 period of the brutal and deadly sanctions against Iraq. Finally, 9/11 gave them the excuse for invading Iraq and ousting Saddam from power.
But all that accomplished was to convert Iraq into a horrendous hellhole, one that unleashed a violent civil war. That’s what ISIS is all about. Consisting in large part of members of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, ISIS has initiated a violent civil war in the attempt to regain the reins of power in Iraq.
Did U.S. interventionists really think that the people they ousted from power were going to go quietly into the night and passively accept a regime change brought about through foreign interventionism?
Think Libya, another “successful” U.S. regime-change operation. The U.S. national-security state succeeded in ousting Qaddafi from power, which then unleashed a violent civil war in that country as well. And guess who is vying for power in that civil war: Yep, ISIS, the group that the U.S. regime change operation in Iraq brought into existence.
It’s the same in Syria.
It’s the same all over the Middle East.
The U.S. government goes into the region, initiates regime-change operations, and produces mass chaos, including civil wars, mass exoduses of immigrants, massive death and destruction, and crooked, corrupt, and tyrannical regimes.
And then all that chaos is used as the excuse for killing more people in the name of waging a “war on terrorism.”
And the more people the kill, the worse the chaos. The worst the chaos, the great number of people they feel they have to target for killing.
It’s really the perfect racket. It’s the greatest terrorist-producing machine in history. And it ensures that Americans don’t question the existence of the Cold War era national-security establishment. “We are here to protect you from the terrorists,” the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA tell us. “We are killing them before they come to get you and cart you away to study the Koran,” they explain. “Without the national-security establishment, American would fall to the terrorists, the Muslims, the radical jihadists, the drug dealers, and maybe even the communists.”
The war on terrorism is actually better than the war on drugs, a war that they’ve been waging for decades. They’ve been killing or capturing drug dealers for years. What good has it done? Those who are killed or captured are quickly replaced by others.
And that’s what’s been going on for the past 25 years in the Middle East. As soon as they get rid of one “bad guy,” he is replaced by another “bad guy.” The death and replacement process is perpetual.
And as everyone knows by now, whenever they kill a “bad guy,” the anger and rage and thirst for retaliation arises among his friends and family and people who share his religious convictions. That then means that they have to “keep us safe” with ever growing totalitarian powers, including secret surveillance schemes as well as the omnipotent, non-reviewable power to kill American citizens the same way they recently killed those 199 “terrorists” — without notice, without trial, without due process.
The whole crooked, corrupt, and deadly racket — one that the president, Congress, and Supreme Court are scared to death to interfere with — only goes to show how the national-security establishment has become the most powerful and dominant section of the federal government.
There is but one solution to all this madness: stop the U.S. killings now. Bring all the troops home and discharge them into the private sector. They’re not needed. Dismantle the U.S. military empire and dismantle the Cold War-era dinosauric national-security establishment. Restore a constitutional republic to our land. Embrace liberty and free markets and unleash the private sector of Americans to freely interact with the people of the world.
That’s the only way that America can lead the world out of this morass. It depends on the will, courage, and wisdom of the American people.There is much debate about the impact of adolescent cannabis use on intellectual and educational outcomes. We investigated associations between adolescent cannabis use and IQ and educational attainment in a sample of 2235 teenagers from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. By the age of 15, 24% reported having tried cannabis at least once. A series of nested linear regressions was employed, adjusted hierarchically by pre-exposure ability and potential confounds (e.g. cigarette and alcohol use, childhood mental-health symptoms and behavioural problems), to test the relationships between cumulative cannabis use and IQ at the age of 15 and educational performance at the age of 16. After full adjustment, those who had used cannabis ⩾50 times did not differ from never-users on either IQ or educational performance. Adjusting for group differences in cigarette smoking dramatically attenuated the associations between cannabis use and both outcomes, and further analyses demonstrated robust associations between cigarette use and educational outcomes, even with cannabis users excluded. These findings suggest that adolescent cannabis use is not associated with IQ or educational performance once adjustment is made for potential confounds, in particular adolescent cigarette use. Modest cannabis use in teenagers may have less cognitive impact than epidemiological surveys of older cohorts have previously suggested.
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seasons of Buffy).
Which leads me back to the brilliance of My Little Pony. The series takes as one of its most basic assumptions that females are intelligent, capable, and independent. There is never a point in the series at which any of the characters feel the need to prove that women can do anything, because that idea is never even in question. Of the six main characters, several own and/or operate small businesses, and all of them occupy positions of importance within the community. They each have distinct personalities and interests, all of which are treated as legitimate and admirable. The show shows as much respect for the tomboyish and competitive Rainbow Dash as it does for the fashion-conscious, creative Rarity. While other shows might choose to use the two of them to symbolize some clash of gender identities, MLP treats them simply as different people with different (but sometimes complementary) passions and ideas. It is a show that is willing to tell little girls that they don’t have to conform to society’s expectations, but they also don’t have to define themselves in opposition to them. They can just be whoever they damn well please.
Now, some might answer that this simply represents sexism in the other direction, that moving from shows with few to no major female characters to shows with few to no major male characters just creates a mirror image of the problem we had before. I would answer this criticism by saying that it honestly doesn’t always bother me when a story’s cast runs heavily female or heavily male. In fact, I generally prefer this approach to the approach of shoehorning in a character simply to make a story appear more diverse, especially since such characters tend to be poorly-served by their writing. The problem is, heavily-male casts have dominated television for pretty much the history of the medium, and while I like a number of the shows that have them, it’s nice to see a show that’s such a successful argument for female-driven television that can be appreciated by fans of all ages and genders. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is a good show because it is smart, funny, and has a genuinely good heart underneath all the shine. It is a great show because, without fanfare or self-aggrandizement, it outright rejects many of the poisonous ideas that have come packaged with nearly all of our entertainment for as long as we’ve had televisions.Harry McCracken / TIME.com Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky and Panos Panay show off the Surface tablet to journalists at an event in Redmond, Wash. on October 15, 2012
It’s $499, with 32GB of storage. Or $599 if you want one with the slick keyboard cover. And $699 for a 64GB model with the cover.
Those are the answers that tech watchers have been seeking since Microsoft announced its Surface tablet at a press event in Hollywood last June without mentioning the price. Those of you who have been on tenterhooks can take a deep breath now–and, if you so choose, may pre-order a Surface starting at noon ET today. Along with Windows 8, Surface will go on sale at Microsoft Store locations and on Microsoft.com on October 26. (This first version runs the Windows 8 variant that’s known as Windows RT, designed for processors based on ARM’s power-efficient technology; Surface Pro, a more potent model with an Intel chip and full-blown Windows 8, is due about 90 days alter.)
Microsoft
You know what, though? If you’ve been obsessing over Surface’s price for the last four months, you were missing the point.
Sure, it would have been a big deal if the rumors about it costing $199–implausible though they were–had somehow panned out. But instead, Microsoft merely did what it had said in June that it would do: It gave Surface a price that’s competitive with the prices of other tablets. (It has the same starting price as Apple‘s current-model iPad, but with twice as much storage and a larger screen.)
(MORE: Here Come the Touchscreen Desktops and Laptops)
Even if Surface’s price had been surprisingly cheap or steep, this tablet was never going to be defined by its price tag. Good products rarely die purely because they’re too pricey; bad ones don’t become landmarks simply because they’re affordable. Surface–the first PC Microsoft has built, after more than three decades of building software for other companies’ PCs–is a radical rethinking of what a PC should be in 2012 and beyond. It’ll do well if it makes sense to consumers, and it’ll flop if it doesn’t.
Microsoft, which had revealed precious few additional details about Surface since the June unveiling, disclosed the pricing to a small number of journalists (including me) during a hush-hush briefing at its Redmond, Wash. campus yesterday. The session was short on hands-on time with the new tablet–more on that later–but long on behind-the-scenes details.
The event began with an introduction by Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division, and Panos Panay, general manager of Surface. Then we visited with some of the people who’d been covertly working on Surface for years, in the facilities where the tablet was created. We saw stacks of rejected prototypes; we saw 3D printers and CNC machines cranking out test components; we saw automated test equipment that dropped Surfaces onto hardwood flooring and opened and closed its cover over and over and over and over again.
Microsoft
Signs of secrecy were still everywhere–guards, copious amounts of lockable storage, tacked-up memos explaining the proper procedures for getting rid of trash. Microsoft showed us journalists an awful lot, but we were asked not to quote anyone except for Sinofsky and Panay, and we weren’t permitted to take photos except at the very start. For one chunk of the event, we were even required to surrender our cell phones.
Just to emphasize the unique nature of the event, the company presented us with Wonka bars wrapped up with golden tickets labeled SURFACE before we set off on the tour. Sinofsky even cheerfully ordered us not to dip our hands in the chocolate river.
Throughout the day, the aspects of Surface that are most classically Microsoftian–the fact that it runs Windows and comes with Office–were barely mentioned. Instead, the presenters focused on the tablet’s hardware. And they dwelled on the decisions they made to make Surface more, well, perfect. (Again and again, Panay used that word when describing the company’s goals for its tablet.)
A few notes:
After considering a bevy of sizes, the company’s engineers settled on a 16:9 10.6″ screen even though it’s a non-standard size. They think it’s the closest thing possible to the ideal form factor: Big enough to give Windows breathing room and allow for a roomy keyboard, yet small enough to be ultra-portable.
Surface’s 1366-by-768 resolution sounds skimpy compared to the iPad‘s 2048-by-1536 “Retina” screen. But a Microsoft researcher argued at length that Retina displays aren’t inherently superior. For one thing, he said, aging eyeballs can’t always tell the difference. For another, like the iPhone 5–but unlike the iPad–Surface uses a touchscreen that’s been bonded directly to the LCD. That improves contrast and reduces reflection, permitting Retina-like clarity without the Retina display’s battery-sapping tendencies.
The tablet’s Vapor Magnesium case and Gorilla Glass 2.0 screen are remarkably sturdy, Microsoft says. To prove the point, Sinofsky briefly stood on top of a Surface that had been equipped with skateboard wheels.
Like Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, Surface is equipped with MIMO wi-fi, which uses two internal antennae for better wireless performance.
Above all, Sinofsky, Panay and other Microsoft staffers kept returning to two specific details of Surface’s design:
The cover with the built-in keyboard and touchpad–dubbed the Touch Cover–uses magnets to precisely and firmly attach itself to the tablet. It’s reminiscent of the way Apple’s Smart Covers work, but if anything, the magnets feel more insistent about aligning everything properly–the cover practically lunges out of your hand and grabs ahold of Surface. (In doing so, it makes the electrical connection that provides the keyboard and touchpad with power.)
The tablet’s kickstand lets Surface stand upright when it’s folded out; along with the Touch Cover, it gives you a laptop-like working experience. But when you fold the kickstand away, it shuts with the same satisfying feel as a luxury-car door, and is perfectly flush with the case. Microsoft devoted untold hours to making the kickstand not only feel sold but sound solid, and ended up using an extra hinge devoted entirely to the audio effect.
I could tell that Sinofsky, Panay and crew were smitten with the magnetic magic of the cover and classy clack of the kickstand because they kept snapping on covers and opening and closing kickstands. And actually, these two features are about the only things that Surface’s first TV ad (which premiered on Monday night) tells you about the product:
Several months after Microsoft first announced Surface, the level of attention it’s showing to nitpicky little details still feels nearly as disorienting as the fact it’s making tablets at all. A few years ago, its marketing honcho mocked Mac fans as wanting computers that had been “washed in unicorn tears.” But Surface, unlike the vast majority of Windows PCs, is the product of a unicorn-tear approach to design. We were even told that the stands and signage which will be used to promote Surface at Microsoft Stores feature the same 22-degree chamfered edges as the case of the tablet itself.Movement for a single object seems easy. Pathfinding is complex. Why bother with pathfinding? Consider the following situation: The unit is initially at the bottom of the map and wants to get to the top. There is nothing in the area it scans (shown in pink) to indicate that the unit should not move up, so it continues on its way. Near the top, it detects an obstacle and changes direction. It then finds its way around the “U”-shaped obstacle, following the red path. In contrast, a pathfinder would have scanned a larger area (shown in light blue), but found a shorter path (blue), never sending the unit into the concave shaped obstacle. You can however extend a movement algorithm to work around traps like the one shown above. Either avoid creating concave obstacles, or mark their convex hulls as dangerous (to be entered only if the goal is inside): Pathfinders let you plan ahead rather than waiting until the last moment to discover there’s a problem. There’s a tradeoff between planning with pathfinders and reacting with movement algorithms. Planning generally is slower but gives better results; movement is generally faster but can get stuck. If the game world is changing often, planning ahead is less valuable. I recommend using both: pathfinding for big picture, slow changing obstacles, and long paths; and movement for local area, fast changing, and short paths.
#Algorithms I have written a newer version of this one page[1], but not the rest of the pages. It has interactive diagrams and sample code. The pathfinding algorithms from computer science textbooks work on graphs in the mathematical sense―a set of vertices with edges connecting them. A tiled game map can be considered a graph with each tile being a vertex and edges drawn between tiles that are adjacent to each other: For now, I will assume that we’re using two-dimensional grids[2]. If you haven’t worked with graphs before, see this primer[3]. Later on, I’ll discuss how to build other kinds of graphs out of your game world. Most pathfinding algorithms from AI or Algorithms research are designed for arbitrary graphs rather than grid-based games. We’d like to find something that can take advantage of the nature of a game map. There are some things we consider common sense, but that algorithms don’t understand. We know something about distances: in general, as two things get farther apart, it will take longer to move from one to the other, assuming there are no wormholes. We know something about directions: if your destination is to the east, the best path is more likely to be found by walking to the east than by walking to the west. On grids, we know something about symmetry: most of the time, moving north then east is the same as moving east then north. This additional information can help us make pathfinding algorithms run faster.
#Dijkstra’s Algorithm and Best-First-Search Dijkstra’s Algorithm works by visiting vertices in the graph starting with the object’s starting point. It then repeatedly examines the closest not-yet-examined vertex, adding its vertices to the set of vertices to be examined. It expands outwards from the starting point until it reaches the goal. Dijkstra’s Algorithm is guaranteed to find a shortest path from the starting point to the goal, as long as none of the edges have a negative cost. (I write “a shortest path” because there are often multiple equivalently-short paths.) In the following diagram, the pink square is the starting point, the blue square is the goal, and the teal areas show what areas Dijkstra’s Algorithm scanned. The lightest teal areas are those farthest from the starting point, and thus form the “frontier” of exploration: The Greedy Best-First-Search algorithm works in a similar way, except that it has some estimate (called a heuristic) of how far from the goal any vertex is. Instead of selecting the vertex closest to the starting point, it selects the vertex closest to the goal. Greedy Best-First-Search is not guaranteed to find a shortest path. However, it runs much quicker than Dijkstra’s Algorithm because it uses the heuristic function to guide its way towards the goal very quickly. For example, if the goal is to the south of the starting position, Greedy Best-First-Search will tend to focus on paths that lead southwards. In the following diagram, yellow represents those nodes with a high heuristic value (high cost to get to the goal) and black represents nodes with a low heuristic value (low cost to get to the goal). It shows that Greedy Best-First-Search can find paths very quickly compared to Dijkstra’s Algorithm: However, both of these examples illustrate the simplest case―when the map has no obstacles, and the shortest path really is a straight line. Let’s consider the concave obstacle as described in the previous section. Dijkstra’s Algorithm works harder but is guaranteed to find a shortest path: Greedy Best-First-Search on the other hand does less work but its path is clearly not as good: The trouble is that Greedy Best-First-Search is “greedy” and tries to move towards the goal even if it’s not the right path. Since it only considers the cost to get to the goal and ignores the cost of the path so far, it keeps going even if the path it’s on has become really long. Wouldn’t it be nice to combine the best of both? A* was developed in 1968 to combine heuristic approaches like Greedy Best-First-Search and formal approaches like Dijsktra’s Algorithm. It’s a little unusual in that heuristic approaches usually give you an approximate way to solve problems without guaranteeing that you get the best answer. However, A* is built on top of the heuristic, and although the heuristic itself does not give you a guarantee, A* can guarantee a shortest path.Saad Aziz of Sterling Heights, originally of Baghdad, bakes fresh bread at the Paradise Fruit Market in Troy. The city has passed Dearborn as having Metro Detroit’s second biggest percentage of foreign-born residents, census numbers show. (Photo: Todd McInturf, Detroit News file)
Michigan is expected to take in more than 5,000 refugees this year, the highest number since 2002, amid renewed concerns about security and the latest effort in Congress to overhaul the U.S. Resettlement Program.
Since 2002, the earliest year for which U.S. officials say they have reliable state-by-state data, Michigan has resettled between about 500 and 4,500 refugees annually. State social service agencies say they plan to take in about 5,100 this year.
The expected influx comes as intelligence officials warn Islamic State members posing as refugees will likely launch an attack on U.S. soil this year. A bill seeking to cap the number of refugees and strengthen security measures was approved Wednesday by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
Advocacy groups insist the fears are overblown, since refugees go through a 13-step vetting process by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies. Refugees from Iraq and Syria are subject to even more stringent background checks.
Critics point to U.S. intelligence officials’ warnings that refugees cannot be properly vetted.
As the debate rages on, two Syrian refugee families are preparing to resettle in Metro Detroit this week. One family is to move to Bloomfield Hills; the other to Dearborn. In Troy, the city with Metro Detroit's second-highest percentage of foreign-born residents, the school district is hosting a ‘Welcome Home’ reception for the new immigrants at Morse Elementary School on March 30.
“In the past, Detroit has had a welcoming spirit, and the melting pot that has been established in our area reflects that,” said Mihaela Mitrofan, program manager of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan’s Refugee Resettlement and Repatriation Services. “We want to continue to keep that spirit going.”
Dick Manasseri of Rochester Hills questioned the decision to bring in more immigrants after U.S. intelligence officials said they expect a terrorist attack this year by extremists posing as refugees.
“The entire country is watching Michigan officials being criticized for not protecting its people from toxic water,” he said. “Could the runaway refuge resettlement program be another case of government officials failing to protect citizens?”
Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, warned Congress last month Islamic State extremists posing as refugees “will probably attempt to... direct attacks on the U.S. homeland in 2016.”
In testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said accepting Syrian refugees escaping their country’s civil war could pose a security threat, adding that security has been stepped up.
“Given the prospect of the terrorist-inspired attack in the homeland, we have intensified our work with state and local law enforcement,” he said. “Almost every day, DHS and the FBI share intelligence and information with Joint Terrorism Task Forces, fusion centers, local police chiefs and sheriffs.”
Changing minds
Mitrofan said the recent warnings have hampered their efforts to convince people refugees aren’t dangerous.
“This has placed us in a situation where we need to talk to more people and continue the advocacy work,” she said. “To generalize the entire refugee population as terrorists is a sad thing.”
Lutheran Social Services of Michigan is working with the city of Troy and the Troy Historical Society to host a potluck dinner to welcome the two new Syrian families: A man and his daughter, who are set to move into a Bloomfield Hills apartment complex, after spending months in a Turkish refugee camp; and a man, wife and child expected to move into Dearborn.
“We had a young female who arrived in December; her father and sister will join her next week,” Mitrofan said of the family moving into the Fox Hills Apartments in Bloomfield Hills.
“In our caseload, we have six or seven families who live in that complex,” Mitrofan said. “There have been no problems; everyone is living in harmony.”
Ida Sims, who has lived in Fox Hills since 2010, said she likes having the refugees as neighbors.
“There have been no issues at all,” she said. “This is a very diverse community. Just in this (section), we have three black families, Syrians, Indian, British. Everyone is very friendly.”
Presumed dangers
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said allowing more refugees into the U.S. is “opening ourselves up for a tragedy.”
“I’m just parroting what (intelligence officials) have said: That they expect terrorists to imbed with refugees and carry out an attack here, and that we can’t vet them.
“I know some people get angry, and they say putting a stop to refugees isn’t the Christian thing to do. But I’ve got a duty to the 1.2 million people in my county to protect them.”
Europe is struggling with what some call a “refugee crisis,” with more than a million migrants and refugees entering the continent last year, compared with 280,000 in 2014.
In addition to riots between Muslim refugees and opposition groups, police in Germany, Austria, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden in recent months have warned women to avoid going out at night, after a series of sexual assaults by Arab and North African refugees.
There have been some problems with refugees in the United States, particularly with Somalians resettling in Minnesota, which has struggled with gangs and violence among the immigrants. But so far in the U.S., there haven’t been as many issues with crime among refugees as there have been in Europe.
Mitrofan said there’s an effort in Michigan to avoid problems by spreading new arrivals out as much as possible.
“We try not to saturate an area,” she said. “But we do want to place them into communities where there are support systems in place. Refugees do well when they’re connected to community resources, and have the opportunity to interact with community members living in their neighborhood. So it’s a balance.”
Impact on Michigan
President Barack Obama has committed to bringing in 10,000 Syrian refugees in the 2016 fiscal year, five times the number resettled in the past four years. The administration is so far falling far short of its goal; since October, the U.S. has taken in only 1,141 Syrian refugees. Michigan has taken in the most Syrian refugees during that time, 148.
Michigan has resettled 335 Syrian refugees since the Syrian Civil War began in March, 2011 — also the most in the U.S.
After the November terrorist attacks in Paris, Gov. Rick Snyder said he wanted to stop Syrian refugees from coming to Michigan until they could be properly vetted, although the proclamation was largely symbolic, since local or state governments have no say in how many refugees are resettled in their communities.
The Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act (H.R. 4731), which was approved Wednesday by the House Judiciary Committee, would give state and local governments the power to decide whether to allow refuges to move into their communities.
If passed, the bill also would implement measures to increase security, guard against fraud, and give Congress, not the President, the authority to set the annual refugee ceiling. The bill would cap the number of refugees in the U.S. at 60,000.
Joanne Kelsey, Assistant Director of Advocacy for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, called the proposed legislation “a particularly nefarious bill,” saying it would be “shutting our door to thousands of children and women in desperate need of protection, which is not the American way.”
Manasseri said those who oppose more refugees moving to the U.S. are unfairly painted as racists.
“When our own intelligence officials are saying they can’t vet refugees, and that they expect a terrorist attack to come from the refugee ranks, that’s a problem,” he said. “Why are we talking about bringing even more in?”
ghunter@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2134
Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/1RbPyxrA Laurentian University scientist is conducting independent research into "mining" decades-old tailing ponds in Copper Cliff that contain nickel and copper that, if reclaimed, would be worth billions of dollars.
Nadia Mykytczuk, an environmental microbiologist at Laurentian’s Vale Living with Lakes Centre, says Sudbury has tremendous potential to be leaders in bioleaching — a process using microbes to extract valuable minerals from ores in waste water.
In many parts of the world, bioleaching is the only source of mineral extraction from low-grade ore and waste, said Mykytczuk during a break at a forum Wednesday at the centre.
Bioleaching would remove or extract from ores minerals that weren’t removed by the smelting process.
The microscopic organisms — bacteria, viruses and parasites — eat into waste water, feeding on chemical energy and breaking the water into its chemical components.
Microbes don’t destroy those elements, but rather separate them from their mineral form, making them soluble.
Left alone, that water and the metals in it leach out as acid mine draining, entering waterways.
"So, if we leave it to its own devices, it’s a problem, like we see in Copper Cliff," said Mykytczuk, who was one of several speakers at a forum Wednesday called Completing the Mining Cycle: Bioremediation and Reclamation of Mine Waste Areas.
"But if we harness that microbial ability to remove those minerals and capture the metals that are sitting right there in those ponds, and take that out, then we remove those toxic metals and we can reprocess them and sell them on the market."
The Copper Cliff tailings area is the largest in Canada and it’s estimated to contain billions of dollars worth of metals.
Efforts haven’t been made to reclaim those metals because smelting has been an effective way of removing metals from ores.
"We have a lot of money designated to smelting. We have so much more ore, that we have higher-grade ores still present in the ground. Why do we need to go after our waste?" asked the scientist.
The argument is that mining operations are left with large amounts of waste that are causing problems, and costing more and more "because the government is imposing str icter environmental regulations," said Mykytczuk.
If you have the microbes and the environment for them to thrive in, "you really don’t have to do much and you could make this problem start going away," she said.
Mykytczuk said those tailings areas "might as well be doing something for us."
Hers is one of several research projects targeting the microbial community to better understand how it works, and then apply that knowledge in the field.
One of the issues Mykytczuk will look at in her research is if local microbes can work in our harsh, cold conditions.
Generally, the warmer the temperature, the quicker "things will turn over," when it comes to microbes doing their job.
We don’t have that advantage in Canada "so we have to make the cold work for us," and use cold-adapted microbes, which we have in Sudbury, she said.
The pilot project Mykytczuk hopes to build would be in Copper Cliff tailings smelted decades ago that still have relatively high concentrations of metals in them.
"This is material that’s been exposed to the environment, has been leaching both acidity and metals into that tailings pond for a long time," said the microbiologist.
But there are still high enough levels of metals in that waste water that, "if we can extract them all in one go, those materials aren’t going to be reactive any more."
Mykytczuk sees it as a win-win environmentally and economically.
A self-confessed "nerd and a scientist," Mykytczuk loves working with bacter ia that "pushes the limits of life and shows us that you can have life and life that’s just thriving, not surviving, in conditions that most forms can’t live in."
Originally from Ottawa, she’s working in the perfect environment in Sudbury to study microbes that are tolerant to both acidic and cold conditions.
carol.mulligan@sunmedia.ca Twitter: @Carol_MulliganTroymaine Pope was one of the Seattle Seahawks’ stars of the preseason, flashing promise from week one to week four, before being cut and eventually claimed off of waivers by the New York Jets on Sunday. The loss of Pope was disappointing to many Seahawks fans — he was consistently one of the best and most exciting performers throughout the preseason, finishing the month of August with 162 yards rushing on just 24 carries – good for 6.8 yards a carry – and two touchdowns.
Starting with a game-winning two-point conversion in week one at Kansas City and ending with the game’s best run in week four at Oakland, Pope went from factory worker to an NFL running back fans were clamoring for in just a single month. So, despite being the brightest of bright spots on a surprisingly spry Seattle second – and third – team offense in August, why was Pope not part of the 53-man roster?
For starters, as an undrafted rookie free agent, of course he was always facing an uphill battle. Since Pete Carroll and John Schneider arrived in Seattle, the team has kept an average of 4.2 running backs on the roster, and that’s including a fullback.
There was the established starter in Thomas Rawls who was guaranteed a roster spot. Then, there was The Awakened Christine Michael, who simply needed to show his return to the Seahawks last winter was not an anomaly, which he did and much, much more. Third-round pick C.J. Prosise was also a lock for the 53, although his role in the offense is different than any other ‘back the team had in training camp. That’s three spots down, one to go, and the team didn’t even keep a fullback around.
Rawls, Michael and Prosise are almost beside the point, however. They were always going to make the roster, but what about the fourth and final running back on the roster? Why did Alex Collins, he of a wildly average first three weeks in preseason, make the cut over Pope? It’s not like a fifth-round pick is too much of an investment to part ways with so soon (see: LeGree, Mark). Well, Collins began to answer that question Thursday night in Oakland. His best performance of the preseason came in the most meaningless game, but 40 yards and a touchdown were encouraging nonetheless.
It was close to being too-little-too-late, but a few of the runs Collins had in Oakland were the kind of runs that were the norm for him at Arkansas, and the type of runs that had me thinking he would have the preseason Pope ended up having. Collins has the body type and running style to mirror Thomas Rawls’ role in the offense if he were to go down again, whereas Pope is closer to a Christine Michael runner. If people wanted to anoint Rawls as “Baby Lynch” last year, here’s some exerts from my pre-draft notes on Collins that might bring up the same feelings:
“Impressive lateral quickness in tight areas, setting up defenders and making them miss with sudden stop/start ability.”
Sound like a player you might remember?
More:
“Always keeps his legs moving on contact and initiates contact when met by a defender in the open field.”
Keeping legs moving? Initiating contact!?
”While not his biggest strength, Collins has the ability to breakaway in the open field when given the chance.”
This game was annoying as all hell, but hey:
Finally:
”Touchdown numbers speak for themselves at ARK and Collins consistently showed a nose for the goal line inside his opponents five-yard line.”
Like you don’t already know.
After such a strong preseason, there was always going to be a risk in (presumably) trying to sneak Pope onto the practice squad, but it was a risk the team had good reason to feel comfortable in taking. Between 2012 and 2014 - before things got crazy in 2015 - the third running back in the Seahawks backfield has averaged 52.6 snaps per season. At that number, Troymaine Pope or Alex Collins’ contributions in 2016 were going to be negligible; if there’s going to be a reason for carrying a fourth running back, it’s going to be looking ahead to the future. And in that case, it’s Collins over Pope every time.A dead shark has been discovered on the subway in New York City, transport officials have confirmed.
The unlikely passenger, about 1.2m (4ft) long, was found under a row of seats on a Queens-bound train.
The conductor asked passengers to leave the carriage and the train continued to the end of the line, where a supervisor disposed of the shark.
Pigeons and even an opossum have made their way on to the trains before, but never a shark, transit officials said.
However, where it came from remains a mystery.
Isvett Verde, of Brooklyn, New York, who took a photo of the shark, said she noticed that the empty carriage of the N train "smelled extremely fishy" when she boarded at 8th Street.
"It's hard to be surprised as there are always crazy things happening in this city, but even that was a bit much," she told the BBC.
Other pictures of the exotic discovery have also gone viral, including one of the shark with a cigarette in its mouth next to a fare card and a can of energy drink.About
Jeff and his buddies
This is Jeff. We've been friends since highschool. Ever since we learnt how to use askjeeves, we've been playing DotA. Our tuesday nights used to consist of about a dozen of us gathering at Jeff and his mates house (The Fort) to play some DotA on LAN.
Last year, Jeff moved to the States with his mrs Jess to pursue a life of adventure. Luckily for us, Valve picked up IceFrog's DotA and developed Dota 2 with awesome online capabilities. We were now able to more easily play Dota 2 with each other from around the world.
Jeff, Jayme, Rhys, Chris, Perth (2008 or 2009?) Jeff, Jayme, Rhys, Chris, Perth (2008 or 2009?)
Earlier this month, Jeff's Dota 2 account got hacked. His entire inventory was stolen from him. He had several hundred dollars worth of stuff including cool, rare items like a dragonclaw hook, unusual couriers and awesome wards. This was the guy who gave me my first treasure chest out of which I unboxed an unusual lockjaw.
Jeff was gutted. Everything he had poured into his game was ripped from him. Jeff had even told me he was going to give up on Dota.
I would like to call upon the community to help him out. Valve won't help in rectifying this issue so I turn to the people of the internet. If you could spare a dollar to help Jeff get some of his inventory back, I'm pretty sure he would love you forever. Also, he doesn't know yet so don't tell him. We'll do a surprise or something.United States politician, lawyer, and former Attorney General
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A Republican, Sessions previously served as United States Senator from Alabama from 1997 to 2017, resigning from the position in order to serve in the Trump administration.
From 1981 to 1993, he served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions was nominated in 1986 to be a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, but was not confirmed. Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in 1994, and to the U.S. Senate in 1996, being re-elected in 2002, 2008, and 2014. During his time in Congress, Sessions was considered one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate.
Sessions was an early supporter of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and was nominated by Trump for the post of U.S. Attorney General. He was confirmed on February 8, 2017, with a 52–47 vote in the Senate, and was sworn in on February 9, 2017. In his Attorney General confirmation hearings, Sessions stated, while under oath, that he did not have contact with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign and that he was unaware of any contacts between Trump campaign members and Russian officials. However, in March 2017, news reports revealed that Sessions had twice met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in 2016. Sessions subsequently recused himself from any investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, while some Democratic lawmakers called for his resignation. In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in November 2017, Carter Page declared that he had notified Sessions about his contacts with Kremlin officials in July 2016, contradicting Sessions's earlier denials.[1]
As U.S. Attorney General, Sessions overturned a memo delivered by one of his predecessors, Eric Holder, that had sought to curb mass incarceration by avoiding mandatory sentencing,[2] and ordered federal prosecutors to begin seeking the maximum criminal charges possible. Sessions signed an order adopting civil asset forfeiture, which allows law enforcement to seize the property of those suspected but not charged with crimes.[3][4] A staunch opponent of illegal immigration, Sessions adopted a hard-line on so-called sanctuary cities and told reporters that cities failing to comply with federal immigration policy would lose federal funding; Trump issued an executive order revoking the funding from the cities, but it was successfully challenged by San Francisco and forbidden from enforcement by a federal judge.[5] As Attorney General, Sessions supported allowing the Department of Justice to prosecute providers of medical marijuana.[6]
On November 7, 2018, the day after the midterm elections, Sessions tendered his resignation at Trump's request, following a months long public and private contention between Trump and Sessions over his recusal.[7]
Early life and early career [ edit ]
He was born in Selma, Alabama, on December 24, 1946,[8] the son of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Jr., and the former Abbie Powe.[9] He was named after his father, who was named after his grandfather, who was named after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America,[10] and P. G. T. Beauregard, the Confederate general who oversaw the bombardment of Fort Sumter, starting the American Civil War.[11] His father owned a general store in Hybart, Alabama, and then a farm equipment dealership. Both of Sessions's parents were of primarily English descent, with some Scots-Irish ancestry.[12][13] In 1964, Sessions became an Eagle Scout, and later, he earned the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award for his many years of service.[14]
After attending Wilcox County High School in nearby Camden, Sessions studied at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1969. He was active in the Young Republicans and was student body president.[15] Sessions attended the University of Alabama School of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1973.[16]
Sessions entered private practice in Russellville and later in Mobile.[17][18] He also served in the Army Reserve in the 1970s, with the rank of captain.[17]
Legal and political career [ edit ]
U.S. Attorney [ edit ]
Sessions was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama beginning in |
(1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, p. 14.
FALLEN FLATS
LOCATION: 5-4 to 5-7
OTHER NAMES: G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Hall, Assembly Room
SOURCE OF NAME: The original name is descriptive of the breakdown slabs covering the floor, and with reference to this room, Bob McAdam states "we christened it the Fallen Flats." (1) Later on, however, "This hall was dedicated (G.A.R.) in June, 1899, during the soldiers' reunion at Hot Springs, ninety-six old soldiers being present at the dedicatory services. A monument was erected upon an eminence within the hall to the memory of the heroic dead who wore the blue, but are now sleeping the sleep of the departed patriots. The committee requested that every old soldier visiting the Cave leave his name, company, and regimental designation at the foot of the monument. "The G.A.R. Hall is well named. About it are natural fortifications more durable than were constructed upon many a battlefield. Overhead are calcite formations representing breastworks, stockades, etc., the handiwork of nature’s creation." (2) The monument occupied the corner of the room now marked by 5-5. (3) (1) Bohi, Interview with Bob & Fanny McAdam, 1957
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, p. 15, 1901
(3) Photograph, G.A.R. Hall, McAdam Collection
GARDEN WALL - GIANT'S COFFIN
LOCATION: 5-15 to 5-13 (Giant’s Coffin between 5-14 and light stands)
SOURCE OF NAME: A little uncertainty is evident in exactly what objects are referred to, but the location between the Crossroads and present Assembly Room is positive. Elmer McDonald states "The next open country is protected from public trespass by the Garden Wall, which appears to have been well built in the long ago by masons properly trained in their craft, and extends at a uniform height to the Fallen Flats…" (1) A wall-like configuration extends from 5-15 to 5-13, on that side of the trail, but not to 'Fallen Flats', although trail construction could have destroyed this part of it. But Horn, in his guide book notes another feature: "Here the visitor is shown the Garden Wall, upon which rests the Giant's Coffin. Strange sensations creep over one as he studies his surroundings, fearful lest he be intruding upon the subterranean retreat or mausoleum of some giant race. The coffin lid can be raised and those sufficiently lion-hearted may look within observing the Ghost of a Lost Opportunity." (2) No such feature apparently graces the wall, but a prominent coffin-shaped rock rests at the base of 5-14, on the other side of the trail. (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 15.
CONFEDERATE CROSSROADS
LOCATION: 6-1
SOURCE OF NAME: "…just beyond (Turtle Pass) is the Confederate Cross Roads, where the fissure is crossed by another forming a cross with perfect right angles. The right hand passage is used for specimens only; straight ahead leads to the Garden of Eden, the end of our shortest route. We take the left hand path and journey through Summer Avenue…" (1) Horn indicates a number of additional features in connection with the place. "Turtle Pass leads to the Cross Roads, where the route divides. Here is Nasby's Dome (5-19) beyond which is the Breckenridge Gallery and Burleigh Heights (Probably the high ceiling passage beyond, 5-19 thru 5-16) the latter having a dome ninety feet in height. (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, p. 14.
SUMMER AVENUE
LOCATION: 6-1 to 6-9
SOURCE OF NAME: "From here Summer Avenue leads off a distance of 300 feet to the Masonic Temple." (1) "We now descend another flight of stairs into Turtle Pass, where a large turtle rests beside the path, and just beyond is the Confederate Crossroads, where the fissure is crossed by another forming a cross with prefect right angles. The right hand passage is used for specimens only; straight ahead leads to the Garden of Eden, the end of our shortest route. We take the left hand path and journey through Summer Avenue, some seventy feet in length, and reach the Scenes of Wicklow..." (2) The difference in spelling is apparently a misprinting of Horn's. The origin of the name is somewhat puzzling, at least in terms of the discovery date. "On the 26th day of November 1890 the route, Summer Avenue, Irish misery and Sceneries of Wicklow were discovered by R.B. Moss and A.F. McDonald. (3) (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901 p. 18
(2) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(3) The Private Account of A. F. McDonald, Discoveries and Dates
MASONIC TEMPLE
LOCATION: 6-12 and/or passage leading south of 7-21
SOURCE OF NAME: "From here Sumner (sic) Avenue leads off a distance of 300 feet to the Masonic Temple." (1) But in 1898, "On the right (in the Assembly Room, 7-24) is a passage leading to the Masonic Temple, a room that any body of Masons would be proud of could they hold lodge meetings in it. The passage on the left is the terminus of the Pearly Gates Route, the longest developed route in the cave. After moving along... we come into the Tennis Court". (2) The subsequent change in location was likely somewhat political, desire on the part of the group involved that their hall was not reached by the regular tours. (1) E. C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, p. 18
(2) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
SCENERIES OF WICLOW
LOCATION: 6-15
OTHER NAMES: Scenes of Widow, Elk's Resort, Elk's Room
SOURCE OF NAME: The name appears frequently in The Private Account, as the beginning of the Castle Garden Route. The archaic form was apparently dropped rather quickly, as there was no doubt emphasis on refinement and public image, for in 1898, Owen describes the place as "a large and high room, beautifully decorated with boxwork and popcorn. The ceiling and the left wall from floor to ceiling are fine box work. On the right you see a dark space, as a very large portion of this room is unused, but we pass the Piper’s Pig. (*) List! The guide is pounding on the Salvation Army Drum, a large projecting rock that on being struck with the closed hand gives a sound very much like a bass drum." (1) A faunal change took place by the time Horn visited the cave, for "From the Masonic Temple we pass to the Elk's Resort, where an elk’s head greets the pilgrim. Close by is Salvation Army Drum made in nature’s shop, and just overhead is a square of Irish Point Lace formed by boxwork twenty feet on each side." (2) The communal identity of the drum establishes the identity of both references, although the feature has not actually been located. The boxwork and elk head are obvious. Lamp 12-1 shines toward a feature known as the Blarney Stone. (3) (*) Could this be the Elk Head? (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, p. 18
(3) Photo #2, W.R. Cross, Stereo Views in Wind Cave
KIMBALL'S MUSIC HALL
LOCATION: 7-1 to 7-2
OTHER NAMES: McKinley Memorial Hall
SOURCE OF NAME: "After walking across a short plank (from Scenes of Wicklow) we enter Kimball’s Music Hall, a very beautiful room settled between two crevices and lined with box work. Viewing the ceiling from the fissure on the right it is seen to be smooth and fringed with popcorn. In some places the boxes are closed, resembling finished honeycomb. Over head box work can be seen as high as the light penetrates. On the whole I think this is the finest crevice in the explored cave." (1) Later on, however, the name was changed, for in 1901, Horn writes that "A passageway to McKinley Memorial Hall has the Wind Cave Chimes." (2) The chimes were probably the boxwork. Could this be what Alvin called the Chamber of Bells? It was on this route. The dual identity of the place can be established since both references lead to the same place. "Going from McKinley Memorial Hall we enter Whitney Avenue..." (3) "Looking straight ahead you wonder how the party can travel over such a road as presents itself to view, but the guide turns into an arch in the right hand wall and enters Whitney Avenue." (4) (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 19.
(3) Ibid
(4) Owen, Ibid
NAPOLEON’S TOMB
LOCATION: 7-3
SOURCE OF NAME: "Here (McKinley Memorial Hall) the second paralleling crevice appears, in which is seen Napoleon's Tomb, said to be an exact counterpart of the original." (1) The block with lamp 7-3 is descriptive. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 19.
WHITNEY AVENUE
LOCATION: 7-4 to 7-8
SOURCE OF NAME: "Locking straight ahead you wonder how the party can travel over such a road as presents itself to view, but the guide turns into an arch in the right hand wall and enters Whitney Avenue. After walking across the bridge over shadowy depths..." (1) "Going from McKinley Memorial Hall we enter Whitney Avenue, which spans the shadowy depths. The question, How deep are these depths? How long is eternity?" (2) The hole down, illuminated by 7-4 is probably the reference. The use of "shadowy depths" in both writings seems more than just coincidence, although no specific reference as to name is made. (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 20-21.
MONTE CRISTO PALACE
LOCATION: 7-11
SOURCE OF NAME: "After walking across the bridge over shadowy depths, our pathway lies for some fifty feet in one of the most interesting ovens in the cave, at the end of which we enter Monte Cristo's Palace, by going down a flight of stairs. This room has the greatest depth beneath the surface of any of the Fair Ground's Route, which is four hundred and fifty feet. In this room is noticed a decided change in the box work which is much heavier than any seen, or that will be seen on this route, and the color is light blue." (1) "This avenue (Whitney Avenue) leads to Monte Cristo Place, which is in the seventh tier of chambers and on the 450 foot level, and 750 feet below the surface, for here the survey shows that a towering hill stands above, holding Monte Cristo Palace firmly in its palace as if in a Zeus-made vice. Here beautiful clusters of dazzling silica crystals appear, flashing under the power of magnesium light like the most brilliant of diamonds. In this place a triphammer blow is dealt to geology, which asserts that quartz and calcite formations never appear on the same level. Here the unexpected appears with quartz and calcite formations side by side as if they were breaking no law." (2) The location is evident, but most of the vugs mentioned are apparently gone. While silica and calcite "side by side" are common in the cave, the writer was unable to fine any trace of silicious rocks in the area. (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 20.
BRIDGE OF SIGHS
LOCATION: 7-19
OTHER NAMES: Three-way Stair
SOURCE OF NAME: "Those who desire to see the Blue Grotto on the Fair Grounds Route may do so by passing under the Bridge of Sighs, traveling... If you do not care to make the Blue Grotto, you cross over instead of under the Bridge of Sighs and pass Bottomless Pit." The latter feature evidently has been altered by trail construction, but is probably the hole protected by a railing between the Three-way Stair and the Second Crossroads. It must have been somewhat more impressive than it is now, for Horn continues "It is called Bottomless Pit because the bottom cannot be discerned, but if your Sunday school teacher should ask you, just tell her the tapeline stops singing at the ninety-foot mark E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 20.
GRECIAN BEND
LOCATION: 7-22 to 7-23
SOURCE OF NAME: "Beyond the Bottomless Pit we enter Grecian Bend, and bow very low whether we like it or not till we reach the Assembly Room." (1) Examination of this little area reveals that the passage has been excavated at least four feet. Bending may be an understatement; they may have crawled. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 20.
ASSEMBLY POOM
LOCATION: 7-24
OTHER NAMES: Crown Chamber, Second Crossroads
SOURCE OF NAME: "From this Avenue (Milliner's Avenue) we step into the Assembly Room. The Passage to the left is the terminus of the Pearly Gates Route. After moving along some distance we see the Bad Lands and then come into the Tennis Court." (1) The latter is from a section written by Elmer McDonald. Making the trip herself, and returning from the Pearly Gates, Miss Owen observes, "Next is the Assembly Room or Crown Chamber, as it is called on account of a handsome crown conspicuously placed. This room also contains a Moose so perfectly carved that the skeptic who searches diligently for imperfections finally clamors for the whole company to celebrate his discovery of the artist's noble skill." (2) These latter features apparently were victims of trail construction or the mobs that followed. Further comment by Horn is interesting. "Beyond the Bottomless Pit we enter Grecian Bend, and bow very low whether we like it or not till we reach the Assembly Room. Six routes assemble here; one leads to Pearly Gates, one to Fair Grounds, the others being uncomfortable for the tourist who is less surefooted than the mountain goat." "The Palace Fireplace was found here by Mrs. Markham of Sioux Falls. The Cliff House of the Pacific Coast is an object of interest; the one in the Cave, being far removed from the vandal's hand, is undisturbed by the relic hunter." "An avenue seventy-five feet in length leads from the Assembly Room to the Mound Builders' Rest." (3) (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) Ibid
(3) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 20-21.
COUNCIL CHAMBER
LOCATION: 8-6 to 8-9
OTHER NAMES: Dragon Room
SOURCE OF NAME: The old photograph shows a view of the room from the trail familiar to any guide. (1) Owen observes, "Which besides other attractions is to some extent also a Statuary Hall." (2) (1) W.R. Cross, Stereo Photos in Wind Cave, No. 19, Council Chamber
(2) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
ST. DOMINIC CHAMBER
LOCATION: 8-12
SOURCE OF NAME: "Passing through the Chicago Portrait Room and Stabler's Pass, we reach St. Domanic (sic) Chamber, the home of the Hornets' Nest, and the sight (sic) of several geodes." (1) The location can be inferred from the smoked inscription on the ceiling, and there is a hornets' nest as well. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 29.
ALPINE WAY
LOCATION: Joins levels between Council Chamber (8-9) and Waiting Room (10-3)
SOURCE OF NAME: Owen describes it, possibly not completely accurate: "From the Council Chamber the Alpine Way leads up to the Fair Grounds directly above. This alpine way is sort of a cork screw twisting through the rocks, not unlike a badly walled well, assisted at the lowest portion by a short and nearly perpendicular ladder." (1) Actually it does not lead directly into the Fair Grounds, for in the chapter written by Elmer McDonald we read an interesting sidelight that associates it with the Waiting Room, two flights below the Fairgrounds. "Down one short flight of stairs and we are in the Waiting Room so called on account of persons waiting here while the rest of their party finished the trip by climbing up the Alpine Way. This difficult climb was made until the route was developed via the Marble Quarry." (2) (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) Ibid
UNION COLLEGE
LOCATION: 9-3 to 9-4
SOURCE OF NAME: The Fan Rock identifies this location. (1) Horn elaborates "…Union College where the bell is always ready, but never rings. Here stands Fan Rock, eight feet high, six feet wide, with a base one foot square, always open for the use of the tired college girl. Here also is the Letter Box, a very useful accessory to college equipment. The box lid is sealed open by nature, permitting all students to receive or send mail uncensored. " (2) (1) Butcher & Son, No.1621, Union College, Fan Rock (#17h, Stanley Collection)
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, p. 28, 1901
CASTLE GARDEN
LOCATION: 9-23 to 9-26
SOURCE OF NAME: "Leaving the Fair Grounds Route at the Assembly Room, we pass under the Bridge of Sighs and find ourselves in Castle Garden. This is a large room of blue formation, in which may be seen Sawyer's Sea Serpent." (1) (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
WAITING ROOM
LOCATION: 10-3
OTHER NAMES: Bachelor's Parlor
SOURCE OF NAME: Down one flight of stairs (from Johnstone's Campground) and we are in the Waiting Room, so called on account of persons waiting here while the rest of their party finished the trip by climbing up the Alpine Way. This difficult climb was made until the route was developed via the Marble Quarry." (1) Passing Johnstone's Campground we are ushered into a room remarkable for its appearance, named Bachelor's Parlor, so called because it is so rocky. It must have been named by some imaginative lady who rescued some man from the woes of bachlordome, and knew whereof she spoke." (2) Probably the difficulties of Alpine Way were forgotten by the time the name was changed. (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 23.
SHEEP
LOCATION: Between 10-9 & 10-10
OTHER NAMES: Degree of Honor Hall
SOURCE OF NAME: Passing from 10-9 toward 10-10, looking back above the archway, one may observe features identical with the old photograph. (1) Comments from the literature are worthwhile too, however. "A winding path is followed until attention is called to the Sheep's Head above an arch over the passage, and the ceiling here is of flint, the ledge of which is four inches thick." (2) In an era of small-time political influence: "Passing Workman Hall we enter the Degree of Honor Hall where the sheep is on duty instead of the goat. This formation is the most perfect of all representing animals found in the Cave." (3) (1) H. Cross, Stereo Views in Wind Cave, No. 25, SHEEP IN WIND CAVE
(2) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(3) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 22.
MARBLE QUARRY
LOCATION: 10-10 to 10-18
OTHER NAMES: A.O.U.W. Hall, Bachelor's Quarters
SOURCE OF NAME: "Here (Tennis Court) we take a rest preparatory to climbing up to the Marble Quarry, a task of two flights of stairs. This is a very large room and has the most uneven floor, ceiling and walls of any that our visitors see, and is barren of specimens excepting in the first part over the stairs where there is some box work of very pretty structure and color." (1) "Our next point of interest is the A.0.U.W. (Association of United Workingmen) Hall, dedicated in May, 1900 by the Grand Lodge of South Dakota." (2) (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 22.
DEVIL'S PUNCH BOWL
LOCATION: 10-12
SOURCE OF NAME: "Some distance up the path (Marble Quarry) we see…on the other side the Devil's Punch Bowl, a large rock with a basin-shaped hole about thirty-six inches across and sixteen inches deep, but lo! The bottom has been broken out; which is very appropriate as South Dakota is at present a prohibition state." (1) Lamp 10-12 shines through the bottom. (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills (Quoting Elmer McDonald), 1898
JOHNSTONE'S CAMPGROUND
LOCATION: 10-4 to 10-9
SOURCE OF NAME: "The next point of interest is Johnstone's Camp Ground, it being the room in which Paul Alexander Johnstone, the famed mind-reader and his party slept the third night while on a hunt for a pin head hid in the Cave by Judge Boomer and W.U. Germond of Hot Springs. Mr. Johnstone made a wager of $1,000 that he could find a pin head if hid anywhere in Wind Cave, and he would make the trip from Hot Springs to the Cave and to the pin head blindfolded. The wager was accepted. The two responsible men mentioned were to hide the pin. It was done. When the men returned to Hot Springs, Johnstone grasped each man by the arm, led them to a conveyance in waiting, drove to Wind Cave in forty-two minutes, entered the cave and after seventy three hours and twenty minutes returned with the identical pin head. Less time would have been consumed in finding the pin head had those who hid it not forgotten the route they took in hiding it. All were lost at times. When lost the mind reader is said to have writhed upon the floor like a molested serpent. He cried and moaned as if in the grates mental agony, saying his reputation was at stake in the matter, not caring for the money. Thoroughly blindfolded, Mr. Johnstone finally led the party into the room known as Standing Rock Chamber and placed the point of his knife upon the pin head. A light was flashed and a negative taken of the scene just as the point of the knife blade reached the pin head. Mr. Johnstone performed other almost equally extraordinary feats of mind reading at other places, which provided data for a chapter in the New Psychology." (1) The remarkable thing about this episode is the manner in which the different reports agree. "Passing under the (Sheep's) arch we enter Johnstone's Camp Ground, so named because Paul Alexander Johnstone camped in this room while accomplishing the third of his greatest mind reading feats, during which he remained in the cave seventy-two hours. He was locked in his room at the Evans hotel while a committee secreted the head of a gold pin in the cave. On their return, after being blindfolded, he led them to the livery stable, and securing a team drove to the cave and found the pin in the Standing Rock Chamber, beyond the Pearly Gates, and then drove back to the city still blindfolded." (2) (See also Bohi, Seventy-five years and Wind Cave, p. 406) Any number of things could have transpired during this three day odyssey underground, from the extrasensory to the fraudulent, but nevertheless it created no small sensation. The locations are self evident. Near 10-7 is an oval-shaped depression in the floor, obviously unnatural. Could this have been dug for a bed? (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p, 22.
(2) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
GHOST OF SHE
LOCATION: Across trail from 10-12
SOURCE OF NAME: "this hall (A.O.U.W.) has the Ghost of She, and it so excited a colored visitor once that he endeavored to go straight up in order to avoid meeting this mysterious apparition formed of solid rock and draped in white." (1) Exactly what this is, is somewhat of an enigma, hut Elmer McDonald states that "some distance up the path (in the Marble Quarry) we see on one side the Ghost of 'She' and on the other the Devil's Punch Bowl..." (2), locating it rather conclusively. A number of irregular pieces of breakdown, as well as a 'canopy' on the ceiling could each fit the description. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 22.
(2) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
TENNIS COURT
LOCATION: 10-21
SOURCE OF NAME: "After moving along some distance…then come into the Tennis Court. This room has the net in the ceiling and I suppose the party can furnish the raquet (racket). On the right hand side of this room there is tier upon tier of box work; looking to the left you shudder at the almost bottomless pit just beside the pathway." (1) This is mentioned in "The Private Account", so evidently the name originated with Alvin McDonald. (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
TICKET OFFICE
LOCATION: 11-30
SOURCE OF NAME: "From the Bachelor's Parlor the way leads through the Ticket Office into the Fair Grounds." (1) From the Waiting Room (same place different name) "A steep pathway and one flight of stairs now brings us to the Ticket Office, and another short stairway leads into the room above, which is the Fair Grounds." (2) The progression indicated by the descriptions and a count of flights of stairs probably sets the location. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 23.
(2) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
TABERNACLE
LOCATION: 13-18
SOURCE OF NAME: "…we reach the Tabernacle, the 1argest chamber on the Pearly Gates Route. At the end of the Tabernacle is…The Pearly Gates." (1) Examination of the area makes this identification self-explanatory. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 30.
STANDING ROCK CHAMBER
LOCATION: 13-30
SOURCE OF NAME: "Next beyond is the chamber containing the Standing Rock behind which Mr. Johnstone made his famous discovery of the concealed pin-head. It is an immense great fallen rock on whose dark surface are scattered transparent flake like crystals of stain spar, resembling the congealed drops of a summer shower. The mind reader entered the chamber by way we shall leave it." (1) This may not be the place. However, the location does have a large breakdown boulder encrusted with 'Non-euhedral' crystalline gypsum, very common in the cave. The progression is rather logical, too. There are also a number of solutional forms that could be what Horn describes as "the Eagle, the Polar Bear, and the Chimes together with the rock twenty-five feet high, which gives it its name." (2) (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 29.
MERMAID'S RESORT
LOCATION: 13-33
SOURCE OF NAME: "A Greyhound stands in the passage way leading to Mermaid's Resort, a nook that seems to make one grow young in spite of time's advance. This bower is roofed with crystals, lace like, encrusted with white frosting resembling swan's-down. Imagine a canopy studded with miniature cedar trees, their tops downward hanging, spreading, and meeting each other, the roots in the ceiling and all snow white, with an orange shade in the background, and you have a slight conception of nature's extravagance at almost the farthest point on the longest traveled route in Wind Cave." (1) (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 29.
W.C.T.U. HALL
LOCATION: 14-1, 14-4
SOURCE OF NAME: "Near the Eastern Star Room is the W.C.T.U. Hall, dedicated in August, 1892. Here the flag and white ribbon keep each other company in perpetual night, the darkness being broken only by the candle and magnesium light, the sunlight having never penetrated that abysmal depth. Fittingly connected with this hall is Silent Lake." (14-39) (1) This close association with the pool fairly reliably establishes this place as the present middle elevator landing. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 16.
FIVE POINTS
LOCATION: 14-12 to 14-13
OTHER NAMES: Eastern Star Room
SOURCE OF NAME: "Arrived at the top limits of the stairs (Cliff Climbers' Delight) the ascent is by no means finished but continues through three large chambers known as Five Points…" (1) Things were different by the time of Horn's writing, for from Cliff Climbers' Delight "Our path leads to the Eastern Star Room, where chocolate caramels tempt the eye and taste. A different route branches off from each of the five points of the star." (2) This latter characteristic probably suggested the original name, which, incidentally, appears in "The Private Account." (1) Luella Agnes Owen, Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills, 1898
(2) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 16.
DANTE'S INFERNO
LOCATION: 14-15
SOURCE OF NAME: "The last point on the Garden of Eden Route is Dante's Inferno. It is dark, black, deep, and a decidedly weird abode for the tormented, and without excuse for its existence when compared with the Garden of Eden." (1) Following Horn's consecutive sequence, this location is the last room of any significant size before returning to the 'exit', Five Points, and Cliff Climbers' Delight. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 17.
CORK SCREW PATH
LOCATION: 11-16 to 14-19
SOURCE OF NAME: "Leaving the Garden of Eden, but not forgetting it, we visit Beacon Heights (14-l9) and Cork Screw Path. Half way down Cork Screw Path the Glacier. (Travertine at 14-17) Passing the Glacier, we reach the Sportsman's Delight, where a Goose hangs suspended from the ceiling. (In line between 14-16 and 14-18) How many years have passed with the Goose unfed, uncared for, untouched, no man knows, but she is there nevertheless, ready for flight should the Glacier overtake her." (1) (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 17.
GARDEN OF EDEN
SOURCE OF NAME: "We next pass under the Cathedral Dome (Could this be the high dome over 14-33?) through Kelly's Slide (possibly the dip formed by the trail and stair at 14-31) to the climax of the route - The Garden of Eden. The most beautiful frost-work and box-work fringed with frost-work observed on the entire route is seen here in limitless profusion. The candles are extinguished and magnesium light is substituted. The tourists from Maine to California are fairly bewildered, amazed, and stand speechless as they become entranced, intoxicated by the unexpected profusion of elysian beauties. Here adjectives are useless, vocabularies fail; the word painter is confronted with a scene which defies description. The camera is outwitted; nature triumphs. The many domes are doubtless of geyser formation; and the depression named Jacob's Well (pit at 14-29) represents the remains of an extinct geyser as he struggled for existence. The Garden of Eden covers half an acre; the floor is uneven and rugged; the ceiling is a constantly changing panorama of beauty. On one side is the LINNAEUS GROTTO, named by Professor Udden in honor of the renowned Swedish botanist; (location unknown, but possible corner occupied by 14-21) for on the other side is another grotto containing stalagmites and stalactites in the process of formation. (duck under leading from trail at 14-20) A Gypsum Mummy (unknown) and Rhinoceros Jaws are also attractions here." (1) A jaw like formation hangs from the ceiling at 14-28. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 16-17
FAT WOMAN'S MISERY
LOCATION: 15-2 to 15-3
SOURCE OF NAME: "Another avenue from the G.A.R. Hall leads to the Cliff Climbers' Delight (15-13 to top at 15-5), sixty feet high, via Fat Woman's Misery." (1) The passageways at the bottom of the present Garden of Eden Escape Route show extensive enlargement; likely these were 'difficult' crawlways. (1) E.C. Horn, Mazes and Marvels of Wind Cave, 1901, p. 15. A Room Name Date Named By Explanation A.F. McDonald Room 189? Mark Stock, Lester Lester A room with a A.F. McDonald signature that was surveyed by Mark Stock in 1971? A.O.U.W. Hall <1898 Association of United Workingmen Hall. Also known as the Marble Quarry or Bachelor's Quarters. Abbey Ruins <06/01/1893 Alvin McDonald Academy, The 07/05/1891 Alvin McDonald, M.E. Crookam, C.F. McBride Adams Well <06/01/1893 Alvin McDonald AFM Room 07/31/1973 Les Talbot, Phil Dodge, Jim Palmer The surveyors found "AFM" written on a rock at the entrance to the room. Aguileras Attic 02/24/2001 Matt Reece, Marc Ohms An upper level passage named after Christina Aguilera, a very popular teen rock star at the time. In keeping with the theme of the area and using the same starting letter for each word "A A". Air Tube, The 03/03/2000 Rod Horrocks, Joe Oliphant, John Citta, Marc Pedersen A very cool and windy upper level tube off the WX survey. This passage is apparently one of the major routes that air moves from eastern to western part of the cave. Alberta Connection 08/02/2001 Rod Horrocks, Graham Hogg, Rainer Engler, Dave Fairfield A fissure passage that connects the Terra-Cotta Trail with the Natural Entrance Tour near Miltons Study. It was discovered by the Alberta, Canada component of this survey party. Alex's Alley 06/05/1987 Jim Nepstad, Jim Pisarowicz Named in honor of Assistant Chief Naturalist Kay Rohde's one month old son. There was a baby shower for Alex on the day of this trip (May 6 |
hti.
Then, the creation of Triloki (three worlds) was evolved.
Niranjan then engaged himself in Dhyan (contemplation) of Purush (Sat Purush).
Jyoti took upon herself the burden of looking after the creation.
The three Gunas or gods became her assistants. They evolved the rest of the creation.”
-- Huzur Maharaj, from "Prem Bani Radhasoami", Volume Four, Agra, India
This appears to be a derivation from the Sar Bachan of Soamiji, and, in turn, possibly the Anurag Sagar of Kabir, of which we will hear more about later. In the first description of the inner regions given above, it is noteworthy that Julian Johnson uses the term "Sahasra dal Kanwal" and equates it with the Sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus as traditionally mentioned in yoga, particularly kundalini yoga. Sar Bachan Poetry, Part II, p. 277, by Soamiji, however, clearly states that Sahans dal Kanwal is a region of an eight-petalled lotus - followed by a lotus of twelve petals in Trikuti, thirteen in Sunn, and ten at Maha-Sunn. It is also of interest that further on in Sar Bachan, on page 394-395, it is stated that there are twelve "kanwals" or ganglia or lotuses in the human microcosm. Six are the traditional chakras in the spine from the coccyx or muladara up to the eyes or ajna chakra. The next three would be unique although not unheard of in the literature outside of Sant Mat, and appear to be centers deeper within the brain, although the impression given is that one is to believe that they are out of the body altogether. But is this so?
Soamiji says that the seventh Kanwal is Sahans dal Kanwal, the eighth is in Trikuti, and the ninth is at Daswan Dwar (considered the tenth door or tenth orifice, the other nine being the lower, external bodily orifices). This will suggest to some that the tenth orifice is at the brahmarendra or top of the head, and that the other preceding kanwals are experienced as the attention moves through the structures of the brain (including the "sky of mind" in the braincore) before passing out or beyond through the corona radiata into what may be the true sahasrara. Are kanwals or chakras seven through nine actually between the midbrain to the top of the brain, and experienced as attention curves through the ventricles and corpus collosum before passing out through the corona - or not? This begs for elucidation. Sant Rajinder Singh has said that one will have proof that there is life after death when one reaches the third inner plane. This seems like it would only would make sense if the first two inner regions are really experienced before death in the domain of the braincore itself, otherwise why wouldn’t one have proof that there is life after death when he reaches the first inner plane? I have an answer, but will give it shortly. Radhasoami gurus Huzur Maharaj and Maharaj Saheb in their writings both added the interesting but confusing comment that the doorway to the lower subtle regions was in the gray matter while the doorway to the "purely spiritual" regions was in the white matter. Rumi, too, said, "in the folds of thy brain lie wonderous regions."
Soamiji stated: "I give out details of the ganglia, I have seen within my body. Twelve Kanwals (lotuses, ganglia) are found in the human microcosm." What are we to make of this, then, in light of the statement of the sage Ramana Maharshi, that "the light in the brain is but the reflected light of the Heart"?
Yogis like Swami Sivananda taught that spiritual illumination comes when the kundalini or shakti passes through the lower chakras, purifying one of gross attachment, and then finally rising into the sahasrara. The Kriya yoga of Paramhansa Yogananda held to a similar idea of purification and also considered the sahasrar not as an actual chakra per se but the doorway to the infinite. Some argue that Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the end result of this process, while there have been traditional tantric gurus who have argued that through the union of Shiva and Shakti a non-dual awakening may even ensue from such an experience. I ask a question, therefore, at the outset of this article: Is the sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus the same as the eight-petalled lotus of Sahans Dal Kanwal in Sant Mat, or does it really represent something more comprehensive than that? Soamiji goes on to list the tenth kanwal as in Maha-sunn, the eleventh at Bhanwargupha, and the twelfth at Sat Lok. These are all still considered in the "human microcosm". Is it possible, then, that the highest reach or depth of the true Sahasrara is really Sat Lok, with further absorption into the wordless and formless state of Anami actually traditional ascended Nirvikalpa Samadhi? If it isn't, why isn't it? Personally I don’t think it is, but the explanation is complex. We will get to it later. This is not to diminish the realization of Anami, but rather to suggest categorizing Nirvikalpa in its traditional yogic profundity. While it may not represent final enlightenment, it is still said to be no small thing. Can it be that there are semantic differences between the traditions that cloud our understanding? The answer to this is, "yes," and will be addressed as we go along.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. There is much ground to cover before returning to this important topic.
2. Despite the promises of Soamiji, "Unless I see with my own eyes, I will not believe the sayings of the Master,” and “Know yourself by yourself, and do not rely on the sayings of anyone else,” therefore, much still seems to be expected to be believed without argument from the beginning. It is common in Sant Mat to say that “all Masters speak of the same path” and that its teaching is the same as many teachings throughout the ages. This makes the path sound like the highest and also helps legitimize it. It is said that Jesus, Buddha, and other classic figures all taught the same thing. But one can easily reach the conclusion they did NOT teach the same thing, at least not as historically recorded. In none of the schools of high Buddhism is shabd yoga taught, nor is there undisputed evidence that Jesus did so, other than a few oblique references in the gospels that are interpreted to suggest that he did. I am not saying they did one way or the other. There is obviously subtle light and sound experiencible within. That is not at issue. The point, however, is that one must assume that Jesus and Buddha taught this specific method of yoga in private only to a select few in order to justify such a claim.There is actually some evidence of this, in the apochryphal gospels of Judas and Mary. There is also the problem that any number of mystical schools, such as Kriya Yoga, also attempt to gain legitimacy by claiming Jesus as one of their own.
If someone adheres to a particular ideology, he tends to defend it in the terms of that ideology itself instead of from a position of intellectually neutral comparative analysis. If one is a follower of another path, or if an initiate is decided to be seen as not a ‘good’ satsangi, for instance, it it sometimes argued that their practice or thoughts the work of Kal or the negative power instead of tackling the criticisms themselves. This is no longer a justifiable position as mankind gets less and less provincial in its communication with each other. The teachings must be able to withstand debate from without and not just within. Otherwise, I ask, what is the purpose of having conferences like the World Fellowship of Religions and Unity of Man, such as were held by my guru, Sant Kirpal Singh? I say this with all due respect; it is time for the light of truth to be shed on the Path of the Masters - as well as all other paths (and “non-paths”). It is now time for philosophy (the “love of truth”), and no longer the time for religion and theology. In order to proceed further on the path, one must get to square one, or what the Buddha called “Right View”, or otherwise no matter how far one appears to advance he may not reach the highest truth.
Shabd gurus do make a point of encouraging people to examine the path critically, but then once that is done and the seeker has "made up his mind", he or she is advised he should follow the master's instructions, etc., and not worry about thinking anymore. But for many this is not enough. How many initiates, moreover, truly make an in-depth investigation of the path as it compares with others before making their decision? Even if one has, a true path must be able to withstand any new arguments that arise, for how can one be certain that he has examined all the issues in his initial study? Must one ignore new questions or criticisms that arise just because he has committed himself to a path? If, on the other hand, one relies only on his immediate feelings in making such a decision, such feelings are unfortunately subject to error as well as change when later held up against the light of reason and experience. So understanding, even just intellectual understanding, can not be bypassed.
Seeking is supposedly about discovering truth. Therefore, it appears someone must ask the questions raised below, and I risk the wrath of the faithful and even God if need be to do so. It was never my intention to be in such a position. I would rather just revel in inner bliss and a simple guru-devotee relationship. Yet my master confounded my assumptions, called me his friend, and in the end said I was a new man and that I should tell everyone so. Therefore, as Ramanuja once shouted from the rooftop while saying what he was told not to say, “I don’t care if I go to hell if it will help one soul find the truth.” I do hope that more than a few as well as my heart-friend will find me unworthy of damnation for this investigation.
There has, before we finish with this section, also been an ongoing controversy among Sant Mat teachers (beginning with Faqir Chand) whether it is actually the Master who "gives" anyone a contact with the inner light and sound, or whether he merely points out the technique for the disciple to find out what is already there. I believe both of these may be the case, depending on the lineage one is a part of and the guru’s competency therein. In the line of Kirpal Singh, it is claimed that it is the Master Power, directly or indirectly, which can and will (at initiation) actually drag the attention of the initiate within to grant him experiences, and many can attest to that first hand. Personally, I believe they can and do. In other lineages within Sant Mat, this is not promised, and there are apparently some masters who are only competent to give meditation instructions, but no “transmission”. This will all be discussed further below.
3. This promise of an experience at initiation (as a boost on the way, and as proof of the guru’s competency) was started by Kirpal Singh, and most initiates of that lineage (Darshan Singh, Rajinder Singh) do experience something, even before their official initiation (which is said to be the moment of thought-transference from the Master, not necessarily the actual time of the official initiation), sometimes shortly after, which promise is not the case with initiates in the Beas or Agra line. I believe there is a divine siddhi involved, at least in the Kirpal lineage, whereby the Masters, whether consciously, or unconsciously through their own inner attunement, can temporarily invert the attention of their disciples, but does that guarantee the ability to grant or produce eventual enlightenment, or that the guru himself is completely is enlightened? It would certainly elevate him beyond the ordinary teacher, that is not in question. And this is not meant to disparage or criticize this path, only to seek understanding. Many teachers on other paths, like Ranmakrishna and Yogananda, have been able to give temporary experiences of the preliminary inner stages of mystic light and sound; Sant Mat claims that they will only be able to take their disciples so far, and not to the highest, which requires a Divine commission. This may be true, but, again, it is a matter of faith on this path.
4. There is a controversy within Sant Mat that begs for a more adequate explanation. This pertains to the role and nature of the Master’s subtle radiant form. There may certainly be paradox and divine mystery involved, but there is no reason for obscurity. For example, Sawan Singh said since the physical master could not possibly be in contact with thousands of disciples at one time, therefore he creates an "astral duplicate" that resides in the third eye of the initiate and which looks over him and only “reports”, as it were, to the master when something really important needs personal attention. The Master Power, not the physical master, is otherwise constantly looking after the disciple once he is initiated.
One is sometimes advised to seek the company of one’s guru’s successor, but continue contemplating only on one’s own guru’s form, when it appears. Sant Mat in general claims that the form is “real”, and that all true masters are one and may appear. There have been some spiritual schools which denigrate or lessen the value of such a form by arguing that it is only a mental projection from the disciple's own mind or soul, saying that Christians see Jesus, Hindus see Krishna, etc. That, however, doesn’t mean such an “ishta” as mentioned on the Path of the Masters is not real, or is a product of the gross imagination of a disciple, but the question does arise whether it is a product of the deeper mind and ultimately the soul or Overself of the disciple, and not necessarily “God” or the guru directly. It would certainly have to be a lofty definition of Soul to account for the radiant form of a living who appears of Himself. Yet PB describes the philosophic view:
"It is the mystic's ego which constructs the image of his teacher or saviour, and his Overself [divine Soul] which animates that image with divine power. This explains why earnest pupils of false teachers have made good progress and why saviors dead for thousands of years still seem to help their followers."
"Only when well-advanced does he learn that the help he thinks he got from a guru came often from the Universal Being. It was his own personal thoughts which supplied the guru image, but the power which worked was from that Being." ( Notebooks. Vol. 16, Part 1, 5.183,189)
The key words here are, “only when well-advanced.” Of course, this is a paradox. Supposedly at the highest level Mind, God, Soul, and Master are all One. There can certainly, moreover, also be telepathic and transcendental help from the master even without the presence of the form, and even whether or not one is receptive or aware of it. Even the master may not necessarily be aware of it, and yet still be a conduit for such help. Again, PB explains:
"The conscious personal mind of the teacher may know nothing of the help that is radiating from him to one who silently calls on him from a long distance, yet the reality of that help remains." (Ibid, Vol. 2, 6.744).
This was precisely Baba Faqir Chand's position. Furthermore, PB affirms that the blessing of the attention of a sage, given even once, is so profound that its effects may manifest over the course of some years:
"The guide may send his blessing telepathically only once but if it is powerful enough it may work itself out through a hundred different experiences extending over several years. Because he identifies himself with the timeless spaceless soul, his blessing may express itself anywhere in space and anywhere in time. Moreover he may formulate it in a general way but it may take precise shapes unconsciously fashioned by and suited to a recipient's own mentality and degree of development....Just as the sun does not need to be aware of every individual plant upon which it sheds its beneficent life-giving growth-stimulating rays, so the master does not need to be aware of every individual disciple who uses him as a focus for his meditations or as a symbol for his worship. Yet each disciple will soon realize that he is receiving from such activities a vital inward stimulus, a real guidance and definite assistance. This result will develop the power unconsciously drawn from the disciple's own higher self, which in turn will utilize the mental image of the master as a channel through which to shed its grace." ( Notebooks, Vol. 2, 6.752, 784)
Not only Faqir Chand, but Sant Rajinder Singh has in so many words affirmed that this is more or less how it works. Only in rare instances does the incarnate master personally involve himself in the disciple's personal inner life, but his own higher self is like a grand switchboard into which the many, many disciples are plugged into. The help or grace goes "over the head" of the adept as it were, but it is no less real. PB writes:
"With a teacher, it is the inward relationship that matters. What, then, is going to happen when there is only one Teacher and many thousands of students? How can all the wishes, dreams, and thoughts reach him, yet leave him time for his work? Obviously, it cannot be done. So Nature steps in and helps out. She has arranged a system very much like a telephone swithboard. The incoming "calls" are plugged into the subconscious mind of the Teacher. The "line" itself is composed out of the student's own faith and devotion; he alone can make this connection. Then, his wishes, dreams, and thoughts travel along it to the subconscious of the teacher, where they are registered and dealt with accordingly to their needs. In this way, they do reach the Teacher, who can, at the same time, attend to his work. Sometimes Nature deems it advisable to transfer a particular message to the conscious level. In such a case, it may be answered on either the conscious or subconscious level. Occasionally, too, the teacher deliberately sends one out when he is guided to do so." ( Notebooks, Vol. 16,, Part 1, 5.273)
The latter could account for visions of a Master's form that appear to people who have never even heard of the Master before, but were destined to meet. This happens with frequency in Sant Mat.
To be sure, once again, there does seem to be a difference between a form which comes of itself in meditation, and stands before the Master's charged words, than simply a subconscious manifestation of a disciple's (culturally or religiously) conditioned mind (again, such as when Christians tend to see visions of Christ, and Hindus of Krishna, etc.). The Kirpal lineage of Sant Mat Masters' forms have appeared to many who had never even heard of them before. This would contradict the theory that it is just a manifestation of one's subconscious mind in every instance. If a true Master is indeed a mouthpiece of the Absolute Soul, or God, however, due to the purity and depth of his realization, then his Gurudev or radiant subtle form is certainly a glorious thing which could be imprinted or arise within and attract the soul and mind of his chela or disciple, and which thus is inherently divine and even non-dual. This could be considered a true vision.
Baba Faqir Chand, a Sant Mat guru who was a disciple of Shiv Brat Lal, and who was recognized by Sawan Singh, discovered that many miracles and appearances of his form to his disciples occurred without any awareness on his part. He concluded that the form was a product of the disciple's imagination or faith, and not the Master, and he taught likewise, changing the teachings of Sant Mat at the behest of his guru and with the blessing of Sawan Singh. Perhaps Faqir's most radical departure from the teaching of Sant Mat was in his claim that all visions were "phantasmagoria", akin to the after-death appearances that the Tibetan Book of the Dead warns are products of one's own mind. Faqir went from considering the things he saw inside as objectively real to seeing them as subjective mental creations, and he increasingly asked the question, "who" sees the visions, and "who" hears the sounds?" He apparently never got the full fruit of the enquiry in the form of firm knowledge of the Self, but what he wrote, however, is interesting:
“On the basis of my experiences I say that solution to all our worldly afflictions is beyond the mental realms. Go even beyond the state of thoughtlessness. Spirituality begins from thoughtlessness or the state of Mahasunna. I am indebted to those who consider me as Guru. They helped me to go beyond the mental realms. Now my Sadhana is of the Surat and not of the mind. But you cannot reach this stage so easily because you have the desires for name, fame, and wealth. Therefore, the teachings of the saints are not for the public in general. Do you think that the present method for initiation adopted by the Gurus is for the well-being of mankind? Decidedly not. These Gurus are doing this all for their own name, fame, and centers. This method of initiation would ruin those who get it because they are not aware of the thoughts of their subconscious mind. They do not know the power and the secret of their thoughts.”
“O man, your own mind is your Guru and the follower. Understand this secret from the Sat Sang of the realized man. Entertain noble and constructive thoughts and make your life. None can help you. Even a saint who dwells in light and sound cannot do anything for you. I dwell in light and sound, but I cannot do anything for you. After a long struggle, I have reached the stage of complete surrender to Him. It is all your faith.”
“This life is a bubble of consciousness. This bubble is the creation of His will and it will vanish at His will. I am nothing, but still, I am everything. I have been a son, brother, husband, and father, but I do not ensnare myself in this world of attachments. This is the essence of all the religions, but none tries to understand it. What is to happen must happen, so why make hue and cry? Saints live in the state of forgetfulness.”
“For me, the spontaneous form is that I am a bubble of consciousness. I do not claim that I am a God. He who claims himself as Brahma is not a practical man. He may be intelligent and well-read. If someone is really Brahma, let him do some good to the suffering humanity, or at least save himself from sorrows and pain. None can do it. All harvest the fruit of deeds.” (from Truth Always Wins by Baba Faqir Chand)
Many have argued, based Faqir's book, that the master's form is therefore a projection of the disciple's own mind, yet I feel this concluson is unwarranted in many cases. Many people who never heard of a certain master before have had their inner darshan, and this does not seem to be simply a projection of their inner desire or pre-conditioned mental tendency. The true guru's radiant subtle form can appear where and when he wishes, and, it is claimed, God or the Sat Purush can project it in the same manner. Sant Darshan Singh, without refuting Faqir Chand's principle critiques, felt that he was misguided about Sant Mat. But others no doubt feel the same way towards him, so what's a poor boy to do?
There is also the vast issue to explore of the teaching that there are reflections of higher regions in lower ones, which each have seven sub-levels, that can deceive those without the highest insight or help of one who has accessed such regions. Neither Faqir Chand nor the Kriya lineage speaks of the help of the inner guide to the extent that the teachers of Sant Mat do. It is, however, beyond the scope of this article to get into this fascinating issue in depth.
Dr. I.C. Sharma, successor to the radical and iconoclastic Faqir, didn’t follow the latter's thinking that the form is'merely a subjective vision', i.e., a personal creation, but that it was important to visualize and concentrate on it in the lower planes as long as one realized it wasn’t the be all and end all. In other words, the stages are necessary. Sant Kirpal Singh said (in Godman, p. 108) of the gurudev or radiant form of the master, that "even the Saints adore this form and derive ecstatic delight from it." And it is part of the humility and divine physics of the lineage that all masters defer to their own master, even after their realization. This helps keep the transmission of the lineage pure. So even though a Master is merged in the light beyond any form of his master, and in the great Beyond beyond that, he still gets charm from his master's subtle form. And why not? He gets charm from all forms as well. While he is a Master now, in his own right, for conventions sake and an outward show of humility these masters usually defer to their own master as the doer and source of grace.
Still, PB wrote on the terminal stages of the path of devotion:
“This last stage, where the presence and picture of the Master are displaced by the pictureless presence of the disciple's own spirit, is accurately described in the words of Jesus to his disciples: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you... when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." Any other interpretation of them leaves them without reasonable meaning...When a man has at last found himself, when he has no longer any need for an outside human Symbol but passes directly to his own inner reality, he may stand shoulder to shoulder with the teacher in the oldest, the longest, and the greatest of struggles.”
"The teacher is a support needed by the disciple to help him progress through successive stages of the quest, as they are stages of thinning illusion. When he stands on the threshold of reality, then the last and thinnest illusion of all must be left behind, the support of any being outside himself, apart from himself, for within him is the infinite life-power." ( Notebooks, Vol. 2, 6.590; Vol. 16, Part 1, 5.285-286; Vol. 2, 6.859))
I Therefore at some point the disciple must stand on his own two feet. As PB wrote:
"In the end he must inwardly walk alone - as must everyone else however beloved - since God allows no one to escape this price." ( Notebooks, Vol. 2, 3.325)
Sant Mat holds that in Sach Khand you are not strictly speaking seeing a mere vision but "God as a person" as the Sat Purush. The advaitists, of course, disagree, but solely on philosophical grounds, as they have not had this experience, nor do they have a concepton other than a unidimensional one of experience beyond the conceptual mind. Contemporary anadi stands out among the direct path type of teacher in maintaining that beyond the mind lies more than one experience - consciousness - but several stages of deepening into being, realisation of the soul, and realisation of God. He says that the commonly accepted non-duality of consciousness is only beyond the gross level of duality created by the mind, but beyond that there is in reality a subtle duality of soul and God, which is what the sants say also. But the advaitists believe that the impersonal subject of experience is the absolute; they don’t recognise that there are more than one type of experience ‘beyond the mind’, and two impersonal subjects: soul and the universal subjectivity, God, the I AM. Sri Nisargadatta, however, said, “ As long as you think yourself to be a person, He too is a person. When you are all, you see Him as all.” (I AM THAT, p. 88). This is an absolute type of statement, and may not reflect the full nature of reality. Vedantist V.S. Iyer, a teacher of Paul Brunton, and Ramakrishna Order monks Nikhilinanda and Siddeswarananda, wrote that "even if you see Sat Purush, it is just a thought" and "He who says he sees the Sat Purush inside in meditation is no sage." This is a radical conception indeed, as in Sant Mat the mind is supposedly left off at the level of the causal plane, two realms below Sach Khand, and Sat Purush is supposed to be an inherent eternal reality. While advaita admits of no creation or causation (ajata), it does allow, says Nikhilinanda, for the Effulgent Nature of Reality to appear as if there were creation, and from the position of Reality there is no separation between the Real and its manifestation. Only from the empirical standpoint do they posit Maya as Transcendental Illusion responsible for our ignorant perception of creation. In Truth, there is no separation, and nothing needs negating. All is one.
Ramana also spoke of God as a person, the "first person" or "I" in the Heart, but nevertheless beyond the vision of light. Scripture tells us, “No man sees God and lives.” Iyer stated:
"Ideas never reach Atman. The mind never knows it. He who says he has a vision of the highest or describes it as supra-mental, etc., does not understand Atman, because it is free from imaginations." ( Commentaries, Vol. 1; see note 29).
According to Iyer, it may not be a personal vision at the level of a dream or a product of one’s personal mind, but it is still in the realm of the imagination, albeit at the highest level. Even if it is the great vision of light, there is still a perceiver; when the perceiver is gone, then who sees what, and who has merged with what? This is an important question. And it is where it is necessary to bow to the fact that there is Atman and there is Paramatma. The universal projection is not a product of the soul, but of Paramatma. So it is not just imagination. Epistemological considerations just do not apply so rigidly here. The Sants would say that beyond the ego the soul sees and cognizes by virtue of her own light. The Sat Purush, chief principality of Sach Khand, absorbs the soul(not the ego, but the soul, freed from all coverings of koshas) further on into the Nameless One. And despite Soamiji's lyrical descriptions of Sach Khand, any sense of separation or bifurcation of the mind into percever and perceived, as in the lower orders of creation, is supposedly non-existent here. The Sants insist this is a purely spiritual realm, with mind and matter left far behind.
Sant Darshan has written that after traversing the physical, astral, and causal planes," the soul no longer has mind, but perceives and understands with its own light." Yet, one might ask, can the soul by its own light perceive and understand anything other than Itself, without a vehicle (i.e., kosha) to do so? Anthony Damiani gives the traditional philosophical argument:
“Any mystical state, any dream state, any wakeful state is a content and an object of consciousness. Different ones are going to demonstrate different characteristics, and there’s going to be an infinite array of possibilities, but the point to be grasped is that every one of them is an idea to consciousness and that the mind puts forth its own ideas and then experiences them....If you go to a higher level than this one, it will still be a content of consciousness; and if you go to an even higher level, or even to the level of being itself, there will always be a content of consciousness....That’s why it is so important to grasp this principle firmly. Hold on to it, because with it you will be able to analyze all experience and tear apart any misconceptions you have....This is true of all the seven levels of existence, even if you live in the angelic world. So if someone came from another level of existence and said, “Yes, but your analysis doesn’t hold for my plane of existence,” I would say, “Is it a content? Is it an experience for you? Is it a world that you are perceiving? Is there a perception taking place? You know it? Yes? Then it’s subject to the same analysis.” That’s how it cuts through everything and that’s why this teaching is direct and the most comprehensive one you will find. This teaching has been around for thousands of years and it won’t disappear.”(1)
“Mystical experiences are still on a penultimate stage of the imagination. You become aware of that. And no amount of superlatives will take you away from that stage....it’s still not [ultimate] reality." (2)
“PB wrote The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga prior to reaching the jivanmukta [liberation in life] stage. And the statement he makes there is that through personal feeling and intuition he had already grasped the fact that the mystical level is not dominated by reality, and is not that reality. But it would only be a person who has disciplined and developed an extreme rational consciousness who would be able to see through the superlative effulgence of the mystic state, and see its shortcomings.”(3)
The great Sankara said in his commentary to the Brahma Sutras:
"The highest beatitude is not to be attained through Yoga." [although yoga is a useful preliminary to concentrate the mind and prepare it for inquiry into Truth]
Why do some high paths, such as the Tibetan school of Dzogchen, teach that the goal of meditation is not to go inside? Surely they know of the existence of the tenth door and the inner realms. Why did a venerated master such as HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche say not to strive for advanced states and inner bliss?
"We should realise that the purpose of meditation is not to go "deeply into ourselves" or withdraw from the world. Practice should be free and non-conceptual, unconstrained by introspection and concentration...The everyday practice of dzogchen is just everyday life itself. Since the undeveloped state does not exist, there is no need to behave in any special way or attempt to attain anything above and beyond what you actually are. There should be no feeling of striving to reach some "amazing goal" or "advanced state."
There is a reason for this, too, which we shall reveal shortly when we attempt to tie all of this together.
On the positive side, even Ramana Maharshi said that "visions are better than no visions," in so far as they indicate an increasing depth of concentration, but that they must be gone beyond before true Self-Realization. All school say that. In Sant Mat the only "visions" or perceptible phenomena to be paid attention to in meditation are the Light, the Sound, and the Master's Form, which itself must stand before repetition of the five charged words given at initiation. These five charged words are an ancient tradition or dispensation in many traditions that are said to be the 'open-sesame' to the succeeding inner regions. Except that in the last two regions up to Sach Khand the mental vehicle which would repeat these names is left behind, thus only the Naam itself and the Master's Light would assist the soul.Thus, the Form is an extremely important aid at deepening concentrative absorption towards the final goal. This, too, extends only through the lower three planes, after which the realms are, first, archtypal, or formless-form, and then formless. Thus, once again the Master's grace itself is the saving element. The allegory given by Soamiji in the beginning of this paper is just that, an allegory, for upon reaching Sach Khand, or the station of Atman, there is no form, and no one to answer a Sat Purush who asks one how he has gotten there, saying," by the grace of a saint." Any other explanation makes no sense according to standard yoga psychology. Kirpal Singh stated:
"In the lower planes [the Form] continues, but absorption comes at every plane. When you devote your whole attention into the Form of the master, you sometimes become absorbed; but that continues in further stages. Absorption is better. It does become that Light. You are Light; you become one; you forget; but you are conscious all the same. It does come at every step. Ultimately, it becomes One, and there is no form when you are absorbed into Sat Naam. Then, Sat Naam takes you to the stages where there is final absorption. Otherwise, the Form continues to work in the radiant Form on the different planes." (Sat Sandesh, Feb. 1975, "A Thief in the Form of a Friend")
Somewhere I read that the form of the Master changes from plane to plane but resumes human form upon reaching Sach Khand, where one meets "God as a Person", and in the above quote he does say that there is no form when you are absorbed into Sat Naam, leaving the possibility open that until you are actually absorbed into Sat Naam, or the Sat Purush, one still might see form in Sach Khand, but the philosophical criticism still begs for an answer. How can there be form when all the kosas are shed and one is supposedly beyond mind and maya? This must be a formless realm.
The final goal even in Sant Mat is spoken of as realizing the Master to be ones own very Self. A difficulty in even interesting anyone in discussing these things is that the bliss increases as one ascends the inner stages, a bliss that one no less than the Buddha said was extremely difficult for the aspirant to transcend. According to Buddha, beyond the stages of bliss come the stages of insight, and then Nirvana. When is non-duality realized? This will be discussed later, in sections #13 and #14.
5. According to Arran Stephens, author of the book Journey to the Luminous, Darshan Singh, Kirpal’s successor, claimed that when Faqir Chand was asked to describe the various inner planes he did not name their proper order and specifically could not |
record 74 games and $2.5 million in 2004-2005, bringing up the rear at $2,000. The games were prerecorded at IBM's research center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., with the results kept secret until the match's conclusion February 16. The winner will take home $1 million, with the runners-up getting $300,000 for second place and $200,000 for third. I.B.M. said it will give all of Watson's winnings to charity, while Rutter and Jennings will donate half of what they win.
IBM Researcher David Gondek
David Gondek, an IBM research scientist and one of the team members who has spent four years preparing Watson (named for IBM's founder, Thomas J. Watson) for its big moment on national television, was at the MIT event to shed light on how the computer has been prepped to understand and answer "Jeopardy!" questions, and what the technology might be used for beyond game shows. Over the years, he said, researchers have loaded the computer with hundreds of millions of pages of every sort of information they thought could be useful, all the while watching a lot of "Jeopardy!" contests ("We had nothing else to do," Gondek joked).
But while Watson is very good, and very fast, at using algorithms to retrieve straightforward facts and figures to come up with answers (the same way Google uses an algorithmic system), Gondek said its weakness--like that of all computers--is matching the intuitive understanding of linguistic nuances that humans are good at. He said "Jeopardy!" posed a great challenge because of the way the show uses puns, rhymes, riddles and humor in its trademark question-and-answer format, which human players can easily grasp, but can be a struggle for non-human competitors.
To prepare for the man-machine showdown, the IBM team put Watson up against former "Jeopardy!" contestants in 55 games, which the computer won 71 percent of the time. But when the computer struggled, it was often because it could not make linguistic leaps of inference that would be obvious to a good human player. Among Gondek's examples: Under the category "New York Times Headlines," a clue said an exclamation point would be warranted "for the end! of this in 1918." The right answer was World War I. But Watson's response was: "a sentence."
Another question asked for a word describing "love and affection shared by two straight males." The game show was looking for "bromance." But Watson's somewhat befuddled response was "relationship," which Gondek called "kind of sweet, really." And the computer was inadvertently funny responding to the clue, "Give a Brit a tinkle when you get to town and you've done this." Watson deadpanned: "Urinate."
Gondek said that IBM also had to find a way to program Watson to make a connection between two apparently unrelated things, coming up with an answer in two words that also had to rhyme, as in, A.: "A long, tiresome speech delivered by a frothy pie topping." Q: "What is meringue-harangue?" In one rhyming test that the computer flunked, the clue was a "boxing term for a hit below the belt." The correct phrase was "low blow," but Watson's puzzling response was "wang bang." "He invented that," said Gondek, noting that nowhere among the tens of millions of words and phrases that had been loaded into the computer's memory did "wang bang" appear.
To create and program Watson, IBM collaborated with researchers at eight U.S. universities, including MIT and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The main contribution of the UMass investigators was to work on information retrieval, or text search, a key aspect of the "DeepQA" technology that enables computer systems to provide answers to questions in natural language over a broad range of knowledge. Researchers at UMass helped IBM develop a means for the computer to take a first step searching for an answer by retrieving text that is most likely to contain accurate answers.
The role of the team in Cambridge, led by Boriz Katz of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, was to help Watson take a second step by breaking down questions into simple sub-questions for responses that can be rapidly collected and then recombined into likely answers. The MIT researchers pioneered an online natural language question answering system called START.
Gondek said that while human "Jeopardy!" players might press their buzzers "on instinct" if they think they know an answer, Watson will not buzz in (unless it is losing so badly it's "desperate") until it thinks it has a high probability of having the right answer. In the current match, its calculations for three possible answers are shown in a graphic beneath its avatar. But it is not always right. In the initial round, it gave a wrong answer that it figured had more than a 90 percent chance of being right. Gondek said it is also "deaf and blind," which is why no audio-video clues are being used. That may be the reason Watson repeated a wrong answer that Jennings had just given--it can't hear the other competitors. (Like its human opponents, Watson also is not connected to the Internet during the match).
Another thing Watson cannot do is try to buzz in by listening closely to host Alex Trebek and anticipating when he'll finish reading a clue, down to a fraction of a second. Erin McClean, a Boston University undergraduate who won the 2010 Jeopardy! College Championship, told the MIT crowd that "I went off of Alex's voice. It worked because I had practiced so much at home, so I got into a rhythm." By contrast, Watson has to rely on a set of lights that come on as soon as Trebek finishes.
McClean described her winning technique as a combination of virtually obsessive practice and savvy use of the internet to learn from tips offered by past contestants. She recommended that anyone who aspires to be a contestant go to two websites: http://www.pisspoor.com/jep.html and http://www.j-archive.com/. The first website, "How to Win on Jeopardy!," was created by two-time champion Karl Coryat. The second one, "J!Archive," says it is a fan-created site with "203,444 clues and counting."
Gondek said that win or lose, IBM hopes to use the technology it has developed for Watson in various product applications, especially in health care. "I can see how Watson could function as a physician's assistant," he said, compiling information to help a doctor with a diagnosis." While MIT students and staff may be rooting for Watson, given the university's role in its development, McClean said, "I'm rooting for the humans. I really think they can do it."
February 16 Update: : After the first of two games in this match, Watson has what may be an insurmountable lead, giving its two human opponents a shellacking, to borrow a word from President Obama's lexicon. With one more game to be played Wednesday, the supercomputer has $35,734 to $10,400 for Rutter and $4,800 for Jennings.
At this point, the only hope for the humans may be that Watson gets reckless and blows its wad, although that didn't happen in the first game, even though the computer's answer in Final Jeopardy was wrong. In the category "U.S. Cities," in response to the question, "Its largest airport was named for a World War ll hero; its second largest for a World War ll battle," Watson said "What is Toronto?????," with the extra question marks showing its uncertainty. (For good reason--it was not the right city and not even the right country). Both Jennings and Rutter got the correct answer: "What is Chicago?"
On the blog "Building a Smarter Planet" (http://asmarterplanet.com/blog/2011/02/watson-on-jeopardy-day-two-the-co...), David Ferrucci, manager of the Watson project, explained why the computer faltered on the final clue. But Ferrucci was encouraged by the fact that Watson, recognizing that that it wasn't sure about the answer, bet very cautiously, risking only $947. "That's smart. You're in the middle of the contest. Hold onto your money. Why take a risk?," he said.
That doesn't seem to bode well for Jennings and Rutter.
Tournament Finale Update: It wasn't even close in the end. Watson crushed its flesh-and-blood opponents with a two-day total of $77,147 to win the tournament. Jennings was a distant second with $24,000 overall, with Rutter in third place with $21,600. But the second game was much closer than the first, and with a little luck, such as hitting both Daily Doubles, Jennings might have been in a position to win it, salvaging at least one game for the humans.
Going into Final Jeopardy, where the category was "19th Century Authors," Watson was ahead with $23,440, but Jennings was not that far behind with $18,200 and Rutter in third place with $5,600. The clue was "William Wilkinson's 'An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia' inspired this author's most famous novel." All three contestants correctly answered "Who is Bram Stoker?" (the author of "Dracula"). But while Rutter bet everything he had, Jennings bet only $1,000. Unlike the previous night, when Watson flubbed the Final Jeopardy clue, but lost less than $1,000 with a cautious bet, the brainiac computer this time obviously felt confident. It bet $17,973, winning the game with $41,413.
Jennings accepted the result with equanimity and perhaps, resignation. Echoing a line from an episode of "The Simpsons" he wrote on his video screen, "I for one welcome our new computer overlords."The ongoing controversy over the Narendra Modi government’s strive to impose beef ban through backdoor channels reminds me of the famous statement by former BJP ideologue and Union Minister Arun Shourie. He defined the BJP as ‘Congress Plus Cow’. His point was that without the cow and the communally divisive politics associated with it, there is no material difference in the economic policies between the Congress and the BJP. As a former insider of the Sangh Parivar and also the first-ever minister for disinvestment who ensured the continuation of neoliberal economic policies of the P V Narasimha Rao-led Congress government, Shourie’s observation is valid.
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The cow has always been an effective weapon for the BJP, not only to divide people communally but also to divert their attention from the real concerns of the masses. It has been three years since the BJP took over the baton from the UPA government and aggressively pursued the same set of neo-liberal economic policies as the previous government.
Contrary to the tall claims of the Prime Minister as well as the Finance Minister, the economy is facing a slowdown. The promise of two crore jobs every year remains shattered with the lowest-ever job creation in a decade and ominous forecasts of massive lay-offs in the IT sector. Agrarian distress has aggravated, forcing more than 36,000 farmers to resort to suicide. The Kashmir situation has significantly worsened. And dealing a big blow to the government, the much-hyped demonetisation experiment has fallen flat.
Now that the Modi government has no words to explain its non-performance on vital parameters of governance, it is flaring up an extremely emotive issue — the mother cow.
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While the recent notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter in livestock markets has come in the garb of regulating cattle trade, it is meant only to serve the political interests of the BJP. It is a blatant attempt to interfere with the powers that are exclusively in the domain of state governments and violates the principles of federalism. The Union government is misusing a Central Act — the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 — by framing fresh rules to encroach on the rights of the States.
Cattle slaughter doesn’t fall under the legislative powers of Parliament, it belongs to the Seventh schedule of the Constitution as entry 15 of State list. Even the PCA Act, 1960, for which the Environment ministry has framed the current rules, allows slaughter. Section11(3)(E) of the said Act permits animals slaughter to meet the food requirements of the people. Beyond this, Section 2(A) of the Act defines the term ‘animal’ in the broadest possible sense, which includes everything except human beings.
When it is clear that the fresh rules will not stand legal scrutiny, there can only be one rationale behind the selective ban on sale of cattle for slaughter — partisan political interests.
Since the legal and constitutional validity of these rules have already been widely discussed, I will confine myself only to its political aspects. The Left is playing the role of a catalyst in fighting the repeated incursions on the right of people to choose their food. Only the Left can lead and sustain this fight owing to its consistent opposition to BJP’s. The Congress is on a weak footing, given the fact it has been responsible for imposing ban on cow slaughter in a number of states. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has already taken the initiative to convene a meeting of all chief ministers to challenge the Centre over the cattle ban. The response to his call has been overwhelming. The objective is to build a broad platform to defend states’ rights and federal principles.
Moreover, this is not just a communal onslaught but also an all-out attack on the economic life of the poorest of our country. The Left is, therefore, also mobilising people to oppose the move that not only hits their livelihood but also takes away a cheap source of nutritious food from mainly Dalits, minorities and the poor. Kerala has already witnessed ‘beef fests’. The protest is gathering momentum and will be intensified further in the coming days.
Significantly, cow politics isn’t palatable within the ranks of BJP leadership either, with one of its top party leaders in Meghalaya openly defying the ban, which in turn led to his expulsion.
BJP and Sangh outfits are also trying to unleash violence against people’s resistance. The brutal attack on Sooraj, a Ph.D Scholar of IIT, Chennai, who participated in a beef fest on the campus, is a cowardly attempt to silence one such democratic protest.
PM Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and the BJP cannot hide behind the holy cow to cover up their failures. They will have to answer the people for not delivering on their promises.
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M B Rajesh is a CPI(MP) Member of Parliament from Palakkad, KeralaFinally, some good Kanye West -related news. Rhymefest recently announced he has purchased West's childhood home on the south side of Chicago and will convert the abode into a hub for 'Ye's Donda's House program.
Rhyme made the announcement on Instagram earlier today (Nov. 25). "I'm excited to announce the purchase of Kanye's childhood home as a community Arts incubator," he started. "It will be the first of our Nationwide Lite-Houses. A state of the art recording studio, a curriculum space for @dondashouse and southside music museam. We want to show bright spots in communities thatve been divested from, we know more Lights exist here, they just need to be activated."
Rhymefest is the creative director of the Donda's House program which was launched in dedication of West's late mother as a way to provide premium arts instruction to the youth of the Windy City.
Fest continues his mission to save the youth of Chicago. Last month, he hosted a vigil against gun violence and also announced the objectives of his Truth and Reconciliation series. “What we are going to do is a citywide therapy session,” he said. “We are going to de-stigmatize. We want police, we want young people, we want the seniors, we want the teachers. And what we want to do is de-stigmatize coping techniques of just being a Chicagoan. Regardless of violence, just being a Chicagoan where many of us are over taxed and underemployed.”
You can donate to Donda's House by visiting their pledge page.Enda Kenny will convene the Fine Gael think-in in Galway today, while Eamon Gilmore oversees the second day of Labour's meeting.
Enda Kenny will convene the Fine Gael think-in in Galway today, while Eamon Gilmore oversees the second day of Labour's meeting.
TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY will today launch the Fine Gael party’s annual parliamentary party think-in in Galway, as Labour holds the second day of its own sessions in Co Carlow.
Kenny will be expected to outline the government’s general plan of action for the coming months, and potentially offer hints as to where the axe may fall in December’s Budget which will have to find between €3.6bn and €4bn in new taxes and spending cuts.
Yesterday, opening his party’s own think-in in Co Carlow, Eamon Gilmore told his party that there was “no old manual of social democratic Government” to which Labour could refer in trying to manage the current circumstances – but that the coming budgets would still be among the toughest Ireland could face.
“We cannot fall back automatically on prescriptions from the past… what matters now is what works. And that will bring us to decisions that, though necessary, are outside the comfort zone of old ideas.”
He added:
If Ireland is to be the first country to emerge successfully from an IMF programme, then the present Irish Government will be the first Government in Europe to achieve that, and Labour will be the first social democratic party in Europe with responsibility for achieving that goal.
The Tánaiste assured that the Government would “level with people” and acknowledge that the task ahead of it was difficult, but that it was still “going to get on with it”.
Labour would be at the forefront of change and would act as “the engine of Government, not a brake car.”
Fianna Fáil will hold its own party think-in in Tallaght on Monday and Tuesday of next week, while Sinn Féin holds its Árd-Fheis in Belfast this weekend. All of the week’s meetings precede the return of Dáil business next Wednesday.Debt includes $2.6bn for international peacekeeping efforts, with France owing the most at $356m, followed by the US at $337m
Member states owe the UN about $3.5bn (£2.2bn) for its regular operating budget and peacekeeping operations, its management chief has announced.
Yukio Takasu said after briefing the general assembly’s budget committee that “as a whole, the financial situation of the United Nations is very sound and generally good – except the regular budget”.
The funding gap is just over $950m including about $800m owed by the US, $77m by Brazil and $28m by Venezuela.
The general assembly approved a two-year budget of $5.53bn in December to cover the UN’s regular operations in 2014-15, cutting it for a second successive time.
Takasu said the UN had only $35m in cash for the regular budget, which was “a bit alarming”. It had two reserve funds totalling about $384m but the overall total of $419m was low, he added.
“The regular budget is very tight and we have to watch very carefully,” Takasu said. “We have very small reserves so [the] financial health of the organisation totally depends on how quickly and how much member states can pay to us.”
Member states also owed about $2.6bn to the separate UN peacekeeping budget, Takasu said. France owed the most – $356m – followed by the US, which must pay $337m, and Italy owed about $250m.
An official at the US mission to the UN said those numbers were distorted because the UN’s fiscal year began on 1 January and the American fiscal year on 1 October. The US paid its regular budget assessment at the end of the calendar year in which it was due, the official said.
The official said this discrepancy accounts for $621m of the outstanding dues to the regular budget reported by the UN.
The remaining amounts in the regular and peacekeeping budget are attributable to arrears that date back more than a decade and a half, the official said.
French diplomats said the debt was not unusual as there was always a technical delay of a few months between the time the French government received assessments for UN contributions and the time the funds were made available to pay them.
The UN owes $1.2bn to member states that contribute troops and equipment to peacekeeping operations, which Takasu said was “rather high”. But he said the intergovernmental organisation was going to pay troop-contributing countries $500m in the coming days and more in November and December to bring the amount it owes down to $501m.
Takasu said 29 countries had paid their assessments, which also included payments for UN tribunals and the recent renovation of UN headquarters.Rhode Island's Department of Health says that sexually transmitted diseases are way up in the state, in part because of the increase of hookup apps like Tinder.
Between 2013 and 2014, cases of syphilis grew by 79%. HIV infections were up 33% and gonorrhea cases increased by 30%. STD cases for young adults are growing at a faster rate than the rest of the population.
Rhode Island says the recent uptick in STD cases follows a national trend. The state's health department blamed "high-risk behaviors that have become more common in recent years," including "using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters."
A spokesman for Tinder did not respond to a request for comment.
Social media and online hookup apps have been blamed for a rise in STDs in the past.
A 2013 New York University study found that Craigslist was responsible for a 16% increase in HIV cases between 1999 and 2008 across 33 states. Grinder, a hookup app for gay men, was associated with more than half of all syphilis cases in New Zealand in 2012, according to Christchurch Sexual Health Clinic.
"These new data underscore the importance of encouraging young people to begin talking to a doctor, nurse, or health educator about sexual health," said Rosemary Reilly-Chammat, an HIV/AIDS sexuality specialist for the Rhode Island Department of Education, in a press release.Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's counter-attack system has been detailed in a recent blog post written (in Japanese) by a Platinum Games designer who goes by the name Taura.
In the post, Taura talks about "Shinogi", which is the game's counter-attack/parrying system that roughly translates to "outperform"/"outwit". "This is an action that lets you time your attacks with your opponent's, defending yourself from them in the process," he says. "Here's how you use Shinogi: 1. Direct your attack at the enemy's body posture (with the left stick tilted in the right direction), 2. At the same time, unleash a weak attack (square button).
"By doing just this simple action, you can perfectly defend enemy attacks."
Taura says that by timing the attack correctly, enemies will be knocked back and players will automatically perform a counter-attack. Just as the counter-attack lands, players will have the opportunity to go in for the kill with "slashing mode".
Taura adds that counter-attacks can themselves be countered, which can lead to a stream of counters until someone slips. "You [can] counter [the enemy's] counter-counter, and if they counter your counter-counter-counter, you counter their counter-counter-counter-counter," he says.
The videos above and below illustrate Shinogi in action. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is planned for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Feb. 19 in North America and Feb. 22 in Europe. In Japan, the game will be released on PlayStation 3 only on Feb. 21. Read Polygon's hands-on with the first three chapters of the game here.This week, the 64th Cannes International Film Festival kicks off and you’ll no doubt see more trailers and posters for movies screening there as the week progresses. One such movie is ‘Unlawful Killing’ a documentary directed by Keith Allen looking in depth at the death of Princess Diana on the year that she would mark her 50th birthday.
This no doubt controversial documentary is set to screen on Friday 13th May in Cannes – mixes candid interviews with recreations of some of the key moments from the official inquest. The questions the film asks, as it seeks to uncover the truth about the world’s most famous car crash, could shake the public’s perceptions of how Diana and her partner Dodi Fayed died – and where responsibility ultimately lies for this apparent Establishment cover-up perpetrated by “Dark Forces”.
Below is the trailer for the documentary which shows interviews with some of Diana’s friends and you can make of it what you will. I guess the title in itself suggests what sort of angle the makers of the movie will take.
You can find out more on the official website.
Personally I’m not sure what to think. I don’t really like the way the trailer opens like a horror movie but would value your opinions. Check out the trailer below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below:For years I was frustrated with my deadlift. I came out of the gate very fast, deadlifting 675 at 220 in my second meet. But from that point in 2002 until 2014, I was stuck between 675 and 710. Finally, after some knee problems that lead to surgery, I was able to make some progress. This was the turning point in my training.
This is the point where I implemented isometrics. I was looking for some improvement but not at this rate. My deadlift jumped from 711 in March to 740 in November (eight months later). By December of 2015, I dropped down to 219 and increased my PR to 760. Fast forward to December of 2016 where I leveled up with 800 at 239. Every training cycle has been slightly different, but since 2014, isometrics have been included in my meet prep and my progress has not stopped.
RECENT: It's Not A World Record (And Other Things That Piss Me Off)
There is nothing good about isometrics except the strength gain. You won’t get a good muscular pump except in your low back. The set-up takes time and breaking it down afterward is worse. Then you have the brain pain. Your head is guaranteed to feel like a volcano that is about to blow. Isometrics are so terrible, in fact, that I am going to give you the exact cycle I use. If you are willing to go through everything I lay out, I am willing to give it away.
On a serious note, isometric deadlifts can help you blast through sticking points. For those looking to stay in a weight class, your body weight will change very little. You can set the positions specifically needed to build the exact spot in your deadlift. And lastly, the only equipment you will need is a bar, rack, and some weights. I have run this cycle with little manipulations for my last five meets with amazing success. Each run has been slightly different but each cycle has set me up to easily break my personal record.
I listed a few reasons for doing isometrics but there are two that I feel are most important. Heavy deadlifts will give you, at most, a half second at any specific position. Isometrics will give you five to six seconds at the one specific position that will also produce results at 15 degrees above or below that point. Multiply that by six repetitions and you have done 30-36 seconds of work in that position opposed to less than six seconds for six full max effort reps.
Another benefit that people overlook is being able to make corrections while doing isometrics. When you pull into the pins, if you’re forward you can arch into it, flex your lats, and pull the bar into you. Your training partner will have six seconds to look at, evaluate, and help you adjust the position. This is feeling and thinking while you do it. Often we go on autopilot or we slow way down. With isometrics, you just need to keep pulling like a madman and make technical corrections as you are coached. So when you perform a max effort pull for a record, you can course-correct as you get out of position.
Before I go into the details I want you to watch the video of my last isometric workout so you have an idea of how they are structured. This specific workout is a little different because I take singles at the end, but what I want you to see is the rotation between isometrics and speed deadlifts. The singles were done at the end rather than taking a heavy single the following week. I did not take an opener or any other heavy single after this workout at 22 days out from my meet.
The Cliff Notes
The isometrics replace both dynamic effort and max effort work. My second lower body day is just assistance work.
This peaking cycle consists of two, two-week cycles.
I use two different pin positions changed weekly. I use Pin 2 and Pin 3 for the first cycle. I then use the same pins but stand on a half-inch mat for the second cycle.
Pin positions are at and slightly below my sticking point.
Each isometric is five to six seconds long.
I do four to six isometric deadlifts per workout.
One to two speed (CAT) deadlifts are done between isometrics.
Each isometric is a max effort pull against the pins.
I use a deload the week before starting each isometric cycle.
The Setup
In an elitefts rack with the one-inch hole spacing, I will set the bar in the bottom of the rack if pulling into Pin 2 or on Pin 1 if pulling into Pin 3. About 60% bar weight is used for the isometric deadlifts. It needs to be light enough that you can apply maximal force for the full six seconds but heavy enough that you don’t tear a callus when the bar slams the pins.
MORE: Advantages and Disadvantages of the Isometric Method
Tearing a callus can be a major problem if you use a bar with extreme knurling or you pull too far from the start into the pins. This is why the pins are set up as such. You must also take care of your hands. If you tear a callus this close to the meet, you might not heal enough to hold a PR weight. I recommend having the Ript Skin System on hand just in case you do get even a small tear. It happened on one of my first isometric cycles. Don’t make the same mistake as me.
The Program
This is written as my program with my pin selections. I typically missed three to five inches off the floor and this is used improve my pull off the floor. It has taken me five cycles to complete all six pulls in each of the four workouts. I use this cycle twice a year. I do my isometrics on Friday so I have all weekend to recover. I do not list out my assistance for my non-isometric day but it is important that you know that it is there.
Week 1 (50 Days Out)
Superset Three to Six Rounds
Isometric Deadlift Against Pin 2
60% x 5-6 seconds
Start counting once the bar hits the pins.
Rest two minutes.
Speed/CAT Deadlift
55% Bar Weight
10-20% Accommodating Resistance
Two singles with 20 seconds rest or one double (reset, not touch and go)
Rest two minutes then repeat.
Assistance Work
Superset:
Yoke Bar Good Mornings, 4x12
Band Leg Curls, 4x15
Reverse Hypers, Long Strap, 5 x 25
Split Squats, 4 x 12 Each Leg
Ab Wheel, 4 x 10
Week 2 (43 Days Out)
Superset Three to Six Rounds
Isometric Deadlift Against Pin 3
5-6 seconds
Start counting once the bar hits the pins.
Rest two minutes.
Speed/CAT Deadlift
60% Bar Weight
10-20% Accommodating Resistance
Two singles with 20 seconds rest or one double (reset, not touch and go)
Rest two minutes then repeat.
Assistance Work
Superset:
Yoke Bar Good Mornings, 4x12
Band Leg Curls, 4x15
Reverse Hypers, Long Strap, 5 x 25
Split Squats, 4 x 12 Each Leg
Ab Wheel, 4 x 10
Week 3 — Deload
Dynamic Effort (39 Days Out)
Only assistance work.
Max Effort (36 Days Out)
Good mornings for multiple sets of six. No deadlifts.
Assistance work for low back, hamstrings, quads and abs.
Week 1, Cycle 2 (29 Days Out)
Superset Three to Six Rounds
Isometric Deadlift Against Pin 2
Stand on half-inch mat.
65% x 5-6 seconds
Start counting once the bar hits the pins.
Rest two minutes.
Speed/CAT Deadlift
55% Bar Weight
10-20% Accommodating Resistance
Two singles with 20 seconds rest or one double (reset, not touch and go)
Rest two minutes then repeat.
Assistance Work
Reverse Hyper, Short Strap, 4-6 x 15
Superset:
Leg Extensions, 4 x 12 (two-second squeeze)
Back Raises, 4x12
Pulldown Abs, 5 x 15
Week 2, Cycle 2 (22 Days Out)
Superset Four Rounds
Isometric Deadlift Against Pin 3
Stand on half-inch mat.
5-6 seconds
Start counting once the bar hits the pins.
Rest two minutes.
Speed/CAT Deadlift
65% Bar Weight
10-20% Accommodating Resistance
Two singles with 20 seconds rest or one double (reset, not touch and go)
Rest two minutes then repeat.
After the four isometric/speed deadlifts, I worked up taking a heavy single that was close to my opener. In this workout, I pulled 711 plus some chains, and my opener was 730 at the meet.
Assistance Work
Reverse Hypers, Short Strap, 4 x 15
Superset:
Leg Extensions, 4 x 12 (two-second squeeze)
Back Raises, 4 x 12
Pulldown Abs, 5 x 15
At this point I started my taper going into the meet, doing only dynamic deadlifting. After this session, I did not need to take an opener, as my heavy single was included in the workout. I knew that from this point forward I would not get any stronger but I could hurt my progress if I got greedy. I was also a grumpy bastard and knew I needed some rest. It all paid off in the end.
The Results
The results speak for themselves. Adding that much to one lift after years of stagnation is enough proof that isometrics are worth their weight in gold. I was too hard-headed to quit and kept looking for answers. Thankfully, I found it before I quit. Now before you jump into a similar cycle, you need to think about a few things.
Considerations and Recommendations
Before you think about trying this cycle, all the pieces need to fit together. I have not pushed my squat while I have been doing this cycle. I did enough to squat 600 in briefs in a full meet but I am most likely done with heavy squatting due to the knee issues it causes me. I have never done circa max squatting in the same meet prep. So, for those of you who will do circa max or other heavy squatting, you may want to do this as a two-week cycle and not four.
For those of you who want to peak for a deadlift meet or who are taking a token squat, you can run this as is, only adjusting the pin settings. You must also consider everything I have done over the last 13 years before I started isometrics. Your GPP and recovery levels need to be high enough to recover from this intense work. You might not be ready for this cycle but a cycle modified for you could be done. If you have any questions or need help setting up your cycle please contact me at regionbarbell@gmail.com. Good luck!The final group of E-league CS GO premier is set to start in a few hours time. It is the last few set of matches to be played in the Group stage, however the group is going to be extremely close. The four teams involved in this week’s matches are : Liquid, Astralis, SK and Heroic. Several of these teams have repeatedly played against each other in the past few weeks. Spread out over various tournaments the results have been back and forth. With $1,000,000 on the line for the winner of this tournament, these few matches are definitely a an important milestone for some of these teams.
We will take a look at each team, their strengths and weaknesses especially related to the past few weeks. Some teams have reached the pinnacle in CS GO rankings and have been dominating the scene for quite sometime. However there is also Team Liquid which has been repeatedly striking at that dominance and have been able to upset both Astralis and SK gaming in the recent matches. Heroic remains the underdog, but their familiarity with the gameplay of the other three teams remains one of their biggest advantages. It would be foolhardy to count them out just because of their lack of results lately.
World No. 1 – SK Gaming
The Brazilians are World No. 1 according to HLTV rankings, but they definitely have not looked the same in their matches. Under the guidance of Fallen, this team looks very confused in their performances.
Recent Events :
¼ final at PGL Krakow Major
1st at ESL One Cologne 2017
3rd at ESG Mykonos 2017
3rd at ESL One New York 2017
Looking at these results you might not assume any dip in their performance. But that is just a testament to the skill and performance of SK Gaming. Even their “average” results tend to be quarterfinal finishes in the best of tournaments.
The biggest disappointment for SK gaming in their recent weeks has been Coldzera. The star player who has been one of the best players for the team in 2017 has been underperforming to a great degree of late. He is definitely still in contention for the “title of the best player” in the world for 2017 by a long margin. But the team falters without the miraculous performances by Coldzera. He is still a great player, but the lack of individual brilliance from the player has hurt the overall balance within the team.
The team looks slightly confused in their executions on various maps. This might |
stad. He dismissed a chunk of his own farmer readers (20 percent “could beat the devil at his game”). Deep in Trump Country, he has defended the tide of immigrants who have rushed into this conservative northwest corner of Iowa.
For that, he won the Pulitzer Prize this year. His editorials foiled a secret arrangement by local authorities to allow big-farm interests to fight a lawsuit seeking improved water quality in the town’s namesake lake. The Pulitzer board said his commentary was “fueled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing.”
The Pulitzer Prize for such a small paper warmed the hearts of those who see the loss of tough journalism in local reporting. As small-town papers have lost advertising, cut staff, and been bought by corporate chains, too often they have lost the sharp teeth of their traditional watchdog role. Not Cullen’s Storm Lake Times.
“Art Cullen speaks his mind. And he is articulate,” says Jon Kruse, Storm Lake’s long-time mayor. He chooses his words as though tiptoeing through a minefield.
Cullen relishes the effect. He is tall, with a shock of white hair and a horseshoe mustache. He looks startlingly like Mark Twain, and writes like Samuel Clemens, too: sometimes folksy, sometimes eloquent, frequently mocking, and customarily outraged.
“It’s important for somebody to say, ‘Hey, we are going too far.’ That’s our basic function as a free press in a small rural place,” Cullen says simply.
It’s not puffery. The editor of The Storm Lake Times is cut from the newsprint of journalistic tradition. He is passionate about it. His small newspaper – circulation 3,000 – is a family affair. His brother John started it in 1990 and is publisher; his son Tom is the chief reporter. His wife, Dolores, writes features and takes pictures.
The paper publishes twice a week. It serves a community that on the surface looks typical, Midwestern, idyllic: neat homes on elm-lined streets, set on the shore of a sparkling lake. A closer look, though, shows its peculiarities. Whites are almost a minority here, with Hispanics, Laotians, Vietnamese, Sudanese, Micronesians, and Hmong making up nearly half of the population. Much of the chatter on the street is in foreign tongues. Downtown is not abandoned, as it is in many rural towns. Storm Lake is gaining population while most small towns are hemorrhaging.
There are two newspapers in town, also unusual. Cullen dismisses the competition as the product of out-of-town owners. “I never read it. If I need to read the Pilot Tribune to find out about the news, then I ought to go sell shoes.”
He chats at his newspaper office on Railroad Avenue; it is a small warehouse, thoroughly cluttered. It is adorned by memorabilia, including a signed photo of JFK and an ancient Apple computer that sits beside his old typewriter. Rough boards separate a few offices for the 10-person staff. The only inside door barges open, and furry Mabel the news hound regally inspects – and dismisses – a visitor.
Cullen will jump up in mid-conversation to jot down a reminder, and cut short his high dudgeon over some issue with a laugh – “That will be my next column.”
His son Tom endures the heat of the sparks his father fans. Tom is rainspout-tall like his father, bespectacled, and full of nervous energy. As the “chief” – about the only – general assignment reporter, Tom hustles about town chasing the news. Spend a day or two in Storm Lake and one will cross his path often. Tom Cullen’s news reports are straight; most town officials concede he is accurate and fair.
But when his father rails on the editorial page, the afflicted officials often see Tom’s face next. He admits he has walked into a hostile public meeting “feeling like a lamb going to slaughter.” The room lights have been turned out on him, and “I’ve gotten the death stare” from angry officials.
Tom is 25, but he has an old-time reporter’s thrill for the chase. He recounts running in dress clothes to the 14th hole at a golf tournament to try to catch officials who had been dodging him. “The looks they gave me were golden.” And he admits to the journalist’s secret pleasure: “When you see your name in a byline, it’s awesome. I love it.”
His father said he nudged Tom to forgo law school to be a reporter because it is more fun. Tom tells a slightly different story: “I bombed the LSATs. I was terrible at taking tests.” But he relishes his occupation. “I think we have made a difference. People always have to answer to us. That’s built on 20 years of scrupulous reporting. Sometimes they refuse to talk to us, but eventually they come around. Even Republican lawmakers who probably hate our guts.”
But Art Cullen’s editorials are equal-opportunity offenders, as likely to take on environmentalists as the bumbling city manager who tried to close a city council session but accidentally left the public-address system on, broadcasting the secret meeting to Tom Cullen sitting on a bench in City Hall.
Writing on President Trump: “He is a fool. He is ignorant. People who prop up an ignoramus should question themselves, unless they don’t have the wits to recognize it.”
On Iowa’s revered presidential caucus: “It’s ugly. It’s dishonest.”
On the Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors: “They are doing everything they can to hide from the public… the chutzpah of it.”
On complaints that immigrants have undercut labor by taking slaughterhouse jobs at $15 an hour: “The wages aren’t Manhattan, but they’re enough to get by in Storm Lake. It is the best a proud person illiterate in English from El Salvador could hope for. It offers the freedom that is yet a dream in Myanmar. It offers peace from the civil war in Sudan, and a place for the long-wandering migrant to plant some roots.”
He saves his strongest acid for US Rep. Steve King, the Republican who has won seven elections in the northwest Iowa district (though he did not carry Storm Lake in the last one). Representative King is an arch-conservative on abortion rights, gun rights, and his comments on immigrants are, in the eyes of critics, thinly covered racism. Mexicans “have calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert,” King has said. America “can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies,” he has said.
“He feeds off what we say,” Cullen acknowledges. “I can be his foil.”
Do you ever pull punches?
“No.” A pause. “Well, yes, yes I do. But not with morally reprehensible people.”
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With whom?
“Bankers!” Cullen laughs explosively. “When you are $500,000 in debt on revenues of $700,000, you are careful.”Mozilla's Rust language was conceived by its designers as an option to write many kinds of software quickly and safely -- including full operating systems.
Over the last several months a team of developers has been busy doing exactly that: using Rust to create Redox, a full-blown Unix-like operating system designed as a radical rethinking of the Linux approach.
[ InfoWorld unveils the Bossies -- the best open source products of the year. | Track the latest trends in open source with InfoWorld's Linux report newsletter. ]
Clean slate
Redox uses Rust for its kernel-level code to provide more memory safety considerations than C allows by default. But the project doesn't simply rewrite Linux in a new language. Redox discards as much from Linux's version of the Unix tradition as it keeps.
As explained in the project's wiki and design documents, Redox uses a minimal set of syscalls -- a deliberately smaller subset than what Linux supports so as to avoid legacy bloat. The OS also uses a microkernel design to stay slender, in contrast to Linux's monolithic kernel.
Many of the OS's internal behaviors have also been rethought. Unix and Linux both use the notion of every item as a file. Redox goes a step further and treats everything like a URL, so it's simple to register handlers for events, and it provides a consistent manner to perform other kinds of abstractions.
https://github.com/redox-os/redox Redox, written in Mozilla's Rust language, has a minimal feature set compared to Linux and breaks from many of Linux's traditions, including licensing, kernel design, and APIs.
The plan, though, is not to replace Linux, but to provide a useful alternative that can in time run Linux software as-is. There are already a few hints: Many common Unix (and thus Linux) commands are supported, and there's a work-in-progress port of the ZFS file system.
Another radical break from Linux isn't in the software but in the licensing: The entire project is MIT-licensed and not GPL. The rationale is that the MIT license encourages downstream adoption far more readily than GPL, "since downstream is what really matters: the userbase, the community, the availability."
The long road ahead
Even though ISOs of Redox can be downloaded and booted, you aren't likely to ditch Linux for Redox in production any time soon.
For one thing, Redox is untested, with many missing features and a great many incomplete ones. Redox's developers also admit that it won't be possible to establish "complete 1:1 Posix compatibility" (because the OS omits many Unix syscalls), so existing Linux software will probably need a support layer on Redox to run -- a roadblock to its adoption.
Linux's legacy code base also won't be easily shrugged off. Decades of development and thousands of human-years of work have been invested in it and the C language development environment. The Rust language, by contrast, has existed for a few years, and only very recently reached a state of stability sufficient for most people to build large, ambitious projects with it.
Still, a project like Redox is valuable. If Redox can make good on its promise of being more secure by design, many of the embedded-device scenarios currently targeted by Linux might be better served by Redox. Mozilla has already talked about Rust as a language for Internet of things devices, so this would be a natural extension.
Redox can also serve as an example for approaching operating system issues differently, exerting long-term evolutionary pressure on Linux. If Linux isn't going anywhere -- all signs show it isn't -- then it's best to find ways to force it to become better.“What about if I stand?”
These were the tentative words, volunteered by a rebellious 66-year-old veteran of the Labour backbenches, that kicked off Britain’s unlikely summer revolution.
It was the end of May. The Labour party was still digesting its crushing defeat, and a group of leftwing Labour MPs had gathered in a small room inside Westminster to discuss the names of potential candidates to represent the left in the leadership election triggered by Ed Miliband’s abrupt resignation. A handful of “establishment” candidates from Miliband’s shadow cabinet had already announced themselves, including Chuka Umunna, Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper – and the leftwingers were looking for someone to carry their standard in the race.
Among those crammed into room W3, which looks out on a statue of Oliver Cromwell, the man regarded by Leon Trotsky as England’s only true revolutionary – were veteran figures from Labour’s Socialist Campaign Group such as John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, who had stood, or tried to stand, without much success in previous leadership contests, and a handful of younger MPs, such as Cat Smith and Clive Lewis, newly elected and still navigating their way around parliament. But it was Jeremy Corbyn, the Islington North MP, who first entered the Commons in 1983, who finally put his own name forward after the group had raised and dismissed a series of other contenders.
“There was a silence around the room,” recalled Clive Lewis, the new MP for Norwich South. “There were some people, for a variety of reasons, who weren’t keen on it – some, I think, because they were worried about what would happen to Jeremy.” As the room pondered the wisdom of backing a candidate who had never come near the front benches during his three decades in parliament, the meeting broke up inconclusively.
Over the following days, an intense debate ensued over the merits of various candidates, and the risks that the Labour left could be decisively crushed by the likes of Kendall or Burnham. “There was a bit of a split,” Lewis recalled, “between those who thought that if we stand and get drubbed and lose, it will basically mean the right of the party would say: ‘Get back into your box – you’ve had your say, you’re finished, go away, you came last. You got Ed in, we lost the election, now you’ve come last’ – that was the fear.” Even among those who felt the left should put up a candidate, many hoped that someone other than Corbyn might stand.
Some had pinned their hopes on Ian Lavery, the former president of the National Union of Mineworkers who chairs the Trade Union Group of Labour MPs. But he said he would not be standing and endorsed Andy Burnham. Lisa Nandy, the young MP for Wigan – and granddaughter of the late Liberal peer Lord Byers – would have been a natural candidate, as a figure of the party’s “soft left”. But Nandy was on maternity leave, and had in any case ruled out standing for the leadership a year earlier, when supporters had urged her to consider putting her name forward if Miliband lost the election.
Jon Trickett, the jovial but high-minded MP for Hemsworth in West Yorkshire – a former aide to Gordon Brown and a leading thinker in the left-of-centre Compass group – had also been encouraged to stand. Trickett had been so disillusioned by Labour’s defeat, and the slate of establishment candidates, that he and Guardian columnist Owen Jones contemplated launching a “Not the Labour Leadership” tour to rally the insurgent mood on the Labour left – before throwing their support behind Corbyn.
When the group of leftwingers met again in Westminster in early June – with the close of nominations less than two weeks away, leaving precious little time to gather the 35 MPs’ signatures required to make the ballot – concerns were again aired about whether the left might consign itself to irrelevance within the party if its chosen candidate fared poorly. But the prevailing view, voiced by Clive Lewis, was that a failure to field a candidate would make the left look weak. “I’ll stand if I’ve got your support,” Corbyn told the meeting, according to one attendee. “The people in the room went, ‘OK, if you’re going to do it, we’ll back you,’” Lewis said.
“It kind of fell to Jeremy,” said Cat Smith, the newly elected MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, who had worked for Corbyn for six years before standing for parliament. Lewis and Smith left the room and headed to the House of Commons terrace, overlooking the Thames, to begin canvassing support for Corbyn – who announced his candidacy in an exclusive interview with his local newspaper, the Islington Tribune.
At that time, nobody in Corbyn’s fledgling campaign – including the candidate himself – would have believed that he would go on to win the leadership contest by a huge majority three months later. Their most pressing concern at the start of June was getting him on the ballot, and then trying not to finish last. But the man dismissed by many as an irrelevant loner on the political margins would soon deliver what the former lord chancellor Lord Falconer described this week as “an earthquake”.
The tectonic plates took some time to shift, however. The Corbyn campaign started out with the modest ambition of promoting a debate that might move an established candidate such as Andy Burnham to the left. In their wildest dreams the Corbyn team thought they might manage a respectable third place.
* * *
The summer of 2015 will be remembered as a moment when something wholly unexpected happened in British politics – and a 115-year-old political party was transformed in three short months.
It is a story of inexperienced young insurgents and veteran leftwingers, who had long since resigned themselves to careers in the political wilderness, realising suddenly and ecstatically that they had a chance to capitalise on years of pent-up frustration with the direction the party had moved. It is a story of how a new and untested electoral system – originally intended to diminish the power of trade union votes – was cannily exploited to bring hundreds of thousands of new members and supporters into the Labour party and shift it sharply leftwards.
Above all, it is a story of the decline of New Labour, a once-triumphant movement whose leaders and ideas had fallen out of fashion. This was a contest rich with factional squabbling, individual errors and missteps, and rising panic among the establishment – but its greatest theme was the failure of Labour’s elite to realise that the party’s base, after five years of opposition, would respond to electoral defeat with defiance.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jeremy Corbyn addresses a rally in Cambridge during Labour’s leadership campaign. Photograph: Rob Stothard/Getty Images
The battle for the soul of the party began within hours of the disastrous general election exit poll on the night of 7 May, as aides tried to persuade Ed Miliband to remain as Labour leader at least until Christmas to oversee the rigorous postmortem that would need to follow his painful defeat – arguing that the party was in no state to choose a successor right away. Among those who urged Miliband to stay were his former parliamentary aide Jon Trickett, two of his top strategists, Tom Baldwin and Spencer Livermore, and Lord Falconer.
But as an exhausted and distressed Miliband sat with his advisers on the morning after the election, in a party headquarters smelling of stale beer and despair, he made it clear that he could not face another prime minister’s questions – a decision strongly supported by Justine Thornton, his wife. “I want my Ed back,” she said that morning. So it was inevitable a leadership contest would be launched straight away, and conducted under an untested system, introduced by Miliband in 2014, which vastly expanded the number of potential voters by allowing “registered supporters” to sign up for only £3.
The first two moves in the contest came two days later, in a makeshift television studio on a small patch of grass behind Westminster Abbey – set up by the BBC, which had expected to use it for live coverage of coalition negotiations. Chuka Umunna, the highly polished shadow business secretary, was first out of the gate. In an interview with Andrew Marr, Umunna declared the shadow cabinet should take collective responsibility for the defeat; echoing a column he had published in the Observer that morning, he lamented that Labour had given “the impression at times that we weren’t with the wealth creators”. An hour later, Liz Kendall launched her own campaign on the same channel with a similar critique of the failed campaign, telling viewers that Labour had seemed like “the moaning man in the pub”. (One incensed Miliband supporter complained that “Chuka and Liz were literally stepping over Ed’s twitching corpse in the studios.”)
At the start, it looked like the stage was set for a contest whose script could have been written from the Mayfair offices of Tony Blair Associates: Labour had strayed too far leftwards from the formula that had won it three consecutive elections. In hindsight, there were early signs of danger for this strategy. At the end of his appearance on the Andrew Marr Show, Umunna found himself seated next to Lord Mandelson, who had used his own appearance to bury Miliband’s campaign as “a terrible mistake”. In a party still struggling to come to terms with Blair’s legacy, the optics for Umunna were not good; it looked like he was being annointed by one of New Labour’s main architects.
Trickett believes these initial moves were deeply misconceived. “Whilst the party membership were still attempting to come to terms with what had happened, they heard leading members already on the airwaves in highly critical terms talking about manifold failures. I believe that this helped to fuel the search among many ordinary members for a candidate who stood outside the Westminster bubble.”
The day had started badly for Umunna, who had showed up for his interview, accompanied by his partner, Alice Sullivan, only to discover it was not at the usual studio. Umunna and Sullivan, an employment lawyer, had to walk to the makeshift studios in Westminster, trailed by a gaggle of press photographers. The pictures of the couple walking hand-in-hand across College Green unleashed a frenzy of media attention on Umunna’s partner, which helped convince him to withdraw his nascent leadership bid five days later. He concluded he was not ready intellectually and did not want to tolerate further press intrusion into his private life. But he also found that he had less support than expected – partly as a consequence of his perceived remoteness. “He is a nice guy,” one MP recalled, “but in the last parliament, you could get a meeting with Vince Cable, but you could not get a fucking meeting with Chuka.”
On 20 May, another Labour moderniser and would-be leader, the historian and shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt, also dropped out, after concluding he, too, did not have the required support among MPs. Wherever he went to canvass, he found Liz Kendall had got there first – and he reasoned that to have had a chance, he would have needed to spend less time writing history books and more hours sharing pints on the Commons terrace.
With MPs returning to Westminster, many without desks, party members started to cast a weary eye over the remaining candidates. Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary and conference darling, had thrown his hat in the ring, and knew he would need rapidly to build a broad base of support, including with the unions. One of the first people Burnham contacted was Michael Dugher, the MP for Barnsley East and an old ally of Ed Balls and Gordon Brown. Dugher is, by reputation, a fixer on the right of the party, but he is also a persuasive communicator with an instinctive feel for Labour politics. Burnham, like Ed Miliband in 2010, understood the importance of getting MPs to commit early, and was working the phones, urging Dugher to be his campaign manager. After a conversation with Cooper that left him underwhelmed, Dugher plumped for Burnham.
Dugher immediately spotted a potential problem: “We were the frontrunner,” he said. “If you analyse the races in recent years, the insurgent wins. That’s what Ed Miliband was. That is what David Cameron was. The insurgency thing terrified us and we had to brandish the change. It became our slogan: ‘Be part of the change’.”
At the start, Burnham and Dugher were most concerned about Liz Kendall, “since absolutely, self-evidently, she was a change candidate”, Dugher said. “But we thought her offer would be quite narrow.” Others in the Burnham camp thought that Kendall would be tripped up by the ardent devotion to Blair among her followers, many of whom belonged to Progress, a New Labour pressure group that argues the party must champion what it calls the aspirational classes to win elections. “John Lennon had that line, ‘Jesus Christ was alright, but his disciples were thick and ordinary’,” one member of Burnham’s team quipped. “Some of the people around [Kendall] were verging on the sectarian.”
However, Kendall had started to assemble a strong campaign staff, including Matthew Doyle, a former press officer of Blair’s, and Mark Ferguson, the former editor of LabourList, who had a keen understanding of the party’s grassroots. Her real problem, it soon appeared, was her economic platform: when her campaign commissioned private polling from YouGov about party members’ views on austerity, cuts in public spending and the importance of reducing the deficit, the results were not promising. “We looked at it and thought, ‘We’re not sure we can win from here’,” one of Kendall’s advisers recalled.
Yvette Cooper was slower to assemble her team, which was led by the shadow defence secretary, Vernon Coaker – one of the most popular MPs in the parliamentary party and a family friend of Cooper and her husband, Ed Balls. After the shock of Balls losing his seat on 7 May, Cooper said she struggled with the transition from being part of a shadow cabinet team to fighting her own leadership campaign. “That first month, every party meeting I felt I needed to lift people up and lift myself up after the disappointment of losing the election,” she recalled. “To be honest, it is not part of my style to stand in front of these big banners with my face on.” Cooper’s initial campaign statements – supporting business, defending child poverty targets, advocating more women in technology – came across as bland and technocratic. A senior Cooper campaign source admitted that the early days of the leadership campaign were difficult. “It was a battle to get traction. The press were coming to us saying we were the soggy compromise candidate, everyone’s second or third preference.”
* * *
At the bottom of one of the grandest staircases in the Palace of Westminster – leading down from the members’ lobby of the House of Commons – sit the offices of the parliamentary Labour party (PLP). It was here, as the clock ticked towards the deadline of noon on Monday 15 June, that nervous members of the Corbyn campaign gathered in a last-ditch effort to secure the remainder of the 35 nominations required to get their candidate on the ballot.
Behind an oak-panelled door leading to the PLP offices, Corbyn’s supporters pleaded with any undecided MPs to nominate their man – if only to allow “a real debate” about the future of the party. This message had already persuaded Labour veterans such as Frank Field and Margaret Beckett; the four MPs hoping to become the Labour candidate for London mayor had also nominated Corbyn, with an eye on garnering votes from the left.
As the clock ran down, Corbyn was still short of the magic number. “An hour to go, we were in the high 20s and nowhere near,” his campaign chair, John McDonnell, recalled at the campaign’s final rally some months later. “Then we got 32 and we got to 33 and we had five MPs that had promised us that if we got to 34 they would nominate. It got to 10 seconds and then two of them cracked. I admit I was in tears begging them.”
Corbyn’s loyal former staffer Cat Smith was one of those who had come to beg fellow MPs to put him on the ballot. In the final minutes, Smith spotted her fellow Lancashire MP Gordon Marsden as he approached the nominating table. Standing with McDonnell and Jon Lansman – a veteran Bennite and leader in the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy – Smith pleaded with Marsden: “Give us a contest, give us a chance, let us have a debate.”
Marsden was one of a handful of MPs who ensured that, as Big Ben struck 12, Corbyn made it on to the ballot paper. The summer revolution had finally been launched – yards from the room where Oliver Cromwell had signed the death warrant for King Charles I in 1649. “We did it, we did it, we did it,” Corbyn’s son Seb texted to friends. Marsden immediately tweeted that he would be supporting Cooper, and had only nominated Corbyn to ensure a “broad contest”.
Labour grandees, who took another month to wake up to the threat posed by Corbyn, were caught off guard. But John McTernan, Tony Blair’s former political secretary, was quick to spot the danger, calling the MPs who opposed Corbyn but nominated him anyway “morons”. Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary who served as interim leader after John Smith died in 1994, now agrees: she said her decision to support Corbyn’s nomination was “one of the biggest political mistakes I’ve ever made”.
Corbyn’s success was met with dismay in the other camps, who knew immediately that his entry would shift the contest to the left. This would leave Andy Burnham, for one, dangerously exposed. Months later, one leading figure in a rival campaign could barely control their rage: “To have [the close of nominations] at 12 o’clock on a Monday – we must have been on fucking crack cocaine. You can’t get to anyone, so people were wandering in after a weekend of spending time with their bloody constituency secretary or their leftwing wife, they just fucking wander off the train and hadn’t even had a cup of tea in the tea room by 12 o’clock on a Monday. They go straight down to the PLP office and do something stupid. The people that are around on a Monday morning are the London lot – and for fuck’s sake, it’s the home of the left, it’s all the fucking mayoral candidates and deputy leader candidates.”
To have the close of nominations at 12 o’clock on a Monday – we must have been on crack cocaine
At that moment, the Corbyn campaign had a simpler ambition: to avoid “being ground into the dirt” and finishing a distant fourth place. As Corbyn walked away from the PLP offices after securing his place on the ballot – still wearing his cycling jacket, with a bike helmet dangling off his arm – he told his close-knit team: “Hey, we’re on.”
“I thought, ‘Yes, now come on – smarten yourself up and get some bloody work done,’” Cat Smith recalled. “I said, ‘We need to get you a tie, we need to get you to the TV studios to start pushing the politics.’” But the Corbyn campaign’s initial meetings, in Portcullis House, had a slightly amateur feel – until wise heads suggested that Simon Fletcher, the unflappable former chief of staff to Ken Livingstone, who had served as Ed Miliband’s link to the trade unions, should be brought on board.
Fletcher put together a campaign team who were given a base at the headquarters of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union in Euston. As the campaign grew, staff worked on laptops wherever they could find space in the office. “It was very threadbare and everybody was piled in together,” one campaign staffer recalled. Despite their unpromising surroundings, the Corbyn camp had the edge on their rivals in two key areas: in the digital domain and in their volunteer base, who worked at the headquarters of the union Unite, in Holborn. Simon Fletcher headed up the leadership team at the TSSA HQ, while Kat Fletcher – no relation – headed up the “super vols”, as she dubbed the volunteers. (Fletcher is so devoted to her flock that when she won a £2,000 bet on Corbyn’s victory she immediately set the money aside to pay for them to stay in Brighton for the Labour conference.)
The digital team’s secret weapon was a soft-spoken young tech expert named Ben Soffa. As the TSSA’s head of digital operations – who happens to be Cat Smith’s partner – Soffa was seconded to the Corbyn campaign by his union to try to give it an edge over the other campaigns, which were thought to have been vastly better prepared. Soffa created an app – using the American political organising software NationBuilder – that allowed volunteers to make calls to potential supporters from their own homes. The app provided information about an individual’s Labour membership, which constituency they lived in and its electoral history. Volunteers would follow a series of questions, with the answers fed back to Soffa’s team through the app.
The data coming back to Soffa showed a clear pattern by the end of June: Corbyn was garnering surprising levels of support from across the party, especially from the so-called “three pounders” – people who had signed up to vote as “registered supporters”. The figures were so good that the Corbyn camp assumed they must be incorrect. “The numbers are amazing, but it must just be that we’re finding all of Jeremy’s core supporters,” Soffa told Smith towards the end of June.
Another coup by the Corbyn camp was the prescient decision to embed the £3 registration process directly into the campaign’s website – ensuring that thousands of people who visited the website were easily able to sign up. “It was just an obvious, natural thing to do,” Soffa recalled – but the other campaigns did not think to do it, an oversight they all now regret.
“The moderates were out-generalled at every step in terms of the process,” a senior figure in a rival campaign recalled. Sometimes, however, the war wounds were self-inflicted.
* * *
By July, it was clear to everyone that Corbyn was doing better than expected. He had secured the support of Unite and several other key unions, and the crowds at his rallies were growing. But that momentum would soon be turned into an avalanche – with the help of the party establishment.
After Miliband resigned, the deputy leader, Harriet Harman, once again assumed the leadership – just as she had done in 2010 after Gordon Brown’s defeat. But Harman had been traumatised by the fallout from that earlier stint, when Labour, distracted by its own leadership campaign, failed to mount a defence of its economic record in government, allowing the Tories to spread the story that Brown’s overspending was responsible for the financial crash. The issue haunted Miliband in the latter stages of the 2015 general election, and cropped up in the leadership contest.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Jeremy Corbyn effect
Reading the preliminary findings of an inquiry into the Labour defeat – and recalling her own experiences on the doorstep – Harman believed it was essential that Labour not be branded as the party of welfare rather than work. She was determined that she would not allow the mistakes of 2010 to repeat themselves by letting another damaging narrative about Labour to put down deep roots – which meant sending a signal to the electorate that the party was listening to their concerns.
On 6 July, two days before George Osborne’s emergency budget, and with a vote on fresh government cuts to benefits and tax credits looming in a new welfare bill, Harman decided to broach the welfare issue at a thinly attended shadow cabinet meeting. She said the party could not resort to reflex opposition. When Burnham resisted, Harman told him bluntly: “You may have noticed we lost the election.” According to one of the people present, “She was unspeakably rude to him.”
Six days later, Harman hurled a grenade into the leadership contest. Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Politics programme, she announced: “We’re not going to be voting against the welfare bill, we’re not going to be opposing the household benefit cap. We’re going to be understanding about the point about three or more children.”
Burnham supporters were furious. An incandescent member of his camp rang Harman’s aides to complain that the leadership campaign teams had not been informed. “She over-reached herself, basically,” one campaign source said. “It was a political management fuck-up. So just as everyone is arriving on the Corbyn train, the mainstream leaderships are being asked to leave in the opposite direction.”
Burnham responded by calling for “a reasoned amendment” to the welfare bill – setting out the arguments for its inadequacy. (Cooper quickly adopted the same line.) But Corbyn’s response was unequivocal. “I am not willing to vote for policies that will push more children into poverty,” he said in a statement shortly after Harman’s TV appearance. “Families are suffering enough. We shouldn’t play the government’s political games with the welfare system if children are at stake.”
Privately, Cooper had warned Harman that her decision could help hand the contest to Corbyn – as the only candidate not in the shadow cabinet, he was not bound to support the interim leader’s line, and was therefore free to rebel. On 14 July, a difficult meeting of the shadow cabinet took place. Harman began by saying that she was going to take contributions in sequence round the table, rather than choosing speakers from those with their hands raised. She started with Tristram Hunt, who was sitting next to her. He launched into a “long and emotional” speech supporting Harman’s position, according to one person present at the meeting. “If she was retiring at that point, I would have booked Tristram to make that speech. It was a great after-dinner speech, but it went on for hours.” After Hunt had finished, Harman said that Cooper would have to speak next since she needed to leave the meeting early – giving Cooper the opportunity to call for an amendment to the bill. The Burnham camp wanted to take the lead in proposing an amendment, and believed they had been stitched up. “It was obvious [Cooper] was plotting with Harriet, because she then stayed another hour,” one witness said.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham and Jeremy Corbyn during a Labour leadership hustings debate on BBC1’s Sunday Politics on 19 July Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA
When it was Burnham’s turn to speak, he said – to some surprise – that he would support the compromise of tabling a reasoned amendment. But if that amendment failed, as it was certain to do, he argued Labour should vote against the welfare bill. When he left the meeting to attend a Westminster press gallery lunch, he was asked what he would do if the shadow cabinet rejected his view. It was a critical moment, and the flag of rebellion was only half-unfurled. Burnham said he felt uncomfortable about equivocating on the government’s welfare bill, and yet, as a party loyalist, did not want to defy the leader.
It was a half-challenge to Harman’s authority. But Burnham followed Harman’s lead, and abstained from the vote on the welfare bill – admitting later that he had “probably taken a hit” in the campaign for doing so. He has since told colleagues that he would have won the leadership if he had rebelled and quit the shadow cabinet – but this would have exposed a split among his own backers, several of whom did not want to vote against the bill. One Burnham supporter argued that Burnham resigning from the shadow cabinet wouldn’t have made a difference: “If he had voted against the welfare bill, Andy would have looked like a leader of a rebellion, and not a potential prime minister. We could have resigned – but the left would have banked it and moved on to something else, because that is what they do all the fucking time.”
Ironically, the Kendall camp disagreed. “If Andy had resigned from the shadow cabinet and voted against it and taken a good percentage of the supporters with him, he would have been de facto leader of the Labour party that day,” one of her aides said. “It would have been bedlam, but I think it would spiked the Jeremy Corbyn surge and we could have had someone who had voted against the welfare bill, but also a man with a chance of winning a general election.” For her part, Cooper privately |
was put to him that some agencies might have terminated the officer’s job, the police chief said: “I don’t know what other departments do, but I made that call, and I’m going to live with that.”
Robinson tried to stress that Middlebrooks was in fact proposing that the brother-in-law carry out the killing. “He wasn’t saying that he was going to do that,” said the police chief. “He was talking about the man doing it himself.”
Clay County sheriff’s department investigator Billy Cooper, Alexander City fire department captain Reese McAlister and patrolman Troy Middlebrooks participate in an active shooter drill in 2011. Photograph: Alexander City police department
The police chief said he opposed the decision by city authorities to pay Bias the $35,000 sum, which was confirmed by several people familiar with the case. The chief said he believed they should have opposed the legal action publicly. “I wish we’d went to court. I wish we had,” he said. “It’s a whole lot different if you hear both sides.”
Radney, the city attorney, said the lawsuit was passed immediately to the city’s insurers, who made the decision to settle with Bias and pay him. “The city didn’t ask me to get involved,” he said. Bias said the settlement stated that the city did not admit any wrongdoing.
Eric Hutchins, an attorney for Bias who also represents the Alabama branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said the incident “requires an immediate investigation” by state officials.
In a letter to Tallapoosa County district attorney E Paul Jones and Alabama attorney general Luther Strange, Hutchins said the officer’s remarks were not only “unprofessional and inappropriate” but also could amount to a criminal offence.
Sources familiar with the case said investigators for the attorney general had made preliminary inquiries. A spokeswoman declined to confirm the status of any inquiry. “Our policy is to not confirm if we may or may not be investigating something,” she said.
City councillors in Alexander City said they had not been told about the case or the payment to Bias. One councillor, Tony Goss, said he was “absolutely flabbergasted” to learn of the details while another, Sherry Ellison-Simpson, said: “This alarms me.”
“This is absolutely unbelievable,” said Goss. “Thirty-five thousand dollars is a lot of money and our city council is being left out of deliberation.” While stressing he had not heard the recording, Goss said: “If an officer is recorded saying something like that, there are potential grounds for termination.”
During the May 2013 incident, Bias was given a citation for the illegally unleashed dog at the home, he said, even though police were told that the animal belonged to his brother-in-law. Bias was also blamed by Middlebrooks for an illegal electricity connection the officer had found at the property. Bias, who insisted he was not responsible for this offence either, was warned by the officer that he would be fined.
Bias alleged in his lawsuit that at the time he was being repeatedly harassed by city officers, including Middlebrooks. In an interview, he claimed he was singled out both because he was black and because he was in a relationship with a white woman. The 49-year-old, who has a criminal record and has spent time in prison, said for some two years he had been targeted with an “exorbitant number of traffic tickets, citations and concocted city code violations”.
Robinson denied Bias was unfairly targeted by his officers. “I don’t care if you’ve got a record or not; we’re gonna treat you just as fair,” he said. “And I expect my people to do that, and if they don’t they have to deal with me.”
Robinson was deputy chief at the time and was involved in handling the fallout from the incident after promptly being played the recording by Bias himself. He initially suggested that Bias should take no action against Middlebrooks, according to Bias, who said he also played the recording to Alexander City mayor Charles Shaw on the same day. A spokeswoman for Shaw declined to make him available for interview.
Middlebrooks was at the time attached to the department’s crime interdiction task force. He had been among officers who received a letter of commendation from the department in November 2011 and a citation award in April 2013 for helping to reduce property crime. He is known locally to be a keen hunter, and served as a judge in a regional wild game cook-off last year. He served in the marines overseas during his early 20s.
In 2005 he married Eva Edwards Middlebrooks, who is now the Republican revenue commissioner of the surrounding Tallapoosa County. The couple has two children. Edwards Middlebrooks referenced her marriage to the police officer while touting her local connections during her successful election campaign for the position last year, but according to public records they divorced in April 2013.
In March last year, Middlebrooks was the first Alexander City officer to arrive at the scene when officer Tommy Maness shot dead Emerson Crayton Jr as Crayton drove his car out of a parking space at the Huddle House restaurant in Alexander City following an argument with staff over his late-night food order.
Maness said he was forced to fatally shoot Crayton because the 21-year-old turned his car’s wheels towards the officer as if intending to use the vehicle as a weapon against him. A Tallapoosa grand jury declined to bring charges against the officer following an inquiry by the Alabama state bureau of investigations, in which Middlebrooks played a prominent role.
Attorneys for Crayton’s family have filed a federal lawsuit against Maness and the department, alleging the 21-year-old was wrongfully killed. They argue Crayton was unnecessarily shot by Maness while attempting to drive away. The lawsuit from Bias that the city paid to settle was filed as part of the Crayton case as alleged proof of a pattern of wrongdoing by the city.During the 16th and 17th century, particularly around the time of the Safavid reign, the Iranian folks built a large number of towers to house pigeons. The pigeons were domesticated not for their meat (pigeon is especially revered in Islam), but rather for their droppings, which the locals collected and used to fertilize melon and cucumber fields. The Safavids had a particular liking for melons and consumed them in staggering numbers. Pigeon dung was thought to be the best manure for these crops, and the towers were built for the purpose of attracting pigeons to them so that they would nest in the towers and their dung could be harvested. Built with brick and overlaid with plaster and lime, these towers were some of the finest dovecots in any part of the world. At its peak, Isfahan had an estimated 3,000 pigeon towers. Today, around 300 remain scattered throughout the countryside in various states of disrepair. Modern fertilizers and chemicals have rendered these magnificent structures obsolete leading to their abandonment in the fields, where they continue to deteriorate due to lack of maintenance.
The inside of a pigeon tower, looking from the bottom towards the ceiling. The walls are lined with hundreds of pigeonholes. Photo credit
The typical pigeon tower is cylindrical and constructed of unfired mud brick, lime plaster and gypsum. The towers range from 10 to 22 meters in diameter and stand 18 or more meters high, and could house up to 14,000 pigeons. Because many animals prey on pigeons, the towers were constructed as impenetrable fortresses that could shelter the pigeons from predators. The small size of the entrances prohibits large birds such as hawks, owls or crows from entering inside.
The interior consists of endless nesting balconies in checkerboard pattern scattered uniformly along the walls. The pigeonholes measured approximately 20 by 20 by 28 centimeters (8 x 8 x 11"), with a short projecting perch made of dried clay set at the opening of each one. The walls were slanted inwards allowing pigeon dung to fall directly into a central collection pit at the foot of the tower, where it dried. The towers were opened once a year to harvest the dung that, in the 17th century, sold for four British pence per 5.5-kilogram.
Photo credit: Arthur Thevenart / Corbis
The checkerboard arrangement of pigeonholes made efficient use of space, maximizing the number of holes and keeping the weight and the amount of building material used in the tower to a minimum. The interior walls were further strengthened with interior arches, barrel-vaulted ceilings, circular staircases and both interior and exterior buttresses. Wood was rarely used in the construction of the towers and, despite the long tradition of building them, no two are exactly alike.
The birds were not captured and trained to occupy the towers, rather, they were instinctively attracted to them because they resembled the rocky ledges and crevices in which pigeons like to nest, mate and rear their young in the wild. The birds were provided housing, but not food. The flocks of pigeons went out to seek water and to forage during the day. At night the birds would return to the pigeon towers.
Dung from the pigeons were mainly used as fertilizers, but they also found use in the leather industry where it was used to soften the leather, a process known as “bating”. More importantly, the dung was an essential ingredient in the manufacture of gunpowder.
Pigeon dung, and hence pigeon towers, were rendered functionally obsolete by the modern use of chemical fertilizers and tanning chemicals. Out of the 300 or so towers that remain today around Isfahan, 65 of them are nominally protected by their inclusion on the National Heritage List. Some of them still attract small flocks of wild pigeons who roost in the towers despite collapsed ceilings, cracked walls and their general state of tumbledown.
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Sources: Saudi Aramco World / Historical Iran / Isfahan.org.uk / Canadian Center of Science and EducationOrlando Sentinel via Getty Images Conservative legal luminaries distancing themselves from Donald Trump could potentially undermine one of the few remaining threads tying him to the GOP establishment.
Some Republicans have argued that conservatives skeptical of Donald Trump should vote for him anyway, if only to prevent Hillary Clinton from nominating liberals to the Supreme Court. But the right’s leading legal scholars reject that idea: the risks of a President Trump would outweigh his influence on the high court.
“The only glimmer of hope in the Trump fiasco” is the list of 11 judges the candidate put forward as suitable Supreme Court nominees, said Richard Epstein, a Hoover Institution Fellow and professor at both New York University School of Law and the University of Chicago Law School. But that is based “on the questionable assumption that a man of his mercurial temperament and intellectual ignorance will keep to his word,” he said.
Even if a President Trump did honor that promise, “influence on the courts take time, and foreign affairs and domestic crises come up immediately,” Epstein said. And that’s not a risk the highly respected conservative legal scholar thinks is worth taking. “He is wholly unfit to deal with either of these two areas. In all other matters he is deficient,” Epstein added.
Trump has a terrible record on constitutional issues.
In May, Trump’s campaign released the list of judges he would consider nominating to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. It was an attempt to appease conservative critics (though he later said he reserved the right to nominate someone not on the list). The list included six federal appeals court judges that then-President George W. Bush appointed and five state supreme court judges Republican governors selected. Conservatives in the media and in Congress roundly praised Trump’s list. Yet many right-leaning legal scholars tell The Huffington Post that, as important as the Supreme Court may be, it does not override all other issues when considering his candidacy.
“The Supreme Court—and judicial appointments more broadly—is probably the single best reason to vote for Trump,” said Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute. “But even then, there’s a lot of uncertainty. How hard would Trump push to get a nominee confirmed? What would he do if his first choice were rejected? Would he make a ‘fabulous deal’ to trade judicial appointments for other priorities?”
“Trump put out a genuinely excellent list of potential appointees, but how much can we trust that list?” Shapiro continued. “Even Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, who were committed to appointing principled originalists and textualists, made mistakes; how would a president who knows nothing about the Constitution and thinks that judges ‘sign bills’ fare?”
These conservative legal luminaries distancing themselves from Trump has the potential to undermine one of the few remaining threads tying the candidate to the Republican establishment. For some senators, it may give an additional push to allow consideration of President Barack Obama’s nominee to the court, Merrick Garland, based on the belief that he would be better than any potential Clinton pick.
Trump, however, remains confident that skeptical Republicans will inevitably vote for him out of concern for the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court.
“Even if people don’t like me, they have to vote for me. They have no choice,” Trump said in July. “Even if you can’t stand Donald Trump, even if you think I’m the worst, you’re going to vote for me. You know why? Justices of the Supreme Court.”
The idea that it makes sense to trade a single justice for all of Trump’s terrible baggage... strikes me as thoroughly preposterous.
Some conservatives, like radio host Hugh Hewitt, agree with Trump. Hewitt, who himself teaches constitutional law, argued in July that voting for Trump is a no-brainer because, “It’s the Supreme Court, stupid.” He suggested that if conservatives have “any doubts at all,” they should “take a course in con law.”
“If Hillary wins, the casebook you use to do so will simply be a history book, not a guide to how the Supreme Court should decide things based on precedent,” he wrote in his column for The Washington Examiner.
Prominent theology professor Wayne Grudem, of the Phoenix Seminary in Arizona, made a similar point. He wrote that a Clinton presidency would lead to an America that would, “no longer be ruled by the people and their elected representatives, but by unelected, unaccountable, activist judges who would dictate from the bench about whatever they were pleased to decree.”
But many of the country’s top right-leaning legal scholars ― the people who understand the importance of the Supreme Court more than anyone ― just don’t find that argument compelling.
“The court is important, to be sure ― but not nearly that important,” said retired Temple University Law School Professor David Post, who now writes for the conservative website the Volokh Conspiracy. “With all due respect to my colleagues who might feel differently, this one strikes me as a no-brainer.” The next president might end up only filling a single seat on the court, Post said. “The idea that it makes sense to trade a single justice for all of Trump’s terrible baggage ― his bullying, his ignorance, his appalling tendency to shoot his mouth off without thinking, and all the rest of it ― strikes me as thoroughly preposterous,” he added.
Ilya Somin, who teaches law at George Mason University and also blogs for the Volokh Conspiracy, argues that a Trump presidency might even be worse for the courts than a Clinton one.
“Trump has a terrible record on constitutional issues,” he said. “He seeks to gut freedom of speech and constitutional property rights, and undermine constitutional constraints on executive power even more than Bush and Obama have.”
“Moreover, over the long term, a Trump victory increases the likelihood that the GOP will become a big-government xenophobic party hostile to civil liberties and opposed to most constitutional constraints on government power ― much like the far-right nationalist parties of Western Europe, whose platforms are very similar to his,” he continued. “Such a party is likely to do far more to undermine the Constitution than even a Hillary Clinton victory.”
Epstein believes that most of his fellow legal scholars aren’t buying the argument that conservatives must support Trump for fear of Clinton’s potential Supreme Court nominees.
“I am beginning to think that my views are now mainstream among serious defenders of any version of the conservative or classical liberal traditions,” Epstein said.GENEVA -- U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump would be “dangerous from an international point of view” if he is elected, the U.N. human rights chief said Wednesday.
Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein says some comments by the Republican nominee are “deeply unsettling and disturbing to me,” particularly on torture and about “vulnerable communities.”
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, also told reporters he doesn’t plan to tone down his recent remarks decrying dangers posed by “populists and demagogues.”
Last month, Zeid said the rhetoric coming from Trump and other far-right populist leaders who have gained power recently in Europe served only to bolster extremist groups like ISIS.
“Make no mistake, I certainly do not equate the actions of nationalist demagogues with those of Daesh, which are monstrous, sickening; Daesh must be brought to justice,” Zeid said, using the Arabic-language acronym for ISIS. “But in its mode of communication, its use of half-truths and oversimplification, the propaganda of Daesh uses tactics similar to those of the populists.”
“And both sides of this equation benefit from each other -- indeed would not expand in influence without each others’ actions,” Zeid added.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations has said Zeid, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, shouldn’t criticize foreign heads of state and government.
On the U.S. election, Zeid said: “If Donald Trump is elected, on the basis of what he has said already and unless that changes, I think it’s without any doubt that he would be dangerous from an international point of view.”
“Clearly I am not keen or intent on interfering in any political campaign within any particular country, but where the comments point to a potential - depending on the results of the election - for an increase in, for instance, the use of torture, which is prohibited under the Convention against Torture, or the focus on vulnerable communities in a way that suggests that they may well be deprived of their rights, their human rights, then I think it is incumbent to say so,” Zeid said.Some articles on Diary of the Evans-Crittens, www.evans-crittens.com may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my disclosure policy.
On Sunday, we went to Goodwick, Fishguard. It’s a great free family fun day out (even if you drive it only costs £1 for all day parking). We park in the Parrog Car Park (SA64 0DE), which is next to the ferry terminal.
On arrival in the carpark you’re greeted to a great view of the sea and if you time it right also of the ferry going past. There are plenty of benches on the sea front to sit and enjoy the view. The wall makes a great bench and the rocks make great seats too.
We walked along the sea front towards the park and beach.
We passed Ocean Lab along the way. Ocean lab is now managed by Sea Trust and shares it’s space with Jude’s Cafe and the shop. As the weather cools, we’ll pop in here to explore and keep warm but as it was a really warm sunny October day we made the most of the outdoor fun.
Then we reached the park. I’ve mentioned before on the blog that while we love the new park in Goodwick with it’s fun boat design, the kids do miss all the monkey bars to swing from.
They still enjoyed themselves though!
I love that the park has a view of the breakwater, the sea and Goodwick Sands Beach. it makes pushing the kids on the swings much more fun. Another flaw with the new park are there our no swings for older children (OK and adults) to go on.
The ferry passed as I pushed Isabelle. I could have got a great photo if I’d been standing on the breakwater at the time.
There are picnic benches by the beach and park too. Izzy gave Nanny and Jo Jo an envelope each- one contained some hair clips and the other some batteries and a bobble! She’s going through a phase of putting things in envelopes. Each time I go to send a letter I find I have no envelopes left for me.
The kids had a quick play on the beach to collect some water and pebbles. We didn’t go for a swim like last time we visited but we did see other kids swimming.
The girls decided to make a magic potion to make a wish at the end of the breakwater (as you do). Here they are adding things and stirring it.
We had a quick read about the history of Goodwick and the last invasion of Britain which began in Fishguard in 1797.
Then it was time for the lovely walk along the breakwater. It’s an enjoyable short walk with a scenic panoramic sea view.
Izzy cooked up some recipes along the way. First she made Nanny a herby potato and a buttercup dish. Next she found a raspberry and made a “Raspberry Bakewell.” She needs to practice making the pastry as it was a bit heavy!
Notice the change in order of girls- Izzy must have wanted to be the leader!
This made me laugh when I looked up and saw both girls bent over in the same manner. They often do this as they spot bugs or treasures.
The magic potion cauldron filling up!
Little legs need a little rest on the rocks along the way.
The smoke of the fire can be seen in the distance.
Getting closer!
We then reached the end of the breakwater. We didn’t go in on this occasion as we did previously when Dave’s key unexpectedly opened the lock (that’s another story!).
It was time to throw the magic potion to sea and make a wish.
Then we headed back towards the park and beach.
Izzy enjoyed her walk but is a bit fearful of dogs at the moment. She got a bit scared when dogs were off the lead and coming towards her (it must be frightening when they’re bigger than you). I did worry that she’d accidentally dash off the edge but thankfully she managed to keep safely on the path. As I said, noone went swimming on this trip to Goodwick- phew!
Once back we went to the park again where we had left Danny playing.
I sat on the bench and watched the kids play.
I enjoyed the pretty view of the sun starting to set behind the trees.
There are few things more iconic than the old seaside telescope. We did put in 20p but sadly couldn’t get this one to work. I keep meaning to try the old ones in my local town to see if they still work as I loved using them when I was younger. They remind me of walks with my Granny and Grampy.
Jo enjoyed a slice of coffee cake in the cafe- it was tasty and a good price, £1.85 I think. There are customer toilets in Ocean Lab and also public toilets opposite.
We walked back.
Back to the sea wall.
Back for big brother cuddles- awww!
The kids climbed down the rocks and along the beach.
We passed the icecream van, pre vegan days this was my favourite ice cream van!
I couldn’t resist a photo of my boots in the autumn leaves, then I looked up and saw a couple parked in a car looking at me.
Hello, I’m Claire and I take photos of my feet.
The youngest two ran ahead and I found them climbing this sculpture. I told them to get down straight away but they do tend to see life as one big climbing frame and play park (I do love this attitude to life but don’t want them to break bones or sculptures…).
Izzy found some mushrooms.
This photo perfectly sums up sibling life! They can never all be happy, big brothers can be annoying, one pretends to be a dog and one won’t look at the camera.
We cheered them up by attempting our own version of the “Dab” pose that the kids keep talking about from the Dab dance that sports stars have been doing recently.
We didn’t have a clue what we were doing but we cheered the kids up- result! Dab!
It was a lovely day. I really do love these sunny October days. Here is a video to see more of our time in Goodwick:
Have you been to Goodwick? Which seaview walks do you enjoy?
Pin this post to read later.ANAHEIM, Calif. – As one well-regarded Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect made his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery this week, the elbow ligament-replacement operation was scheduled for another young right-hander.
Tom Robson of Ladner, B.C., who made eight starts at single-A Lansing this season before getting shut down, is scheduled to go under the knife next Tuesday.
A fourth-round pick in 2011, Robson had made strong gains the past two seasons. Last year at Bluefield and Vancouver, he went a combined 6-0 with a 1.12 ERA in 64.1 innings over 13 games, with 12 of them starts. At Lansing, he was 2-4 with a 6.25 ERA in 31.2 innings over eight starts.
Meanwhile Roberto Osuna, 19, returned to action with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays on Tuesday, his first in a competitive game since his injury last year at Lansing, where he was 3-5 with a 5.53 ERA in 42.1 innings over 10 starts.
Osuna struck out two in a clean inning of work.
“Like any guy coming back from Tommy John we’ll take it slow,” said Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, who oversees the farm system. “We want to get him back on his feet and get him back healthy and strong. The usual program we put our guys on, he’s following that.”News that Google intends to install an ad-blocker in its Chrome browser shocked the tech and publishing world in April. Now, details of how the program will work are starting to become clear.
The Google ad-blocker will block all advertising on sites that have a certain number of "unacceptable ads," according to The Wall Street Journal. That includes ads that have pop-ups, auto-playing video, and "prestitial" count-down ads that delay the display of content.
[...] The company hasn't made its plans public, but Google has discussed its plans with publishers, who will get at least six months to prepare for the change coming sometime in 2018. Publishers will get a tool called "Ad Experience Reports," which "will alert them to offending ads on their sites and explain how to fix the issues," the Journal reports.
Google is also offering a tool called "Funding Choices," which would present users who have non-Chrome ad blockers with a message asking them to disable their ad-blockers or pay to remove advertising.WASHINGTON — Rockets have been found stored in a second United Nations-run school in Gaza, according to the U.N. agency that works with the schools.
"Today, in the course of the regular inspection of its premises, UNRWA discovered rockets hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip," the UNRWA release reads. "As soon as the rockets were discovered, UNRWA staff were withdrawn from the premises, and so we are unable to confirm the precise number of rockets. The school is situated between two other UNRWA schools that currently each accommodate 1,500 internally displaced persons."
Israeli officials began privately expressing concerns about the second school on Tuesday morning. The press release put out by UNRWA does not make clear what the agency plans to do with the rockets that it found: "The Agency immediately informed the relevant parties and is pursuing all possible measures for the removal of the objects in order to preserve the safety and security of the school. UNRWA will launch a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident," it says.
But the last time this happened, the agency handed over the rockets to the local police, which is believed to be under the control of the militant group Hamas. UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told the Daily Beast at the time that the agency had followed U.N. procedure by working with local authorities and that the police fell under the authority of the Palestinian government in Ramallah.
Gunness declined to tell BuzzFeed whether the agency plans to do the same with the rockets this time, saying "I'd rather you take the wording from the press release."
Hamas has launched hundreds of rockets at Israel in the past week of fighting as Israel has launched a large ground offensive in Gaza which has resulted in hundreds of Palestinian civilian deaths. Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer said on Tuesday that 27 Israelis have died, 25 of whom were soldiers.
"This is the second time in a matter of days that rockets have been found hidden in a U.N. school in Gaza," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer told BuzzFeed. "I wonder if the U.N. will once again transfer these rockets to Hamas police? Will the U.N. finally speak out against Hamas turning schools, hospitals, and mosques into weapons depots, rocket firing site,s and military command centers? Will the U.N. finally speak out against Hamas' systematic use of Palestinian civilians as human shields? I wouldn't bet on it."Hot Toys and Bloggers are proud to present us with some amazing photos of the Hot Toys Avengers Iron Man Mark VII Final Product. This movie accurate 1/6 scale figure is scheduled to be released next month (June 2013). It is based on the image of Robert Downey Jr. as the iconic Iron Man Mark VII in the movie, highlighting the highly detailed head sculpt, light-up functions and well equipped armor.
Hot Toys Avengers Iron Man Mark VII Features:
Likeness of Mark VII from The Avengers
Robert Downey Jr. head sculpt
About 12 inches tall
More than 36 points of articulation
LED-lit eyes and chest (white light)
1 interchangeable battle damaged mask
1 pair of damaged shoulder armor
1 removable chest armor
1 damaged chest armor
1 pair of detachable forearm rockets
1 pair of wrist lasers on forearm armor
2 pairs of interchangeable palms including:
1 pair with improved articulations, movable fingers and light-up repulsors (white light, battery operated)
1 pair of forceful fists
Improved articulation on the waist armor
3 sets of interchangeable thigh armor (missile, armor & normal styles)
Fully deployed air flaps on back of the armor with built-in metal flaps
Articulated flaps at the back of armor on left and right legs
Metallic red and gold paint on armor
Sideshow Exclusive: Holographic Mark VII Accessory
This 1/6th scale Iron Man Mark VII is scheduled to be shipping next month from Sideshow Collectibles for a price of $249. There are actually 2 versions available, a Sideshow Exclusive and a regular version, though they are both priced the same. The exclusive version comes with a Holographic Mark VII accessory.
With all of the recent popularity of the Iron Man character, Sideshow has sold out of these figures, but you can still get on the wait list to try and get yourself a figure. I would recommend this because once Sideshow starts to process orders, credit cards are going to be declined and they are going to go to people on the wait list. You have the best chance of getting your wait list reservation to convert if you are on the list before Sideshow actually starts shipping.
You can hop on the wait list at Sideshow HERE.
I have my Iron Man Mark VII on pre-order and I can’t wait to get him to do a full blown review for everyone. I’m a Hot Toys Iron Man virgin, so that makes me even more excited to get this guy in my hands.
The gallery below features some of the images that were put up on Hot Toys Facebook page. For the complete gallery of the Hot Toys Avengers Iron Man Mark VII Final Product, CLICK HERE.A team belonging to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) is preparing upgrades for China's next human spaceflight mission, Shenzhou-12, which will be the first to the Chinese Space Station.
The Beijing Institute of Control Engineering (BICE), a CAST subsidiary, is working on an upgraded Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system for the spacecraft.
GNC technology controls areas including spacecraft attitude and trajectory and orientation of solar panels, much as a brain controls an animal's limbs.
Specifically, according to Li Mingming of BICE, the challenge will be migrating the GNC used for China's automated Tianzhou cargo vessel to the crewed Shenzhou-12 spacecraft.
The BICE-developed GNC for Tianzhou-1 allowed the craft to perform the country's first fast rendezvous and docking procedure, reducing the time needed from two days to 6.5 hours.
Share this: Facebook messenger LinkedIn Copy this link to embed The third docking between Tianzhou-1 and Tiangong-2 on September 12, 2017. CCTV/Youtube
This much shorter duration would make crewed Shenzhou flights, launching from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert, to the planned Chinese Space Station (CSS) much easier to endure, to the benefit of their mission.
Li also told state media that achieving this will involve a long, complex iterative process, in which issues will be found constantly, requiring redesigns and retesting.
Share this: Facebook messenger LinkedIn Copy this link to embed The crew of Shenzhou-10 in preparation for launch in June 2013. CNS
CAST, which researches, designs and constructs spacecraft, is one of many subsidiaries of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the main contractor for the Chinese space programme.
Space station outline
Following successful several crewed and robotic missions to the 8-5 tonne Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 testbed space labs, launched in 2011 and 2016 respectively, China has developed and constructed the core module for the planned Chinese Space Station, named Tianhe-1.
The Tianhe module, which in appearance resembles the International Space Station's Russian Zvezda Service Module, will be launched around 2019 by a new, Long March 5B launch vehicle, an as-yet-untested variant of the heavy-lift Long March 5 specially designed for lofting the 20 metric tonne space station modules to low Earth orbit.
Share this: Facebook messenger LinkedIn Copy this link to embed A rendering of the Tianhe-1 Chinese Space Station core module with a multi docking hub on the left. CMSE
Following the Tianzhou-2 cargo and fuelling mission to Tianhe-1, Shenzhou-12 would then take the first crew to the new core modules.
In accordance with the long-term human spaceflight project plans approved in 1992, Tianhe will then be joined by two experiment modules, referred to as Wentian and Mengtian, with in-orbit construction of the three-module station to be completed around or 2022, with crewed and cargo missions throughout.
A free-flying space telescope, Xuntian, featuring a two-metre mirror, will also be launched to co-orbit with the CSS, and would be able to dock with the station for repairs and maintenance.
Share this: Facebook messenger LinkedIn Copy this link to embed A rendering of the completed Chinese Space Station, including docked Shenzhou and Tianzhou spacecraft. CMSA
Space station crews
Stays on the CSS will typically last 3-6 months for three person crews. China has so far sent 11 astronauts into orbit, most recently on the Shenzhou-11 mission last October, which was the country's longest by far at 33 days.
The astronauts were selected in two rounds, drawing from People's Liberation Army Air Force pilots.
In addition, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) is expected this year to select 10-12 persons, including two women, in the country's third selection round of astronauts. The selection criteria has been expanded to allow non-military personnel to apply, meaning it is likely mission specialists will be selected to best fit the science goals of the CSS project.
Share this: Facebook messenger LinkedIn Copy this link to embed Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping during a live science lecture to school classrooms from orbit aboard Tiangong-1 in July 2013. CNS
Such are the levels of secrecy surrounding China's astronauts that the final decisions may have already taken place but their identities remain shrouded in mystery.
In August, China's astronauts trained for survival in the event of the Shenzhou capsule landing at sea. European Space Agency astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer joined the training as a step towards potential joint missions to the CSS sometime after it becomes fully operational.The beads are between 45,000 and 50,000 years old in the Upper Paleolithic era. Picture: Maksim Kozlikin
A fascinating collection of jewellery made of ostrich eggshells is being assembled by archeologists working in the world famous Denisova cave in Altai region. Ostriches in Siberia? 50,000 years ago?
Yes, it seems so. Or, at least, their eggshells made it here somehow.
In a month that has seen disclosures of the fossil of a tropical parrot in Siberia from at least five million years ago in the Miocene era, this elegant Paleolithic chic shows that our deep history (some 2,000 generations ago, give or take) contains many unexpected surprises.
Pictured here are finds from a collection of beads in the Denisova cave, perfectly drilled, and archeologists say they have now found one more close by, with full details to be revealed soon in a scientific journal. They are in no doubt that the beads are between 45,000 and 50,000 years old in the Upper Paleolithic era, making them older than strikingly similar finds 11,500 kilometres away in South Africa.
Beads found inside Denisova Cave in the Altai mountains. Pictures: Maksim Kozlikin
Maksim Kozlikin, researcher at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Novosibirsk, said of the Siberian ostrich egg beads: 'This is no ordinary find. Our team got quite excited when we found the bead.
'This is an amazing piece of work. The ostrich egg shell is quite robust material, but the holes in the beads must have been made with a fine stone drill.
'For that time, we consider this to be an exquisite jewellery work of a very talented artist.'
The skills and techniques used some 45,000 to 50,000 years ago are remarkable and more akin to the Neolithic era, dozens of millennia later.
He believes the beads may have been sewn into clothing - or formed part of a bracelet or necklace.
The Denisova Cave. Pictures: Vera Salnitskaya
The latest discovery 'is one centimetre in diameter, with a hole inside that |
the economic benefits, the move would also tap into the desire of the leftist-led government to find alternative sources of financing.
It is not clear what commitments Greece would have to make in order to borrow from the Shanghai-based bank, whose establishment is seen by observers as a move to challenge the global economic governance dominated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
09.25
*BANK OF GREECE: DEAL WITH CREDITORS WOULD AVERT IMMINENT RISKS *GREEK BAILOUT TALKS FAILURE WOULD LEAD TO EURO EXIT: STOURNARAS — Brenda Kelly (@Brenda_Kelly) June 17, 2015
* Greek Central Bank says outflow of deposits of about 30 bln Euros from october-april, largely in cash withdrawals and hoarding - RTRS — Fabrizio Goria (@FGoria) June 17, 2015
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index slipped 0.3pc this morning, while Greece's ASE Index is up 1.1pc.
Meanwhile the Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said his country has cash reserves to weather developments that might come from Greece’s standoff with creditors.
09.11
Other events to look out for today are:
• Press briefing by the president of the Euro Working Group
• T-bills refinancing (€1.6bn)
• European Central Bank reviews Emergency Liquidity Assistance (expected) - this happens on a weekly basis, and is what Greece relies on to keep the money coming out of the banks. It is very unlikely that the ECB will cut off this funding, as ECB president Mario Draghi does not want to make a move that would appear so political.
Another thing to look out for today are bonds - yesterday, Spanish 10-year bond yields climbed to their highest level since August. Italy’s were the highest since October while Ireland and Portugal are also seeing the steepest borrowing costs this year. This rise suggests that they are riskier, and indicate a creeping contagion from the Greek crisis into other European makets.
S&P's Kraemer says Greek contagion manageable in default case b/c of fire walls and ECB QE. (BBG) pic.twitter.com/pAlhONjMhY — Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) June 17, 2015
Mauricio Vargas, a Frankfurt-based economist at Union Investment, told Bloomberg: “We are seeing contagion from Greece for the first time since 2012. That’s a matter of big concern to me because it’s a sign of systemic risk that markets have been ignoring.”
08.46
Tomorrow's Eurogroup meeting is a big deal - and it is especially notable the yesterday Greek finance minister Varoufakis said they would not present any new proposals.
Analysis by BNP Paribas underlines the importance of it - and why it's different.
Previous self-imposed deadlines have passed with no great effect. This time is different, however. Greece’s already extended bailout programme expires in two weeks, so any potential agreement would have to be signed off by various national European parliaments by then.
Failure to strike a deal would leave Greece with insufficient funds to make a €1.6bn payment due to the IMF in around two weeks’ time. Default would probably force the ECB to halt any financing to Greek banks via its Emergency Liquidity Assistance programme, requiring the imposition of capital controls in Greece and limits on domestic bank withdrawals.
08.16
Good morning
Yesterday, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras gave a firebrand speech to Syriza MPs, accusing the IMF of acting "criminally" in the debt crisis. There was a lof ot strong language: the Finnish finance minister said that the Greeks need a "miracle" to make a deal.
The markets reacted strongly to this uncertainty and rhetoric: the Athens Stock Exchange Index fell 4.8 percent on Tuesday. Greek bank stocks fell 8.9 percent. There were also signs of contagion from the Greek crisis in Spanish and Italian bonds.
US treasury secretary Jack Lew phoned Tsipras last night calling for a “pragmatic compromise”, while the sympathetic Austrian finance minister Werner Faymann is in Athens today to talk with Tsipras.
We also wake up to news that Greek tax revenue has a shortfall of €1.7bn from January-May.
Money runs short: Greek Jan-May tax revenue €1.7bn short of target, BBG reports citing Kathimerini. #Greece #Grexit — Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) June 17, 2015
Greece appointed economics professor Michalis Psalidopoulos as its new representative at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the previous nominee was pushed out due to a backlash because her views clashed with Syriza's programme.
Yanis Varoufakis, Greece's finance minister, yesterday told German newspaper Bild that they would not be presenting any proposals at the crucial eurogroup meeting tomorrow.
Financial Times: just published, US front page, Wednesday June 17, 2015 pic.twitter.com/ZA6FDyFGVb — Financial Times (@FT) June 16, 2015
It seems that Yaroufakis has been busy with a book - and it's out next month. Surely a very busy man... He's meeting with the Secretary-General of the OECD this afternoon.Image source: Getty Images. After years of research involving large, scientifically controlled studies, marijuana-derived medicine may be finally coming of age. If so, GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH) and Insys Therapeutics (NASDAQ: INSY) -- two publicly traded drugmakers that are researching marijuana medicine -- could benefit handsomely. So far, however, it's only GW Pharmaceuticals' shares that are on the upswing. A troubled past that includes investigations into Insys Therapeutics' marketing of the opioid pain-killer Subsys has caused its shares to crash more than 50% in the past year. Meanwhile, GW Pharmaceuticals shares have more than doubled on reports that its marijuana drug, Epidiolex, successfully reduces seizures in rare forms of epilepsy. Let's take a closer look at why these two stocks have been heading in different directions. Image source: Getty Images. GW Pharmaceuticals delivers wins In 2015, GW Pharmaceuticals reported that its THC-based medicine Sativex failed to beat a placebo in phase 3 studies evaluating its use in cancer pain patients. While that failure cast doubt on the future of marijuana as medicine, a wave of success this year has ignited optimism that marijuana could reshape how doctors treat rare forms of epilepsy. Epidiolex, a purified version of a non-psychoactive chemical cannabinoid found in marijuana known as cannabidiol, or CBD, has been proven to effectively reduce monthly seizure rates in patients diagnosed with both Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. GW Pharmaceuticals reported in March that patients participating in a Dravet syndrome trial saw a 39% decline in their monthly seizure rate and since then, the company has reported significant declines in seizure rates for patients diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome participating in two separate trials. In the first Lennox-Gastaut trial, drop seizures in Epidiolex patients declined 44%, and in the second trial, drop seizures declined by 42%. The results are potentially transformative given that both Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome are particularly hard to treat. For example, patients participating in the second Lennox-Gastaut trial had previously tried and failed an average of seven anti-epileptic medicines. Although the addressable patient population diagnosed with these rare forms of epilepsy is small, the wins suggest that CBD may play a significant role in the future in treating epilepsy. As a result, GW Pharmaceuticals' share price has more than doubled this year. Image source: Getty Images. Struggling to get back on track In July, Insys Therapeutics' won a FDA green light to begin marketing Syndros, a liquid formulation of the long-standing marijuana medicine marinol. Marinol is used to treat anorexia in AIDS patients and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. Syndros' oral dosing provides dosing and bioavailability advantages that could allow it to win a significant share of the $200 million marinol market. Despite Syndros' potential to boost sales, Insys Therapeutics shares have fallen sharply this year because of ongoing investigations into the company's marketing of Subsys, a commonly used fentanyl spray. Subsys is approved for use in breakthrough cancer pain, however, a series of revelations show that the company's sales team engaged in practices to boost Subsys' use in other pain indications. Last November, CEO Michael Babich was shown the door following a CNBC expose on the investigations into reported kickbacks to doctors and since then, EVP and Chief Operating Officer Dan Brennan has left the company and former district sales manager Jeffery Perlman has been arrested. Last month, Insys CEO and founder John Kapoor announced he'll be stepping down as soon as a successor is found, too. The fallout comes at a particularly tough time for the company. Rising concern over opioid abuse has led to a significant drop in demand for fentanyl drugs, including Subsys. In the second quarter, Subsys sales tumbled 13.5% year over year to $67.1 million, reversing a long-standing trend of double-digit sales growth in previous periods. Subsys' sales decline puts additional pressure on the company to hit the ground running with Syndros and to advance other drugs in development, including a buprenorphine spray and CBD products for epilepsy -- something that may be jeopardized by the company's revolving leadership. A big year ahead GW Pharmaceuticals plans to file for FDA approval of Epidiolex in Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome early next year and that timeline suggests that the company could launch Epidiolex in late 2017 or early 2018. The company is also studying Epidiolex in other forms of epilepsy, and trial results from those studies could also be announced in the coming year. Meanwhile, falling opioid prescription volume or a stumble out of the gate for Syndros could keep Insys Therapeutics back on its heels. Additional news regarding investigations into Insys' past marketing practices and trial results could cause Insys Therapeutics' shares to swing wildly in the coming year. In both of these cases, the coming year may be pivotal. A market cap of $2.7 billion sets the bar pretty high for GW Pharmaceuticals' Epidiolex. The bar is set pretty low for Insys Therapeutics, but it needs to get leadership in place that can resolve the Subsys overhang and capitalize on its various research programs. Todd Campbell owns shares of Insys Therapeutics. Todd owns E.B. Capital Markets, LLC. E.B. Capital's clients may have positions in the companies mentioned. Like this article? Follow him on Twitter where he goes by the handle @ebcapital to see more articles like this. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. Offer from the Motley Fool: A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity (Photo: The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.)Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and Kairi make up four of the new Princesses of Heart. Come theorise who the last three Princesses will be!
Details Published on June 1, 2013 @ 09:51 pm Written by Cecily
Yen Press' KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX manga was released on May 28th, and it's certainly no surprise to learn that shops and sites from all over are selling out like mad. It's been a long 5 years since a localized volume of the series has been released, and since then the community has been clamoring loudly for a continuation. Yen Press stepped forward to take up the mantle after Tokyopop, and their first release did not disappoint in any way with their flawless translations and high quality artwork. It's hard to put the books down after being exposed to them.
And yet, we desire more. If the manga is this good, can you imagine how the novels would be? The KINGDOM HEARTS novels, written by Tomoco Kanemaki (scenario writer of KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days) expand the series much more with fleshed out characters and new events, offering up unique backstories and experiences. Translators such as the lovely goldpanner have been working hard with every new release, and so it was inevitable that our desire to read each volume grew.
Could it be possible for Yen Press to adopt the KH novel license as well? Perhaps! They seem to be very open to the idea and would love to hear your feedback. Let them know what you think about their new manga release and if you'd be interested in the novels!
[Yen Press Facebook] [Yen Press Twitter]The American Dream
November 30, 2010
As this latest Black Friday clearly demonstrated, Americans are literally willing to trample one another to get the best deals on cheap foreign-made plastic crap. Meanwhile, as thousands of factories and millions of jobs continue to get shipped overseas, the United States is rapidly turning into a post-industrial wasteland. Once great manufacturing cities such as Camden, New Jersey have become crime-ridden, gang-infested hellholes. In some U.S. cities, the “real” unemployment rate is around 30 or 40 percent. The American people desperately need jobs, but the American people are also showing no signs that they plan to give up their addiction to cheap foreign goods. Our politicians keep insisting that the American people just need “more education” and “more skills” in order to compete, but they don’t ever seem to explain how more education and more skills are going to make new jobs pop into existence out of thin air. The truth is that the American Dream is rapidly becoming the American Nightmare and there is not much hope that any of this is going to turn around any time soon.
The video posted below is a compilation of video footage from this past Black Friday. It is absolutely shocking to see what average Americans will do to each other just to save a little bit of money on cheap foreign-made goods….
Very few of the Americans in the video posted above probably even realize that this behavior is destroying our economy a little bit more every day.
Proponents of outsourcing point to all the cheap goods filling our stores as a good thing, but they never tell us about all the good paying American jobs that have been lost.
Sacrificing our industrial base for cheap foreign-made plastic crap is kind of like throwing your furniture into the fire to keep your house warm. We are literally participating in our own economic destruction.
This is a long-term problem that we are facing. The United States has been running trade deficits for over three decades. Big corporations like Ford Motor Company are making record profits by shipping our jobs out of the country.
But without good paying jobs, the U.S. middle class simply is not going to survive.
If anyone can explain how the U.S. middle class is going to continue to exist without good jobs then please let the rest of us know.
Just look at what is already happening in city after city across the United States.
In a new article entitled “City of Ruins“, Chris Hedges does an amazing job of documenting the horrific decline of the city of Camden, New Jersey. Hedges estimates that the real rate of unemployment in Camden is somewhere around 30 to 40 percent, and he makes it sound like nobody in their right mind would want to live there now….
Camden is where those discarded as human refuse are dumped, along with the physical refuse of postindustrial America. A sprawling sewage treatment plant on forty acres of riverfront land processes 58 million gallons of wastewater a day for Camden County. The stench of sewage lingers in the streets. There is a huge trash-burning plant that releases noxious clouds, a prison, a massive cement plant and mountains of scrap metal feeding into a giant shredder. The city is scarred with several thousand decaying abandoned row houses; the skeletal remains of windowless brick factories and gutted gas stations; overgrown vacant lots filled with garbage and old tires; neglected, weed-filled cemeteries; and boarded-up store fronts.
Gangs have stepped into the gaping void left by industry. In Camden today, drugs and prostitution are two of the only viable businesses left – especially for those who cannot find employment anywhere else. The following is how Hedges describes the current state of affairs….
There are perhaps a hundred open-air drug markets, most run by gangs like the Bloods, the Latin Kings, Los Nietos and MS-13. Knots of young men in black leather jackets and baggy sweatshirts sell weed and crack to clients, many of whom drive in from the suburbs. The drug trade is one of the city’s few thriving businesses. A weapon, police say, is never more than a few feet away, usually stashed behind a trash can, in the grass or on a porch.
But before we all start judging Camden for being such a horrible place to live, it is important to realize that this is happening in communities from coast to coast. All over the United States industries are leaving and deep social decay is setting in.
If your community is still in good shape right now, be thankful, because what is happening in Camden is going to be happening everywhere soon.
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
{openx:49}
So can anything be done to reverse all this? Well, yes, but right now most of our politicians are standing idly by and are refusing to even speak up about these issues.
Some time ago, CNN ran a series entitled “Exporting America” that looked into the phenomenon of big corporations outsourcing jobs that used to go to Americans. The following are the U.S. companies that CNN confirmed were sending jobs overseas….
3Com
3M
A
Aalfs Manufacturing
Aavid Thermal Technologies
ABC-NACO
Accenture
Access Electronics
Accuride Corporation
Accuride International
Adaptec
ADC
Adobe Systems
Advanced Energy Industries
Aetna
Affiliated Computer Services
AFS Technologies
A.G. Edwards
Agere Systems
Agilent Technologies
AIG
Alamo Rent A Car
Albany International Corp.
Albertson’s
Alcoa
Alcoa Fujikura
Allen Systems Group
Alliance Semiconductor
Allstate
Alpha Thought Global
Altria Group
Amazon.com
AMD
Americ Disc
American Dawn
American Express
American Greetings
American Household
American Management Systems
American Standard
American Uniform Company
AMETEK
AMI DODUCO
Amloid Corporation
Amphenol Corporation
Analog Devices
Anchor Glass Container
ANDA Networks
Anderson Electrical Products
Andrew Corporation
Anheuser-Busch
Angelica Corporation
Ansell Health Care
Ansell Protective Products
Anvil Knitwear
AOL
A.O. Smith
Apple
Applied Materials
Ark-Les Corporation
Arlee Home Fashions
Art Leather Manufacturing
Artex International
ArvinMeritor
Asco Power Technologies
Ashland
AstenJohnson
Asyst Technologies
Atchison Products, Inc.
A.T. Cross Company
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
A.T. Kearney
Augusta Sportswear
Authentic Fitness Corporation
Automatic Data Processing
Avanade
Avanex
Avaya
Avery Dennison
Azima Healthcare Services
Axiohm Transaction Solutions
B
Bank of America
Bank of New York
Bank One
Bard Access Systems
Barnes Group
Barth & Dreyfuss of California
Bassett Furniture
Bassler Electric Company
BBi Enterprises L.P.
Beacon Blankets
BearingPoint
Bear Stearns
BEA Systems
Bechtel
Becton Dickinson
BellSouth
Bentley Systems
Berdon LLP
Berne Apparel
Bernhardt Furniture
Best Buy
Bestt Liebco Corporation
Beverly Enterprises
Birdair, Inc.
BISSELL
Black & Decker
Blauer Manufacturing
Blue Cast Denim
Bobs Candies
Borden Chemical
Bourns
Bose Corporation
Bowater
BMC Software
Boeing
Braden Manufacturing
Briggs Industries
Brady Corporation
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol Tank & Welding Co.
Brocade
Brooks Automation
Brown Wooten Mills Inc.
Buck Forkardt, Inc.
Bumble Bee
Burle Industries
Burlington House Home Fashions
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
C
Cadence Design Systems
Camfil Farr
Candle Corporation
Cains Pickles
Capital One
Cardinal Brands
Carrier
Carter’s
Caterpillar
C-COR.net
C&D Technologies
Cellpoint Systems
Cendant
Centis, Inc.
Cerner Corporation
Charles Schwab
ChevronTexaco
The Cherry Corporation
CIBER
Ciena
Cigna
Circuit City
Cirrus Logic
Cisco Systems
Citigroup
Clear Pine Mouldings
Clorox
CNA
Coastcast Corp.
Coca-Cola
Cognizant Technology Solutions
Collins & Aikman
Collis, Inc.
Columbia House
Comcast Holdings
Comdial Corporation
Computer Associates
Computer Horizons
Computer Sciences Corporation
CompuServe
Concise Fabricators
Conectl Corporation
Conseco
Consolidated Metro
Continental Airlines
Convergys
Cooper Crouse-Hinds
Cooper Tire & Rubber
Cooper Tools
Cooper Wiring Devices
Copperweld
Cordis Corporation
Corning
Corning Cable Systems
Corning Frequency Control
Countrywide Financial
COVAD Communications
Covansys
Creo Americas
Cross Creek Apparel
Crouzet Corporation
Crown Holdings
CSX
Cummins
Cutler-Hammer
Cypress Semiconductor
D
Dana Corporation
Daniel Woodhead
Davis Wire Corp.
Daws Manufacturing
Dayton Superior
DeCrane Aircraft
Delco Remy
Dell Computer
DeLong Sportswear
Delphi
Delta Air Lines
Delta Apparel
Direct TV
Discover
DJ Orthopedics
Document Sciences Corporation
Dometic Corp.
Donaldson Company
Douglas Furniture of California
Dow Chemical
Dresser
Dun & Bradstreet
DuPont
E
Earthlink
Eastman Kodak
Eaton Corporation
Edco, Inc.
Editorial America
eFunds
Edscha
Ehlert Tool Company
Elbeco Inc.
Electroglas
Electronic Data Systems
Electronics for Imaging
Electro Technology
Eli Lilly
Elmer’s Products
E-Loan
EMC
Emerson Electric
Emerson Power Transmission
Emglo Products
Engel Machinery
En Pointe Technologies
Equifax
Ernst & Young
Essilor of America
Ethan Allen
Evenflo
Evergreen Wholesale Florist
Evolving Systems
Evy of California
Expedia
Extrasport
ExxonMobil
F
Fairfield Manufacturing
Fair Isaac
Fansteel Inc.
Farley’s & Sathers Candy Co.
Fasco Industries
Fawn Industries
Fayette Cotton Mill
FCI USA
Fedders Corporation
Federal Mogul
Federated Department Stores
Fellowes
Fender Musical Instruments
Fidelity Investments
Financial Techologies International
Findlay Industries
First American Title Insurance
First Data
First Index
Fisher Hamilton
Flowserve
Fluor
FMC Corporation
Fontaine International
Ford Motor
Foster Wheeler
Franklin Mint
Franklin Templeton
Freeborders
Frito Lay
Fruit of the Loom
G
Garan Manufacturing
Gateway
GE Capital
GE Medical Systems
Gemtron Corporation
General Binding Corporation
General Cable Corp.
General Electric
General Motors
Generation 2 Worldwide
Genesco
Georgia-Pacific
Gerber Childrenswear
GlobespanVirata
Goldman Sachs
Gold Toe Brands
Goodrich
Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Google
Graphic Controls
Greenpoint Mortgage
Greenwood Mills
Grote Industries
Grove U.S. LLC
Guardian Life Insurance
Guilford Mills
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
H
Haggar
Halliburton
Hamilton Beach/Procter-Silex
The Hartford Financial Services Group
Harper-Wyman Company
Hasbro Manufacturing Services
Hawk Corporation
Hawker Power Systems, Inc.
Haworth
Headstrong
HealthAxis
Hedstrom
Hein-Werner Corp.
Helen of Troy
Helsapenn Inc.
Hershey
Hewitt Associates
Hewlett-Packard
Hoffman Enclosures, Inc.
Hoffman/New Yorker
The Holmes Group
Home Depot
Honeywell
HSN
Hubbell Inc.
Humana
Hunter Sadler
Hutchinson Sealing Systems, Inc
HyperTech Solutions
I
IBM
iGate Corporation
Illinois Tool Works
IMI Cornelius
Imperial Home Decor Group
Indiana Knitwear Corp.
IndyMac Bancorp
Infogain
Ingersoll-Rand
Innodata Isogen
Innova Solutions
Insilco Technologies
Intel
InterMetro Industries
International Paper
Interroll Corporation
Intuit
Invacare
Iris Graphics, Inc.
Isola Laminate Systems
Iteris Holdings, Inc.
ITT Educational Services
ITT Industries
J
Jabil Circuit
Jacobs Engineering
Jacuzzi
Jakel, Inc.
JanSport
Jantzen Inc.
JDS Uniphase
Jockey International
John Crane
John Deere
Johns Manville
Johnson Controls
Johnson & Johnson
JPMorgan Chase
J.R. Simplot
Juniper Networks
Justin Brands
K
KANA Software
Kaiser Permanente
Kanbay
Kayby Mills of North Carolina
Keane
Kellogg
Kellwood
KEMET
KEMET Electronics
Kendall Healthcare
Kenexa
Kentucky Apparel
Kerr-McGee Chemical
KeyCorp
Key Industries
Key Safety Systems
Key Tronic Corp.
Kimberly-Clark
KLA-Tencor
Knight Textile Corp.
Kojo Worldwide Corporation
Kraft Foods
K2 Inc.
Kulicke and Soffa Industries
Kwikset
L
Lancer Partnership
Lander Company
LaCrosse Footwear
Lamb Technicon
Lau Industries
Lands’ End
Lawson Software
Layne Christensen
Leach International
Lear Corporation
Leech Tool & Die Works
Lehman Brothers
Leoni Wiring Systems
Levi Strauss
Leviton Manufacturing Co.
Lexmark International
Lexstar Technologies
Liebert Corporation
Lifescan
Lillian Vernon
Linksys
Linq Industrial Fabrics, Inc.
Lionbridge Technologies
Lionel
Littelfuse
LiveBridge
LNP Engineering Plastics
Lockheed Martin
Longaberger
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
Louisville Ladder Group LLC
Lowe’s
Lucent
Lund International
Lyall Alabama
M
Madill Corporation
Magma Design Automation
Magnequench
Magnetek
Maidenform
Mallinckrodt, Inc.
The Manitowoc Company
Manugistics
Marathon Oil
Maritz
Mars
Marshall Fields
Mattel
Master Lock
Materials Processing, Inc.
Maxim Integrated Products
Maxi Switch
Maxxim Medical
Maytag
McDATA Corporation
McKinsey & Company
MeadWestvaco
Mediacopy
Medtronic
Mellon Bank
Mentor Graphics Corp.
Meridian Automotive Systems
Merit Abrasive Products
Merrill Corporation
Merrill Lynch
Metasolv
MetLife
Micro Motion, Inc.
Microsoft
Midcom Inc.
Midwest Electric Products
Milacron
Modern Plastics Technics
Modine Manufacturing
Moen
Money’s Foods Us Inc.
Monona Wire Corp.
Monsanto
Morgan Stanley
Motion Control Industries
Motor Coach Industries International
Motorola
Mrs. Allison’s Cookie Co.
Mulox
N
Nabco
Nabisco
NACCO Industries
National City Corporation
National Electric Carbon Products
National Life
National Semiconductor
NCR Corporation
neoIT
NETGEAR
Network Associates
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Window Furnishings
New World Pasta
New York Life Insurance
Nice Ball Bearings
Nike
Nordstrom
Northrop Grumman
Northwest Airlines
Nu Gro Technologies
Nu-kote International
NutraMax Products
Nypro Alabama
O
O’Bryan Brothers Inc.
Ocwen Financial
Office Depot
Ogden Manufacturing
Oglevee, Ltd
Ohio Art
Ohmite Manufacturing Co.
Old Forge Lamp & Shade
Omniglow Corporation
ON Semiconductor
Orbitz
Oracle
OshKosh B’Gosh
Otis Elevator
Outsource Partners International
Owens-Brigam Medical Co.
Owens Corning
Oxford Automotive
Oxford Industries
P
Pacific Precision Metals
Pak-Mor Manufacturing
palmOne
Parallax Power Components
Paramount Apparel
Parker-Hannifin
Parsons E&C
Paxar Corporation
Pearson Digital Learning
Peavey Electronics CorporationÊÊ
PeopleSoft
PepsiCo
Pericom Semiconductor
PerkinElmer
PerkinElmer Life Sciences, Inc.
Perot Systems
Pfaltzgraff
Pfizer
Phillips-Van Heusen
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
Pitney Bowes
Plaid Clothing Company
Planar Systems
Plexus
Pliant Corporation
PL Industries
Polaroid
Polymer Sealing Solutions
Portal Software
Portex, Inc.
Portola Packaging
Port Townsend Paper Corp.
Power One
Pratt & Whitney
Price Pfister
priceline.com
Pridecraft Enterprises
Prime Tanning
Primus Telecom
Procter & Gamble
Progress Lighting
ProQuest
Providian Financial
Prudential Insurance
Q
Quaker Oats
Quadion Corporation
Quantegy
Quark
Qwest Communications
R
Radio Flyer
Radio Shack
Rainbow Technologies
Rawlings Sporting Goods
Rayovac
Raytheon Aircraft
RCG Information Technology
Red Kap
Regal-Beloit Corporation
Regal Rugs
Respiratory Support Products
Regence Group
R.G. Barry Corp.
Rich Products
River Holding Corp.
Robert Mitchell Co., Inc.
Rockwell Automations
Rockwell Collins
Rogers
Rohm & Haas
Ropak Northwest
RR Donnelley & Sons
Rugged Sportswear
Russell Corporation
S
S1 Corporation
S & B Engineers and Constructors
Sabre
Safeway
SAIC
Sallie Mae
Samsonite
Samuel-Whittar, Inc.
Sanford
Sanmina-SCI
Sapient
Sara Lee
Saturn Electronics & Engineering
SBC Communications
Schumacher Electric
Scientific Atlanta
Seal Glove Manufacturing
Seco Manufacturing Co.
SEI Investments
Sequa Corporation
Seton Company
Sheldahl Inc.
Shipping Systems, Inc.
Siebel Systems
Sierra Atlantic
Sights Denim Systems, Inc.
Signal Transformer
Signet Armorlite, Inc
Sikorsky
Silicon Graphics
Simula Automotive SafetyÊ
SITEL
Skyworks Solutions
SMC Networks
SML Labels
SNC Manufacturing CompanyÊ
SoftBrands
Sola Optical USA
Solectron
Sonoco Products Co.
Southwire Company
Sovereign Bancorp
Spectrum Control
Spicer Driveshaft Manufacturing
Springs Industries
Springs Window Fashions
Sprint
Sprint PCS
SPX Corporation
Square D
Standard Textile Co.
Stanley Furniture
Stanley Works
Stant Manufacturing
Starkist Seafood
State Farm Insurance
State Street
Steelcase
StorageTek
StrategicPoint Investment Advisors
Strattec Security Corp.
STS Apparel Corporation
Summitville Tiles
Sun Microsystems
Sunrise Medical
SunTrust Banks
Superior Uniform Group
Supra Telecom
Sure Fit
SurePrep
The Sutherland Group
Sweetheart Cup Co.
Swift Denim
Sykes Enterprises
Symbol Technologies
Synopsys
Synygy
T
Takata Retraint Systems
Target
Teccor Electronics
Techalloy Company, Inc.
Technotrim
Tecumseh
Tee Jays Manufacturing
Telcordia
Telect
Teleflex
TeleTech
Telex Communications
Tellabs
Tenneco Automotive
Teradyne
Texaco Exploration and Production
Texas Instruments
Textron
Thermal Industries
Therm-O-Disc, Inc.
Thomas & Betts
Thomasville Furniture
Thomas Saginaw Ball Screw Co.
Three G’s Manufacturing Co.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Time Warner
Tingley Rubber Corp.
The Timken Company
The Toro Company
Tomlinson Industries
Tower Automotive
Toys “R” Us
Trailmobile Trailer
Trans-Apparel Group
TransPro, Inc.
Trans Union
Travelocity
Trek Bicycle Corporation
Trend Technologies
TriMas Corp.
Trinity Industries
Triquint Semiconductor
TriVision Partners
Tropical Sportswear
TRW Automotive
Tumbleweed Communications
Tupperware
Tyco Electronics
Tyco International
U
UCAR Carbon Company
Underwriters Laboratories
UniFirst Corporation
Union Pacific Railroad
Unison Industries
Unisys
United Airlines
UnitedHealth Group Inc.
United Online
United Plastics Group
United States Ceramic Tile
United Technologies
Universal Lighting Technologies
USAA
V
Valence Technology
Valeo Climate Control
VA Software
Velvac
Vertiflex Products
Veritas
Verizon
VF Corporation
Viasystems
Vishay
Visteon
VITAL Sourcing
W
Wabash Alloys, L.L.C.
Wabash Technologies
Wachovia Bank
Walgreens
Walls Industries
Warnaco
Washington Group International
Washington Mutual
WebEx
WellChoice
Wellman Thermal Systems
Walls Industries
Werner Co.
West Corporation
Weavexx
Weiser Lock
West Point Stevens
Weyerhaeuser
Whirlpool
White Rodgers
Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company
Winpak Films
Wolverine World Wide
Woodstock Wire Works
WorldCom
World Kitchen
Wyeth
Wyman-Gordon Forgings
X
Xerox
Xpectra Incorporated
Xpitax
Y
Yahoo!
Yarway Corporation
York International
Z
Zenith
ZettaWorks
That was a really long list, but hopefully it got the message across.
The United States, once the greatest industrial power on earth, is rapidly becoming a post-industrial nation.
As of the end of 2009, less than 12 million Americans worked in manufacturing. The last time that less than 12 million Americans were employed in manufacturing was in 1941.
Meanwhile, our trade deficit continues to soar. Every single month, tens of billions of dollars more goes out of the United States than comes into it. We are literally being drained of our national wealth.
In the video posted below, Daniel R. Amerman, CFA, describes some of the horrific dangers that our absolutely massive trade imbalance is causing….
But most Americans could care less about these issues. They just want someone to “fix” things so they are the way they used to be, and they want to be able to continue to get great deals on cheap plastic crap down at the local Wal-Mart.
Unfortunately, the obscene lifestyles that we have all been living are not even close to sustainable. All of this consumerism is going to come crashing down one way or another. Most Americans seem to think that somehow this great bubble of debt can just keep expanding forever, but that is just not possible.
America is in such deep economic trouble that it is hard to even put it into words. Most Americans will not even understand this until the whole thing comes rudely crashing to the ground.
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By then it will be far too late.It's easy to gain a certain impression about the player that is Bernie Ibini. Two diamond earrings book-end his wide smile. Bright red basketball shoes prop-up a confident frame inked in tattoos, gold chains and a broad-faced watch that matches his bold white Chrysler. When he takes on defenders and dribbles through teams, the image seems to fit.
His stride is elegant, his showmanship a drawcard and his fashion more suitable to a night club than a football one. However, that's where the fit ends.
There is no penthouse suite to return to and everyday after training, Ibini parks his Chrysler in front of the house he grew up in Condell Park where he starts his second job as the patriarch of his family. Away from the cameras and the stadium, Ibini takes it upon himself to support his mother and three younger siblings.
Family is the priority of one of Australia's rising stars ever since the sudden and tragic passing of his father Ibi in 2013. There were no warning signs for the Ibini family before disaster struck and news of his father's heart attack hit as Bernie had taken the biggest leap of his career. Living alone in Shanghai, earning a lucrative pay-packet in the ambitious Chinese Super League, he had to put his overseas ambitions on hold to be with the people who mattered most.A data mining pilot project by the Flemish government to unlock the region's academic research is using mainly open source tools. The so-called RILOD (Research Information Linked Open Data) pilot is about to go into it's next - public - phase. After, the final two proprietary software tools will be swapped by open source alternatives, says Geert Van Grootel, a knowledge management expert working for the Economy, Science & Innovation (EWI) department of the Flemish government in Belgium. "We're replacing the proprietary relational database system by Postgresql and the text mining tool will also be switched to an open source alternative."
RILOD's components include multiple servers running Linux, Java application server |
to dampen the seizure, or prevent the seizure from happening altogether.
I learned that Hyatt likes to capitalize words unnecessarily.
I learned that Audition isn’t just for musicians.
I learned that Minneapolis isn’t always a desolate tundra.
The view from the twenty-somethingth floor of the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
I learned that, even though they might sound serious on the radio, journalists can be really funny off the air.
I learned that Reddit isn’t just for doge memes — it’s also for finding someone whose story could use telling.
This thread is where I found my subject.
I learned how to hold a unidirectional mic.
I’m probably not holding the mic quite right in this tweet, but at least I was learning. Thanks for the tweet, Melissa! And for letting me borrow your mic! And for serving as my professional mentor throughout this project! You were an endless source of positive energy throughout this project. Though I’ve never run a marathon, I imagine Next Gen is the j-school equivalent of a marathon, and you were the fan at the side of the street holding out a cup of water, telling me to keep on going, you’re almost there!
I learned that Instagram isn’t just for selfies. It’s also for stories.
I learned how to pitch (a story, that is, not a baseball — you do not want to see me pitch a baseball).
And I learned that you don’t always have to tell someone’s story with your own voice. You can build it with their own voice, which was the challenge of this project — we could only use others’ voices to build a story. The writing was in the editing, and in a short lead-in to help set the scene…
Erica Reinke was a graduate student at Vanderbilt University in 2012. On Halloween, driving to her internship, she experienced something that changed her life. It was a day that Erica will always remember, if only because on that day, she couldn’t remember a thing.
In other words, I learned a lot at Next Gen.
So after I finished my story, and checked — I mean, X’d — it off ye olde board of progress…
…and as I stood there in the Hyatt conference room upon presenting my story at the very conference I had heard about only a few weeks prior…
…you know I had a hard time answering the question Next Gen founder Doug Mitchell asked me — “What did you learn this week?” — in such a way that wouldn’t take up the whole hour we had reserved the conference room for. I can’t remember exactly what I said, but it was essentially this:
I learned that radio journalism can be something you do, and it doesn’t always have to be in isolation: it can also be in collaboration. In other words, there are other young people on this planet who give a damn about public media. I’m not alone. I found my people.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
RICHMOND, Va. -- Police have made an arrest after one victim says "all hell broke loose" when a violent fight broke out Sunday night involving a family who lives in Mosby Court, one of Richmond's notorious public housing complexes.
Richmond police said Thursday that they have arrested one juvenile female. Officials also said that detectives will make additional arrests as they continue to review video to ID others involved in the incident.
Detectives arrested a female teen Wednesday. She was charged with one felony count of inciting a riot and three counts of misdemeanor assault, but officials said more charges are pending.
CBS 6 obtained this cell phone video posted on Facebook that shows fighting between a group of people in Mosby Court around 7 p.m. along the 1900 block of Redd Street.
"We should be able to come out on our #$@$#*& porch," said one resident who spoke with CBS 6 on the condition of anonymity. "I should not be a prisoner in my own damn home,"
"They bank people. They don't fight one on one -- and they're out for blood," the woman said.
CBS 6 News reporter Sandra Jones spoke with one of the victims through the screen door now fearing for her family's safety.
She tells CBS 6, this incident is the result of an altercation her daughter had with two girls before a fight broke out.
"They jumped her. And my daughter came home, and she told me she got jumped," the woman said.
But then she and her husband made the mistake of confronting the group of kids, according to the victim. When they thought the situation was over, those kids showed up at their front door.
"I came out. I said listen we don't want to fight. We don't want to do this. Just go ahead it's over," she said.
However, the woman said that a girl in the crowd refused to leave and kept asking for her daughter.
"And she hit me," the woman said. "Once she hit me, all hell broke loose."
The woman said at least five girls attacked she and her daughter. Then her husband jumped in to try to break it up, but he was beaten up too.
"They tried to beat him to every inch of his life," she said.
According to the victim, her son was traumatized by the violence.
"He's got to watch his mom, dad and sister get beat like that," she explained. "Do you know what type of pain and sorrow my child is going through right now? "
The woman said Richmond police were responding to another fight in the complex.
"When the Housing Authority police were working, they were here a lot faster," said the resident.
Now, that family is planning to move and hopes to see more officers in the area.
"Because when somebody calls, they're not getting there in time. We could've lost our lives."
Richmond police said they have strong leads in this case and that those individuals will face aggravated assault charges.
RRHA released this statement to CBS 6:
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) is cooperating fully with the Richmond Police Department (RPD) in gathering details regarding an altercation caught on video among juveniles and adults. According to information received from RPD, the incident occurred Sunday evening (Sept. 21) on the 1900 block of Redd Street.
“RRHA is vehemently opposed to violence in our neighborhoods and is deeply disturbed by this unfortunate occurrence,” RRHA CEO Adrienne Goolsby said. “Lease enforcement remains a top priority and action will be taken as stated in the lease.”
RRHA’s focus remains on providing a safe living environment for all of its residents. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for updates on this developing story.The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
Some will say that it’s just NBA summer league, the Bulls fabulously fun 84-82 overtime win Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves to finish with a perfect 7-0 record and win the summer league title.
But winning does matter; more so, perhaps, now than ever in professional basketball with high schoolers switching schools at a whim no matter the outcomes, shoe companies owning AAU teams and making games one big commercial promotion. Winning and losing, sure, depend on talent, but they also become habits. The Bulls are trying to build the right habits, and joke if you will, but Monday in Las Vegas did matter.
“People that say (it’s just summer league) are saying they didn’t win summer league,” said Bulls No. 1 pick Denzel Valentine, who made two memorable shots, one to force overtime and the second to win the game at the overtime buzzer. “Whoever is saying that, that’s a losing mentality. If you’re out here, you’re competing. If you’re out here and not competing, then why are you playing? Play these games just like an NBA game.”
Perhaps the NBA world will little note nor long remember the terrific basketball game played at the UNLV address Monday night. But perhaps the Bulls will benefit for what those players did there as Bobby Portis had 26 points with four of seven threes and 10 rebounds, Jerian Grant had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Cristian Felicio had 12 points and eight rebounds. Valentine had just seven points, five on those critical shots while scoreless in the first three quarters as he was three of 10 overall and one of seven on threes.
But Valentine and that closing group with Grant, Portis, Felicio and Spencer Dinwiddie, many of whom will play together this season in an intriguing reserve group, showed not only grace under pressure, but the sort of perseverance and resilience that forms a top competitor.
“I told the guys I don’t care where you win, but winning is important because it teaches you a lot,” said assistant Pete Myers, who coached the summer league team. “I don’t care if it’s the summer league, in the pro am; every time you lace ‘em up, every time you go out to play, winning should be on your mind. That’s what you should try to do. I told them in the locker room, ‘You’re the best team in the summer’. Who else can say that?
“Fred (coach Hoiberg) at the end of the year came to our coaches and we talked about changing the culture,” related Myers. “Bobby, Cris and Doug (McDermott, sitting courtside) were in our facility every day working out. This is the start of it; people don’t want to believe it, but this is the start of it; this is what you do. Now since we have been invested in those kids’ development, trust comes easier when it comes time to coach those guys. The guys are at our facility getting the work; they know they can come to our building and improve. It shows players you are invested in them getting better.”
Those Bulls summer leaguers were impressive.
Valentine continued to show a confidence and composure rare for a rookie.
But he is a rare rookie.
“Four years of school,” Myers pointed out. “Who is his coach? He’s been in moments like this. You put the ball in his hand you know something good is probably going to happen. From the moment we saw him, the moment he came to work out, he’s a confident kid; he’s not afraid of the moment or the situation. I have this on the board in my office: Aggressive/Failure. That’s what he shows all the time. He’s not afraid to fail and I love him for it.”
Bulls fans likely will, as well, especially the way Valentine handled the close of a game that looked like a sure loss, then a sure win, then a sure second overtime.
“Coach Charlie (Henry, assistant) drew it up,” said Valentine of the regulation tying three with two tenths of a second left. “It was a flare for me or Bobby. I was wide open. They left me open for a reason because I didn’t make shots during the game. I would’ve left me open, too. But I got open and made the shot. I’m here for a reason. The Bulls picked me to be a confident player and come through when the team needs me and be a winner. That’s what I preached during my draft interviews. I just keep winning on my mind.
“As soon as they tied it up (in overtime),” Valentine related, “I went over to Coach Charlie and said, ‘Give me the ball. I’m going to win this game.’”
And what do you know if he didn’t live up to his promise, a stepback 18 footer at the buzzer after Minnesota tied it with a three with 11.7 seconds left.
Valentine pretty much took the ball and got himself in position to assume the responsibility.
“It was crazy when they hit that shot and then Denzel came back and hit that big one. We had a chemistry that was good for us to carry on to the season,” Felicio said afterward with some wonder and a beatific smile. “I did enjoy it; to win like that for me, it was the first time to win like that, something I will never forget. I have never experienced anything like that.”
Bulls players flooded onto the court to celebrate with Valentine followed by a trophy presentation. Las Vegas Summer league has become a show and big business, too. But the Bulls may have hit something of their own jackpot with players not afraid to succeed and not accepting of defeat.
“They gave me an incredible team,” said Myers. “We have two bigs who are coming (Felicio and Portis). It looks like they are going to be pretty good players up there. We had some veteran guys on the perimeter and they gelled well together. I’m just glad I had an opportunity to share this moment. The game moment, the tension, the competitive spirit it took to overcome some obstacles during the game. Young guys grow from this.”
Sure, it may prove instructive, but it also was a heck of a fun basketball game, played seriously with emotion, commitment to defense and competitive spirit. There was the back story of the Minnesota team now coached by former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau sat courtside while Hoiberg was a few rows up in the stands. Thibodeau’s assistants, Andy Greer and Rick Brunson, both former Bulls assistants, were on the Minnesota bench and were taking the game very seriously with exuberant greetings of players after big plays.
It was a fast start for the Bulls with Grant driving the ball and on one occasion all the way for a slam dunk. It was Grant’s best game of the summer and he won the final game MVP award. The Bulls led 14-4 and 18-13 after one quarter with tenacious defense. Felicio and Portis were aggressive trapping and helping on the pick and roll and Myers had the guards pressuring up into ball handlers. It was more aggressive than anything we saw last season.
The starting group was dominant as all were double figures plus in the plus/minus. The Bulls reserve group couldn’t score and left open the three-point shooters who led Minnesota to a 19-0 start to the second quarter and 14-point lead. It was 42-32 Minnesota at halftime. Promising Timberwolves rookie Kris Dunn sat out with a concussion sustained earlier in the tournament.
With the Bulls starters back to open the second half, the Bulls behind Portis’ three-point shooting went on a 19-2 run to regain the lead and then it was a battle of big shots the rest of the way.
After that third quarter, I ran into NBA Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood sitting courtside. The NBA Retired Players’ Association is having its annual convention this week and several former players were at the game. Haywood, of course, is famous for the Spencer Haywood Rule, which enabled players before their college classes graduated to enter the NBA. Haywood was remarking about Portis, whom he said impressed him most on the floor.
“I like the way he plays,” Haywood told me. “He’s old school in the way he’ll shoot and get inside. Old style. You can go somewhere playing like that.”
The Bulls certainly hope so as Portis led the team in summer league scoring and emerged as the motivational leader.
“It’s a confidence booster for the regular season coming up,” Portis said of the tournament win. “This team has been together and prepared and fought and went hard for the last two weeks and our team pushed each other. Credit to Denzel for making the shot, but I thought the team as a whole was like that from Game 1. I feel like out here this summer we had to find our roles on the team for what we could be in the season. Those five players who closed the game can be on the floor together; it’s going to be fun to play with those guys because we are all unselfish and we all play hard.
“I feel like the summer league is big for young guys to gain experience,” said Portis. “Last year we had a disappointing season and we are looking forward to this season. I feel like me playing (summer league) last year and coming back and helping these younger guys; yes, I’m young, too. But at the same time try to help guys get better and they help me get better.”
It looked like Minnesota would steal the game when Tyus Jones with 27 points made a long three-point heave with 3.6 seconds left against excellent Bulls defense. Felicio came out to double. Jones was trapped against the left sideline and threw up a desperation shot as the time clock expired. And it went in.
Henry, who worked for Hoiberg at Iowa State, designed a terrific play in which Felicio got an inbounds and reacted to how the defense played Portis and Valentine. They went with Portis.
“We have a coach who drew up the last two plays,” said Myers. “Coach Henry. He did a phenomenal job. The one play to take it to overtime and then at the end Denzel kind of did it himself; this is Fred’s system. It ain’t (our) plays, it’s Fred’s plays.”
Valentine, who’d made one shot in the first 39 minutes and 59.8 seconds, made his second and first three pointer to tie. No, they didn’t foul.
“I made so many big shots and I’ve played in so many different types of games,” said Valentine, who now joins the USA Basketball Select Team to practice against Jimmy Butler and the Olympic team the rest of the week along with McDermott. “I’ve had games like this where I’ve not scored all game and then hit big buckets. I’ve had games where I scored all the points and then missed game winners. That was our first time running it. That was all Coach Charlie. Coach Myers did a great job pushing us throughout the whole game. We were down 10 and 11 and he was holding us accountable, but staying positive. He was one of the biggest reasons why we were able to keep our heads up and still make plays when we needed to.”
The overtime looked easy for the Bulls as Grant scored five straight points to start. But Dinwiddie missed a pair of free throws leading by three with 18,6 seconds left. The Bulls then got suckered in by Jones, who passed to Xavier Silas for a three to tie the game at 82 with 11.7 seconds left.
Valentine time?
“It was a play to get the ball out to me at the top,” said Valentine. “Screen and roll with me and Bobby. Slip out with Bobby and hopefully they messed up and maybe it was a kickback. Got the switch we wanted and I just attacked. I didn’t have my legs. I kind of slipped a little bit. But I pump faked and had a clean look and just shot it with confidence.”
Even Dwyane Wade on a shoe company trip to Asia tweeted about Valentine’s game winner.
“It’s just giving me confidence that I can play with anyone,” said Valentine. “I know it’s going to be a challenge. Those guys are the best in the world. But I’m excited for it.”
And good reason to get excited again to watch the Bulls.The Chicago Bears have nine draft picks at their disposal for the 2016 NFL Draft, with the general narrative suggesting that the majority of Ryan Pace’s draft will be used on defense.
One skill player who could sneak his way into the Bears’ second-round plans is Ohio State’s Braxton Miller. The former-quarterback-turned-wide receiver has been one of the stars of the NFL Draft process, with some analysts suggesting that he could hear his name called toward the end of the first round.
While that’s likely a bit too rich for Miller’s overall projection, he certainly has entered the top-50 prospect watch. He was arguably the best player at the 2016 Reese’s Senior Bowl, flashing the speed and quickness that isn’t easy to find in 6’1″, 201 lb wideouts.
Miller ended the 2015 season with 26 catches for 341 yards and 3 TDs. He made an immediate impact on the college football landscape with this ridiculously athletic play in one of the first games of the season:
While that touchdown wasn’t the result of a perfectly run route or other receiver-specific trait, it does show just how coordinated and explosive Miller is with the football.
He is a work in progress at receiver, but he’s much farther along in his development because of his experience at quarterback; he thinks like a passer and puts himself where he’d want the receiver to be if he was throwing the ball. That’s a huge advantage for him as he makes the leap from the college ranks to the NFL.
Miller will need to become a better route runner. He was, at times, wild and out of control in his stem during the practice reps at the Senior Bowl; he was simply trying to do too much. As he develops more efficient and sharper routes, his natural athleticism and burst will create the kind of separation that quaterbacks can feed off of.
The Bears will have Miller on their draft board. It’s just a matter of whether they value him highly enough to take at No. 41.
The potential of a Jeffery / White / Miller receiver corps is scary. Jeffery is the ideal big-bodied possession receiver while White is your natural do-it-all talent; he can make the tough catch over the middle while still blowing by defenders for third-level passes. Miller would provide the ultimate complement to the two, racing across the field and giving nickel corners fits.
The Bears’ wide receiver group has some young talent worth developing, but a player with Braxton Miller’s unique skill set should be seriously considered in round two.Fact Check: Rex Tillerson on Climate Risks
Posted on 16 January 2017 by dana1981
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State – and until recently the CEO of ExxonMobil – Rex Tillerson was given a confirmation hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. In his testimony, Tillerson accepted the reality of human-caused global warming and that “The risk of climate change does exist and the consequences of it could be serious enough that action should be taken.”
While he accepted the problem exists, Tillerson nevertheless proceeded to downplay its risks, saying:
The increase in the greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are having an effect, our ability to predict that effect is very limited.
Many climate scientists took issue with that statement, and for good reason. Climate models have been very accurate in their projections about many consequences of human carbon pollution. It’s true that there’s uncertainty in just how quickly some of those consequences will be triggered. The bad news is that recent studies have shown that many of those consequences are happening more quickly than climate scientists anticipated. Greater climate uncertainty translates into more urgency to tackle the problem, not less.
The Gulf Stream could shut down sooner than anticipated
The Gulf Stream – which keeps the UK and surrounding area significantly warmer than it would otherwise be – is part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Research has shown it could shut down as a result of global warming:
In 1997, the oceanographer Wallace Broecker, of Columbia University in New York, suggested that if the Gulf stream turned off, winter temperatures in the British Isles could fall by an average of 11°C - plunging Blackpool or Berwick to the same temperatures as Spitsbergen, inside the Arctic circle. Any dramatic drop in temperature could have devastating implications for agriculture - and for Europe’s ability to feed itself.
Just how quickly such a shutdown could happen has been a subject of debate and research among climate scientists. A study published in Science Advances in early January corrected for a bias recently identified in climate models that acted to keep the AMOC and Gulf Stream more stable than it appears to be in reality:
Freshwater continually flows into the northern Atlantic through precipitation, rivers and ice-melting. But supply of salty waters from the south, through the Gulf Stream System, balances this. If however the current slows, there is less salt supply, and the surface ocean gets less salty. This fresher water is lighter than saltier water and therefore cannot sink into the depths so easily. Since this sinking – the so-called deep water formation – drives the Gulf Stream System, the current continues to weaken. There is a critical point when this becomes an unstoppable vicious circle. This is one of the classic tipping points in the climate system.
In most climate models, the AMOC imports fresh water, which would make the circulation more stable. According to recent observational data, the AMOC is actually exporting fresh water. The authors of the study corrected for this bias, and ran the models in a scenario of an abrupt doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from about 350 to 700 ppm.
This is a more extreme scenario than a more gradual ramping up of carbon levels, but importantly, the study did not account for meltwater flowing into the Atlantic from the melting Greenland ice sheet. Recent research has shown that Greenland meltwater may significantly weaken the AMOC in the coming decades.
Under the study’s scenario, the AMOC lost a third of its strength after 100 years, and broke down within about 300 years. As a result, average winter temperatures over parts of northern and western Europe would become 7°C colder than today.
Arctic and Antarctic ice is melting fast
Global sea ice has also been tracking at record-shattering low levels.
Global sea ice extent data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The 2016-2017 records lows are shown in red.
Climate scientists have known for about a decade that Arctic sea ice is declining faster than climate models anticipated. In 2016, Antarctic sea ice also hit an extreme record low, but until recently, had been stable and even expanding slightly. Counter-intuitively, global warming is one of the causes of that Antarctic sea ice expansion, as climate scientists Andreas Schmittner and Peter Clark explained:
When the ocean temperatures warm, it causes more direct melting of the ice sheet below the surface, and it increases the number of icebergs that calve off the ice sheet … The cold, fresh water freezes more easily, creating additional sea ice despite warmer temperatures that are down hundreds of meters below the surface.
In December, they published a study in Nature finding that not only would the collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet cause large-scale sea level rise, but that it would also increase global climate variability, which translates into greater risks.
Another study published in Science Advances in December found that Totten glacier in East Antarctica is melting from below due to warming ocean waters. During the Pliocene epoch 3 million years ago, global temperatures were about 2 to 3°C hotter than today, but sea levels were a whopping 25 meters (80 feet) higher. The melting of East Antarctic ice may help explain that tremendous sea level rise.
Meanwhile, a massive iceberg the size of Delaware is poised to break off the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula, much as the Larsen B ice shelf did starting in 2002:
Collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica.
Scientists have also concluded that the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet is already underway and is likely unstoppable. The loss of the entire ice sheet would eventually cause up to a 4-meter (13-foot) sea level rise over several centuries.
These are some of the consequences that led the Department of Defense – unlike Tillerson – to consider climate change an imminent threat.
Verdict: while Tillerson was correct to say that climate change risks exist and may warrant some action, he proceeded to downplay those risks in a manner inconsistent with the scientific literature on the subject.The 4 Camera Modes in “Mervils: A VR Adventure”
Blake Stone Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 9, 2016
Mervils: A VR Adventure Camera Modes
Hey guys, Mervils (Early Access) is an Exploration Platformer featuring puzzles, quests, and beautiful sights with both first and third-person gameplay.
For you to enjoy Mervils to fullest it’s worth playing around with all the different gameplay & camera settings within the game before you jump in.
Comfortable Camera Mode Settings
Mervils can be played in either “Standing/ Roomscale” or Sitting” position with 4 camera modes:
#1 Nice and Comfortable! 3rd-person + “Blink” Movement + “Snap Rotation”
Overall Mervils is a very comfortable game no matter what setting due to the natural camera speed but the “Blink Gameplay” option will be most comfortable for 99% of players.
This camera mode uses a double “blink” setup where the player can move their character and “blink” to his/her position without any artificial movement. Secondly, the Right-Stick will snap around the character instead of smoothly rotating giving the same “blink” like effect!
# 2 Smooth and Comfortable! 3rd-person + “Smooth Camera Follow”+ “Snap Rotation”
This setup removes the “Blink” function to follow your character throughout the Mervil worlds. Instead, the camera will smoothly follow your character as you run. For most Rift users this will still be a very comfortable experience and may even heighten the immersion within the game.
#3 Moderately Comfy! 3rd person + “Smooth Camera Follow” + “Smooth Rotation”
This setup removes both “blink” options from your character and allows you to smoothly follow and smoothly rotate around your character. The smooth following camera shouldn’t induce any motion sickness but the “smooth rotation” around the character may for some players.
This setup won’t be comfortable for many but the people that like it, love it! So we’ve decided to keep it in for everyone with the strongest VR legs! Just press “X” to enable first-person mode when you have “smooth camera follow” enabled.
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Feel free to ask us any questions about the game below!
-BlakeStoneVR
Find Mervils on Steam and Oculus HomeUpdated - 3/31 - We updated the restriction to apply only to characters that are transferring between accounts. You should be once more be able to transfer between realms on the same account.
Patch 6.1.2 Known Issues- Working as intended. -There was a recent change to the character transfer system that prevents characters with Heirlooms in their inventory from transferring. This is an intentional change.In order to transfer your character you'll need to delete any existing Heirlooms from your character's inventory. You can mail them through the normal Battle.net mail system if you wish, but you will be unable to transfer with the physical items.We are aware of an issue where this item is showing as the improper faction for both Horde and Alliance. We are working to address it and hope to have a resolution as quickly as possible.Update - Issue resolved.We are looking into an issue where RaF reward options seem to have disappeared. The reward option has not been lost, it just is not currently available to be redeemed.Update - Issue should be resolved though some folks are receiving notification when they first log in that they have a reward available or they may receive a mount they already have learned. This is just the system reapplying the reward. If you receive a copy of a mount you already own you can safely delete it.We continue to look into an issue impacting players who received a character boost from the Warlords of Draenor upgrade or purchased a separate one where the option to boost their character is not available. We hope to have this issue resolved as soon as possible.Update: Issue resolvedHoly moly! If you’re a fan of waffles and ice cream, then this recipe totally takes the cake (pun intended)! We’re partnering up with the Food Network’s Chopped Junior (all new Tuesdays at 8|7c) to bring you this epic food mashup, where we take the concept of an ice cream sandwich and marry it with the concept of an ice cream cake. Then, since we’re not holding back with this recipe, we take the whole idea and waffle-ize it. If you’re looking for a dessert that has that wow-factor, but is also super simple to throw together, then you’ll definitely want to give this beautiful waffle ice cream cake a try! Just watch how easily it comes together.
WAFFLE ICE CREAM CAKE
Serves 8
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
1 box chocolate cake mix, plus the ingredients called for in the package directions
2-3 cups vanilla ice cream
2-3 cups chocolate ice cream
2-3 cups strawberry ice cream
8 oz strawberries – divided – 2 cut and fanned for garnish
⅓ cup sugar
Hot fudge
Equipment
7” Waffle Maker
Cooling Racks
Sheet Pans
1 Icing Spatula
Special Note: You will need to work quickly to prevent your ice cream from melting too much. Freezer settings may need to be adjusted.
Instructions
Preheat waffle maker on high per manufacturer’s instructions. Prepare cake mix per box instructions. When waffle iron is fully heated, pour a heaping ½ cup cake batter into the center of the iron. Cook until indicator light goes off, remove and place waffle on a cooling rack. Repeat, making four waffles. Once cooled, place in freezer until ready to use. Hull and chop the strawberries for the sauce. (Reserve 2 of the best looking strawberries for garnish.) Place in a saucepan and combine with the sugar. Stir occasionally and cook over medium heat until sauce has thickened and reduced. Remove from heat and puree. Refrigerate until cooled completely. Working one at a time, scoop 2-3 cups of softened ice cream on a frozen waffle. Spread the ice cream like frosting, evenly and smoothly, out to the edges of the cake. Place finished layer in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Repeat with remaining 2 flavors. To assemble: Place the chocolate waffle layer on a plate or frozen sheet pan. Place the strawberry waffle layer on top of the chocolate ** and spoon two large spoonfuls of the cooled strawberry sauce onto the middle of the ice cream. Take the vanilla ice cream layer and top with the remaining waffle. Press the waffle down evenly, then place on top of the strawberry layer with the sauce. Press gently on the top, and then freeze the whole cake for 2 hours or up to overnight. Garnish with fresh strawberries and hot fudge.
Pro Tip: * A 16.5oz cake mix will yield 6 – 7” waffles. This recipe needs 4 for assembly. Unused waffles can be frozen and reserved for later use.
* When placing the waffle layers on top of each other, try to line the edges/lines up for a cleaner presentation.
Update: Were you thinking that each layer of this cake could be it’s own giant ice cream sandwich? Us to — so we made chocolate waffle ice cream sandwiches.
This is a sponsored post, paid for by our partner, Food Network.Early Wednesday morning, NBC News was up with a big story: the Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, came close to resigning this summer, it said, and he had to be talked out of it by Vice-President Mike Pence. Citing three unnamed sources, the report also said that, on July 20th, after a meeting at the Pentagon in which Donald Trump and his advisers discussed military options in Afghanistan, Tillerson referred to the President as a “moron.”
Within hours, Tillerson was standing at a lectern, addressing reporters. This in itself was unusual. In keeping with his status as the former chief executive of ExxonMobil, a hidebound business empire that traces its roots to John D. Rockefeller, Tillerson has generally adopted a dismissive attitude toward reporters. Usually, he barely tells them where in the world he is going. Calling them in for an unscheduled announcement raised everybody’s expectations. Was he resigning? He was not. He was refuting.
“To address a few specifics that have been erroneously reported this morning, the Vice-President has never had to persuade me to remain as Secretary of State, because I have never considered leaving this post,” Tillerson said, in his Texan twang. “Let me tell you what I’ve learned about this President, whom I did not know before taking this office. He loves his country. He puts Americans and America first. He’s smart.” The last assertion was evidently meant to address the “moron” quote. Tillerson didn’t explicitly refer to the NBC News report, however, so after he had finished reading his statement, a reporter asked him to do so. “I’m not going to deal with petty stuff like that,” Tillerson replied. “The places I come from, we don’t deal with that kind of petty nonsense. And it is intended to do nothing but divide people. And I’m just not going to be part of this effort to divide this Administration.”
Parts of the media quickly leapt on that response as a non-denial. Within minutes, the Daily Beast was running the headline “Rex Tillerson Will Neither Quit Nor Deny He Called Trump A Moron.” Another headline, at the Washington Post’s Fix column, said, “Rex Tillerson might as well have just admitted he called Trump a ‘moron.’ ” On MSNBC, meanwhile, Stephanie Ruhle, one of the NBC News reporters responsible for the scoop, informed viewers, “My source didn’t just say that he called him a moron. He said an ‘effing moron.’ ”
Later in the day, Heather Nauert, the State Department’s spokeswoman, issued a more explicit denial on Tillerson’s behalf. “The Secretary did not use that type of language to speak about the President of the United States,” Nauert insisted. “He did not say that.” But if Nauert’s statement is true, and Tillerson didn’t use the M-word, you have to ask yourself: Why not?
The Pentagon meeting on July 20th came a day after another meeting of Trump’s national-security team, held in the White House Situation Room. According to a previous report by NBC News, Trump stunned many of those present by threatening to fire the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, whom he hadn’t even met, and suggesting that he could get better advice by talking to someone far less senior. He regaled those in attendance with a story about how, back in the eighties, he hired an expensive consultant to advise him on renovating the “21” Club, in midtown Manhattan, only to discover that he would have been better off listening to one of the waiters.
Five days after that display of contempt for the expertise of his experts, Trump delivered a speech at the annual Boy Scout Jamboree, in which he boasted about the size of his electoral vote, called Washington a “sewer,” and joked about firing Tom Price, who was then the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Tillerson has lifelong ties to the Scouts. His father worked for the Boy Scouts of America. He himself was an Eagle Scout, and from 2010 |
42-page document also addresses the schools’ reliance on taxpayer finances. It says the yeshivas received federal, state and local funds, and that grants must be used to supplement secular education, “not supplant it, and certainly not to be used for religious education.”
You can read the full lawsuit here.
The plaintiffs want something they shouldn’t have to ask for: A few hours of secular education a day, taught by teachers who know what they’re doing. They also want remedial courses offered to graduates of the school who didn’t get a proper education.
Realize that, if these claims check out, taxpayer money is being used to preach Orthodox Judaism to students. They’re not learning the information they would need to know to succeed outside their bubble, forcing them to remain trapped in the Orthodox world. It’s a complete abdication of responsibility from the adults in charge — and there’s reason to believe it’s all on purpose.
(via Religion Clause)The 2011 tax year may be a pivotal one for many U.S. citizens living abroad, including the roughly one million living in Canada, as the Internal Revenue Service moves towards enforcing reporting guidelines and compliance rules for its expatriates.
The United States requires all of its citizens file a tax return on global income regardless of where they live or for how long, even if no money is owed to the IRS. That applies to dual U.S.-Canadian citizens living here — even those who might have moved to Canada as a baby and never returned to their country of birth, let alone ever earned any income in the U.S.
It also applies if a person has dutifully paid all their taxes — often at a higher rate — in Canada, although a treaty prevents such a person from getting dinged twice by the taxman.
The U.S. government also requires Americans to file annual Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Account (FBARs) if they held foreign accounts that, taken together, totalled $10,000 or more at any point in the tax year.
In other words, the U.S. imposes tax obligations on the basis of citizenship, not residency. And the IRS can impose steep penalties on U.S. citizens for non-compliance.
The question remains how the U.S. could enforce decisions affecting Canadian citizens unless they enter the United States. The Canadian government says the Canada Revenue Agency will not collect penalties imposed by the IRS under FBAR. And Canada's Department of Finance adds that the CRA won't collect taxes the IRS says are owed to the U.S. by Canadian citizens under FBAR.
Tax crackdown
Part of the U.S. effort around expatriate tax compliance involves the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, passed in 2010 as part of a U.S. jobs bill, which requires foreign financial institutions to provide information on American-owned accounts.
The legislation imposes a 30 per cent tax on U.S.-connected payments to non-participating financial institutions and account holders.
"When taxpayers overseas avoid paying what they owe, other Americans have to bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden. FATCA is an important part of the U.S. government’s effort to address that issue," Emily McMahon, acting assistance secretary for tax policy with the U.S. Treasury, said in a February IRS release.
A number of countries, including Canada, have expressed unease with having financial institutions hand over client data to the IRS. It’s still unclear how the FATCA reporting requirements will work — but the U.S. government is still moving towards implementing the global system.
In February, it touted a new arrangement with five EU countries that will see a government-to-government information sharing arrangement and the IRS said it would lower reporting requirements to align with information already being collected by financial institutions.
‘Getting everyone on board’
The introduction of FATCA caused quite a stir, with many fearful of hefty fines imposed on life savings and retirement nest eggs, although that has largely died down now, said Wayne Bewick, a partner at accounting firm Trowbridge Professional Corp.
"I think a lot of this is compliance, just getting everyone on board," Bewick, a chartered accountant who specializes in international taxation, said.
And the U.S. government has since eased a number of FATCA provisions, raising the threshold for reporting to accounts holding $200,000 US for singles or $400,000 US for couples and pushing back the implementation to January 2013.
The U.S. has also said data currently being collected by most financial institutions would satisfy its reporting requirements.
Although FATCA seems largely aimed at Americans living in tax shelters like the Cayman Islands, Bewick said now is the time for U.S. citizens living in Canada to start filing returns.
He recommends supplying six years of income tax returns — even if no money is owing — along with a letter explaining why they weren’t filed before. He also suggests filing six years of FBARs.
Steep penalties for non-compliance
The IRS has suggested that U.S. citizens file returns now to avoid trouble in the future.
The good news is that it appears Uncle Sam is willing to give some amount of leeway if expatriates bring their records up to date with the U.S. tax man. In December of last year, it published a fact sheet outlining income tax requirements for Americans living abroad, which said penalties would not be imposed in all cases.
According to U.S. tax law, the IRS can impose a failure to file penalty equal to five per cent of the amount required to be shown on the return for each month to a maximum of 25 per cent. However, no penalty is imposed if no money is owed.
There are also steep fines for failing to file FBARs — up $10,000 US for non-willful violations and the greater of either $100,000 US or 50 per cent of the account balance for willfully failing to file.
The same December release from the IRS said FBAR penalties would be waived if they were the result of a "reasonable cause."
Bewick said many people have expressed anger at the rules governing U.S. citizens living abroad, some going so far as to suggest they would renounce their citizenship to avoid the reporting requirements.
Renouncing American citizenship, however, requires a person to file five years of income tax returns, Bewick pointed out.
"People just think it’s unfair — it’s completely unfair — and it probably is unfair. But unfortunately the law is the law and it’s just better to get compliant than try to fight off the IRS," he said.The Mach 30 Shepard Test Stand is a test stand for Estes rocket motors. It is named after Alan Shepard, America's first astronaut, as it is our first test stand. The Shepard Test Stand uses an Arduino Uno with a custom shield to provide the physical interface between the data collecting computer and the required sensors. This project is the first in a series of projects to develop the required skills for the practice of safe rocket engine operation, and to develop the capability to measure and record data about a rocket engine's performance. The use of Estes class motors provides a relatively safe environment to learn in before moving to higher powered motors and engines. The ultimate vision is to develop test stands for full scale liquid rocket engines for use in orbital launch systems.President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE is concerned that he will not be able to continue using his Android cellphone once he takes office, according to a new report.
According to The New York Times, Trump voiced concerns to his aides over becoming isolated without the phone and keeping in contact with his friends.
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Trump became known for tweeting at all hours of the day during his presidential campaign.
At times, the tweets came from his Android phone, which the Twitter application may denote at the bottom of tweets.
Days before the election, President Obama mocked Trump after a report indicated the businessman's aides had revoked his access to his Twitter account.
"Apparently his campaign has taken away his Twitter," Obama said during a rally for Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE. "In the last two days, they had so little confidence in his self control, they said: 'We're just going to take away your Twitter.'"
"Now, if somebody cant handle a Twitter account, they can't handle the nuclear code," Obama said. "If somebody starts tweeting at three in the morning because 'SNL' made fun of you, then you can't handle the nuclear codes."
The report also said that Trump’s recently opened Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., may replace the Blair House in hosting international dignitaries.
According to the report, Trump is also in the process of speaking with the Secret Service about how often he can go to Trump Tower in New York City. The president-elect wants to vacation at his own resorts, including Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.
Following his victory over Hillary Clinton, the Times reported that Trump had hoped to split his time between the White House and his Manhattan penthouse.Excluded candidates can run in the 7 March elections. They had originally been excluded because of their alleged ties to the former regime of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi government calls the decision “illegal and unconstitutional”. The final decision is up to the Supreme Court.
Baghdad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Iraqi government has condemned the unbanning of about 500 candidates with alleged ties to Saddam Hussein's Baa‘th party. They had been told they could not stand in the 7 march parliamentary election, but now they can contest next month's poll.
A government spokesman said the court decision was "illegal and unconstitutional".
Next month’s election is regarded as a crucial test for Iraq's national reconciliation process ahead of a planned US military withdrawal.
Under Saddam, Iraq’s Sunni minority ran the country. With the dictator’s fall, they lost their power and complain they have been marginalised by the current Shia-led government.
An appeals panel ruled yesterday that candidates barred by the Justice and Accountability Commission, a body set up to ensure Saddam loyalists do not again infiltrate public life, could run in the 7 March vote.
Now the issue goes further. The Election Commission announced that it would appeal the panel’s ruling to the Supreme Court. The latter still has to decide on the lists running for office, and thus choose whether the panel’s decision is binding or not.
Iraqi Sunnis are celebrating the decision. Sunni lawmaker Saleh al-Mutlaq, who is on the exclusion list, said the decision was a "victory" for the Iraqi people.
Supporters of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition dismissed the decision.
Allies in the current government, Maliki and the INA will be rivals in the election.
Others suspect that the panel’s decision was the result of pressure or interference by the United States.Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon edition is the latest release of Linux Mint 18 series features Cinnamon Desktop 3.6 as default desktop environment. Cinnamon 3.6 is the largest and most important part of the Linux Mint 18.3 release. It includes loads of improvements, new features and bug fixes.
One of the most notable improvements in Cinnamon 3.6 is the configuration module for Cinnamon spices (applets, desklets, extensions, themes) was completely revamped. Support “window-progress” when an application uses it, its progress is visible in the panel window list and it handled by libXapp. The size and position of the on-screen keyboard are now configurable. Also, supports GNOME Online Accounts. Among other things, this support makes it possible to browse Google Drive and OwnCloud in Nemo.
Linux Mint 18.3 comes with updated components and refinements, but also a bunch of new features, such as a configurable login screen, new System Reports tool for easier reporting of crashes, a dedicated tool for creating system snapshots called Timeshift, and a completely revamped Backup Tool.
Default application include in this release we can mention Firefox Quantum 57 as default browser, Thunderbird email client 52.4, LibreOffice 5.1.6, Transmission BitTorrent Client 2.84, Rhytmbox music player 3.3, HecChat 2.10, GIMP Image editor 2.8, include GNOME apps 3.18 such as (system monitor, baobab, gnome terminal) and X-Apps (Xplayer, Xed, Xviewer, Xreader) received many bug fixes and improvements.
Linux Minx 18.3 “Sylvia” is based on the Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS Xenial Xerus, powered by the Linux 4.10 kernel series by default and will receive software updates and security fixes until 2021.
Linux Mint 18.3 cinnamon release notes | Download Linux Mint 18.3 cinnamonRANDOLPH — A 58-year-old woman was killed Wednesday when the Jeep she was driving careened through a fence and landed in a swimming pool at her apartment complex here, police said.
Police, firefighters, and emergency medical workers responded at 12:46 p.m. to 59 Highland Glen Drive, where the woman’s vehicle had crashed into the pool, Randolph Police Chief William Pace said at the scene.
A good Samaritan and a police officer pulled the victim from her car, Pace said.
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He said the woman was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, where she was pronounced dead.
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She had been in the water for roughly three to five minutes, Pace said.
Related Links Video: Randolph woman dies after crashing car into pool
The chief could not confirm whether the woman had a medical episode before the incident, but he added that the crash is under investigation.
Pace declined to identify the woman because her family had not been notified.
After the accident, police and other workers drained the pool at the Castle Village condominiums to allow easier access for extricating the Jeep. The vehicle was placed on a flatbed truck and driven away shortly after 5 p.m.
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Pat McKeown, 51, said she was in her apartment when she heard a crash and saw the vehicle floating in the water.
The victim, who had a bloodied face, was placed on a stretcher and taken away by ambulance, McKeown said.
“It was terrible, sickening,” she said. “I was just glad that there was no one else in the pool at the time.”
Neighbors said the woman was a longtime resident of the complex who was planning to move to Florida to escape New England winters.
“She showed me the house” in Florida, said Mary Sheehan, 64, a close friend. “She loved the house. She couldn’t wait to get there.”
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Sheehan said the woman had health issues, including two prior strokes. She said she had not been feeling well recently, and Sheehan asked her if she had gone to the doctor.
“I didn’t push it,” Sheehan said. She said she and the woman went out to dinner on Saturday night.
“Thank God we were out Saturday, and she had a good time,” Sheehan said.
Another neighbor, Kim Mayberger, 45, said the woman was a dedicated member of the apartment complex’s board of trustees.
“I’m just in total shock right now,” Mayberger said.
According to neighbors, the woman was originally from Long Island and worked as an administrative assistant at a hospital. She had no children and was unmarried, and had no family in the area.
She lived alone with her dog, Willy, neighbors said.
“He was like her son,” Sheehan said.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe. Melissa Hanson can be reached at melissa.hanson@globe.com or on Twitter @Melissa__Hanson.As 5G marches ever closer, we’ll see things from our mobile devices we could only dream of just a few years ago. Currently, 4G remains is the standard of choice. Or is it LTE? Are they the same thing? Throw in things like HSPA+, WiMax, TD-LTE, 4G LTE, LTE-Advanced and you have a recipe for confusion.
Read Next: What is 4G? | What is LTE Advanced?
If you’ve been browsing through different smartphones and carrier contracts, you have probably spotted a number of these terms scattered throughout advertisements and spec sheets. These days, fast mobile data connections are easy to come by in many countries around the world, but all of these terms and network types can mean slightly different things for your data speeds.
In this post we are focusing on 4G vs. LTE, how they differ, and where the confusion lies.
The trouble deciding standards with 4G vs LTE
Although the International Telecommunications Union-Radio (ITU-R) decided upon the specifications for 4G back in 2008, a number of different names have appeared for networks promising 4G data speeds, many of which provide very different results.
The problem with creating standards is twofold. First, the standards aren’t strictly enforceable, as the ITU-R has no control over carrier implementations. Second, the transition from an old standard to a new one doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a long period where early networks don’t necessarily match up with what consumers expect. Although most advanced 4G LTE markets have passed this stage now, these networks types are still developing in some countries and the issue is bound to rear its head again as we move towards 5G.
Many “first generation” 4G technologies, such as Mobile WiMAX and HSPA+, didn’t quite match up to the full specifications. This situation only became more complicated in October 2010, when the ITU-R completed its assessment of six different candidates to actually use to meet the full requirements of the planned 4G standard.
After much deliberation, LTE-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced (WiMax Release 2) were designated as the IMT-Advanced compliant technologies, and the age of real 4G began. However, HSPA+, WiMAX, and LTE were also allowed to be labelled as 4G technologies, despite not offering the full feature set promised by the “official” technologies. This was because many carriers and hardware manufacturers had already begun investing in these networks during the two and a half year deliberation.
The “true 4G” standard
LTE-Advanced and Wireless MAX-Advanced are the networking technologies that actually meet the “true 4G” specifications, though LTE-Advanced is the one you’ll actually see in consumer markets. If you’re running an LTE, WiMAX, or HSPA+ connection, you’re not really up to speed.
Even LTE — commonly marketed at 4G LTE — doesn’t satisfy the technical requirements decided upon in this specification. To differentiate LTE Advanced and WiMAX-Advanced from current 4G technologies, the ITU has defined them as “True 4G,” though you will very rarely ever see this term used. Hence the confusion in the early days of 4G network roll-outs.
Standard HSPA+ WiMAX Rel 1 LTE LTE-Advanced WiMax Rel 2 "True 4G" Download 84 Mbps 128 Mbps 100 Mbps 1000 Mbps 1000 Mbps 1000 Mbps Upload 22 Mbps 56 Mbps 50 Mbps 500 Mbps 500 Mbps 500 Mbps
However, even Release 8 of the LTE-Advanced standard only supports maximum download speeds of 300Mbps, below the IMT-Advanced standard. It wasn’t until the Release 10 specification that LTE-A networks were defined to provide peak download capabilities of 1Gbps download and 500Mbps upload. As such, network hardware is split into categories depending on their capabilities and you won’t see devices or networks automatically jump up to meet these specs. In other words, LTE and WiMax standards are gradually improving to meet the IMT-Advanced specification.
LTE Class Speeds Aggregation Options Category 12 600 Mbps download
100 Mbps upload 3 x 20MHz download
2 x 20MHz upload Category 10 450 Mbps download
100 Mbps upload 3 x 20MHz download
2 x 20MHz upload Category 9 450 Mbps download
50 Mbps upload 3 x 20MHz download Category 7 300 Mbps download
100 Mbps download 2 x 20MHz download
2 x 20MHz upload Category 4 150 Mbps download
50 Mbps upload 2 x 10MHz download
Furthermore, this isn’t a guide for the speeds that consumers will actually see. Instead, customers are more likely to be able to use speeds approaching 100 Mbit/s on mobile devices with a strong LTE-A connection, while the 1Gbit/s speed is defined for low mobility wireless access points.
The standards must also provide backwards compatibility with the investments into early “4G” technologies. Therefore LTE and LTE-A implementations can share bandwidth, which has contributed to more affordable gradual roll outs.
Here are the latest LTE-Advanced specifications from 3GPP:
Increased peak data rate, DL 3 Gbps, UL 1.5 Gbps
Higher spectral efficiency, from a maximum of 16bps/Hz in R8 to 30 bps/Hz in R10
Increased number of simultaneously active subscribers
Improved performance at cell edges, e.g. for DL 2×2 MIMO at least 2.40 bps/Hz/cell.
The big enabler for these type of speeds in consumer hardware is carrier aggregation, a term you have probably spotted on high-end smartphone specifications sheets. Carrier aggregation enables receiving handsets to make better use of fragmented carrier bands, in order to downloaded data faster through the use of multi-antenna techniques (MIMO) and Coordinated Multi Point (CoMP) technologies. The LTE-A standard supports up to five carriers and up to 100MHz. Some high-end modems will support two or three carriers these days and can therefore provide some pretty speedy data connections.
It’s also important to note that LTE-A isn’t just about handset download speeds. There is also a big push to improve infrastructure to achieve these high download rates. LTE-A aims to improve data speeds by using a mix of traditional macro cells and vastly improved small cells. The aim is to offer better high speed coverage at the network’s edge and more bandwidth, but the transmitters will have to function on different frequency bands in order to avoid interference.
A look at the 4G vs LTE market in 2019
The past several years have seen a much wider rollout of LTE networks and a number of countries and carriers have begun offering carrier aggregated networks to consumers. In fact, according to the latest report from GSA, 95 operators in 56 countries are investing in all three of the key Gigabit LTE component technologies (carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO, and 256QAM modulation in the downlink) and 47 operators in 32 countries have actually deployed all three technologies.
The GSA report states 22 operators have announced their LTE-A networks can approach, match, or even exceed a 1Gbps peak theoretical throughput in the downlink. Only one, AT&T, is based in the U.S. The report also said 10 percent of all LTE-Advanced networks in the world can already support those kinds of download speeds. Some of these faster speeds have been billed as “5G Evolution” by AT&T, which will only add confusion once the 5G standard comes into its own. The report concludes more and more operators will offer these kinds of technology and theoretical download speeds well into 2019.
The TL;DR of it is that LTE and LTE-A are both essentially forms of “true” 4G. Meanwhile, some networks clinging on to the name “4G” aren’t really in full compliance with the standard. Hopefully, we have given you an answer to the 4G vs. LTE question, which as you can see can get quite complicated.A San Diego man who had been visiting relatives in Chicago will spend Christmas in jail after prosecutors say he told a woman he had a bomb in his luggage at O'Hare International Airport, spurring an evacuation of the terminal.
Dressed in a red Chicago Bulls jacket, Otis Evans said nothing as Judge John F. Lyke Jr. denied him bail Saturday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Evans, 34, was charged with disorderly conduct in connection with a false bomb threat in the incident Friday afternoon, the busiest travel day of the holiday season.
Evans, who had been in Chicago visiting relatives for two weeks, was waiting to take an American Airlines flight back to California when he began quarreling with a woman at an electronics charging station about 1 p.m. Friday, according to prosecutors and police.
He told the woman: “I just want you to know something — I have a bomb in my bag.” The woman told Evans to leave her alone, prosecutors said.
A witness who overheard the comment, an off-duty American Airlines employee according to police, immediately told a gate agent, who alerted authorities. The report triggered the evacuation of Terminal 3 that delayed flights, as bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in to examine the area, prosecutors said. Inside Evans’ bag, authorities only found clothing and a phone charger, prosecutors said.
After he was taken into custody and read his rights, Evans denied saying he had a bomb. “I got into an argument with the lady, and I said 'Don't worry about my bag. There is no bomb in it,’ ” he was quoted as saying in his arrest report. “The lady misheard me.”
The allegations were “disturbing to say the least,” Lyke said from the bench. “Making a bomb threat in an airport is not only stupid, it's dangerous,” he added before denying bail.
Evans, of the 7600 block of Skyline Drive in San Diego, will have a chance to have his bail reconsidered when he returns to court Friday.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboyQUITO, Ecuador - Two powerful earthquakes jolted Ecuador on Wednesday, a magnitude 6.7 early morning temblor followed by a 6.8 shake near midday near the Pacific coast area where a devastating quake hit a month ago, knocking out power and rattling scared residents in their sleep but otherwise causing only limited damage.
The extent of damage from the second quake was not immediately clear, though the first caused relatively little damage.
1,700 missing after Ecuador earthquake
The U.S. Geological Survey said the second quake was centered along the coast below land about 15 miles north of the city of Rosa Zarate.
The earlier quake was centered about 21 miles from the town of Muisne. It struck shortly before 3 a.m. local time and had a shallow depth of 32 kilometers below the earth's surface.
President Rafael Correa said there was no tsunami alert and called on residents in Quito, where some residents poured into the streets, to return to their homes. The quake was strong enough to trigger a national disaster alert, but Correa deactivated the emergency response a few hours later when local authorities reported the situation was calm.
"These sort of aftershocks are normal but that doesn't mean they're not scary and can cause damage," Correa said in a televised address, adding that aftershocks of this magnitude were normal for up to two months after a major quake like the one Ecuador experienced.
The president said that while some previously ravaged homes suffered more damage, most had already been evacuated and no buildings had collapsed. There were no reports of fatalities, he said.
Security coordination minister Cesar Navas said one person was injured when a wall fell and five others were hurt in panicky efforts to flee buildings.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake on April 16 was Ecuador's worst natural disaster in decades, killing 661 and leaving more than 28,000 people homeless. It has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks, at least five of them of magnitude 6.0 or higher.
Ecuador was already struggling economically before the April disaster. Correa has hiked taxes to fund the recovery but says it will take years to rebuild the beach towns and tourist hubs leveled by the quake.
Jorge Zambrano, mayor of Manta, one of the areas hit hardest by last month's big quake, said streets were calm.
"It was a big shake and all of us were scared but there are no major problems at the moment," said Zambrano.Your EPL card can get you access to other libraries, and other library cards will get you some access to our great physical materials.*
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A TAL Card enables Albertans to walk into over 300 post-secondary, special government and public libraries across the province, borrow material, and return it to any participating library.
You must have a current card from your home library, which must be a member of The Alberta Library Consortium. You can apply for the TAL card at any library. TAL Card holders have the same walk-in privileges and are subject to the same rules as local members in any TAL member library.
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For months now, polls show that Sanders has done better against Republican opponents than Hillary. In fact, he wins against opponents she loses to. In the latest polling, for example, she beats Trump by only 9 points, ties Cruz, and loses to Kasich. Meanwhile, Sanders beats Trump by 20 points, Cruz by 12 and Kasich by 11. And Republicans are plotting on ways to select a more electable candidate if the convention is deadlocked, so running Hillary is risky for Democrats.
This is especially true since her trustworthiness and likability ratings are both negative, (exceeded only by Trump’s) which makes it difficult for her to pick up support beyond what she now has. Sanders, on the other hand, has the highest likeability and trustworthiness rating of any candidate, Republican or Democrat, which means he is likely to pick up more support the longer he runs.
Bottom line: not only does Hillary do worse against Republicans than Sanders, she has unique vulnerabilities that make her a risky candidate for Democrats to run. Indeed, running Hillary may be the only way the Democrats could lose the Whitehouse.
Myth #2 – Hillary knows how to get things done
This is one of her favorite lines and it gets picked up by her many surrogates in the press. The fact is, it doesn’t bear scrutiny. For example, she only sponsored 3 Bills that became law during her 8 year tenure. One established an historic site in New York, another renamed a Post Office, and the third named a portion of a highway in New York after Timothy J. Russert.
How about her claim of being able to work with Republicans? Politifact, which normally finds at least a little truth in just about any statement, rated her claim that “…every piece of legislation, just about, that I ever introduced had a Republican co-sponsor” as flat out false.
Ms. Clinton also didn’t rank as particularly progressive, according to GovTrack.us, a non-partisan organization which has been keeping stats on legislators for several decades. And while she introduced a lot of Bills, she had a very low rate of getting them to become law, relative to the average Senator over the years.
Bottom line: She didn’t get a whole hell of a lot done, and she wasn’t particularly progressive.
Incidentally, Sanders also sponsored 3 bills during his Senate tenure that became law. Two were largely ceremonial, much like those Clinton sponsored. The third Bill added $17 billion to the Veterans Health care system, gave the Administrator of the Veteran’s administration broad powers to fix a broken system, and extended educational benefits to veterans and their dependents. In short, it was consequential. And Bernie got it done with bi-partisan support.
Finally, GovTrack rates Sanders as one of the most progressive members of Congress.
In short, he’s a real progressive who got real things done.
Myth #3 – Sander’s isn’t a real Democrat and he isn’t doing anything to help the Party’s downballot candidates
Where you stand on this depends upon how you define a Democrat. If it’s merely a label that can be worn by anyone regardless of their positions, then Sanders is guilty as charged. And certainly Hillary has offered financial and other help to Democrats that Sanders has not.
But if you believe that being a Democrat is about values, not labels, then Sanders is doing a tremendous amount to help the Democratic Party at all levels of government.
The fact of the matter is, the Democratic Party left the people behind decades ago, when they embraced the pay-to-play political model that now dominates our elections and our governance.
Hillary helps status quo Democrats who wear the label, without necessarily embracing the values that once defined the Party as the Party of the people.
So what is Sanders doing to help Democrats? He’s making it safe run on the New Deal values that defined the Party for much of the 20th Century. That’s the Party that brought unprecedented prosperity to our country from the end of World War II until the 1980’s. Since then, the Party has been running from the notion that government can be a force for good; that it could and should assure a level playing field for all, both economically and socially; that capitalism was in need of strong regulation and restraint if it was to serve the masses rather than the few; that our planet was worthy of protection and preservation.
These were not only ethically correct; they were winning political issues too. And as Americans are strongly progressive on an issue-by-issue basis they still could be, if Democrats hadn’t been bought off and scared off ever since Reagan’s big con.
Finally, Sanders is attracting new voters to the Party, and these voters will ultimately help elect more progressives at every level of government – something Democrats desperately need if they are to avoid the disastrous low turnout that crippled the Party in 2014, when a mere 36.4 per cent of eligible voters showed up -- the lowest voter turnout in 72 years – and Republicans won big at all levels of government.
Bottom line: Sanders has made it safe to be a real Democrat again and he’s attracting much needed new voters, and is likely to have the coattails to help Democrats in Congressional and state races. Hillary is busy propping up the status quo, which will limit turnout.
Myth #4 – Her experience gives her an edge
At the end of the day, experience counts for you only if you got things right, or at least learned from your mistakes.
Hillary is pretty much batting zero on all counts. Her foreign policy is basically the same as the neocons. She voted for the Iraq war, then compounded the error by supporting regime change in Libya and Syria. Her economic policies are soft on Wall Street and she’s refused to back the $15 minimum wage. Finally, all this experience seems not to have given her a consistent view of policy. She’s flip-flopped on energy policy, trade agreements, crime issues, tax policy, regulation of the big banks … on and on it goes.
Bottom line: Ms. Clinton has loads of experience but she’s demonstrated poor judgment.
Experience without judgment merely allows her the opportunity to make the same mistakes over and over again. Experience without independence assures that she will. And taking money from Wall Street, fossil fuel interests, the pharmaceutical industry and other fat-cats assures that she has no independence.
Sanders, on the other hand, has demonstrated good judgment in both domestic and foreign affairs and he is dependent only upon the people of the United States – as our Constitution intended.Gov. Mary Fallin and leaders from the House and Senate announced a revenue agreement for the 2018 fiscal year budget.Lawmakers agreed on revenue-raising measures that include a tax hike on cigarettes, gross production and fuel.Oklahoma has an $878 million budget hole and had until Friday to pass any revenue-raising measures. If lawmakers did not come up with an agreement for Gov. Mary Fallin to approve by then, a special session would have been held.A special session would cost Oklahoma taxpayers about $30,000 per day.The state's legislative session ends May 26.
Gov. Mary Fallin and leaders from the House and Senate announced a revenue agreement for the 2018 fiscal year budget.
Lawmakers agreed on revenue-raising measures that include a tax hike on cigarettes, gross production and fuel.
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Oklahoma has an $878 million budget hole and had until Friday to pass any revenue-raising measures. If lawmakers did not come up with an agreement for Gov. Mary Fallin to approve by then, a special session would have been held.
A special session would cost Oklahoma taxpayers about $30,000 per day.
The state's legislative session ends May 26.
AlertMeNational Review cover girl Carrie Prejean–she appears on the front in a beauty shot from the Miss USA Pageant with an accompanying mash note article by her BFF/mentor Maggie Gallagher–is suing officials associated with the Miss California organization, though not Donald Trump to heads |
to make the impact that it's hoping to create in the Canadian market. The following is a list of things I feel are needed to help the league survive.
Note: Developmental programs, like academies and drafts, will not be included on this list nor will a TV deal or the 2026 World Cup as they've already been written about and discussed in great detail.
A SPOT IN THE CHAMPIONS' LEAGUE
The CPL will be playing in the shadows of the MLS for a lot of fans, one of the best ways to make up for this is for the league's champion to earn a slot in the CONCACAF Champions' League. With that slot, the CPL earns top tier status and arguably as much weight as the MLS in Canada when it comes to the CCL. It also assures that there will always be a CPL team in the CCL, even if it's in a play-off against the 3rd place team from CFU Club Championship, and it creates the possibility of no Canadian MLS team qualifying.
While it might be hard to see a new league getting such treatment, remember that 5 of the 10 most attended CCL games in history were played in Canada and in soccer, money talks.
A CANADA HOSTED GOLD CUP
Hosting a major sporting event brings a lot of attention to the sport(s) involved. One of the big reasons the CPL was able to gain traction was because Canada is just coming off the biggest year in Canadian soccer history thanks to the Women's World Cup. Aside from the 2026 World Cup, the next event Canada could host to get that sort of light on the sport of soccer is the Gold Cup. Should the CPL launch in 2018, then hosting the 2019 Gold Cup would be a massive opportunity to showcase international men's soccer at a high level to Canada. It would also provide the CPL a possible chance to show Canada and the world how strong the league is, should a good number of CPL players be called upon to play in the Gold Cup. It would also provide a better dress rehearsal for the World Cup than the 2025 Confederations Cup, due to its scale and timing prior to 2026, should we get the World Cup.
7-9 FOREIGN PLAYERS ON EACH TEAM
A lot of the focus on the league has been dedicated to developing Canadian talent and allowing Canadians the chance to play. While these should be the ultimate goals for the league, the importance of foreign talent to this league should not be forgotten. For the first several seasons, the Canadian talent pool available to the CPL will likely not be large enough to provide strong and entertaining soccer. Not enough of the 80-100 Canadians being scouted by Floro would be willing to return to Canada to play in the CPL for the first season, pay-cuts and pride will see to that. There is, however, a great deal of Central American and Caribbean talent that would be willing to play here. The signing of strong Central American and Caribbean players would not only improve the on-pitch product but would also increase the likelihood of CPL players being called upon for international duty and, therefore, improve the CPL's reputation.
It should be noted having 7-9 foreign players on each team would not cease the development of Canadian talent. Even if 9 non-Canadians started for every team for a one week, we would still see 16 Canadians earning starter minutes and a great number of young Canadians gaining crucial experience in substitute roles.
As time goes on and Canadian players improve, the league's dependence on foreign talent will decrease, but for the first few years they will be very much needed.
DESIGNATED PLAYERS
In a recent edition of the Footy Soldiers podcast, the question of who would pay to see unknown players was asked and it is a legitimate question that needs to be asked. People are not really that interested in the unknown when it comes to sports. Should the league use a salary cap, a good way to combat this is to follow the MLS' Designated Player concept and have each team sign a high-profile player for a sum of money that would not count against the team's cap. Should the league have no cap, like the NASL, then a player of such caliber should be a must for every team. The player could then be used to draw attention to the team locally with casual fans and give the league credibility on the world stage. Star signings have proved to be a draw for the MLS, the Russian Premier League, the A-League and both the Chinese and Indian Super Leagues, and it would be no different for the CPL.
FRIENDLIES
A great number of fans will disagree with this one but friendlies have proved to be a real money maker for the MLS and the CPL should follow suit. While it's highly unlikely that the CPL would be able to score clubs like Manchester City, smaller Premier League clubs have proved to draw (eg. Crystal Palace drew about 7800 people when they played against the Richmond Kickers who usually draw around 2500). The ideal set up would be for 4 clubs from Europe's elite leagues to have a 2 city Canadian tour each in mid-July during the CPL's two-week break. Each Euro club would get an eastern and western market to play in.
Friendlies would provide a nice sum of money to each CPL club and expose the clubs to the much needed casual fans in their markets. It would also be a good bit of fun for CPL players to share the pitch with Premier League or Serie A talent.
BONUS: NO TEAM CALLED “MONTREAL MANIC”
I know the name comes from a dam but it's still a terrible name. It makes you think of mood swings. It's possibly the 2nd worst name any pro sports team in the history of North American pro sports. It's worse than the New York Red Bulls (ad), Buffalo Bills (punny), Toronto Raptors (dated) and Utah Jazz (makes no sense). It's only outdone by the Washington Redskins (racist) and, if we go into sports-entertainment, TNA Wrestling (never had a chance to be taken seriously because of that name).TWO elderly brothers who died in a suicide pact had asked neighbours to witness their wills in the days before they took their own lives, according to local residents.
John and Robert McIlwain are believed to have been suffering severely from pulmonary fibrosis, after being exposed to asbestos.
Robert, 73, had suddenly become very frail, according to neighbours, and had taken to using his disabled brother's mobility scooter.
Robert was caring for his 71-year-old brother and neighbours believed he did not want to leave his sibling living alone.
Police went to their house in Edinburgh on Thursday after receiving a phone call from one of the brothers claiming he was going to kill himself.
The bodies of the two men were found slumped on top of a firearm, with gunshot wounds to the stomach, at around 6pm in Lockerby Cottages, Gracemount.
Resident Anne Parker, 83, who lived next door to the brothers, said: "They had planned it pretty well. They had no family, and they had asked around to see if we could witness them signing their will a few weeks ago.
"My husband, Frank, was meant to do it last week, but it was not ready on time.
"There was no evil in them, they were as good as gold. They were very thoughtful."
She added: "I can only imagine that they had planned it and that it was done out of love.
"I think one would have done it so that the other wasn't alone - they had no-one.
"Bob would be the carer for Jack and he would have been scared that Jack would have been alone if he had died."
A police source denied any suggestion that one brother had shot the other, insisting that it was a double suicide.
A card placed in a bunch of flowers at end of their garden read: "RIP Bob and Jack. Two lovely gentlemen. Its been a privilege to know you and call you friends. You will be missed by us all."
The two brothers are believed to have been bachelors and had worked together as gardeners before they retired due to ill health.
John, known locally as Jack, used a wheelchair and had been housebound for the past year. He was rarely seen by neighbours.
His older brother Bob had apparently become ill in recent weeks and was receiving oxygen to help ease breathing problems related to pulmonary fibrosis.
Neighbour Irene Philp, 78, said Bob had looked much thinner in the past few weeks and had not been out as much.
She said:"The last time I saw him he was on his brother's mobility scooter. I was in someone's garden and 'Hi Bob' but he didn't answer.
"They could have had so much more help than they had."
The property where the men died is owned by a charity, Lockerby Trust, which caters for "distressed gentlefolk who have fallen on hard times".
Set up in 1894, Lockerby cottages is a quiet, leafy cul-de-sac off Lasswade Road, Edinburgh. An imposing gateway leads on to 16 semi-detached houses and two bungalows occupied by 34 people.
A Police Scotland statement said: "Police in Edinburgh attended a property in Lockerby Cottages near Gracemount at around 5pm.
"On gaining entry, two elderly men were found seriously injured and were pronounced dead at the scene.
"Inquiries are continuing but police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident."California Attorney General Kamala Harris speaks March 8 at the California Democratic State Convention in Los Angeles. (Photo: Jae C. Hong, AP)
LOS ANGELES -- California Attorney General Kamala Harris asked a state court Wednesday for an order allowing her to avoid processing a citizen-proposed anti-gay ballot measure that calls for executing gays with "bullets to the head."
Harris said the so-called "Sodomite Suppression Act" proposed and named by Huntington Beach attorney Matthew McLaughlin "not only threatens public safety, it is patently unconstitutional, utterly reprehensible and has no place in a civil society.''
She filed an action asking the court for declaratory relief' and judicial authorization allowing her to avoid issuing a title and summary for the proposal. An official state title and summary are necessary steps in authorizing a ballot initiative's sponsors to seek the signatures needed to be placed before voters.
Without the court order, Harris said she would be compelled by law to proceed with the measure, which would authorize the killing of gays and lesbians in the state.
"If the court does not grant this relief, my office will be forced to issue a title and summary for a proposal that seeks to legalize discrimination and vigilantism,'' she said in a statement.
The ballot initiative is given no chance of becoming law, but it gives sponsors a means to attract attention to their proposal. The initiative would authorize the killing of gays and lesbians "by bullets to the head'' or "any other convenient method.''
The measure also calls for a fine of $1 million or banishment from the state for distribution of gay "propaganda
"It's terrifying and almost laughable in the same breath," Donald Bentz, executive director for the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, told KXTV-TV in Sacramento.
"It's a little scary that that actually could happen and if it does get to the ballot, the firestorm that this is going to create and the hate crimes that could result from that," he said.
Efforts to reach McLaughlin for comment were unsuccessful. Calls to his phone number on file with the State Bar of California were routed to a message saying his voicemail was full. The address for his office listed with the state Bar and in his ballot measure submission is a shopping center mail drop in Huntington Beach, in Orange County south of Los Angeles. He listed no e-mail address.
According the the state Bar's website, McLaughlin was admitted to practice law in California in December 1998 and is a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law in Virginia. He was listed as inactive by the Bar in October 2012, a voluntary designation, and returned to active status in January 2014. There is no record of administrative actions or discipline by the state Bar.
The initiative sponsors would need to collect more than 365,000 valid voter signatures in 180 days to have it placed on an election ballot.
In response to the proposal, two members of the state assembly have proposed increasing the fee for filing a ballot measure from $200 to $8,000. It has not been acted on.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1CbJpvXFirst Daughter Ivanka Trump is out with a new book aimed at encouraging women to redefine success. It’s called Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success and is an extension of her efforts during the campaign to build her brand as a champion for women. During the 2016 race, she called for paid maternity leave and more recently has pushed for a child care tax credit for families. But while she’s received praise for being outspoken on women’s issues, some have criticized her motives.
So is Ivanka Trump the new feminist icon? Complicit? Or somewhere in between? Jennifer Nassour, former chair of the state Republican party; WGBH contributor and Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung; and former communications director for Governor Deval Patrick, Jesse Mermell joined Jim Braude for the conversation.The Oriental hornet worker correlates its digging activity with solar insolation. Solar radiation passes through the epicuticle, which exhibits a grating-like structure, and continues to pass through layers of the exo-endocuticle until it is absorbed by the pigment melanin in the brown-colored cuticle or xanthopterin in the yellow-colored cuticle. The correlation between digging activity and the ability of the cuticle to absorb part of the solar radiation implies that the Oriental hornet may harvest parts of the solar radiation. In this study, we explore this intriguing possibility by analyzing the biophysical properties of the cuticle. We use rigorous coupled wave analysis simulations to show that the cuticle surfaces are structured to reduced reflectance and act as diffraction gratings to trap light and increase the amount absorbed in the cuticle. A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was constructed in order to show the ability of xanthopterin to serve as a light-harvesting molecule.3DR, Autodesk, Atkins and the Department of Aviation of the City of Atlanta worked together to perform the first FAA approved commercial drone operation in Class B airspace at the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
In 2015, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport became the first airport in the world to exceed 100 million annual passengers, and it has continued to grow since then, pushing current airport infrastructure to its limits. So the City of Atlanta decided to expand the airport and commissioned Atkins, a leading design and engineering firm, to help with this, starting with the demolition and rebuilding of the present-day North and South parking garage and passenger drop off to facilitate the construction of a new airport hotel.
Doing new construction on such a busy airport is a challenge. Safety is always everyone’s number one priority, but following right behind safety, the experience of passengers must be at the forefront of everyone’s minds because every small inconvenience can disrupt daily airport operations and cause delays. Planning is key, and at this scale, it is best done in digital models, so that every stakeholder has access to the same, accurate information. The quickest and safest way to capture the existing site conditions is to fly a drone over the area of interest and process the data to high definition maps and 3D point clouds.
“At Atkins, we were particularly interested in leveraging 3DR’s technology, because it allowed us to collect a great amount of accurate project data quickly, with no disruption to airport users.” — Chris Harman, Atkins Sr. Project Engineer
Getting permission to fly at an airport is hard
Now Atkins faced a challenge. Getting permission to fly drones on an international airport is difficult. The numerous illegal drone flights close to airports and planes, that we all read about in the news, are not only dangerous and irresponsible, they also make it harder for professionals to use drones for work. This was when Atkins reached out to Autodesk and 3DR, who together through Autodesk’s UAV Lighthouse Program, have made clear the unique business value of commercial drones in construction.
Because the site was in the controlled airspace of an international airport, the 3DR team used the new FAA online portal to obtain the authorization for the flight. As part of the airspace authorization process, 3DR and Atkins were able to demonstrate to the FAA that an operation in such a critical location between runways could be performed safely using Site Scan, 3DR’s autonomous aerial data capture platform. After coordinating with the ATL air traffic control tower, the FAA granted airspace authorization enabling this aerial data capture on Atkins’ construction site. Part of the requirement for the authorization was that the flight team was in radio contact with the ATL control tower at all times during the flight and performed all operations under the control tower’s authority.
Accurate drone data to help build the busiest airport in the world
On January 10th, 2017, the team legally and safely flew the Site Scan drone in the Class B airspace over the international airport area. This was the first such operation under the new Part 107 regulation. The team performed a total of 7 flights, capturing over 700 nadir and oblique images, and covering an area of 40 acres. The pictures were then uploaded to the 3DR cloud where they are automatically processed into accurate 2D ortho mosaics and 3D point clouds.
The models will be used by Atkins to plan the demolition process and organise the operations during construction so to minimise the negative effects on the airport’s daily activities. Also, the 3D point clouds will be used to work on the preliminary design phase together with the architects.
How to study and pass the Part 107 remote pilot certificate
The location of this construction site between the ATL Airport runways was an exception. For the large majority of construction sites, however, no authorization is needed, and the process is as easy as taking the new Part 107 Remote Pilot test. The new Part 107 regulation, enacted by the FAA in August 2016, greatly lowered the barrier to entry for flying drones to complete commercial work. The written test is a mix of common sense and aeronautical questions designed to ensure everyone’s safety and can be taken at selected FAA approved test centres. To help future remote operators to study, 3DR has created a set of learning resources and practice tests available for free at 3dr.com/faa.
Learn More About 3DR Site Scan
To learn more about Site Scan, visit 3dr.com or contacts us at 3dr.com/enterprise/contact.New Zealand's two biggest news publishers want to merge and they have submitted their application for the competition watchdog's approval. Mediawatch looks at the case they have put forward.
“The merger of many of New Zealand's leading news brands into one multimedia company may seem a hard pill to swallow, but it will not remove competition between different titles and modes of news or the diversity of voices and views.”
So said the New Zealand Herald last weekend in an editorial which assured readers: “Better and stronger media in New Zealand is on the cards.”
The “leading news brand” driving the merger is the Herald’s owner NZME. The application sent to the Commerce Commission last Friday was on NZME letterhead, and signed by its chief executive Michael Boggs.
The company it wants to merge with is Fairfax Media, the biggest publisher of papers and and online news in New Zealand - indeed the only other company of national significance in the same market.
NZME had previously pursued listing on the stock exchange and a subscription ‘paywall’ to make money from online readers. Both plans were abandoned after lukewarm responses.
A merger with Fairfax, struggling with the same business problems, is the next - possibly the only remaining - option.
Desperate measures?
The National Business Review's Chris Keall said applications for merger approval “are an exercise in abject humiliation” because companies are obliged to paint a bleak picture of their prospects alone in the market.
Applications usually consider the “counterfactual,” setting out what the companies believe will happen if the proposed merger transaction is not cleared. Most of that part of the Fairfax / NZME application is redacted from the version that was made public.
Photo: screenshot
But judging by the extensive description of the terrible outlook for traditional news publishing that is in the application, you can imagine it doesn’t foresee a happy ending for either company.
Cornering the market?
On the face of it, one outfit owning both companies’ newspapers, radio stations, magazines, websites and advertising platforms appears fundamentally anti-competitive.
But the 129-page application to the Commerce Commission (PDF) - backed up with another report commissioned from consultants NERA (PDF) - strongly argues there is "no material overlap" between their respective New Zealand publishing businesses.
“In paid daily papers, in almost every New Zealand region there is only one masthead, because consumers have already picked their winner,” the document points out.
True up to a point. But in many places one company simply surrendered to the other, so the forerunners of NZME and Fairfax ended up holding their own agreed turf. In the South Island, NZME sold all its papers to local owners in 2013.
The merger application does concede that their two dominant news websites - stuff.co.nz and nzherald.co.nz - do overlap, (something regular readers of both will also have noticed in terms of the content).
But whether rivals or not, Fairfax and NZME say they both compete for their critical advertising revenue with a growing number of other digital media companies these days.
In fact, the document lists almost every media outlet you could think of - both local and global - as either an actual and potential competitor, including blog sites with hardly any advertising at all.
In an alphabetical list of competitors, the huge US-based online business Pinterest is followed by the Pohutakawa Coast Times, which serves 5,000 readers south-east of Auckland.
It also says the owners of Dunedin-based Allied Press have a “personal wealth estimated at $70 million” and could expand beyond its lower South Island area, but it’s hard to see how it could even if the “big two” don’t merge.
But smaller media companies are hardly the main threat.
Where the online money is going
A series of charts in the merger document show newspapers' ad revenue slumping in the past ten years, both here and overseas. At the same time, revenue from digital advertising (ads hosted on websites and social media and apps) has steadily climbed and surpassed it.
This suggests the market has substituted one medium for the other, but a startling table shows the lion’s share of the new digital revenue is not being gobbled up by NZ media companies.
Google and Facebook combines get 54% of the revenue from digital ads in New Zealand. By contrast, Mediaworks - owner of TV3 and half of this county’s radio stations - only gets the same online income as Metservice.
The merger application tells the Commerce Commission a merged Fairfax and NZME would only pull in 11% of the digital revenue.
Photo: screenshot
That’s hardly cornering the market, but the combined total excludes the money both companies get from ads sold by KPEX. This is a joint initiative set up with TVNZ and MediaWorks - a venture which shows there are ways to compete and co-operate other than merging with rivals.
Giving up on making punters pay online
The merger application says “it is hard to charge for content when so much is easily accessible through social media platforms”. It says the bulk of income will be from digital advertising in the future.
It is also harder for local media to sell ads for their own digital platforms because people are increasingly getting news content shared by other people on social media feeds instead.
To illustrate this, The NERA report says visits to The New York Times website fell by half between 2011 and 2013. But it doesn’t say that 2011 was the year The New York Times put up a paywall which now produces the majority of its revenue.
Fortune magazine says it is "arguably the media’s most successful media paywall", though Fortune also says it should not be used as a benchmark elsewhere.
Will the content be as good?
While pundits have predicted as many as 300 journalists may be surplus to requirements if the Fairfax / NZME merger goes ahead, the merger application insists:
"The quality of news and information content will be improved by the ability of the merged entity to invest in quality editorial content (that will) differentiate its digital offering from other media".
But surely the same incentive should already be at work at those companies today. Even if the merger brings an end to “the clickbait war” they’re now fighting online, they may still be engaged in the same battle with other media.
A Commerce Commission decision is due in August and Fairfax and NZME want the merger in place by the end of the year. However, clearance for some recent mergers has taken a lot longer and the Commission will also consider submissions on the merger from June.
Other media companies are likely to raise objections - and some concerned citizens too.
Will it get a green light?
The NBR’s Tim Hunter says only five applications have been declined since 2011, while more than 50 have been approved. But while NZME and Fairfax claimed their businesses were complementary, he disagrees.
“This is, to a large extent, bollocks,” he wrote in the NBR recently.
Their papers may not compete much in the same areas any more, he said, but both now have news operations structured to serve national online news websites - and in NZME’s case, radio networks as well.
The online audience for each company far exceeds those of TVNZ and MediaWorks, he said. Of the websites which outrank those on Fairfax and NZME, none actually produce news.
“A merged entity will still face declining print advertising and defeat by new players online”, he said, and it will also make a paywall more likely.
The Commerce Commission may conclude the merger “will define the market for online journalism and emphasise their dominance,” he said.
However, in the Herald on Sunday columnist Paul Little noted a seemingly unstoppable trend towards monopoly in all areas of commerce” already includes the media here.
“We already have a near total dominance of the magazine market by Bauer Media, which owns most major local titles and would almost certainly like to own the few that belong to Fairfax and rats and mice publishers,” he wrote.
We have allowed this trend “to sneak up on us,” he says - because of the internet.
Trade Me remains popular, he said, even though it’s completely dominant. Likewise, Facebook acquired Instragram, Google bought YouTube, Amazon bought Book Depository and now retails almost everything. Consumers don't seem to mind much
Without wasting time and effort on fending off competitors, these big companies can develop better services, he wrote.
But what about keeping prices low?
“Well they could, but most monopolies put their obligation to make a profit before any other aim,” Paul Little concluded.
In the case of Fairfax and NZME, preserving their share of the market and some profitability is the aim right now.
But even a green light for dominance of local online news and newspapers may not be enough to guarantee that in the digital age.This season ruled.
The 2016-17 NBA season was phenomenal for what it gave fans. Historic performances, legendary nights, incredible drama and maybe the best MVP race we have ever seen. You can argue about various races that existed before the internet, cell phones, HD broadcasts or "Shark Week," but there's no denying how amazing this competition has been.
In the end, we wound up with four major candidates: LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
The arguments at a glance:
READ MORE: Bill Reiter makes the case for LeBron James as MVP
He's the best player in the league. We all know it. So why shouldn't he be the MVP?
Cavaliers finished with top-five record.
Averaged a triple-double per 100 possessions (34.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 11.2 assists).
Shot 36.3 percent from 3-point range.
Finished with a 27.0 PER.
Biggest on/off differential of the candidates in offense, defense and net rating.
Career highs in rebounds and assists.
Per-game statistical lines comparable to his two prior MVP seasons.
READ MORE: The Definitive Case for Kawhi Leonard as MVP
Best player on 60-win team, best team record of all players in contention for award.
Best player on West's No. 2 seed with no other All-Stars.
Best perimeter defender in the NBA.
One of only four players to record a season shooting as often as he does per 100 possessions, scoring as much as he does per 100 possessions, with as many defensive win shares as he has. The other three were Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
Legendary efficiency on offense.
Does more with less, putting up comparable scoring numbers to James Harden, Russell Westbrook, with radically lower usage rate.
Has contributed to the most wins.
Spurs offensive efficiency is 10 points per 100 possessions better with Leonard on-court.
Team 7-2 record against the other three main candidates, including signature performances against Houston ( including this sequence this sequence).
this sequence). No discernible weaknesses in his game.
Has the most blocks, most steals and fewest turnovers per 100 possessions of the major candidates.
Has the second-highest PER of the major candidates (27.7) with the second-lowest usage.
READ MORE: 2017 NBA MVP Race: The definitive case for James Harden, the bearded maestro
Led Rockets to what is currently the ninth-best offensive season in NBA history, as the leading scorer and playmaker.
Averaging a triple-double per 100 possessions, one of three players (Westbrook, LeBron) to do so this season.
Leads the league in points produced, combined points and points from assists.
Leads the league in win shares, via Basketball Reference.
Second in points.
Leads the league in assists and per 100 possessions among players averaging 30 minutes (14.8).
Ranks 15th in true shooting percentage, second among leading candidates (LeBron James).
On pace to be the first player in history to average 25 points and 25 points from assists.
Only player to ever score 2,000 points and generate 2,000 points from assists in the same season.
Leads Westbrook in points per possession plus assists, per Synergy Sports (1.392, 95th percentile).
Has made the Rockets into a legitimate contender, with 54 wins (entering Wednesday), more than Westbrook or James, the third most league-wide.
Most games since 1984-85 with 30-plus points and 15-plus assists.
Has made his teammates better than any player has made theirs.
Has seamlessly moved to point guard with a greater role, responsibility and function, not only adjusting, but thriving.
READ MORE: The Definitive Case for Russell Westbrook for MVP
Second player in NBA history to average a triple-double.
Did so while leading the league in scoring.
Third in assists, second in assists per 100 possessions, trailing Harden by just 0.3 assists.
NBA-record 42 triple-doubles this season, one more than Oscar Robertson.
Thunder record when Westbrook has a triple-double: 33-9 (.786 win percentage).
Ninth in rebounds per game.
No. 1 in PER.
No. 1 in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player).
No. 1 in offensive box-score plus-minus.
Carried Thunder to a likely top-six seed and 47 wins (entering Wednesday) the season after Kevin Durant shockingly left the team.
Thunder offense is 10.7 points per 100 possessions worse when he's on the bench.
Thunder net points per 100 possessions is plus-3.3 when he's on the court, and a minus-9.2, effectively the worst team in the league per 100 possessions, when he's on the bench.
Sheer force of will to accomplish history.
In "clutch time" (defined as a five-point game inside five minutes), Westbrook leads the league in points per 100 possessions (74.3), shooting 44.6 percent from the field and OKC is a plus-21.7 per 100 possessions with him on the court in such situations.
Recorded the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history with 57 points.
Has single-handedly won games for the Thunder in a capacity no other player has.
Narrowing the field
LeBron is eliminated first. I wrestled long and hard with Bill Reiter's argument that the best player in the league is having a career season. How is that not the MVP? But I also know I've done the work, watching all those random games along the way in this weird Cavs season, and at its end, James' performance, not his ability, hasn't held up over the others.
The post-All-Star slide contributes to it. The Cavs fell off the map. A 51-win Cavs team, in the East, with a terrible defense, that surrendered a sizable lead for the No. 1 seed? A horrendous defense is the other problem. One of LeBron's pillars is that he's arguable the best two-way player in NBA history, and the Cavs' defense, no matter what the problems are, is his responsibility.
Also, James has taken off assignments. He has often been placed on a wing shooter, opting to play more free safety instead of guarding the best player, until late in games. He still can go into any matchup and dominate it; he's LeBron James. But his workload on that end has been less, and his effort has corresponded. You can't fault the man. He's 14 seasons in, has gone to six straight NBA Finals. He has earned the right not to lock in and shut down guys in Milwaukee on a Tuesday night in February. And James is still far better than Westbrook or Harden defensively.
But that stuff matters, and that, combined with the talent around him, and the Cavs' downward slide at the end of the season is enough to knock him to fourth.
Kawhi goes out next. As I wrote. He's bulletproof. Nearly.
Let's get this out of the way: His defensive metrics indicating weird things with the Spurs when he's on court vs. off did not sway me here. There are a lot of contributing factors, and he remains the best perimeter defender in the NBA. His defense slipped slightly this season relative to the past two seasons with his increased offensive output, but it was by fractions and shavings, and there is a limit to how much a guy can balance both ends.
His offensive efficiency was truly amazing; to be so good in so many different playsets and in so many different facets is both unique and incredible.
There is a strong feeling that Leonard should not be punished for a false narrative that he is a "system" player and that is absolutely, 100 percent correct. You can't just plug any random wing into that role and get the same results; Rudy Gay is not MVP as a San Antonio Spur. (Apologies to Gay, who had a good career and a great couple of seasons lately before his injury.) The Spurs' system does not impact the quality of player Leonard is in any negative or "fake" way.
How he operates in it, however, does have an impact on the evaluation.
Leonard is the tip of the spear for the Spurs. He is the end point. He is the guy the offense runs to, not through. That's not his fault, it doesn't mean he's a ball-hog or a bad passer. It does mean he's not a playmaker. That's reflected in the points produced statistic cited below. He's an incredible scorer, and has the best true shooting percentage of any of the candidates. But that efficiency is created by a system designed more than the other candidates to do so. And again, he shouldn't be punished for that, but the others are in different positions, with different responsibilities.
Finally, the winning issue. Yes, Leonard has the most wins, and yes, Leonard is the biggest reason the Spurs win. But it can't be the end-all for this. That would ignore how the players have played, and ascribes a lot to a regular season where win/loss totals are impacted by any number of things. It matters. It does. Just not enough. Leonard executes the Spurs' formula for success. Westbrook and Harden are the engines for their teams.
Down to two
Facts:
I grew ill while debating the MVP and I absolutely blame my failing health on this decision.
If possible, I would vote for co-MVPs in a heartbeat without a second thought. These two are so even you have to get granular to the basketball molecule to discern between them. You can't. That's not how the vote works.
In the span of the final week, I changed my mind eight times. That's not hyperbole. I had decided who I was "decided on" eight times, including four in the span of the final 48 hours. This is not usual for me with MVP. In 2015, I did just as deep of a dive and it became clear to me Curry should win
There's this idea that "there is no wrong answer." And that's true. But that also means there is no "good choice" because one of these guys inherently gets screwed. You're failing to recognize greatness with the most important award the league has. It's just reality.
So, yeah, I didn't make the call on who the MVP is lightly.
The MVP is James Harden.
James Harden is the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player. USATSI
Here's what it came down to, for me:
I wrote a primer for questions
As I wrote Monday
Note that does not mean "more." Westbrook does "more" for his team, which is what makes it so tough. Westbrook gave absolutely everything on offense this season, every possession, every game, every time down. He never quits, never stops, never relents.
However, part of that, part of what is inherent in his DNA, is a recklessness. He plows into triple-teams. He finds loose balls and in key situations, hoists up 3-pointers like found money instead of seeking better shots. Westbrook is shooting 48 percent on drives this season, 40 percent in the paint when it isn't the restricted area, and even there, he's shooting considerably worse than Harden. These are fractions of possessions that are wasted in a race this tight, and that hurts.
The triple-doubles mattered to me. If it were easy, everyone would be putting them up on a nightly basis. Westbrook made history, and though it doesn't mean he should be excluded for it, he doesn't need the MVP for everyone to remember this
But everything we've learned about basketball says possessions are more important than per-game numbers. Coaches speak in possessions. Players talk of possessions. And we've learned the impact pace can have on a team in affecting stats. So per 100 possessions matters too |
of their superiors – both good and bad – along the way. Working in any dynamic corporation requires a similar maturation-through-accumulation process, and often the most effective leaders are those who were able to mobilize their teams from the bottom of the chain of command, simply by setting the right example for others to follow:
"Ben's energy and enthusiasm for his veterans' project was palpable and contagious across the company. It's uplifting to see an intern like Ben, who's only been at LinkedIn for a few weeks, take initiative and lead a project that impacted so many veterans. Ben's work not only impacted the veterans that were helped that day; it also galvanized other LinkedIn employees who got a chance to interact with courageous vets, and LinkedIn members, who they might not have otherwise met." – Meg Garlinghouse, head of LinkedIn for Good at LinkedIn
Uncompromising integrity
Integrity is a necessary ingredient in relationships with employees, strategic partners, clients and investors, and it can singlehandedly build or destroy a company. It is also one of the most transferrable characteristics that veterans bring to the private sector:
“The Navy expects its sailors to "have the moral and mental strength to do what is right." The Air Force says "integrity first." In the Rangers, it was mission first, and always put others before yourself. Veterans understand loyalty and they understand integrity. You can trust them to do the right thing, even when no one else is watching.” – Matthew Thompson, co-founder and COO at ID.me
Habitual goal orientation
Veterans are accustomed not only to assessing situations and quickly formulating actionable plans, but also to performing After Action Reviews, which require all members of a team to identify areas in which a given strategy should be improved for next time. Startups call this process validated learning, and it’s an integral component of continued forward momentum:
“When you’re working in an unstructured environment, the ability to define clear goals and then work with a high degree of discipline and focus to accomplish those goals is paramount. It’s an organizational leadership quality that my veteran hires consistently showcase, and it comes from a genuine understanding of both responsibility and accountability, as well as intimate experience in situations in which there is no clear precedent or path forward.” – Daniel Freifeld, CEO and founder at Callaway Capital Management
Will you follow suit?
Building a startup, or any organization for that matter, is like starting a revolution. As an entrepreneur you’re convincing anyone you can – your employees, your clients, your partners and your family – that you’re engaged in something worth fighting for. It’s a grind. It’s a battle. So who better to hire than a soldier?
More information on hiring veterans
The U.S. government wants American companies to help solve veteran unemployment, and in addition to launching initiatives like Joining Forces, Hiring Our Heroes and The Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, it has made available several tax credits for hiring veterans.
Follow me @shanepowhatan and on Facebook.Hello everyone and welcome to another figure review on Tiro Finale! Today, we will be taking a look at FuRyu's Super Sonico Holy Girl Concept Figure Black Version. Yes, it is indeed quite a handful both to say and type and for that reason, we will just be calling her Holy Girl Sonico. A few days back, I offered a quick teaser of what was install for the review with a quick preview & unboxing. In that, I mentioned that my initial impressions of the figure were indeed very good. But, how does it hold up now against closer scrutiny? For that, we will have to find out in this review! Before that, a quick bit of information you might want to know about the figure.
Manufacturer: FuRyu
Series: Concept Figure, Super Sonico
Price: NA (~1,200 - 1,500 Yen)
Release Date: 08/2016
Scale: Non-scale (~160 mm)
Material: PVC
Front View
First up, I do have to apologize for the quality of the photos. The photos were really difficult to take especially with Sonico's jet black outfit throwing off the exposure so often. While there might not be much of it to begin with, it was more than enough to cause its fair share of issues especially between the start contrast between her dark outfit and her light skin tone.
Rear View
Shifting towards the back, you get pretty much the same thing with Sonico sporting nothing more than what appears to be a very skimpy nun outfit, a pair of gloves and a pair of black high heels. A rather seductive look for a nun by any regards.
Right View
The figure itself is rather simple in both outfit and pose with really not much to talk about in terms of detailing. Sonico's dress, headpiece, gloves and heels are all very simple in design with only two fleur-de-lis design on the lower hem of her dress. Some might consider this a negative on FuRyu's part of design but, I would be to differ. In fact, I think the simplicity works very well with the whole Holy Girl concept.
Left View
We even see that simplicity carry forth to the choice of colors. Aside from the usual skin tone and Sonico's pink hair, the only other main colors on show are black and white. Just like the detailing, this is a case of less is more put into practice.
So, Sonico does look absolutely ravishing when viewed from afar. But, how does she hold up to closer scrutiny? Let us find out!
We start with the facial detailing which is absolutely faultless. By now, FuRyu has easily produced the most Sonico prize figures among any other manufacturer and their expertise truly show in the final products. Sonico's eyes are large and bright with the matte decals applied neatly. A gentle blush and smile framed by her signature bangs help to frame the instantly recognizable Sonico look.
Moving on, we shift our focus to Sonico's hair and its finer finish. In the past, FuRyu has always been rather adventurous with the sculpt for Sonico's hair preferring to go for dynamic and dramatic sculpts. Unfortunately, we do not see that here today with Sonico opting for a more composed look. The front end of her hair flows nicely over her shoulders and over her bust with various individual layers giving a real sense of depth. My only complaint would be that some of the strands look rather clumpy and thick.
Over at the back, Sonico's headpiece covers up most of her hair with only the tip ends visible from particular angles. Sonico's wonderful flowing pink locks may not be on display here but, the lovely sculpt on the headpiece more than makes up for it. Just look at the way the fabric bends and creases almost as if it was the genuine article. Even the outline of Sonico's right hand is visible through the gentle creases of the headpiece!
The headpiece is non-removable and comes fixed on the figure from the moment you unbox it. Fans who want to pose her without the headpiece would be rather disappointed at the lack of customization options. Nevertheless, I think was a necessary sacrifice in order to save cost and not have to engineer a well-hidden connection for the headpiece. It was either that or you would have the option to remove it and have rather ugly connection point when removed.
FuRyu has been making Sonico figures for many years now as I have made clear earlier in the review. Over the years, they have improved by leaps and bounds namely in their finish quality and sculpting. But, if there was on thing that has not changed all these years, it is Sonico's headphones.
These things look exactly the same as they did in the earlier Sonico figures with the same rough silver finish and detailing. It is by no means ugly but, seeing no improvements circa 2016 is rather disappointing.
Oh, well. At least, it does do a good job of covering up any visible head seams. If it were of this quality and did not cover up head seams, that is when I would truly complain against its implementation. For now, such a drawback is nowhere near enough to be considered a deal-breaker.
Before we shift our focus to Sonico's svelte black dress, let us put the spotlight on Sonico's accessories. She does not have many but, their presence does do a great deal to break the monotony otherwise present upon closer inspection. The first of which are her two silver upper arm rings. These are an accessory commonly seen in Sonico prize figures, that is because they are the connection point for Sonico's upper arm to her torso. By separating the limbs into different parts, manufacturers are able to save cost while maintaining production quality of the figures. The bangles are not necessary but the lack of it would otherwise reveal an obvious seam. As such, I am more than happy to view this recurring feature.
Tucked beneath her pink hair is a white collar which is hardly visible unless you are actively looking out for it. I like this little touch especially since it reminds me of Bunny Girl outfits which have a similar design.
Besides her bangles and collar, Sonico also has on a pair of pearl white gloves. These gloves are rather shiny giving them the appearance of silk or satin. It is also really shiny!
A quick look at the other bangle on her left arm. As you can see, there are no visible seams at all. Speaking of seams, check out the upper border of Sonico's dress which neatly wraps around her bust with no deformations or glue marks at all. Pretty impressive stuff!
Sonico's hand is also gloved and pointed towards the back adding balance to the standing pose. Just like her other glove, this too is finished in a shiny pearl white finish. Under the right light, it even shimmers a little.
Now, we shift our focus towards Sonico's black dress which is no doubt one of the biggest draw of the entire figure. The dress' low cut both on top and bottom do little to hide Sonico's ample bosom! Unlike the rest of her outfit which are skin tight, the fabric for the bust portion of Sonico's outfit does look thicker almost as if they are molded cups with the purpose of containing Sonico's large bosom.
The lower half of Sonico's outfit appears to be significantly tighter, clearly showing the outline of her figure including her navel. Towards the lower border of the outfit is a slit which frees up more space for her assets while serving as a little tease factor.
If there is one thing you can count out when it comes to Sonico figures is the variation in her body shape. Sonico can be anything from a super-slim supermodel to a well-rounded gravure model as originally intended. While FuRyu often leans towards the source material, we can see her that FuRyu did op for a slightly slimmer look with slimmer arms and thighs. Fortunately, the tight outfit does reveal a slight bit of belly which reassures us that Sonico is not unrealistically thin.
All throughout her outfit are two clear seams that can be faintly seen when viewed up close. I am not sure whether the seam is intentional or a by-product of the manufacturing process. My theory? The seam needed to exist to allow manufacturers to piece the dress together and so, the sculptors decided to form the seam along the line where an actual stitch seam would be present in an outfit. For the most part, I think the execution is pretty well done.
The only decoration present on the entire dress are tow white fleur-de-lis designs at the bottom border of her dress. The patterned design is very neatly applied with sharp edges and defined borders. Moreover, it helps to add some much needed contrast in the design.
Note the creases along where the slit in her dress is. This is very difficult to notice because of the dress' color and will likely be more noticeable in the blue color variant version.
Yes, Sonico's dress is far too shot barely covering up her bottoms. Then again, what would a Sonico figure be if not accompanied by excessive sex appeal?
Taking a look at Sonico's back, we can notice the gentle creases in her back where the fabric is significantly looser as it is under less pressure in the front. No surprise as to why there is so much pressure up front.
If you are wondering, her panties are white befitting of the Holy Girl image.
No stockings here, just Sonico's bare legs and pair of black high heels.
Sonico's long slender legs are well sculpted from her thighs to her ankles.
It is nice to see that FuRyu has not forsaken another of Sonico's great features.
Wrapping up the whole Holy Girl look are a pair of black high heels. While not too dramatic in terms of design, these pair of heels at a sultry touch to the entire look. If you look hard enough, you will even notice the slight glitter incorporated into the black paint which is present throughout all the black parts in her outfit.
The base may be round and black but, it is anything but simple. The white medieval and cobweb patterns contrasting against the black base evokes an almost Halloween-like feel which explains why Sonico is dressed as a nun. A very simple touch but, one that adds plenty of story telling to the entire figure. Design aside, the base also serves an important functional piece where it securely mounts the figure upright. One peg in each leg secures a tight fit meaning you never have to worry about the figure falling off.
Before I come to the conclusion on this figure, we must first discuss the issue of price. Despite being a relatively recent release (August 2016), I only had to pay 1,200 Yen for her which is peanuts when you compare just how much scale figure cost there days.
But, that is before you factor in the simplicity of the figure's design and the fact that more elaborate Sonico prize figures can be gotten at a similar price point. Suddenly, the issue of value comes into question especially when there is only so much you can spend with a limited budget.
This is where things start to become tricky when you begin to actively compare one Sonico figure to another. Make no mistake, this is a very competent Sonico figure with flaws far and few in between. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this Sonico prize figure is perfect save for the slightly plain pose and colors.
So, what do you do? My advice? Unless you really really like the design and nun concept, you should prioritize other Sonico prize figures first. This recommendation is made over several factors. The first, as I have mentioned above, is price where you can get far more intricate and detailed Sonico prize figures for the same price. Secondly, there is the matter of age. Having been released in 2016, this is one of the more recent Sonico figures. As such, it can still be found abundantly in the market. It would be much wiser to focus on the older Sonico figures which may soon be no longer available in the re-sellers market.
Before we end the review, it is important to note that FuRyu also produced a metallic blue color variation of this figure. For all the "complaints" I have about the bland design, the metallic blue variant may just add the touch of uniqueness that I am looking for. I plan to review that version in the future too so, do stay tuned with that!
All in all, the Holy Girl Sonico is a faultless figure. This was a prize figure that I have been looking forth to for a long time since laying eyes on the original illustration. At the end of this review, I can gladly report that she lives up to my expectation and more. And because I have all the Sonico prize figures that I ever wanted prior to getting her, she becomes that much more special upon receiving her.Although it may not be the first thing to come to mind when thinking about different kinds of sports, D.C. Breeze is Ultimate Frisbee at its best.
"A lot of people don't exactly know what our sport is," said D.C. Breeze player Rowan McDonnell, "They might associate it with dogs or the beach."
A professional ultimate team, D.C. Breeze is comprised of talented players who show off their skills and show that they can really play. The team even made it to the division championship game, but lost to Toronto in overtime.
"It's a really athletic sport that combines a lot of elements of basketball, football and soccer," said Chuck Cantone, a Breeze player.
When they're not competing, the D.C. Breeze try to grow the sport. During the course of the year, the Breeze put on roughly 30 youth clinics across the area. It's truly a win-win for both parties, as it provides awareness to the sport and it also brings a moment for these children that they will remember forever.
"If we have fun with the kids and a couple of them like the sport, well then they might share it with their friends and that's how things really grow," said Cantone.
Children at the Fort Stanton Recreation Center got a first hand look at what Ultimate Frisbee is all about, spending the day with Breeze players as they make an impact on the next generation.
"It's more of the running and the excitement of catching and throwing the Frisbee," said G'Quay Milton, a 13-year-old, "I was actually going to ask my mom to buy me a Frisbee when I got home today."
Watch the video above to see Scott's full story on D.C. Breeze.
Do you know of somebody in the DMV area overcoming adversity to star and excel in the athletic arena? We want to hear from you. Contact us at risingstar@wjla.com. You might be featured in an upcoming story.Some 2,000 Turkmens have crossed into Turkey Saturday after fleeing attacks from Russian and Syrian regime forces in northwestern Syria, according to the Turkish disaster agency.
The displaced were fleeing Russian and Syrian attacks of Turkmen Mountain in Syria Bayirbucak.
According to the Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), nearly 600 families have taken refuge in Guvecci camp near Yayladagi, a border town in the Hatay province of southern Turkey.
The officials said the more migrants would be allowed into Turkey in the coming days.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday that more than 5,000 Turkmens and Arab refugees had been accepted into Turkey in the last week alone, following the airstrikes.
Predominantly Turkmen areas of northwestern Syria have been under attack by regime forces – backed by Russian air power – since November of last year.
Recent attacks in these areas have displaced thousands of Turkmens, a Turkic ethnic group concentrated mainly in Syria and Iraq, prompting many to seek refuge in southern Turkey.It looks like Infinity Blade fans will have to wait a little longer before they can slice through much-anticipated series prologue Infinity Blade Dungeons.
According to AllThingsD, Epic Games has had to delay the launch of its upcoming dungeon-crawler until 2013. As it turns out, setting up a brand-new studio and reinventing your flagship iOS franchise are rather time-consuming processes.
Epic Games spokesperson Wes Phillips had this to say:
"Ever since the talented team at Impossible Studios got their hands on Infinity Blade Dungeons, they've been busy adding their great ideas to the game."
"There was also the matter of getting the Impossible Studios team up and running with desks, chairs, staplers, and computers. The logistics of a new studio and implementing all those great ideas required a little extra time, so Infinity Blade Dungeons will hit iOS in 2013."
We went hands-on with Impossible Studios's debut project back in June, and were excited by the blending of reaction-testing mini-games with more'serious' Diablo-style RPG mechanics in Infinity Blade Dungeons.
We know the Impossible Studios team has pedigree (the staff roster is peppered with Gears of War veterans), so we're happy to wait a few extra months if it means we get to play a better game at the end of it.
In the meantime, why not take another look at the announcement trailer below. It'll put some fire in your forge.X-rays and a fluoroscan taken following the game were negative. Ortiz is day to day.
BOSTON -- It appears that Red Sox slugger David Ortiz avoided significant injury after hitting a 99-mph fastball from Dellin Betances off the midpoint of his right shin in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 9-4 loss to the Yankees.
BOSTON -- It appears that Red Sox slugger David Ortiz avoided significant injury after hitting a 99-mph fastball from Dellin Betances off the midpoint of his right shin in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 9-4 loss to the Yankees.
X-rays and a fluoroscan taken following the game were negative. Ortiz is day to day.
View Full Game Coverage
"My heart sunk a little bit when I saw it, but fortunately, I just saw him back there," said Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. "He's doing much better. It's not broken. He looks like he's moving around pretty good right now, considering how he was. Before, we had to carry him off, basically, but he's now walking. He's standing around on his own. It hit off him solid, but he's doing much better."
There was quite a bit of concern initially, when Ortiz was writhing in pain and walked back to the dugout with the help of manager John Farrell and a member of the training staff.
Video: NYY@BOS: Farrell on 9-4 loss, Ortiz's injury
With the Red Sox in the thick of two postseason races -- they trail the Blue Jays by 2 1/2 games for the American League East title but hold a one-game lead in the AL Wild Card standings -- a serious injury to Ortiz could have been devastating.
"I felt bad for him," said Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. "It was 99 mph.... That's something that's not very nice, and especially to lose a player like that for an extended period of time wouldn't be good for us."
Ortiz tried to gather himself and continue the at-bat, but he couldn't shake off the pain. Bryce Brentz came on as a pinch-hitter and finished the at-bat by striking out. Adding insult to injury, Ortiz was charged with the strikeout.
In the eighth, Mookie Betts left the game with right calf tightness, and he is doubtful for Thursday's series finale against the Yankees. Prior to the game, the Red Sox announced that knuckleballer Steven Wright would miss his next start, originally scheduled for Thursday, due to right shoulder inflammation.
The 40-year-old Ortiz is in the midst of what is expected to be his final season in the Major Leagues. Despite a recent slump, he is slashing.307/.400/.612 with 25 homers and 88 RBIs.
Ian Browne has covered the Red Sox for MLB.com since 2002. Follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne and Facebook.Theresa May will gift the Yes campaign a head start in any second independence referendum after signalling a move to let EU migrants keep the vote after Brexit.
In a key concession, the Prime Minister is understood to be ready to keep the existing Holyrood franchise in return for the same deal for British citizens on the continent.
Her move, widely flagged as she prepares to reboot talks with Brussels in a keynote speech in Florence next week, is expected to have "significant" repercussions in Scotland.
Last month international experts predicted that EU migrants could swing a second referendum behind independence - provided Scots remained narrowly split on the issue.
However, Mrs May will set aside such forecasts as she seeks to find common ground with EU negotiators on citizens' rights and finance so the two sides can move on to meatier talks on trade, sources said.
The European Union - both its Commission and Parliament - have made it clear they want to see progress on a divorce settlement, including the rights of migrants and Britain's share of EU debts, before discussing a new post-Brexit relationship.
There is widespread speculation that Mrs May will use her Florence speech to pitch a 'transitional' deal first mooted by her chancellor, Philip Hammond, to keep paying in to the EU after formal Brexit in 2019.
A likely deal on voting rights was spelled out in unnoticed remarks in the House of Lords last week. Brexit Minister Baroness Anelay of St Johns, referring to talks so far this summer, said: "The EU does not plan to maintain the existing voting rights for UK nationals living in the EU.
"We have made it clear that we stand ready to protect the rights of EU nationals living in the UK to stand and vote in municipal elections."
This offer comes amid horse-trading over other rights, such healthcare and family re-union for millions of migrants, both EU citizens in the UK and 1.2m Britons who live on the continent.
Right now migrants have the right to vote in municipal elections and those for the devolved assemblies but not general elections, or last year's Brexit referendum.
They were able to take part in Scotland's 2014 vote. Foreign nationals eligible to vote, including EU ones, were slightly less likely to support independence in 2014 than the national average, with just under 43 per cent against and just over 57 per cent for.
Last month the Scottish Centre on European Relations (SCER) published an expert report suggesting that reversing those numbers would close the gap between the two sides, as of 2014, by two percentage points.
Some experts believe the migrant vote could swing behind Yes on the kind of scale usually only seen in rigged elections in dictatorships.
However, there is no polling to back this speculation up and there may well be migrant groups who either carry anti-separatist sentiments from their home countries - such as Spain or Romania - or who feel they have moved to Britain and want to remain in the UK.
SCER director and Brussels think tank veteran Kirsty Hughes, who commission last month's research, said keeping the current franchise may appear a minor concession amid complex negotiations.
But she added: "For Scottish politics it could prove highly significant."
There are around 180,000 EU citizens in Scotland, including children, just short of the number needed to overturn the 400,000 advantage for No recorded three years ago.
Polls would need to narrow for EU nationals to swing an independence referendum. The two most recent surveys put support for independence at 46 per cent, basically unchanged from the 45 per cent recorded at the actual vote in 2014. This includes a Survation poll for the Daily Mail put in to the field this week.
SNP sources are also delighted at the prospect of EU nationals keeping the vote in Holyrood elections, not least for some marginal constituencies, in Edinburgh, Moray or Perthshire with high migrant numbers.
Alyn Smith, the SNP MEP, said: "Our definition of Scottish is everyone who lives in Scotland, we proved that in the independence referendum, we celebrate the contribution New Scots have made to our society and economy.
"We want to see all EU nationals feel safe and welcome in Scotland, and having a vote is an important part of that. This welcome report shows that this is possible in whatever the future holds, I hope this disastrous UK government will give it proper attention."There are many age-old questions that have plagued humanity since the dawn of time; where did the universe come from? Is there really a god? What on earth is going on with Donald Trump’s hair?
But scientists have now answered one of these great unknowns; what makes a good-looking penis?
The research, which only asked women for their preferences on male genitalia, was conducted by researchers at the University of Zurich.
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According to the study, “general cosmetic appearance” is the most important penile aspect when it comes to what women value down there. This is swiftly followed by the appearance of pubic hair, penile skin, and girth. Length comes in at number six, with the look of the scrotum trailing closely behind.
The least important facet of the phallus, say the scientists, is the “position and shape of meatus”, the vertical slit at the opening of the urethra.
The three academics behind the paper, which is based on the responses of 105 women aged 16-45, which has been published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, set out to investigate whether men with corrected hypospadias, which uncorrected sees the urethra end in the wrong place, are perceived by women to look ‘normal’ below the belt. The researchers argue that some men who undergo his procedure believe their penile appearance to be “abnormal.”
The findings, that the meatus is seemingly insignificant when the penis is judged for its cosmetics, suggest that this is in fact not true, with the experts concluding that patients should be told this to “prevent the development of shame.”
But on to the question of what makes the perfect penis, the researchers established that there “is no single penile aspect that is essential” for the penis to be considered attractive.
The Independent's Millennial Love group is the best place to discuss to the highs and lows of modern dating and relationships. Join the conversation here.Image copyright BBC / PA Image caption The Rainbow Cafe in Cambridge is refusing to accept the new £5 note because the polymer in the banknote contains a type of animal fat
A vegetarian cafe's decision to refuse the new £5 note sparked a vigorous and sometimes heated debate - and underlined how difficult it is to be a committed vegan in a world awash with animal products.
From going out for a beer to washing your hair or choosing a new car, countless aspects of vegan life involve making a choice about how far principles should trump practicality.
As the row over the new fiver demonstrates - the banknotes had already been in circulation for weeks before it emerged they contained traces of animal fat - living a life entirely free of even the merest animal traces is far from straightforward.
As the Vegan Society states: "To live as a vegan in a non-vegan world takes both courage and curiosity." So just how difficult is it?
Image copyright Sam East Image caption Sam East runs a business selling vegan and spiritual jewellery
Sam East, 44, has been a vegan for 25 years.
She believes people can "only do the best they can" when it comes to avoiding traces of animals in what they eat, or what they use - and she says she will be using the new £5 notes.
"I am not happy about the money but we are foolish as vegans to think this is the only thing that has got past us," she said.
"It's about choice and control - what can I do if it's out of my control?
"Processing film used to use gelatine, so vegans would have unknowingly been doing that for years when they got their photos printed.
"Because we didn't know that, does it make us any less vegan?"
Cambridge cafe controversy
Nestled in an alleyway directly opposite King's College Cambridge, the Rainbow Cafe has long been known as one of the city's veggie and vegan hotspots.
Its owner's choice to stop accepting new £5 note, because the polymer contains a type of animal fat, has catapulted the cafe into the centre of a public debate.
Comments flew back and forth on social media, with one Facebook user posting: "So reject all customers wearing leather shoes, jackets, woolly jumpers & hats etc & go bankrupt!
"Unbelievable that yet again an insane minority is dictating to a sane majority!"
The cafe's owner, Sharon Meijland, said she had simply been making a stand, and had been left "shocked and frightened" at some of the "hatred" she had received online.
Earlier this year, hundreds of thousands of people read a BBC News story about fish swim bladders.
Not a topic regularly on the news agenda, granted - but the story was also about beer, and the gelatine made from fish swim bladders that is widely used to make the drink clear, bright and more attractive.
Certain beers are already approved by the Vegetarian Society, and the Campaign for Real Ale called on other brewers to look for vegetarian and vegan-friendly alternatives.
But brewers are far from the only producers to use animals as part of the manufacturing process.
Winemakers also often use animal products, including gelatine or milk protein, to remove impurities.
Like the new £5 notes, soap, candles, lipstick, crayons and plastic bags can all contain tallow.
Image copyright PA Image caption Brewers often use isinglass, made from the swim bladders of fish, to make beer clearer and purer
Avoiding animal products becomes particularly difficult if you want to buy a car, where they are widely used in all manner of components.
"There's a kind of Bentley that uses 14 individual cow hides," said motoring journalist Ryan McElroy from Car Keys.com.
He wrote an article on which car to buy if you are a vegan after realising there was very little information available.
"Every single vehicle on the road has animal products in - you can't avoid it," he told the BBC.
"Tallow is used to toughen tyres and tubing, steel is coated with lubricants made from animal products, and leather often features heavily in interiors.
"It definitely surprised me, the extent to which things aren't vegan-friendly."
Mr McElroy said Tesla was one company offering an alternative, as it had started manufacturing vegan-friendly models, and an imitation suede product had increased in popularity.
"Paul McCartney got a Lexus kitted out with Alcantara, the faux suede, which is approved by Peta," he said.
"But apparently he was a bit miffed about the carbon footprint when they flew it out to him instead of shipping it."
Image copyright PA Image caption Leather is often used to upholster the interior of cars
For many, choosing to avoid animal products is a way of life, and being forced to use a banknote containing tallow is simply unacceptable.
Damian Eade, co-owner of Havant-based ethical vegetarian company Vegeco Ltd, believes the notes contravene the Equalities Act 2010.
"We would never choose to carry products made from animal fat in our pockets. That is being imposed upon us by the Bank of England," he wrote in a letter to the UK's central bank.
He suggests there is a case for indirect discrimination against a religion or belief, saying "a failure to immediately remove the animal fat from new notes and withdraw old ones would be a failure to make'reasonable adjustment' towards millions of vegetarians, vegans, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, etc."
Mr Eade said making a legal case would present the hard facts and "take the emotion" out of the argument.
It has been calculated that the total amount of tallow contained in all the new banknotes equates to just over half a cow - but Mr Eade says that to argue there is "just a trace" of animal fat in each plastic fiver "misses the point completely".
"Most people wouldn't feel it appropriate if a restaurant claimed there was only 'trace' of the chef's urine in the soup - or that a trace of child labour in your cheap clothes is not worth worrying about," he said.
Image copyright Vegeco Ltd Image caption Damian Eade has put forward an argument under the Equalities Act 2010 to the Bank of England
But Ms East, who runs a business selling vegan and spiritual jewellery and crafts, said she believed there were more important issues to deal with than the £5 note.
"You can say you're vegan, but if you buy non-organic fruit, it'll be covered in wax sometimes," she said.
"We have to make choices on a daily basis - a holiday cottage I went to this year had a leather sofa in, and I chose to sit on it instead of the floor.
"Nobody can lead this perfect lifestyle. You can only do the best you can, and no-one's going to judge you.
"If you're on a desert island and the only thing you can survive on is meat, what would you do? While I have a choice, I choose the vegan path, but self-preservation always comes through first."What if I told you that a single abandoned fishing net could last for up to 400 years in the ocean… killing and tangling marine life, and coral reefs? Fishing vessels abandoning or losing their nets, lines and other gear in the ocean causes major problems for marine life and ocean ecosystems. This derelict gear continues to fish for centuries in the sea.
They call them ghost nets, but I call them… silent killers.
As consumers, we have the ability to ensure the incentive for economic solutions related to ghost nets. Because here’s what works really well for this issue: net buyback programs. There are companies hard at work training and paying fisherman to reclaim lost gear, and then regenerating the nylon waste from ghost nets into new materials to create products – everything from swimwear to skateboards.
For this series, I’m asking you to commit to a 30 day challenge to use hashtag #SilentKillers, and spread the word through social media about businesses and initiatives that are helping to turn reclaimed ghost nets into sustainable products. Because together, we can champion ocean heroes. And become them ourselves.
Choose to share any or all of solution partners I’ve highlighted on Facebook as well as below:
CREDITS
Art direction, modeling & editing: Christine Ren (http://christinerenfilms.com)
Photography: Jose G. Cano (http://josegcano.com)
Hair & MUA: : Kungy Gay Cano
Additional models: : Emma Porteus, Moana Mink
BTS footage: Brad Watt
Assistant: Caroline Trembath
Check out more underwater portfolio shots and book now.Taysom Hill’s decision should be known publically soon. The problem is, I don’t know how to react either way. I don’t know what he is going to do, but I definitely don’t know how I feel about his options. The way I see it, Taysom has four options: 1. Come back and compete with Tanner Mangum for the starting QB job; 2. Graduate transfer to another college to play one last year as a QB; 3. Come back to BYU and switch positions; or 4. Hang it up for good.
If Taysom picks to return to BYU as a Quarterback, more questions arise. What happens to Tanner Mangum? Can you convince the 23 year old Sophomore to redshirt a year? Should he even be presented with that option or has he earned the right to start. There is no guarantee that Tanner would lose an open QB competition with Taysom. I honestly have no idea who would win such a contest. The only thing I know is that you can’t have it both ways |
want people to think that -- this was a fairly popular question. We want to make sure that it was answered.
The answer is, no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy. So -- all right...
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.October 22, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Posted by Percy Allen
Demarquise Johnson - considered a top 2012 recruiting target for Washington, Washington State and Gonazaga - had the in-state rivals and their respective fan bases on edge for weeks.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound shooting guard from Pontiac, Mich. spent the past couple of weeks contemplating the choices before making a decision.
Johnson made up his mind Friday night and announced this morning he's going to sign with Washington State.
"It's somewhere that I can play right away," he said during a telephone conversation. "I can get recognized. And it's a good fit for me."
Johnson said UW finished second, followed by Gonzaga and UNLV.
It's a major recruiting victory for WSU coach Ken Bone, who also picked up a verbal commitment this week from Oakland big man Richard Longrus. The 6-7 forward picked WSU over Colorado and Stanford. Last week the Cougars secured Spokane small forward Brett Boese, who is considered a two-star recruit.
Johnson, who attends Westwind Prep Academy in Phoenix, is the biggest prize for WSU. He's rated a four star prospect by Rivals while ESPN and Scout gave him three stars. He's also the top prospect in Arizona.
When asked to describe his game, Johnson said: "Scorer."
As a junior, he led Westwind to a 30-2 record and averaged 20.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Johnson joins Westwind teammate Richard Peters, who also considered the Huskies before committing to the Cougars. However, he said Peters didn't play a significant role in his decision.
He said the major factors were the chance to play early and the WSU's development of former star Klay Thompson, who was taken 11th overall in last summer's NBA draft.
"Going to the NBA is one of my goals," Johnson said. "What they did with Klay that was important."
Washington State started recruiting Johnson later than the others, but he developed a a strong rapport with Bone.
"I like the other coaches, but Bone kind of stood out," Johnson said.
When asked about the phone call this morning to Bone, Johnson said: "I just told him and there was yelling. He was happy."
Johnson's decision leaves UW, Gonzaga and UNLV, the other school on his list, scrambling, but none more than the Huskies. Washington and Oregon are the only Pac-12 teams that have not received a verbal commitment as the Nov. 9-16 early signing period approaches.
Coach Lorenzo Romar said the 2012 recruiting class isn't "critical," however, Johnson was believed to be one of the top prospects on Washington's list that also includes uncommitted big men Anthony Bennett, Zena Edosomwan and Landen Lucas. Edosomwan visited UW Oct. 22 and Landen is expected to make a trip Nov. 5.
Washington has also reportedly targeted 2012 wing Jordan Tebbutt, a three-star prospect from the Portland area who plays at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
Still losing Johnson hurts. Many recruiting analysts compared him to UW sophomore Terrence Ross, who is considered a first-round pick in next year's NBA draft. The Huskies are expected to lose two seniors Scott Suggs and Darnell Gant. Point guards Abdul Gaddy and Tony Wroten Jr. are also candidates to leave school early for the NBA.
Meanwhile Washington State is stockpiling talent across the mountains. Bone has compiled a 2012 recruiting class that ranks among the top four in the conference after Arizona, UCLA and Colorado.Update: Rescuers faced tricky extraction | Memorable Oregon sinkholes
A Southeast Portland woman tumbled down a 20-foot sinkhole in her backyard after she went looking for her dog Tuesday night, fire officials said.
At the bottom of the dark, cold pit the owner was reunited with her black poodle mix, which had fallen down the hole earlier in the evening, officials said.
The bizarre incident occurred just before 7:30 p.m. when the woman went looking for the dog in the backyard of her home in the 2700 block of Southeast 38th Avenue, said Lt. Rich Chatman, a Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman.
As she searched for her pet in the dark, she ended up at the bottom of the 3-foot-wide sinkhole, Chatman said.
Trapped 20 feet beneath the earth, the woman began shouting for help. Luckily, a passerby heard her cries and called 911, Chatman said.
Fire crews rushed to the scene. Using a rope, rescuers pulled the poodle out of the pit. They then used a ladder to extricate the woman out of the ground, Chatman said.
Neither suffered injuries in their respective falls, he said.
It was not immediately clear how the sinkhole formed, though it is possible it had been a former well or pit, Chatman said.
Shane Dixon Kavanaugh of the Oregonian contributed to this report.
-- Andre MeunierSay what you want about the Japanese, one thing’s for certain. They’ve got technology by the short and curlies. The island nation is responsible for a lot of innovations in the tech center. It’s also a gaming hub, with one of the strongest growing mobile gaming markets. Today however, we’ve got some news on robots. Car maker Honda recently opened a new Innovation center in Tokyo. It will focus on technologies of the future, which include robots, mobility, AI, batteries and more.
Honda’s Innovation Center In Tokyo Will Focus On A Lot Of Cool Technologies Which Includes AI
One more thing’s certain – Honda’s very good with computers. The company’s electronically navigated engines are very economical. Now, Honda’s looking at the future. The lab will focus towards delivering practical results, which will be practically applicable. Honda expects results from the robotics division of R&D Center X to deliver results by the end of next year. The company also hopes progress in autonomous driving by 2020.
Related SoftBank Unit Fortress Investments Wants to Become the Next Patent Troll
Even though Honda’s known for making cars, the company’s excelled at a lot of areas. It’s contributions to the working office environment include moving stools, robots and other products. Now, with Center X, the company’s hoping to target large-scale industrial environments. With it, Honda wants to target next generation software heavy technologies for automobiles. In short, the company wants self driving cars.
This shift comes at a critical time for the company. The Japanese have finally started to see value in software as a future driver. Toyota and Nissan, Honda’s biggest rivals have invested in the field significantly. With R&D Center X and Innovation Lab, the company’s looking to foster a startup like environment for its engineers and researchers. This, combined with out of house resources will make sure that Honda will move from a metal bender to a software coder. The company will also hire Edward Feigenbaum, a computer science and artificial intelligence expert from Stanford.
He believes that there is a drastic need in Japan to make the switch to software. “Just look at where the wealth is. It’s in the software area, not in the hardware area. Hardware is more like a commodity, and it’s in software where the major margins are,” he said. Honda’s got some catching up to do and shake up its business model. The company’s loved to mind its own business but will have to broaden its horizons if it wants to stay relevant in the automotive world.
Image SourcePrivate Henry Johnson, a member of the all-black unit known as the “Harlem Hellfighters,” used a rifle, a knife and his hands to fight off nearly two dozen German soldiers during World War I.
In 1917, Henry Johnson was working as a railroad porter in Albany, New York, when the United States declared war on Germany. At the time, before the Selective Service Act introduced conscription, African-American volunteers were only allowed in four all-black regiments in the Army and a few National Guard units. Johnson enlisted in the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, which was converted into the 369th Infantry Regiment for the purposes of the war. The regiment belonged to the largely black 93rd Division of the American Expeditionary Force, a hastily assembled division that would be among the first American forces to arrive in France. Most of the 369th’s soldiers came from Harlem, San Juan Hill (around 59th Street in Manhattan) and Williamsburg, Brooklyn; after their exploits in France, they would be dubbed the “Harlem Hellfighters.”
In the early months of 1918, with France stretched to its limits in its struggle against Germany, U.S. General John Pershing lent the 369th to the Fourth Army, though he made it clear he considered black soldiers inferior to whites. In fact, Pershing went even further in his directive to the French Military Mission, writing that the black man lacked a “civic and professional conscience” and was a “constant menace to the American.” To their credit, the French paid little attention to Pershing’s warnings. They sent the 369th to the western edge of the Argonne Forest, in the Champagne region of France.
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Outfitted in French military garb, Johnson and another private, Needham Roberts of New Jersey, were serving sentry duty on the night of May 4, 1918, when German snipers began firing on them. Johnson began throwing grenades at the approaching Germans; hit by a German grenade, Roberts could only pass more of the small bombs to Johnson to lob at the enemy. When he exhausted his supply of grenades, Johnson began firing his rifle, but it soon jammed when he tried to insert another cartridge. By then the Germans had surrounded the two privates, and Johnson used his rifle as a club until the butt splintered. He saw the Germans attempting to take Roberts prisoner, and charged at them with his only remaining weapon, a bolo knife.
Johnson stabbed one soldier in the stomach and another in the ribs, and was still fighting when more French and American troops arrived on the scene, causing the Germans to retreat. When the reinforcements got there, Johnson fainted from the 21 wounds he had sustained in the one-hour battle. All told, he had killed four Germans and wounded some 10 to 20 more, and prevented them from breaking the French line. The French awarded both Johnson and Roberts the Croix de Guerre; Johnson’s included the coveted Gold Palm for extraordinary valor. In all, some 500 members of the Harlem Hellfighters earned the Croix de Guerre during World War I, showing France’s appreciation for their sacrifice.
When Johnson and his fellow Hellfighters arrived home in February 1919, they were honored with a parade up New York’s Fifth Avenue. Thousands of spectators lined the route to watch Johnson lead nearly 3,000 troops in an open car towards Harlem, holding a bouquet of lilies. The celebration had a dark side, however: The 369th were given their own parade because they weren’t allowed to join the official victory parade alongside other returning U.S. troops.
Though former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt called Johnson one of the “five bravest Americans” to serve in World War I, and the government used his image on Victory War stamps and army recruiting materials, Johnson’s discharge papers made no mention of his many wounds, and he received no disability pay after the war. Johnson returned to Albany, and to his job as a railroad porter, but his injuries made it difficult for him to work, and he soon began to decline into alcoholism and poverty. His wife and children left him, and he died penniless in 1929 at the age of 32. As far as anyone in his family knew, he ended up in a pauper’s grave in Albany.
Starting in the 1990s, however, Johnson’s story began gaining more recognition. Albany erected a monument in his honor, and a campaign was launched to get the United States government to posthumously recognize Johnson for his service. Spearheaded by Johnson’s son Herman—who was one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen during World War II—and New York politicians including Senator Chuck Schumer, the efforts gained ground over the years, and in 1996 President Bill Clinton awarded Johnson a Purple Heart. In 2001, historians from the New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs confirmed that Johnson had in fact received a burial with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in July 1929, unbeknownst to his family. In 2002, the U.S. Army awarded Johnson the nation’s second-highest military honor, the Distinguished Service Cross.
Still, Schumer and other Johnson supporters continued their dedicated campaign to win Johnson the recognition they felt he deserved, and had been denied solely because of the color of his skin. After nearly two decades, their efforts were finally rewarded last month when the White House announced that Johnson would receive the Medal of Honor on June 2. Among the new information that convinced the U.S. Army to bestow its highest award was a communiqué from Pershing, written shortly after the Argonne battle, commending Johnson’s performance. As reported by NBC News, one of Senator Schumer’s staffers turned up the previously unknown document in her research, along with firsthand accounts of the battle from Roberts and other soldiers. Herman Johnson passed away in 2004, and Command Sergeant Major Louis Wilson of the New York National Guard accepted the Medal of Honor on behalf of Henry Johnson.
William Shemin, a fellow World War I veteran, was also awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor in the White House ceremony; his daughters, Ina Bass and Elsie Shemin-Roth, accepted on his behalf. As a member of the 47th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, in August 1918, Shemin took control of his platoon after its officers were injured or killed, until he was struck by a German machine gun bullet that pierced his helmet. Shemin, who was Jewish, received the Purple Heart for his combat injuries and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in December 1919, but—like Johnson—was denied the nation’s highest honor, likely due to the rampant discrimination of the era.Ender Utilities is mod packed full of miscellaneous utility type items and blocks.
As the name suggests, most of these center around "ender type" mechanics, such as teleportation, remote access, extended storage capabilities.
This mod was made/started as part of Modjam 4 modding event/competition. It is also my second mod overall, and my first mod that adds any content such as items or blocks in-game. As such, this mod for me is mainly a modding learning experience/project. I hope at least someone else will find it useful and fun to play with as well :)
This mod is a work in progress and only a small number of the planned items are implemented at the moment.
There are a little over 80 items on my TODO list. See the Items and Blocks spoilers for a list and description of most of the currently implemented items/blocks:
- Note: Most items are now (since v0.4.0) "modular", which means that they need some modules installed before they do anything. Use a Tool Workstation to add/change the installed modules. See the item tooltips/descriptions while hovering over "fresh" items (no NBT data yet) in NEI, hold shift for the full tooltip.
- Ender Arrows: The projectiles used for the Ender Bow. Bonus feature: if you hit mobs with them (as in whacking the mobs with the arrows in your hand), it will randomly teleport the mob around you in a 10m radius. Fun for chicken tennis ;)
- Ender Bag: Sneak + right click on an inventory to bind the bag to it. Can be bound to simple vanilla blocks that have an inventory, plus the vanilla Ender Chest. The bag then allows remote access to that inventory from anywhere/any dimension. It does chunkload the chunk where the target block is during use and for a 60 second grace period after, to avoid loading and unloading repeatedly. The bag can be switched between private and public mode using Alt + Toggle Mode key (default F). Private mode won't allow other players to use a bag you have bound to regular inventories. (Ender Chests are player-specific anyway.)
- Ender Bow: Sneak + right click on a block to bind the bow to that location. After that any mobs you shoot with the bow (and the Ender Arrows!) will get teleported to that spot, cross-dimensionally. Should work with most entities, now also including players and mounted mobs (mobs riding other mobs). Also has a second mode: Teleport self, where the user will be teleported to the impact point. Switch between the two using the Toggle Mode hotkey (see Options -> Controls). Can be repaired in an anvil with one Ender Alloy (Enhanced) and 15 levels of XP.
- Ender Bucket: Can hold a maximum of 16 buckets (by default, configurable) of the same fluid at once. Can be emptied to the same fluid by sneak + right clicking. Should now also work with tanks from other mods and mod fluids (tested with BuildCraft, Tinker's Construct and Thermal Expansion). Tank interaction: right click to fill the bucket, sneak + right click to empty the bucket into the tank. Works as an Ender Furnace fuel when filled with lava. Uses 250 mB (= 1/4 bucket) at a time. Has three modes: Normal, Fill only and Drain only, change between them with the Toggle Mode hotkey. Can also be linked to tanks. Switch between normal bucket mode and tank mode with Ctrl + Toggle mode key. To bind to tanks, you must change the bucket mode to "Bind-to-tanks" and then sneak + right click the tank. Using in tank mode chunk loads the target chunk for 30 seconds on each use.
- Ender Lasso: Sneak + right click on a block to bind the lasso to that location. After that any mobs you right click on will get teleported to that location, cross-dimensionally. Add a Jailer module to prevent some mobs (like hostiles) from despawning.
- Ender Pearl (re-usable): Frustrated of carrying around several stacks of Ender Pearls to get around? Well these ones you get back after they hit and teleport you! The regular version deals 1 heart of damage. The Elite version will mount the player to itself, aka. lets the player fly with it, and deals 0.5 hearts of damage when landing.
- Ender Porter: Used for player self-teleportation. Comes in two versions: a Basic version, which only allows teleporting inside the same dimension (since v0.4.0; in v0.3.x the Basic one was just a single-use version of the Advanced), and an Advanced version, which let's you teleport to/from any dimension. Sneak + right click to bind to a location. Or Press Alt + Shift + Toggle mode key to bind, also storing your current rotation (camera/looking angle). Hold right click to "charge" (takes 2 seconds in survival mode), and then release to teleport. Can hold up to 9 Link Crystals aka. target locations at once. To easily switch between them: while holding the item, press Ctrl and use the mouse wheel.
- Ender Relic: Spawns a new Ender Crystal. For that to be useful for this mod (ie. for the Energy Bridge Transmitter), it must be done in the end, by right clicking on the bedrock block on top of the obsidian pillars (requires a 3x3x6 base of obsidian) (in 1.8+ there is no more Bedrock block on top of the pillars in new worlds; just right click in the center of the pillar). Meant as a way to get new Ender Crystals, if all of them have been destoyed during the Ender Dragon fight. Can also spawn decorative (= not usable for the Energy Bridge) Ender Crystals anywhere in other dimensions (no special requirements). Beware that they explode when taking ANY damage.
- Ender Tools (Pickaxe/Axe/Shovel/Hoe): Can teleport the block drops directly to the player's inventory, or a remote linked location. If you add an Efficiency V enchant to them (in an anvil with an Enchanted Book), and use them in the fast mode, they will instantly break most common blocks. The Ender Hoe can till a 3x3 area and plant it either from the player's inventory or a linked inventory. To plant, right click again on the farmland. Will not break completely. Can be repaired in an anvil with one Ender Alloy (Advanced) and 15 levels of XP.
- Ender Sword: Can transport the mob drops to the player's or a linked inventory. In Summon mode it will do minimal direct damage, but instead it will summon 3 Ender Fighter mobs to attack the target. The Ender Fighters will rage and attack the nearest player, unless there is a player holding an Ender Sword in Summon mode within 32 blocks of them. Idle Ender Fighters will despawn after about 10 seconds, unless you name them with a Name Tag to keep as a "pet". Will not break completely. Can be repaired in an anvil with one Ender Alloy (Advanced) and 15 levels of XP.
- Jailer module: Can be right clicked on mobs to prevent them from despawning. This uses the item, if it does something for the mob (ie. right clicking on a sheep does nothing, since it can't despawn anyway). It can also be installed to the Ender Lasso or Ender Bow so that the teleported mobs won't despawn. This does not use up the item/module.
- Mob Harness: Allows you to mount and unmount mobs into other mobs or yourself. (Mainly for shizz and giggles. The amount of hilarity that was had while testing it... :D)
- Sneak + right click on a mob to "bind" (= remember) it. Then sneak + right click on another mob to mount the first one on top of the second one.
- Sneak + right click on the same mob twice to mount it on top of yourself.
- Sneak + right click with an "empty" harness on a mob to unmount that mob from the one it is riding.
- Sneak + right click when looking up (> 80 degrees) to unmount the mob that is riding you.
- Note: The mobs need to be within a 32 block radius from the player when trying to mount them to eachother!
- Without sneaking, right click on a mob to ride it. Allows you to control most mobs (unfortunately not the ones that don't have AI tasks, such as spiders or flying mobs.)
- Portal Scaler: Can change the Nether Portal teleport scaling factor, if you right click with the item while standing inside a Nether Portal (does a custom teleport). It can also shut down or activate Nether Portals. Will also give you some math practice when calculating the scaling factors ;)
Modules and crafting ingredient items:
- Ender Capacitor: A module that stores Ender Charge, which is needed for many of the items that teleport or transport something somewhere. Can be charged in three ways: 1) Right click an Ender Crystal in The End (4 times to charge fully) 2) Use an Ender Infuser and some Ender Pearls or Eyes of Ender 3) Build an Energy Bridge multiblock in The End and in each dimension where you want automatic re-charging.
- Ender Core: Crafting ingredient and also a module needed by some items for some operations.
- Link Crystal: A module that stores location information. Used in most modular items that can be linked to a location.
- Memory Card (misc): A module that stores miscellaneous information. Used in some modular items that need to store some kind of information (like the Portal Scaler, which stores the scaling factors on a Memory Card).
- Ender Alloys, Ender Stick, Ender Rope: Just crafting ingredients.This Sunday, July 7th, will see Serbian Novak Djokovic go racket-to-racket with local star Andy Murray at the Wimbledon finals (games start at 2pm GMT / 9am EST).
It seems that when Djokovic isn’t on the court or otherwise being pretty all-around-awesome (see below), he spends at least some of his time meditating. When he was asked about his meditation practice at a Buddhist center in Wimbledon village, he responded:
“It’s very calm and quiet, obviously. I stay in a house which is very nearby. This is a place which we all visit. We like Wimbledon and London in general because there’s so many beautiful parks and nature, places which you can call getaways, where during these two weeks of a hectic Grand Slam atmosphere that goes around, so many people, obviously there is huge amount of pressure and stress and everything involved, so you need to have a place where you know you can switch off and recharge your batteries.”
The temple, which is open to everyone, is a beautiful Thai complex called Buddhapadipa.
The Telegraph reports:
Sutheera Pflughaupt’s face lights up when Novak Djokovic’s name is mentioned. She is a kitchen volunteer in the Buddhist centre the world No. 1 visits to meditate and “recharge” between matches at Wimbledon, and over the years they have grown close. “He stays in the house next door every year, for many years,” she says of the Serb. “I have a photo with him every time. Tomorrow I have tickets for the Centre Court, maybe I will see him play.”
The story continues with an interview with Lynne Parry, a volunteer at the Temple, saying of the practice: “It’s all about the moment, focusing on the now, not the past or the future. And it’s about people – the Buddha wasn’t a god, he’s a man.”
In good fun, the article ends with a swipe at the Swiss great, Roger Federer: “She also offered a clue as to why Roger Federer has yet to follow his rival in his quest for inner peace. “Non-self is very important idea. It means giving up the ego.”
The winning news title goes to the Bangkok Post with It’s Wimble-Zen as Djokovic gets inner Buddhist peace…
As perhaps needs to be hammered-in far more these days, a key part of making mindfulness work is having a strong foundation in sila (ethics) – my thanks to Genju from 108zenbooks for pointing this out in comments to a recent post here. When it comes to ethics, I think Djokovic is doing pretty well:
And:
Just so you don’t think these are one-off PR stunts, have a look around his Foundation.
So I guess you know who I’ll be rooting for on Sunday with, it seems, John McEnroe and Chris Evert on my side.
For one last bit of fun, Novak Djokovic: Top Ten Hilarious Moments from Tennis Now:Four men found not guilty of misconduct in public office after fifth, ex-officer Adrian Pogmore, earlier admitted to illicit filming
Two police officers and two pilots accused of misusing a police helicopter to film naked sunbathers and a couple having sex have been cleared of all charges.
The South Yorkshire police crew were accused of “a gross waste of valuable resources” by using the aircraft to make illicit recordings.
A woman was filmed sunbathing naked with her daughters, aged 18 and 15, who were wearing bikinis, in her garden and a couple were filmed having sexual intercourse on the patio of their suburban house.
Matthew Lucas, 42, and Lee Walls, 47, who are serving South Yorkshire police officers, Malcolm Reeves, 64, a retired pilot, and Matthew Loosemore, 45, a former pilot with the force, were charged with misconduct in a public office. But they blamed Adrian Pogmore, 51, formerly of South Yorkshire police, who shot the footage and was the only person in the aircraft when all four of the offending videos were filmed.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Adrian Pogmore. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA
Pogmore, from Whiston in Rotherham, was described by prosecutors as “a swinging and sex-obsessed air observer”. He had previously admitted four charges of misconduct in a public office. He was not in court for the trial.
The other men said they did not know what Pogmore was doing as he filmed the sequences using the helicopter’s high-powered camera.
A jury of six men and six women at Sheffield crown court accepted their explanation, clearing them of the charges.
The jury had been shown footage shot from the aircraft, including an 11-minute sequence of a couple having sex on their patio in a range of positions. In the footage the man is wearing only a Manchester United shirt and at one point the woman waves at the helicopter.
Pogmore knew the couple through his interest in swinging. The court heard that he had previously had sex with the woman in the footage. He has already been sacked by South Yorkshire police and will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Richard Wright QC, prosecuting, said: “You may hope that the police helicopter is chasing down criminals and keeping the community safe. You may never imagine that in fact it is being used to film a pair of swingers in the throes of sexual passion.”
Footage of naturists on a campsite was also shown to the jury, as well as another recording of people sunbathing naked.
The woman who was filmed sunbathing nude with her daughters in her garden felt “sick” at the thought of being recorded, which was “a complete and utter violation” of her privacy, the court heard.
Some of the defendants appeared to be in tears after the jury foreman returned the verdicts after four hours of deliberation.
Their families in the public gallery overlooking the court hugged each other and cried.
As Lucas left the courtroom he said “thank you” to the jury.
The prosecution stemmed from recordings found in Pogmore’s desk drawer at a police station in 2015.In dramatic scenes of diplomatic intrigue an American woman has announced 30 days of sex sanctions against her husband.
News of the rogue action broke on Friday morning.
My wife and I vote oppositely usually, and she was sad that Hillary didn’t win and probably more upset that Trump did.
The husband also argued that such a sanction was not how sex ought to be used, and that by reducing access to it was he being subjected to a 'control move on her part'.
Critics of the sanctions are likely to view them as disproportionate and could have significant impact on the population.
Fears of a 'domino effect' against the 60 million other Trump voters from their spouse is causing a stir in other households.
The move is reminiscent of the sex strike held by the women of Athens and Sparta in the anti-war comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes, first perfomed in 411 BC.
In the play, the women on both sides of the Peloponnesian war choose to withold sex until their respective husbands sue for peace.
Supporters of the rogue woman's policy of containment said on Reddit:
Voting for Trump but then not understanding why a woman is withholding access to her body to express disapproval? The irony is palpable.
Suggestions that the sanctions could be increased beyond the month have not been confirmed, yet the husband is keen to open negotiations in order to learn the motive for the unprecedented sanction.
No third party has been named to make the approach.Judith Beatty Here I am at the beach with my mom and my sister before I contracted polio.
In 1949, the year I was hit by the poliovirus, 42,000 cases of polio were reported in the United States and 2,720 people died, most of them children.
I was diagnosed with paralytic poliomyelitis, which is experienced in less than 1 percent of poliovirus infections. Not only did it immobilize me completely from the neck down, it also attacked my lungs. It was August, a popular month for polio, and I was six years old.
A few weeks before, my parents, younger sister and I had moved from the outskirts of New York City to Rowayton, Connecticut, which back then was a small town of 1,200 people. My father had gotten a job as associate editor at Collier’s Magazine and my mother was a homemaker, and our new two-story house with its big yard was in sharp contrast to the tiny apartment we had come from.
The poliovirus attacks very quickly.
I was playing with other children at a lawn party and developed such a terrible headache we had to go home. When I woke up the next morning, my legs were so weak I couldn’t stand on them and I could barely lift my arms. It took all day for the doctor to visit the house and examine me, and that night I was taken to the Englewood Hospital in Bridgeport and put in an iron lung.
My mother told me years later that the prognosis was very poor and I was expected to die within hours.
Judith Beatty This photo was taken at a garden party, just one month before I contracted polio.
One of the children I was playing with at the party was John Leavitt, who many years later went to work in the field of biotechnology at the Bureau of Biologics of the FDA. Part of his work involved growing live poliovirus, and it was necessary to be tested for polio antibody titre. All those years later, he learned that he must have had the natural polio infection based on the results.
Now, looking back, we realize that while I went home and ended up in an iron lung, John ended up with a flu-like disease with no paralysis. To this day, no one knows why the vast majority of people attacked by the virus recovered with no residual effect and so many others went on to spend the rest of their lives in wheelchairs.
After I was taken to the hospital, the health department put a yellow quarantine sign on the front of our house and at the end of our driveway.
My mother said that when she and Dad would go to the beach in town, people would grab their blankets and umbrellas and move. At the grocery store, my mother said she could hear people whispering and staring. No one wanted to be near my family.
Everybody knew of somebody who had died from polio or was crippled by it, and 1949 turned out to be a record year. At its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio would paralyze or kill 500,000 people worldwide every year. And there was no vaccine for it, so there was no defense against this invisible, raging monster that struck indiscriminately.
I have no memory of being in the iron lung.
People came to visit me, but I don’t remember any of that. I don’t know how long I was in it, either, but I remember waking up in a bed and looking over and seeing this enormous gray metal cylinder with windows along the sides and wondering what it was. I thought maybe there were tiny people living inside.
During those first few weeks, there were 200 children in my hospital ward with more arriving every day.
Some of the children were toddlers or babies in diapers, paralyzed and crying, and their family members were not allowed near them. There was a lot of commotion and noise. I just lay there, day after day, listening to it.
There was chicken wire nailed to the door of my room and it had to be unhooked for someone to come in. I remember my parents coming to visit and leaning over the wire to wave at me, and throwing small gifts that they hoped would land on my bed. They were not permitted to approach me.
There were not enough nurses.
I got very little attention, and when I did, I wasn’t treated very well and my wants and needs were not readily met. I think the nurses must have been going crazy. I remember spilling a bowl of cereal on myself, lying in the wet mess for hours and then being shouted at and shamed by someone very frustrated and upset. I was just getting my strength back, but I was extremely weak and really couldn’t do much. I was given books to read, and with the limited knowledge I had of the alphabet, I taught myself to read and had reached fourth grade reading level when I finally went home. The first book I ever read was The Sleepy Kitten.
“Vaccine preventable diseases continue to kill millions of people every year around the world.... Yes, I am immune to polio, but the damage it did was hardly worth it.”
There was a wringer-washer at the other end of my room next to a big porcelain sink. Twice a day, a nurse would fill the washer tub with steaming hot water and then run cut-up old army blankets through the mangle and wrap them around my arms, legs and midriff. They called them hot packs, and they were painfully uncomfortable. The smell of wet wool is with me to this day and brings up deep emotions. This treatment, which included whirlpool baths, was a clinical method developed and promoted by Australian nurse Sister Elizabeth Kenny, and I believe it saved me from a lifetime of total paralysis.
After a few weeks, both of my arms and my right leg recovered but my left leg did not.
The nurses then told me I would be transferred to another floor in the hospital and that all of my books and toys would have to be incinerated or given to other infected children. I left everything behind when I left that room several weeks later.
Judith Beatty This photo was taken on my 7th birthday in October, 1949. I was home on a two-day “furlough” from the hospital.
My new room downstairs had three other children in it. One of them was a young teenager named Lois, and we got to be friends even though she was much older than me. I thought she was very sophisticated. The nurses on this floor were equally overworked and frustrated. None of us could walk, so we were at their mercy and sometimes had to fend for ourselves. This included passing a bedpan around until it was full because we couldn’t get anyone to give us a clean one, and sharing food.
At this stage of my illness, I was allowed to go home on two-day “furloughs” for my birthday and Christmas. When I went home for my seventh birthday in late October, my parents had invited some children my age to help entertain |
2]
Aside from her inventions, Myra was a keen painter. Having learnt from an artist who painted stage scenery, she had a broad Impressionist style using intense colours and with little mixing of the paint. All her known remaining works are small landscapes.
Farrell was known in Theosophical circles and subscribed to the building of a grandstand at Balmoral Beach to witness the arrival of Krishnamurti in Sydney. She financially supported the utopian William Lane in his enterprise to found an ideal colony in Paraguay. In this she argued at length with Mary Gilmore, who also supported William Lane[5] but was scornful of Farrell's religious ideology.
She was regarded as an eccentric, even within the family. Her eccentricities included keeping the foot of an Egyptian mummy on the mantelpiece, where it gathered dust because the housemaid refused to touch it. It was thrown out with the garbage and was subject to a police investigation when it was discovered by the garbage collector.
Farrell died at her home at Mosman on 8 March 1957.
Accolades [ edit ]
Myra Farrell was described in the Geraldton Guardian:
Without fear of contradiction it is quite safe to assert that Mrs Myra Taylor ….. is a genius in the highest sense of the word.[2]
The Western Age, Dubbo:
"That trite phrase "A prophet hath no glory in his own land" was never so strikingly illustrated as in the case of Mrs. Myra Juliet Taylor. This remarkable little lady might justly claim to be the most versatile woman in the Commonwealth, yet she dwells in our midst unknown, almost in obscurity."[6]It only takes a quick scan of the public safety section of area newspapers to see what alcohol can do to people, and a state legislator is suggesting — again — that one answer to the problem is to allow more people to drink at a younger age.
Rep. Phyllis Kahn, the Minneapolis DFLer, is no stranger to filing bills that are dead on arrival at the Capitol, and this year’s bill probably isn’t going to go anywhere. But the issue probably isn’t going to go away, either.
“It’s a very good way to deal with the serious problem of binge drinking, particularly on college campuses,” Kahn tells the Pioneer Press.
She says the idea is to allow young people to learn how to drink socially.
Kahn’s bill doesn’t allow 18 year olds to buy at a liquor store, but Sen. Branden Petersen, R-Andover, said he plans to introduce legislation to lower the drinking age for both bars and liquor stores, on the theory that 18 is the age of legal adulthood for everything else.
We tried this once before, during the Vietnam War. We used the same rationale that appears again in the Pioneer Press story.
“If you can go and die for your country but you can’t have a beer, I can’t understand that,” said Andrew Deziel, 18, of Bloomington, Minn.
As I recall the early ’70s, those of us who made that point were doing everything we could to keep from being drafted.
But there is some evidence that a lower drinking age has some impact on the drinking problem.
“In general, the younger people start to drink the safer they are,” said Brown University anthropology professor Dwight Heath, the go-to expert on the matter, it appears. “Alcohol has no mystique. It’s no big deal. By contrast, where it’s banned until age 21, there’s something of the ‘forbidden fruit’ syndrome.”
In an editorial this week, the University of Virginia Cavalier Daily says with a lower drinking age, college kids with a drinking problem might be more likely to seek help.
It also makes another true point — kids are going to drink anyway.
If restricting the legal drinking age to 21 doesn’t successfully address the problem of drunk driving, the value of such a law seems minimal. The law effectively punishes under-21-year-olds who don’t drive drunk or even drive at all, and there is no reason to believe those who would drive drunk at 18 wouldn’t do so at 21. Especially since 18-year-olds are given all the markers of adulthood — the right to vote and legal adulthood in court, among others — refusing them the authority to drink is at the very least inconsistent. Thus, this law is ineffective at best. But its negative consequences make it an obvious area of concern for colleges and universities, on whose campuses this issue can even be a safety and legal concern.
Even if Rep. Kahn’s bill passes the Legislature — it won’t — Gov. Dayton says he thinks the current drinking age is fine where it is.
Related: Minimum Legal Drinking Ages around the World.Story highlights Protesters have set up a tent city in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral in London
Demonstration inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States
Activists are calling for a completely new financial and political system
Demonstrators say they will stay at the site until their demands are met
On the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, tourists gaze out over a tent city within the City, an impromptu encampment in the shadow of one of London's most enduring landmarks.
Below, the colorful canvas of more than 150 temporary shelters fills the gray sidewalk, and bright posters and banners festoon the statue of Queen Anne.
Hundreds of protesters began camping out near the cathedral on Saturday, after their attempts to occupy the London Stock Exchange failed.
The London collective was given a boost on Sunday when Giles Fraser, Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, welcomed the protesters to the church grounds, after police blocked them from entering neighboring Paternoster Square.
The police are still here -- their vans line up alongside London's famous red double-decker buses in a nearby street. The officers inside are poised for action, but the peaceful nature of the protests so far means they have little to do but watch.
Finance workers in sharp suits wander past the protests, staring -- some bemused, others amused -- at the makeshift campsite which has sprung up in recent days.
Others ignore the flyers, placards and protesters as they hurry along, apparently assuming the fuss is nothing but a flash in the pan -- something those camped out are keen to disprove.
"We're staying forever," insists Bryn Phillips. "We're staying until the rector says we have to go, and he says we can stay, so we're staying until our demands are met."
Asked what those demands are, Phillips reels off a list which veers from the idealistic to the jokey, which his friend, artist and fellow protester Laura May, says "sounds like a Christmas wish list" -- and which suggests the campers may be here until well into the new year.
"We're a solidarity movement. We want to replace the G7 with the G-seven-billion, we want a global democracy: Government by the people, for the people, not by governments acting for the big banks," he says.
Historian Farhan Rasheed, who has been part of the protests since Saturday, and camped out at the site overnight, told CNN he was taking action to call for a new financial system.
"It's not that the system is broken -- it's going on exactly as it is supposed to: People buy, buy, buy, until they have homes full of stuff and no money, so they stop buying, sales go down, companies get into trouble and the economy crashes -- it happened in the 1990s, in the 1980s, in the 1970s. It's happening now, and it's going to get worse.
"The system needs to change. We need to focus not on big profits, not on the headline figures, but on what they mean to people's lives.
"I work in schools, and the kids are terrified -- they really don't like the generation above, they think 'You've screwed us.' They are left with no opportunities, but they are the ones who are having to pick up the costs.
"It is manifestly unfair, but the mood seems to be changing. This morning we greeted the people coming to work at the Stock Exchange, and there were lots of people saying "We're with you.""
"We are part of a global movement of people who are fed up with the current system," says session musician and builder James Banks, who traveled from his home in Birmingham to take part in the protests.
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"We have a sickening feeling in our stomach at the way things are, and at the way humans are enslaved."
Banks plans to stay at the camp for at least a week, and says he has been pleasantly surprised by the reactions of passers-by to the camp.
"There is a real atmosphere of fun and of camaraderie not just between us, but between us and the public. There's been hardly any hostility, people have been donating food -- one guy told me "I just wish I had the balls to do this.""
German tourist Anja Kloos, who stopped by the tent village after visiting St Paul's Cathedral with her family, said she was impressed by the protests.
"I know England has been badly hit by the economic crisis, and people here have lost their jobs, so I think it's great that people have come out onto the streets.
"It is becoming a global thing, thanks to the internet and YouTube and Facebook -- and it is in America too, though they aren't so famous for demonstrating -- we're normally better at it in Germany."
Not everyone is so positive.
"They've obviously got a lot of time on their hands," says one city worker, dismissively. "I don't think a lot of it, but at least they're peaceful."
"I'm just amused by it really," says another, who has been watching the protesters discussions. "They've got nothing better to do, I suppose."
But 71-year-old retiree David Norman told CNN that taking part in the protests was a question of ethics, saying that protesters across the globe were calling world governments to account.
"The U.S. started this, and now it's gone global, to more than 80 countries. God bless America for that! But get your act together, for goodness sake, or else the people will make you."In 2012, the father of a seven-year-old autistic child had moved the Bombay High Court after his son was expelled from his school. Five years later, parents of another child have moved the HC against a school for detaining their son, suffering from autism, in Class IX and not allowing them to see his final report card.
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In 2012, the expulsion of the child had become talk of the town, and activists and educationists had come down heavily on the school management and the state education department.
The school, well known in the western suburbs, had removed the child citing the reason that he was not fitting into the classroom environment and was demanding constant attention thus disturbing the other children. In December 2012, the HC directed the school to take the child back and appoint a shadow teacher.
The boy is now in Class VII of the same school. “We had to approach court after the school expelled our son. My son continues to study in the same school. He is doing great and the school too is being very cooperative,” said the boy’s mother.
In the recent case, the parents of a 16-year-old student of an ICSE school in Juhu had written to education department and moved the Maha-rashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights after the child was forced to either repeat the year or leave school. The Commission had closed the case on September 27, with an instruction to the school to admit the boy to Class X with the help of a shadow teacher. However, the copy of the order was not given to the parents, prompting them to file a petition in the HC.
“My son is out of school since the beginning of the academic year. The school will not admit him to Class X. We moved the High Court last week. The court has directed the child rights commission to give us a copy of the order within two weeks,” said the mother of the student.
The parents alleged that the school did not support them and the boy was never allowed into the lab. “Kids with special needs require extra help, which the school has not been giving… We have followed the 2012 case where the seven-year-old was expelled. It’s sad schools don’t want to accept inclusive education.”
While the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) runs separate schools for children with special needs, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) promotes an inclusive education model where such children study in regular classrooms.
In 2012, a committee was appointed by the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to assess the progress of the seven-year-old boy for a month. Dr Samir Dalwai, a behavioural/ developmental paediatrician, was asked to asses the case to set a precedent for the rights of autistic children. Dalwai said such cases are rampant but few are reported or get addressed.
Dalwai said the state government is not doing enough to address this issue. “Schools expelling autistic children, or children with special needs not getting admission, is rampant… In 2012, I had submitted my report to the High Court based on which the option of appointing a shadow teacher for the seven-year-old was allowed. The kid was taken back by the school. However, even after my report, the state government has not taken cognisance of the situation. I will also blame parents who are not getting regular therapy for their kids, which makes the case even worse,” he added.
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Many schools say they are helpless and cannot offer facilities required for children with special needs. “For most schools, this kind of an exercise is practically impossible because of the number of students and lack of resources. Some schools don’t have a full-time counsellor. The focus should be on making parents aware to get their wards tested. Schools can focus on providing remedial care. It is difficult to address such issues,” said principal of the school in Juhu, on the condition of anonymity.On November 14, 2016, Georgetown’s Foreign Service School, its Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS), and its Middle East-North Africa (MENA) Forum showed the Netflix propaganda film “The White Helmets”. Following the film (which the Helmets had shot), there was an extremely biased panel discussion about current Syrian events.
The motion picture, well-received by the audience, offered a carefully-edited account of the White Helmets, an alleged civil defense and rescue group. No member had any kind of background involving rescue work. Indeed, they all seemed to be either butchers, bakers, or candlestick makers. One alleged he had been a terrorist but had reformed and now wanted to help his fellow countrymen. The film depicted the White Helmets rescuing infants at great risk while under fire from the Syrian government and Russia. The only training they received was in Turkey, coming from classes and drills which the Anatolian government provided.
After the picture, the CCAS Director, Osama Abi-Mershed, praising the White Helmets’ work, introduced the following panel members:
Marwa Daoudy. Assistant Professor at CCAS and the School of Foreign Service. Previously she had had ties to Harvard and Princeton Universities and the US government-connected Middle East Institute. She is deeply involved in work on national security and Middle East politics.
Rafif Jouejati. A “management consultant”, she joined the “Syrian revolution for democracy, dignity, and freedom in March 2011”. Jouejati had been a spokesman for the formal Syrian opposition coalition during the 2014 Geneva peace talks. She is also a director of FREE-Syria.
Kenan Rahmani. Policy Advisor at the Syria Campaign. A Syrian-American activist, he spends time in north Syria working with civil society groups, including the White Helmets.
Raed al-Saleh. Head of the Syria Civil Defense (i.e., White Helmets). The claim is that its 3,000 volunteers have saved over 72,000 lives. They were nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize and have received the Atlantic Council’s Freedom Award as well as the Middle East Institute’s Visionary Award. (N.B., the Atlantic Council’s chairman is a former governor of Utah and past ambassador. Zalmay Khalilzad, one-time ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the UN, is a director. The Middle East Institute is loaded with former ambassadors and other US government officials.)
After the film, Raed al-Saleh, refused entry to the US in April 2016, and Rafif Jouejati, expanded on the US government’s deceits about Syria’s legitimate government, Russia, and Iran. Ably assisted by Kenan Rahmani and Prof. Marwa Daoudy at CCAS, the group promoted the most outrageous falsehoods about US efforts to overthrow Syria’s regime. They also refused to accept the results of November 8’s US general election and urged the students to protest a suddenly racist and hate-filled America.
Cheered on by at least 200 impressionable students, the group arrogantly and openly lied about events in Syria, asserting that that country’s government and Russia were bombing schools and hospitals. The panel members claimed that Bashar al-Assad had used chlorine and other poisonous gases in attacks on Syrian “freedom fighters”. Jouejati alleged that she and her groups believed in non-violence and that the Syrian government had forced the closure of most of their offices. She insisted their members had been targeted for retaliation, while Rahmani said that the Syrians themselves should decide their own future. Daoudy asserted that the US election had shocked the Syrians Rahmani, in a remarkable statement, charged that Islamists were happy the US elected Trump, thus proving democracy doesn’t work.
He also declared that the Russians, Trump’s allies, have killed more civilians than ISIS. Continuing, he averred that Trump opposed all people of color, Jews, essentially, anyone different from him. Jouejati went on to say that Assad must go and that the choice is not him or the extremists. Al-Saleh not only attacked Russia and Assad but also Hezbollah and Iran for helping prop up the Syrian government. He avowed that Idlib, where he was from, was a multi-religious, multi-ethnic community.
In response to the author’s one question about the White Helmets’ questionable connections: to British intelligence, to NATO, to the US Agency for International Development, and Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Saleh launched an ad hominem attack. Ignoring the author’s references to Vanessa Beeley’s and Max Blumenthal’s analyses, al-Saleh denied his removal from the US, his group’s cache of weapons, and his ties to terrorism. The audience cheered.
The author had no chance to respond.
CCAS allowed only two other, extremely mundane questions. They included praise for the “heroic” White Helmets.
In keeping with the propaganda aspect of the operation, a woman came up to the author afterwards with a remarkable story. In it, she noted that she had been blocked from distributing a flyer referring to the White Helmets’ questionable nature. Her offense? The paper listed titles and authors of news articles about the Helmets’ hoax. One described the White Helmets as “al-Qaeda with a face-lift”.
Certainly, throughout the two and one half hours, no one said a word about al-Saleh’s support for a “no-fly zone” over Syria. (Max Blumenthal had termed this concept a prelude to “regime change”.) The White Helmets have other problems which Georgetown University never addressed. As Christina Lin wrote in the Asia Times, there are photos and videos of “White Helmet members carrying weapons, celebrating with Al Qaeda when they defeat the Syrian army in battles, and standing by to watch as rebel jihadists conduct executions and then immediately rushing forward to place the body in body bags.”
An RT interview with journalist Vanessa Beeley noted that ” They provide medical care for the terrorists, they funnel equipment in from Turkey into the terrorist areas (…) They’ve been filmed participating and facilitating an execution of a civilian in Aleppo [Halab]. They post celebratory videos to their social media pages of the execution of civilian Arab soldiers. From the testimony from the real Syria Civil Defense across Syria they have also been involved in the taking over of the real Syria Civil Defense units, the stealing of their equipment and the eventual massacres and kidnapping of real Syria Civil Defense crews.”
Oh, yes, to facilitate the White Helmets “helping the Syrians”, they receive millions of dollars in government funding. It comes from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and France. The White Helmets operate only in areas controlled by terrorist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra.
Naturally, not one word came from the panel about the White Helmets’ origins. Scott Ritter, former weapons inspector in Iraq, did shine some light on their murky beginnings. He said: “The organizational underpinnings of the White Helmets can be sourced to a March 2013 meeting in Istanbul between a retired British military officer, James Le Mesurier—who had experience in the murky world of private security companies and the shadowy confluence between national security and intelligence operations and international organizations—and representatives of the Syrian National Council (SNC) and the Qatari Red Crescent Society.” Le Mesurier had also operated in Iraq and Yugoslavia.
A Yugoslav source suggested that Syria’s White Helmet concept may have grown out of NATO’s destruction of her country. Then, the EU had provided civilian “white helmets” to help monitor the situation there. They were supposedly professionals needed as a standby force in post-conflict situations. As set forth in a South African publication, ACCORD, “They [the helmets] would mobilise in the field of emergency humanitarian assistance and the gradual transition from relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction and development.”
Furthermore, our source noted that while she was in the country, the Yugoslav white helmets always seemed to be tied to CIA operational areas. They also stirred up conflicts in locations supposedly being pacified, she said. Calling them “very empowered criminals”, our contact added that they always enjoyed a rank far above the UN officials and other aid workers.
CONCLUSION:
It’s one thing for Georgetown University officials to foist this off on their students as Syrian current events. It’s another for the students to sit there and swallow it. A former professor at Georgetown clarifies this. Nicholas Greenwood Onuf once said that Georgetown. a Catholic Cow College [down-market school], has students that can’t or won’t think.CBS Studios International has announced that the new Star Trek television series will be broadcast exclusively in 188 countries by Netflix (excluding the United States and Canada), and in Canada by Bell Media.
In a landmark international licensing agreement, each episode of the highly anticipated new Star Trek series will be available to Netflix members exclusively in the 188 countries (excluding the United States and Canada) within 24 hours of the United States premiere. Further, all 727 existing episodes within the Star Trek television library – spanning from The Original Series, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine to Voyager and Enterprise – will be available on Netflix around the globe by the end of 2016.
The Bell Media rollout for the new Star Trek series in Canada will mirror the launch in the United States. The first episode will premiere on Canada’s most-watched broadcast network, CTV, on the same night as CBS. All remaining episodes will initially be televised on Bell Media’s cable networks, Space (in English) and Z (in French), and then later exclusively on CraveTV, Bell Media’s streaming video-on-demand service. The Star Trek television library will return to Space (in English) and debut on Cinépop (in French), and will also be found among CraveTV’s leading lineup of premium television series.
As previously announced, the all-new Star Trek series will commence production in Toronto in September ahead of a January 2017 premiere. Co-created and executive produced by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, the show will feature a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future seen in Gene Roddenberry's original creation, which spawned the Star Trek spinoff series and feature films, and also inspired generations of viewers and fans.
The new Star Trek series, in the United States, will launch with a special premiere episode on the CBS Television Network in January 2017. The premiere episode and all subsequent episodes will be available in the United States exclusively on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service. The new Star Trek marks the first original series developed for distribution on CBS All Access, which provides viewers thousands of episodes of CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month.MADISON COUNTY, N.C. -- Every year, between 20 and 30 people are killed in abandoned mine accidents across the country.
Five thousand abandoned mines lay across the state, with 4,000 of them west of I-77 into the mountains. A News 13 investigation exposes the possible dangers, the lack of regulations and why some of these sites are costing you millions.
"It's kind of slick now, you have to be, stay over here where the dirt is," Jackie Ball said as he led us into the mouth of the mine.
Ball's abandoned soapstone mine -- now an active garnet mine -- draws rock hounds to Madison County from all over the world.
"I love this old mine," Ball said
The mine once stretched through the mountain. For safety, Ball changed that.
"I closed the other side down because I was afraid someone would get back in there and the rock would fall down on him," Ball said.
The liability falls to land owners like Ball, who wants to minimize the risks.
"I have a sign down at the end of the road, no digging without permission, so they have to come to the office first now," Ball said.
It's a 180-degree turn from what News 13 found buried in the Pisgah National Forest. Flakes of mica on the ground hint at the not so hidden danger, it's to the left of the cascading waters of Toms Creek Falls.
"We've put logs and old hemlocks that have fallen to block folks so they're less likely to get up there," Lisa Jennings said, a ranger, and the Public Information Officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
"If you were to go up there as an unsuspecting visitor, it might look like a big puddle and what you don't know is that puddle is over 100 feet deep going into a mine shaft," Jennings said.
Despite the danger, the U.S. Forest Service can't close it off.
"We are actually not allowed to block the entrance, so we can't put bars up, we can't put rocks in the way," Jennings said.
It's a protected bat habitat, but what about protecting over-curious hikers who got close enough to snap these pictures? The Forest Service says there just aren't enough resources.
"It's definitely a challenge for us to monitor all these areas," Jennings said.
Other sites like this are out there, so who is in charge of keeping track of abandoned mines? News 13 headed for Raleigh, the Department of Environmental Quality sent me to the Department of Labor.
Their Mine and Quarry Bureau's website said "Abandoned underground mines are inspected by the bureau to protect the public." When News 13 asked questions, it vanished. The bureau now says it,"has no authority to inspect abandoned mines." So, it appears no one in the state is inspecting or securing abandoned mines.
News 13's final stop was with state geologist Dr. Kenneth Taylor.
"When you look at mines in North Carolina it's just a pit somewhere, someone dug until they didn't find anymore and they said I'm done," Taylor said. "Often they just walk away, because there's no more resource to mine.
It's just been in the last 40 years that legislation required miners to pay a $500,000 bond.
"It's a promise of if you don't do what you're supposed to do to reclaim the site, and then the state will do that for you," Taylor said.
In Ashe County, in 1962, a company walked away from the Ore Knob mineral mine, leaving behind the danger of collapsing ground and toxic water that's cost North Carolina taxpayers millions to clean up.
"What you're looking at basically cost $7 million of taxpayer money. There was an unusable tailings piling here, it could have collapsed and sent millions of tons of tailings to the new river," Loften Carr said, EPA Region 4 Remedial Project Manager.
It was the state that got the EPA involved, but News 13 uncovered not before rust colored toxic water spilled into local creeks for more than 50 years.
"This water is contaminated with metals and acid and it's coming out from under the tailings pond that was deposited here back when the mine was operational," Carr said.
When News 13 questioned if the water on the site will ever get better, we were told not for a very long time.
All that's keeping someone from several caving in mine shafts are a few signs and a gate that News 13 easily stepped over with the EPA's permission. That worries neighbor Danny McClure.
"There are kids that play out here and stuff and it could be a little bit more secure. The grounds soft, there are shafts obviously all in the place," McClure said.
In late 1981, several men were able to access the site and dumped the bodies of two men at the center of a Buncombe County drug case into the 60 foot mine shaft.
News 13 covered the story as the Nashville Flame was lowered into the mine to help Buncombe County detectives recover the bodies in January of 1982, here's the story and for another story about the Nashville Flame see the bottom of this story.
While the site in Pisgah National Forest and Ashe County are just two examples, state geologists say there could be plenty more sites, left unsecured.
"One of the best ways to make a mine safe is put a nice big hearty fence around the mine so you can't get in," Taylor said. "But then you have rock hounds and such that want to cut in and get in there and get a chance to get minerals and sometimes it ends in tragedy."
News 13 struggled to find a site like what Taylor described, with a big hearty fence.
The government recently started a public awareness campaign, "Stay out, Stay alive." :
Both the state and EPA rely heavily on concerned citizens to report issues with contaminated or unsecured mine sites. If you're aware of a site you can reach them at 1-800-241-1754 or their.
The state has mapped some of these sites and the state geologist says they're working to get that in a format that's accessible to the public.
Until that happens, he says you can always call the state office to check mine sites near you. The number to NC DEQ is 1-877-623-6748.If your business was waiting to buy Microsoft’s Surface Hub, that may have been a bad decision. A new report suggests Microsoft is delaying its enterprise-focused hardware — and raising its price by $2,000.
Announced just under a year ago, the Surface Hub was an 84-inch all-in-one for the office, which could run some Microsoft apps and supports styli as an input device.
The Surface Hub’s original base price was $6,999, and it was supposed to launch in January 2016. ZDNet is reporting its shipment date is now a more vague ‘Q1 2016,’ and the starting price has been upped to $8,999.
No specifics for the delay or price hike were given. ZDNet reports Microsoft officials only said the company is “finalizing our manufacturing plan with a view towards delivering the best product experience.”
Preexisting orders will still be fulfilled at the original pricing; this only applies to new orders.
➤ Microsoft to hike Surface Hub pricing ahead of early 2016 release [ZDNet]
Read next: Snapdrop is a handy Web-based replacement for Apple's fiddly AirDrop file transfer toolOver 50 commuters were injured when a high speed ferry from Highlands made a hard landing into a slip at Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan and then slammed into another slip in lower Manhattan leaving large gashes in the side of the catamaran that has been involved in accidents in the past.
Side by side aerial shot shows damage to the ferry (WNBC TV)
CNN reports that according to Coast Guard records indicate the same Seastreak ferry slammed into a New Jersey dock and tore a 2- to 3-foot gash in the starboard bow of the vessel in 2009. The same craft ran into a dock pile put a hole in the opposite side of the boat.
New York City's transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan says the ferry was going about 10 to 12 knots at the time of the crash Wednesday morning. Knots and "miles per hour" are about the same speed.
Police say the crew passed alcohol breath tests given after the crash.
WABC TV reports the incident happened around 8:45 AM on board a Seastreak catamaran ferry coming from Atlantic Highlands and left at least one person with a head injury who fell down a flight of stairs. The Fire Department says emergency workers got to the scene of the Manhattan ferry crash in just over three minutes; there's a firehouse across the street.
Officials say there are 57 injuries: two critical; nine serious; 17 guarded, 29 minor. The ferry left Conner's Pier in Highlands at 8AM and was scheduled to stop at Pier 11 at 8:45AM carrying 326 passengers according to WABC TV.
According to WNBC TV, 5 crew members were among the injured.
New York Mayor Bloomberg tours Pier 11 (Mayor Bloomberg via Twitter)
"There was a large jolt," passenger Elizabeth Banta told CNN. "It felt like we were in a car crash.... Several people were thrown into the air and onto the ground."
Passenger Frank McLaughlin, 46, whose home was filled with 5 feet of water in the storm, said he was thrown forward and wrenched his knee in the impact. He said some other passengers were bloodied when they banged into walls and toppled to the floor.
Seastreak President James Barker told WNBC TV that the ferry his a loading barge it was passing while docking. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending an investigation team to the scene.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg went to the scene of the crash with the police commissioner and officials from the city's Office of Emergency Management. They also were accompanied Wednesday by officials from the Red Cross, and the fire and police departments. Bloomberg walked to the edge of the pier to examine the damage.
The ferry left Conner's Pier in Highlands at 8AM and was scheduled to stop at Pier 11 at 8:45AM carrying 343 passengers according to WABC TV.
Some patients were carried out strapped to flat-board stretchers, their heads and necks immobilized. About a dozen passengers on stretchers were spread out on the dock, surrounded by emergency workers and firefighters and taken to several hospitals.
A corner of the ferry appeared to have been ripped open like a tin can. It occurred around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday at South Street.
WAITING TO GET OFF THE BOAT
An injured person is carried to a waiting ambulance following a ferry accident at Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The injuries seem to be centered on passengers who were on standing on the ferry's upper level in preparation for getting off at the pier.
A passenger, Ellen Foran of Neptune City said people tumbled on top of one another, hysterical and crying. Another passenger, Chris Avore, told WABC TV "Nothing seemed like it was going to be out of the ordinary," he said. "There was once or twice where I was talking with a colleague where we actually thought it was coming in a little hot near Brooklyn, where we're not used to seeing it. Then the next thing we knew, you feel the jolt and then everybody goes flying."
Another passenger, Sean Boyle told WNBC TV that the ferry seemed to head "full speed right into the pier," and said some riders were thrown down the stairs on the boat. "Everybody got jolted right out of their seats," he said.
The marine industry magazine MarineLog reported in August that the ferry's water-jet propulsion system had been replaced with a new system of propellers and rudders to save fuel costs.
STATEMENT FROM SEASTREAK
Source: Seastreak.com
We regret to report that the SeaStreak Wall Street struck Pier 11 near Wall Street while docking this morning at approximately 8:45 a.m.
The vessel’s crew immediately initiated emergency response procedures and authorities responded quickly due to the location. A number of passengers were injured. Some were treated by first responders and some have been taken to local hospitals.
Seastreak’s incident response team is on scene. Company management is working closely with emergency responders, including the New York Fire and Police departments to treat the injured and to respond to the situation.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those that were injured. Seastreak LLC will work closely with the Federal, State and local authorities to determine the cause of the accident.SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (JTA) — “Feeling lucky today?” reads a flier for a casino tucked into the seat pocket of Adolfo Vasquez’s car. The car actually belongs to his wife, Vasquez explains. He borrowed hers, which is bigger, to drive a group from the San Juan Airport to the neighborhood where they are delivering humanitarian supplies.
Since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on September 20, Vasquez only gets about a ride request a day. After work he goes home to a dark house. Power has been out for nearly 50 days, and he doesn’t have a way to refrigerate food. At night, Vasquez, his wife and three sons sleep on the floor, where it’s cooler than in their beds.
Like the Vasquez family, the majority of households are still without power since Hurricane Maria struck the island, which is home to 3.4 million US citizens, causing massive destruction and widespread power outages. Some haven’t had power since September 6, when Hurricane Irma hit. Many stores and businesses are closed, leading to shortages in food, basic toiletries and cleaning supplies.
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“Puerto Rico is under remodeling,” reads a white flag waving in the wind.
The local Jewish community, which numbers about 1,000 and whose members are mostly well off, did better than most. Many left the island prior to the storm, and the majority of those who stayed behind have generators to provide power. The Jewish community center in the capital suffered |
smooth, which purposely matches the fast fighting style. Some backgrounds are not fully caved in 1080/60fps, but most of the time it’s not noticeable and looks accordingly. The character designs (old and new) recreate this visually striking mentality, and the whole game doesn’t seem to drop in frames or feel sickening during chaos. This isn’t that surprising, but it’s nice to see what Capcom’s done to keep everyone in check, unlike other examples.
The sound is one of the more contrived portions of the experience, with stage sounds and rumbles being personified, but voice acting falling flat. A more laughable example in this was Necali’s putrid screams during Story Mode cut-scenes, that felt too forced in and dramatic. This seems to be a bit more fared in actual gameplay, but it’s not that hard to observe the unequal.
Lastly, the game’s presentation is a lot more clean-cut than Street Fighter 4, which had a more hastily put together approach. It’s not too modern but not too antique, and feels just right to not distract you from the gameplay. Little touches like character graphs and stage descriptions are also nicely placed and well designed, be it minor.
Better yet, these visual strengths are impressively present in online menus
Conclusion:
Street Fighter 5 also handles sexualized tropes aptly, with less visual attention on eye-candy and more on the gameplay
Street Fighter 5 isn’t the huge jump the fighting genre needs, but it doesn’t have to be. By creating a more centralized and less free-flowing quality, Capcom has focused on what makes a fighting game great, instead of what makes it different. While this could have been excepted either way, Capcom has sufficiently made a case for the other side. Quality is now better than quantity.
Street Fighter 5 gets an 8/10. (Very Good)
We’d like to thank Capcom PR for sending us a code for this one!
For more reviews and features like this one, please check out The Cube on Medium.com, or our twitter account @TheCubeMediumFrom the book Useful Work. Ken Abbott
The first time Ken Abbott visited Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, North Carolina, was with his daughter on a preschool class trip. Abbott had recently moved to North Carolina from Colorado so his wife could complete her residency in family medicine. He had worked as a photographer back in Colorado for 15 years, but because his wife was working upward of 90 hours a week, he spent a lot of time with his daughter, which didn’t leave him much time to seek out photography projects. But something changed during that visit.
“I saw it as an opportunity to photograph a beautiful place,” he said. “And not just wandering around to look for pictures I really didn’t have time to do.”
At first, Abbott was attracted to the history of the home and figured he would spend time working on a project that predated the family who purchased the home in 1916. Prior to then, the home had been an inn along the Drover’s Trail, a place where drivers could stop along the route to sleep and eat and store their livestock before trying to sell it in the local markets. It was an interesting story but a complicated one and, as it turned out, not as compelling as the more recent history.
“The more I photographed, the more I realized there was a whole unique story through the contemporary family and life of the farm,” he said.
That story began in 1916, when Jim and Elizabeth McClure, a wealthy couple from Lake Forest, Illinois, fell in love with the house on first sight while honeymooning and offered to buy it. Jim, a minister, eventually founded the farmers federation in 1920, a cooperative that helped farmers market their products. Elizabeth was a painter who studied in Giverny, France; during breaks, she and her classmates would watch Claude Monet paint haystacks in the fields next to her school. Although they weren’t from the area, they quickly became in important part of the community.
“It was a real Americana kind of story,” Abbott said. “One of the portraits in one of the pictures in the dining room above the fireplace is a portrait of Elizabeth’s grandmother, which was painted by Abraham Lincoln’s portraitist [George Peter Alexander Healy].”
From the book Useful Work. Ken Abbott
From the book Useful Work. Ken Abbott
From the book Useful Work. Ken Abbott
Over the next four years, Abbott would spend a few visits each month photographing the house, the adjoining land, and the people who worked and lived there. He said he was fascinated by the draw the farm had in the community.
“I would mention the place to friends or people I ran into in town and so many people had a direct connection to the place,” he said. “Their kids had gone to summer camp there, or they had bought vegetables there; it was a kind of community center. People would show up—you might get put to work—but you were always welcome.”
Abbott found out just how welcome people were during his first visit to photograph the house. After knocking on the closed door multiple times, he was greeted with a question asking him why he didn’t just enter.
“That’s the way it was,” he said. “People were just welcome.”
From the book Useful Work. Ken Abbott
Abbott said he’s more interested in photographing “anything that can’t talk back to me” and was attracted to the beauty of the house, something Elizabeth McClure had felt was deeply important a century earlier.
“She wanted to make the house a beautiful place,” he said. “Having a place that was beautiful and being able to share it with people was a materially helpful thing for the community.”
Although he has finished turning the series into a book, Useful Work, Abbott still visits the house and said the owners are pleased with the results.
“They know it’s a remarkable place, and they love the history of the house,” he said. “They don’t live in a museum, but they do value what their parents and grandparents did and the whole thing that has been created there. They recognize and want that to be valued and felt this was a way to preserve that history and legacy.”
From the book Useful Work. Ken Abbott
From the book Useful Work. Ken AbbottAnyone who has watched the footage of Bill O’Reilly’s infamous meltdown on the set of Inside Edition knows that the Fox News personality has a hot temper. But you would expect the Fox News personality, who has sent his producers to literally stalk people like Huffington Post reporter Amanda Terkel, to have a relatively thick skin and be able to keep his composure in public. Not so, it turns out.
Bill O’Reilly, reportedly walking out of a Newt Gingrich fundraiser held last night in DC (see update below), is asked by Wisconsin community organizer Branden Lane if he attended the fundraiser. O’Reilly ignores him and then, with no prompting, strikes Lane with his umbrella. He then says, “Hey, sorry about that.” O’Reilly, with Lane following at a distance, then walks with his now-broken umbrella over to a Secret Service officer outside the White House. Incredibly, you can hear O’Reilly say that he wants to press charges against the man he just struck.
It’s a good thing for Lane that he caught O’Reilly’s temper tantrum on tape, otherwise he could have ended up in prison, falsely accused of assault. As for O’Reilly, it’s revealing that he not only struck Lane – on tape no less – but then sought to press false charges. Will there be consequences?The world had a rough year in 2015, with the ongoing civil war in Syria and rise of ISIS's international terrorism, the intensifying global refugee crisis, a spate of mass shootings in America, the rise of Donald Trump's racist presidential campaign, and so on.
But it's worth keeping things in perspective. For all the ways 2015 was a terrible year for the world, there is at least one metric by which it was a very good year. According to data from a United Nations report released this July, this year saw a historic decline in global poverty. The number of people living in extreme poverty has decreased so rapidly that it's been cut in half just since 1990:
This decline in global poverty has been mounting for now 200 years, and took off in the latter half of the 20th century. Decolonization and economic reform in places such as China helped much of the developing world catch up to the developed. Between 1990 and 2015, about 1.1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty (defined as living on $1.25 a day). That means that in just the past 25 years, a full seventh of humanity has been saved from terrible want.
This isn't a story you hear about much. That's understandable: It's a slow, gradual process. It's not as captivating at something like the refugee crisis or the rise of ISIS. And it's something that happens incrementally and in ways that are not made for TV: parents that can afford to send their kids to school, someone who can now afford health care to live a longer life, communities elevating themselves to better and happier conditions. Still, this is a phenomenon that has transformed hundreds of millions of lives around the globe. It is having a major and profoundly positive impact on the world.
The global decline in poverty is part of a broader trend. Global life expectancy is skyrocketing, battle deaths are at historic lows (despite terrible wars like the one in Syria), diseases such as HIV/AIDS are being beaten back, murder rates are declining, democracy is growing, and more kids are going to school than ever before. You can see this yourself: Here are two sets of 11 and 26 charts, respectively, that illustrate the overwhelming amount of data showing that the world is becoming a better place.
While a lot of data on 2015 hasn't been released yet, the deep structural forces that have combined to make the world better off in recent years seem to be continuing. Despite 2015's undeniably serious problems, the year was, by the narrow but definitely not meaningless metric of extreme poverty, one of the best in human history.Spread the love
Washington DC — When a house alarm went off in Southeast Washington, signaling that it had been burglarized for the second time in three weeks, police officers arrived at the scene, but failed to investigate. They returned again later after a concerned neighbor requested their service, and the security footage is making the homeowner wish that they had never stepped foot in his house.
“I was appalled. I was frantic because I was out of the country,” Clarence Williams said, describing his reaction when his alarm company contacted him about the second break-in at his house in less than a month. “[It was] the same scenario as last time, broke the glass and then once he shattered the glass he just pulled the glass out and was able to walk right in.”
Williams was hoping he could trust the police officers responding to the burglary call to take care of things while he was away, but he told Fox 5 DC that he was shocked to find that the officers did not even check the back door where the burglar broke the glass to enter the home.
“They came, knocked on the door, talked to a few people who were outside and left. My house sat open for eight hours,” he said.
Williams also told NBC Washington that when the officers spoke to his neighbors about the burglary, they made comments such as, “Well, what do you expect? You live in Southeast.”
After a concerned neighbor called police later that day to report the broken glass on the backdoor that the original officers failed to investigate, the department sent out officers once again.
When Williams reviewed the footage from his security camera, he was shocked to find two police officers standing in his living room, laughing as they read off a list of his belongings that were reported, and joking about his sexuality.
“Armani, Dolce and Gabbana—he’s probably gay,” a male officer says, laughing.
A few minutes later, a female officer can be seen dancing in the same crime scene she is supposed to be investigating.
“It’s very troubling and disgusting and I think it’s a testament to the lack of training the police are receiving,” Williams said. “I believe if they were receiving the proper training things like this wouldn’t happen and they wouldn’t just do things like this in the midst of a crime scene.”
In response to the incident, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said, “I don’t approve of the language that was used or the conduct of our officers.”
In a statement to NBC Washington, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department said the two officers featured in the security footage “have been placed on non-contact status for misconduct,” and an internal investigation is ongoing.
“Their behavior is not representative of the ‘we are here to help’ environment we work tirelessly to uphold on a daily basis for residents and visitors of D.C.,” the spokesperson said. “We remain committed to providing positive interactions with all and hold the trust of the community in high regards.”
While Williams said that the female officer later visited his home and personally apologized, he noted that he wanted to release the video of the officers’ actions in hopes that others would learn from their mistakes.
“We’ve got police out here, dancing in my home and acting as if this is a joke and this is serious. This is my life,” Williams said.
Unfortunately, cases such as this one are not isolated incidents. From officers blaming the neighborhood for the break-in, to failing to investigate, to making fun of a victim at a crime scene, it remains to be seen whether the presence of clear video footage will ensure that the offending officers are held accountable for their actions.Getting Started with Aurelia CLI and Boostrap 25 Jan 2017
A reader struggling with the Aurelia CLI reached out to me for help:
I really like Aurelia. It was love at first sight. My greatest frustration however and by far is the setup procedures best practices. I installed the aurelia-cli and used "au new project" to create a "Hello, World!" Aurelia application. It was so easy! Next, I need to install Bootstrap (or some other plugin) but I am not exactly sure how to do this. Do I add some line to package.json and then run npm install or jspm or both? Or do I tweak yet another.json file before or after or what? It differs depending on which tutorial I am following, and now I'm confused and frustrated. Please advise on the best way to install and use packages or plugins, from searching for its existance to using it in actual code.
Thanks,
Nathan
Today, I’m going to do my best to answer his question using Bootstrap as an example.
Install the CLI
Getting started with the CLI is as easy as installing the package with npm. I recommend installing it locally to prevent any conflict across projects.
> npm install aurelia-cli
Generate the Project
Next, let’s use the aurelia-cli to generate the project, using the au new project command. This will create a folder named “project” and generate a configured Aurelia project in the folder.
> au new project > No Aurelia project found. > _ _ ____ _ ___ > __ _ _ _ _ __ ___| (_) __ _ / ___| | |_ _| > / _` | | | | '__/ _ \ | |/ _` | | | | | | | > | (_| | |_| | | | __/ | | (_| | | |___| |___ | | > \__,_|\__,_|_| \___|_|_|\__,_| \____|_____|___| > > > Would you like to use the default setup or customize your choices? > > 1. Default ESNext (Default) > A basic web-oriented setup with Babel for modern JavaScript > development. > 2. Default TypeScript > A basic web-oriented setup with TypeScript for modern JavaScript > development. > 3. Custom > Select transpilers, CSS pre-processors and more. > > [Default ESNext]> [Enter] > > Project Configuration > > Name: project > Platform: Web > Transpiler: Babel > Markup Processor: Minimal Minification > CSS Processor: None > Unit Test Runner: Karma > Editor: Visual Studio Code > > > Would you like to create this project? > > 1. Yes (Default) > Creates the project structure based on your selections. > 2. Restart > Restarts the wizard, allowing you to make different selections. > 3. Abort > Aborts the new project wizard. > > [Yes]> [Enter] > Project structure created and configured. > > Would you like to install the project dependencies? > > 1. Yes (Default) > Installs all server, client and tooling dependencies needed to build > the project. > 2. No > Completes the new project wizard without installing dependencies. > > [Yes]> [Enter] > Congratulations! Your Project "project" Has Been Created! > > Now it's time for you to get started. It's easy. First, change directory into > your new project's folder. You can use cd project to get > there. Once in your project folder, simply run your new app with au > run. Your app will run fully bundled. If you would like to have it > auto-refresh whenever you make changes to your HTML, JavaScript or CSS, simply > use the --watch flag. If you want to build your app for production, > run au build --env prod. That's just about all there is to > it. If you need help, simply run au help. > > Happy Coding!
Now, we can make sure everything is working properly by typing au run in the project folder.
> cd project > au run > Starting'readProjectConfiguration'... > Finished'readProjectConfiguration' > Starting 'processMarkup'... > Starting 'processCSS'... > Starting 'configureEnvironment'... > Finished 'processCSS' > Finished 'processMarkup' > Finished 'configureEnvironment' > Starting 'buildJavaScript'... > Finished 'buildJavaScript' > Starting 'writeBundles'... > Tracing app... > Tracing environment... > Tracing main... > Tracing resources/index... > Tracing app... > Tracing aurelia-binding... > Tracing aurelia-bootstrapper... > Tracing aurelia-dependency-injection... > Tracing aurelia-event-aggregator... > Tracing aurelia-framework... > Tracing aurelia-history... > Tracing aurelia-history-browser... > Tracing aurelia-loader-default... > Tracing aurelia-logging-console... > Tracing aurelia-route-recognizer... > Tracing aurelia-router... > Tracing aurelia-templating-binding... > Tracing text... > Tracing aurelia-templating-resources... > Tracing aurelia-templating-router... > Tracing aurelia-testing... > Writing app-bundle.js... > Writing vendor-bundle.js... > Finished 'writeBundles' > Application Available At: http://localhost:9000 > BrowserSync Available At: http://localhost:3001
Install Bootstrap
Now, let’s install Bootstrap. Bootstrap is a tricky package. It depends on jQuery and contains CSS files, making it an excellent example. First, install with npm using --save.
> npm install bootstrap@3 jquery@2 --save > project@0.1.0 path\to\project > +-- bootstrap@3.3.7 > `-- jquery@2.2.4
The default Aurelia CLI project bundles all of your project’s dependencies and packages them into one optimized file. Since we’ve installed two new dependencies, we want to add them to the bundle. Unfortunately, as my reader noted, this requires hand editing the project’s aurelia.json file.
aurelia.json
{... "build" : {... "bundles" : [... { // we want to add jquery and bootstrap to the vendor-bundle.js file "name" : "vendor-bundle.js",... "dependencies" : [... // jquery only requires one file, so we just type the name of the npm module "jquery", // bootstrap is a bit more complicated, so we need a configuration object { // the name of the package we will import in our application "name" : "bootstrap", // the base path that we will use to load files for this package "path" : "../node_modules/bootstrap/dist", // the main file to be imported when using `import 'bootstrap';` "main" : "js/bootstrap.min", // files that this package depends on, which should be loaded first "deps" : [ "jquery" ], "exports" : "$", // other files that will need to be included in the bundle, which, in this // case, is the bootstrap css file "resources" : [ "css/bootstrap.css" ] } ] } ] } }
Use Bootstrap
Finally, we need to use Bootstrap in our application. Let’s copy in the HTML from the Accordion Example. We will need to use the require tag in this view to have Aurelia bring in the Bootstrap css.
app.html
<template> <!-- first, we include the Bootstrap css, which was bundled as "css/bootstrap.css" --> <require from= "bootstrap/css/bootstrap.css" ></require> <!-- next, lets drive the accordion example through data in our view model --> <div class= "container" > <h1> Pokémon </h1> <div class= "panel-group" id= "accordion" role= "tablist" aria-multiselectable= "true" > <div class= "panel panel-default" repeat. for= "item of items" > <div class= "panel-heading" role= "tab" id= "heading-${$index}" > <h4 class= "panel-title" > <a role= "button" data-toggle= "collapse" data-parent= "#accordion" href= "#collapse-${$index}" aria-expanded= "true" aria-controls= "collapse-${$index}" > ${item.title} </a> </h4> </div> <div id= "collapse-${$index}" class= "panel-collapse collapse ${$first && 'in'}" role= "tabpanel" aria-labelledby= "heading-${index}" > <div class= "panel-body" > ${item.text} </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </template>
The collapse control in Bootstrap requires the Bootstrap javascript file. Let’s import it in the associated view model and add some data to drive the view.
app.js
// Importing libraries can be tricky as there are different syntaxes based on how the library was written. // Bootstrap was written to export its functions to a global '$' variable, which means that the library // doesn't export anything itself. Therefore, we use the import 'lib' to tell the module loader to import // the library, which then registers itself to a global variable. import 'bootstrap' ; export class App { constructor () { this. items = [{ title : "Charmander", text : "Obviously prefers hot places. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail." },{ title : "Squirtle", text : "After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth." },{ title : "Bulbasaur", text : "A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this POKéMON." }] } }
Notes
The CLI is a powerful tool, but I would still only recommend it to beginners. The purpose of the CLI is to hide away some of the advanced features of JavaScript tooling so that you can get started learning and coding with Aurelia quickly. That said, it is still a powerful tool, and the project it creates is an extremely strong jumping off point for any project.
The content of this blog article is mostly identical to the Contact Manager Tutorial. In fact, I bring nothing new to this discussion except my own particular style of teaching and explanation. I highly recommend you walk through that tutorial if you’re interested in learning more.
Source Code
Working Example
Contact Manager Tutorial
What is the Aurelia CLI by Erik Hanchett
Aurelia CLI Docs
Bootstrap 3THERE’S something a little different about Taylor Swift lately.
The pop star’s been the subject of plenty of talk lately, thanks to her high-profile split with Calvin Harris and subsequent hook-up with Tom Hiddleston, and now it appears she may have gone under the knife.
Swift, 26, has been spotted heading to a dance class in New York City in tight workout wear with a noticeably fuller chest.
The rumours began swirling yesterday when the Shake It Off singer stepped out in a red crop top — with many fans pointing out it looks like she may have gotten breast implants.
She’s certainly been off the radar for the past couple of weeks, after a very high-profile stint on the Gold Coast, alongside Hiddleston while he filmed the new Thor movie with Chris Hemsworth.
Swift’s yet to comment on the rumours of her chest enhancement.BUHREC application number: 0000015714
Project title: Personality characteristics associated with prosocial behaviour, criminogenic attitudes, self-harm, drug and alcohol use.
Dear participants,
The aim of the research project is to evaluate particular personality traits within Australian and other culturally diverse communities. This research intends to further what is already understood about personality traits and their associated behaviours. Your participation in this study will enhance work towards publishing relevant findings that will enhance our understanding in the area.
As part of the study, you are invited to participate in completing some information regarding demographics, followed by a series of questionnaires. This will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Participation in this study is completely voluntary and you may withdraw at any time without risking any negative consequences.
All the data collected in this study will be treated with complete confidentiality and not made accessible to any person outside of the four researchers working on this project. The information we obtain from you will be dealt with in a manner that ensures you remain anonymous. Data will be stored in a secured location at Bond University for a period of 5 years in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee.
It is unlikely that you will be adversely affected by participating in this study; however, there are some questions that ask about self-harming behaviours, drug and alcohol use and criminal attitudes. In the event that feelings of discomfort or distress do occur, you may wish to talk to a mental health professional for confidential support and assistance.
Australia: Lifeline - 131 314; Head Space - 1800 650 890; Alcoholics Anonymous - 1300 222 222; Narcotics Anonymous - 1300 652 820; Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636.
England: National Self Harm Network - 0800 622 6000; The Samaritans - 116 123 jo@samaritans.org; Support Line - 020 8554 9004; Careline - 0845 122 8622; Alcoholics Anonymous - 0845 769 7555; Narcotics Anonymous - 0300 999 1212.
India: SAHAI Helpline for Suicide Prevention & Emotional Distress -080 25497777, sahaihelpline@gmail.com; Connecting NGO – 18002094353, 9922001122, connectingngo@gmail.com; Aasra -91-22-27546669, aasrahelpline@yahoo.com; Sneha-+91 (0) 44 2464 0050, help@snehaindia.org; Alcoholics Anonymous India- +912265055134 34.
Incentives of 5 x $50 Amazon.com gift cards can be won. Participants will need to: (1) take a screen shot of the end of the survey; (2) Email the screen shot to Bruce Watt - bwatt@bond.edu.au (email will not be identified with the survey as participants do not identify who they are on the survey); (3) at the end of the study 5 people will be chosen at random under supervision from a member of the ethics committee; (4) Dr Bruce Watt will email the winners asking for a postal address where he can send the vouchers after which all records will be deleted.
If you have any questions or would like to be informed of the research findings, then please email one of the following researchers – ahalya.acharya@student.bond.edu.au, natasha.dodding@student.bond.edu.au, rachel.lawrence@student.bond.edu.au, or Dr Bruce Watt bwatt@bond.edu.au
We thank you for taking time to assist us with this research.
If you have any complaints concerning the manner in which this research is being conducted, please make contact with:
Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee, c/o Bond University Office of Research Service. Bond University, Gold Coast, 4229 Tel: +61 5595 4194. Email bultree@bond.edu.au
Yours sincerely,
Ahalya Acharya,
Natasha Dodding,
Rachel Lawrence
4th year researchers
Dr Bruce Watt, Associate Professor and Chief InvestigatorLooks like we have yet another cable dispute on our hands and this one involves one of the major network groups. Fox is warning of a potential blackout of its networks on Charter Communications and it could happen as early as this weekend. This doesn’t just involve the Fox broadcast network, but its cable channels including FS1 and its Fox Sports Net regional channels.
“Fox and Charter Spectrum have an agreement to carry the Fox networks that Charter has chosen to ignore,” a Fox spokesperson said in a statement. “We are disappointed that despite our best efforts over many months to resolve the situation without disruption, Charter’s 16 million subscribers may lose access to a wide variety of programming, including telecasts of the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cincinnati Reds and many other MLB, NBA and NHL teams on Fox Regional Sports Networks, FX’s hit dramas ‘The Americans’ and ‘Feud,’ and National Geographic.”
In a statement, a Fox spokesman said this will leave many subscribers on Charter’s Spectrum systems without some major programming:
This dispute goes back to when Charter bought Time Warner Cable last year. Charter paid the TWC subscriber fees, but as they began to expire, the content distributors like Fox wanted the TWC levels to remain the same, but Charter wanted to implement its own fee structure. Fox’s contract with TWC expired in March 31, but the two sides have been trying to reach a deal over the last eight months.
But with no deal in place, Fox says Charter is in breach of contract and is threatening to pull its networks as early as tonight leaving subscribers in the dark for the weekend. Charter has a statement of its own:
“Fox is trying to gouge our customers using the increasingly common tactic of threats and removal of programming,” a Charter spokesperson said in a statement. “They are attempting to extort Charter for hundreds of millions of dollars. We will continue to work towards a fair agreement.”
So once again, viewers are left holding the bag as two companies fight over money. Hopefully, the two sides will come together on an agreement before any network signals are pulled
[Variety]I kind of feel bad. I know I bought NHL 13 legally. It's mine, and I can do whatever I want with it. But this game is the legacy of a video game franchise that has spanned over 20 years. It means a whole lot to a whole lot of people. An army of programmers, producers and artists worked tirelessly to uphold their standards of quality and put together the best damned hockey video game they could.
And I broke it. I don't just mean that in the "the game quit on me and froze" sense, which it did. I mean that in the "the game completely shat the bed and started making headless players" sense.
But we'll get to that.
THE EXPERIMENT
I fooled around with this game in the first place because I feel that hockey goalies are inherently lazy, because they never have to skate anywhere, and they wear so much padding that they could lie down for a nap pretty much anywhere on the planet and it would be SUPER comfortable. They just get to stand there with their water bottle and football helmet (?) while their teammates carry all the water.
I decided it was time to make goalies more accountable. I tried my best to identify the best goalie in the NHL, and eventually settled on Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers. I assumed control of the franchise, released every skater on the team, and replaced them with the Miami Heat.
This, of course, meant creating each player from scratch, and I want to clarify that I was not trying to transfer the Heat's talent over to hockey (making Dwyane Wade a great shooter, etc.). I made them all just about as terrible as I possibly could, because they would probably be terrible in real life. I created all 18 members of the 2012-13 Heat and assigned them the lowest possible rating in almost everything -- puck control, shooting, passing, awareness, you name it.
The only exception: giving Wade and LeBron James perfect 100/100 ratings in the "poise" (whatever the game means by that) and "endurance" categories, because they really are troopers, and because the idea of a player having superhuman poise while being overwhelmingly sucky was really, really funny to me.
I painstakingly recreated each player as best I could, complete with appropriate height/weight and jersey numbers. As you can see, the game kept jimmying with the latter over the course of the Rangers' 2012-13 season. It also kept calling up players from the AHL and dressing them on the NHL's roster without my permission.
It was as though the game felt bad for Lundqvist and felt a duty to alleviate his pain however it could. Honest to God, it was like NHL 13 was startled into sentience by my abject, selfish foolishness. "Don't do this," it implicitly pleaded with me when it kept asking me to edit Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis out of the lines. When I failed to listen, the game heroically started to covertly feed half-decent players into my roster, just to give Lundqvist some sort of break. "NOPE," I said, "NO GOOD PLAYERS. I INSIST ON THIS."
It was cruel. I am cruel.
THE RESULTS
In the season opener, the Rangers fell to the L.A. Kings by a score of 18-0. LeBron and the Rangers managed only nine shots on goal the entire game, leaving poor Mr. Lundqvist to carry the team nearly all by himself. And he tried. Lord, how he tried. And Lord, how he failed.
I feel it's important to make it clear that I did not play this game. I set my controller to "neutral" and allowed the game to play itself. Meaning, Chris Bosh did this completely of his own accord:
Was that a pass? Surely not, because no teammate was really even in that quadrant of the rink. Was it a shot? Surely not, because no player would try to shoot from center ice with his opponents in position like that.
(UPDATE: Commenter ShaanCC and others have pointed out that this is basically "dumping the puck," a common practice.)
I think the game was beginning to lose its grasp of its artificial sanity. NHL 13 was not made for such awful nightmares. It was made to deliver a fun and realistic experience for hockey fans who truly respect and love the sport. The game felt sorrow, and it could only take so much of this nonsense before its sorrow gave way to hopelessness and, eventually, delirium. "Advance the puck up the rink and find an open shot" devolved into, "PUCK???!? HAVE PUCK. SHOOT!!!"
That was by no means an isolated occurrence. It happened the entire game.
LeBron was just one of many Rangers who would skate halfway up the ice and slap-shot the puck into absolutely nowhere, and for no apparent purpose.
What once was a competent and well-designed AI was now a sputtering geyser of binary code, flailing at the puck as though it was some sort of involuntarily response buried deep within. Norris Cole tried to pass here.
I am so sorry, Norris Cole. I am so sorry, game.
Horrors beget horrors. I could only inflict so much catastrophe upon NHL 13 until the poor thing reacted in kind. At some point in the third period, I began to notice something strange.
A blue line started to occasionally streak across the screen. I chalked it up to some sort of exaggerated rendering bug, ignored it, and kept watching.
But then it kept showing up.
Do you see it? On the right, coming from the bench? It darts around, as though it's... scanning, looking. What it was, or what it was looking for, I could not say.
Eventually, curiosity got the better of me. I went to instant replay to take a closer look, and what I found terrified me to the bone.
I rolled the tape back and forth dozens of times. This... this thing, this No. 0, appeared on the bench out of thin air. Occasionally, the blue streak would pour from the cavity where its head was supposed to be, surveilling as perhaps its eyes would.
There was no No. 0 on the Rangers. Of this, I was positive. I had pored over the entire roster, dumping and adding and double-checking and triple-checking the men on the bench. The box score showed that No. 0 was on the ice for 22 seconds. It did not give him a name, only a period.
I had taught the game horror, and so it was only natural that it would produce horrors of its own. It made this headless monster out of fear, of confusion, of hatred. I had built this game a Hell, and it gifted me a demon.
These were NHL 13's dying throes. After the game, I went to the calendar and set about auto-simulating the rest of the season. Two months in, the game froze, so I reset the Xbox and tried again. Once again, it locked it up. I tried this five times, and every time, in the clearest possible terms, the game told me, "no more."
When it locked up for the fifth time, I took one last screencap, and said goodbye.
You can make out some of the losses on the calendar. The final scores the game did spit out were not nearly as dreadful as the 18-0 drubbing in the season opener, but they were all losses, and shutout losses at that. The Heat are terrible at hockey, and goalies are very important. To learn these lessons, this game paid a terrible, terrible price.
It deserved so much better. I am so sorry.Milan: Mexes out, Viviano in?
By Football Italia staff
Milan could sell Philippe Mexes to Monaco and bring Emiliano Viviano in from Arsenal this month.
|
boxing Academy ahead of UFC 197. And while Jones expressed interest in settling the beef at UFC 200, he once again rebuffed any comparison between he and Cormier's rivalry to that of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier's legendary trio of bouts.
"Didn't Frazier end up beating Ali once?" Jones said. "Yeah, so me and Daniel, we'll never be Frazier and Ali. We'll be whoever Ali used to beat twice or three times or whatever."One of most memorable scenes from the YA novel Divergent was actually filmed for the big-screen adaptation released in theaters last March — but did not appear in the final cut. Now, thanks to an exclusive first-look at a bonus feature included in the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of the movie, fans can experience the harrowing spectacle of Edward’s eye stabbing.
The scene begins with Tris (Shailene Woodley) abruptly awakening in her Dauntless sleeping barracks to the sound of guttural wails. She and Christina (Zoë Kravitz) soon find Ed (Ben Lamb) with a knife protruding from his bloodied left eye. “Pull it out. Get it out!” he shrieks. Panic ensues as the group of recently slumbering young warriors struggle with what to do next. As Tris comforts Ed, who is gasping for air, she looks up to find a suspicious character stepping out from the shadows: Peter (Miles Teller).
It’s one of a few brutal sequences from the book that didn’t make the transition to film — undoubtedly to preserve the movie’s ever-important PG-13 rating.
You can find more to this clip — along with additional deleted scenes and bonus features — on the Blu-ray and DVD.
Divergent is now available in digital HD, and the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack goes on sale Aug. 5. A free Divergent iPad app also offers hours of more behind-the-scenes moments.The Atlanta Falcons have signed center Trevor Robinson and cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson to the active roster. The team has also signed offensive lineman Kevin Graf to the practice squad. In order to make these moves, the Falcons waived punter Matt Wile and placed cornerback Desmond Trufant on injured reserve.
Robinson was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2012 draft out of Notre Dame. The Nebraska native spent two years with the Bengals, until he was signed by the San Diego Chargers off of Cincinnati’s practice squad in 2014. Robinson spent two seasons with the Chargers.
Wreh-Wilson was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Connecticut. The last three years, Wreh-Wilson has played in 34 games with 14 starts and has recorded 73 total tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Graf was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles following the 2014 draft and spent time on their practice squad.
Wile was recently signed by the Falcons for added depth, while Matt Bosher’s injury healed. In the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Wile averaged 58.0 yards per punt and had a long of 59 yards.5 Pieces of Advice for My 20 Year Old Self
Nick Onken Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 4, 2016
I often get asked what advice I would give my 20 year old self, so I thought I would put it in a podcast. There are definitely some things I wish I had a better grasp on when I was younger, things that I think would’ve upped my game earlier in life. Truly, there are more than five things I would tell my younger self, but these five are definitely a good start.
I’m so excited to be coming up on episode 100! This has been an awesome journey the past couple of year to be on. Remember, at episode 100 we are switching the name of the show to Nion Radio to go along with my new brand that I’ve been developing. Nion is all about living your life in color and creating your moments, and I think you’ll love it.
Wherever you’re at it’s about giving and the energy that surrounds that.Twitter announced it is taking steps to combat users’ exposure to abusive content — making it the latest major tech company to roll out big post-election changes seeking to address various forms of trolling.
The company announced in a blog post Monday it is altering its “mute” feature, which already allowed users to silence accounts they don’t want to see. Now, users will be able to block specific content from appearing in their notifications section, where they’re alerted about likes, comments, mentions and other incoming interactions.
“We’re enabling you to mute keywords, phrases, and even entire conversations you don’t want to see notifications about, rolling out to everyone in the coming days,” Twitter wrote in its blog post. “This is a feature we’ve heard many of you ask for, and we’re going to keep listening to make it better and more comprehensive over time.”
Twitter says in its hateful conduct policy that the company doesn’t tolerate behavior that intimidates, harasses or uses fear to silence voices. “You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease,” the policy says. “We also do not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories.”
“Twitter I understand you got free speech I get it. But there has to be some guidelines when you let spread like that,” she tweeted in July.
Online abuse has persisted into this week. “Shameless” star Emmy Rossum revealed on Twitter over the weekend some of the hate she’s faced after Donald Trump’s presidential victory.
Twitter says Monday’s announced changes give users a more direct way to report hateful conduct whenever they see it happening, which will improve the company’s ability to process reports. Its support teams have also been retrained on the company’s policies, and internal systems and tools have been improved “to deal more effectively with this conduct when it’s reported,” Twitter says.
The development came just hours after both Facebook and Google announced significant changes following a heated – and acrimonious – election season. On Monday, Google said it would stop fake-news websites from using its service for online advertising, while Facebook said fake-news websites will be banned from generating revenue in ads on the platform.
It remains unclear, however, if Twitter’s changes will be enough to combat, or curb, exposure to abuse. While it may allow users to block trolling or hateful content from their feeds, that doesn’t mean the content doesn’t exist. It could also still be viewed by other users.
But some say the announcement is a step in the right direction.
Bethany Mandel, a 30-year-old freelance journalist who was targeted with anti-Semitic comments starting the night of the February South Carolina Republican Primary, called Twitter’s announcement “a great step.”
“And if, after some time, it becomes apparent that it’s not enough then I think it’s something to revisit,” said Mandel, who was among at least 800 journalists subject to anti-Semitic hate during the presidential campaign, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“I think it was a combination of being a woman, being Jewish, being conservative and anti-Trump,” she said about why she was targeted.
Anita Sarkeesian, executive director of Feminist Frequency, also said it’s a good thing Twitter is directly addressing harassment and abuse. But she said there’s still a ton of work to do.
“I’ve been really frustrated with social media sites in general over the last several years so it’s hard for me to get excited at this point,” said Sarkeesian, who started being threatened and attacked online when she launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 to fund a video series looking critically at the way women were portrayed in gaming. “Across the board it has taken social media sites far, far, far too long to address harassment and abuse on their platforms, and when they do do that it feels more like they’re adding Band-Aids to their platforms.”
“Let’s see how much more they do and how quickly they do it,” she added.
Twitter doesn’t expect abuse to halt overnight.SUNDAY, 6:32pm: Shortstop Gleyber Torres, one of the Cubs’ top prospects, has been scratched from the lineup for Chicago’s High-A affiliate tonight, according to Sports Illustrated’s Kenny Ducey (Twitter link). Torres was known to be of interest to the Yankees, and Heyman tweets that the Cubs have an offer of Torres and more on the table for Chapman. Torres was a consensus top-50 prospect (#28 from MLB.com, #41 from Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus) in preseason minor league rankings, and the 19-year-old is hitting.275/.359/.433 in 409 plate appearances this season.
3:52pm: Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner still hasn’t given general manager Brian Cashman the green light to sell off top veterans, including Chapman, according to Heyman. As of now, the Indians, Cubs, Nationals, Rangers and a mystery team are pushing for Chapman. (Twitter link).
12:57pm: The Indians have the best names on the table for Chapman right now and a trade could be close, a source told Bruce Levine of 670TheScore (Twitter link). The Nationals are also aggressively going after Chapman, notes Levine, and Keith Law of ESPN hears (on Twitter) that Erick Fedde, Koda Glover and another prospect will head to the Yankees if the two sides strike a deal. Fedde, a right-hander, is Baseball America’s 61st-ranked prospect.
11:03am: The Yankees are dissatisfied with the Nationals’ offers, who are behind at least three other teams (including a mystery club) in the Chapman derby, writes Heyman. Further, the remaining $5MM on Chapman’s contract could make it difficult for a team like the Indians to acquire him, as the Yankees are currently unwilling to eat any of that money.
Meanwhile, the Giants sense that the momentum is elsewhere in regards to Chapman, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. The Yankees are giving the Giants “radio silence” and don’t like San Francisco’s farm system as much as other suitors’, adds Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
10:06am: The Cubs are “strong” in the mix for Chapman, according to Rosenthal. The Dodgers and the previously reported teams have also been in pursuit (Twitter links).
8:46am: Chapman is the Nationals’ No. 1 target, per FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, who adds that the Yankees are interested in Nats right-handed starter Joe Ross. The Giants are also in the Chapman sweepstakes, but neither they nor the Indians are progressing toward a deal with the Yankees. The Cubs are higher on Miller than Chapman, though it doesn’t appear the former is going anywhere.
Although Ross has been out for several weeks with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, it’s fair to say he’d be a significant pickup for the Yankees in a Chapman trade. The 23-year-old has thrown 172 innings and put up a 3.56 ERA, 7.74 K/9, 2.46 BB/9 and 46.6 percent ground-ball rate since debuting in the majors last season. Unsurprisingly, there’s “no chance” of Washington moving Ross for a rental, a source told Heyman (Twitter link).
8:38am: The Yankees have asked the Nationals, Cubs, Indians and a mystery team to submit their best and final offers for Chapman, an industry source told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
SATURDAY, 10:18pm: A Chapman trade isn’t necessarily imminent, but the Yankees are ready to conclude the process, tweets Rosenthal.
9:32pm: The Yankees are telling teams that they’re nearing a trade involving closer Aroldis Chapman, but they plan on keeping fellow left-handed relief ace Andrew Miller, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). There’s no word yet on where the Yankees will send Chapman in advance of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.
As of earlier Saturday, the Nationals were pursuing Chapman – to whom they’ve been connected for months – but they haven’t shown an eagerness to part with top prospects for the 28-year-old free agent-to-be. Fellow contenders like the Cubs, Indians and Giants, among others, have also been linked to Chapman, whom the Yankees acquired from the Reds for an underwhelming prospect package during the offseason amid his domestic violence issues.
The flame-throwing Chapman served a month-plus suspension to begin the season because of his off-field misdeeds, but he has been his usual dominant self on the mound since. Over 31 1/3 innings this year, Chapman has pitched to a 2.01 ERA while notching 12.64 strikeouts and walking 2.3 batters per nine innings, and converting 20 of 21 save chances. Chapman’s strikeout rate represents a career low, though his walks are at a personal best and he hasn’t shown any signs of losing velocity, having exceeded 105 mph on Monday. The exact speed (105.1) is the fastest pitch ever on radar, tying Chapman’s record from 2010.
For the Yankees, dealing Chapman would be an admission that they’re not all in on contending this year. The Bombers dropped a 12-inning decision to the Giants on Saturday and fell to 49-48, which puts them 7.5 games behind the AL East-leading Orioles and 4.5 out of a Wild Card spot. On the other hand, judging by their decision to keep the 31-year-old Miller – who has outperformed Chapman this season – they haven’t abandoned all near-term hope. Miller is locked up through 2018 at $9MM per annum and would surely merit a significant return (even greater than what Chapman will bring back), but the Yanks look prepared to hold him and hope he’s part of playoff teams in the Bronx over the next couple years.
Even if the Yankees part with Chapman, he, like Miller, could conceivably be part of their plans beyond this season. Chapman would have to hit free agency and New York would have to be motivated to re-sign him, of course. He seems likely to exceed his 2016 salary ($11.325MM) on a long-term deal in the offseason, and it stands to reason that the Yankees could be the club to give him that contract on the open market. For now, it appears Chapman will head to a team in better position to compete for a World Series this season.| By
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Published on The Doomstead Diner July 12, 2017
Discuss this article at the Doomsteading Table inside the Diner
As regular readers of the Diner know, I recently purchased a Stealth Van, a used 1999 Ford Conversion Van that I have christened SaVannah. Over the last few weeks, I have been modifying and equipping SaVannah for the necessities of Living On The Road, aka HOMELESS without a domicile but still solvent enough to afford a vehicle to live in. This is something I am well experienced with, I lived for almost 7 years in my Freightliner tractor while working as an Over the Road (OTR) Trucker. You can read the Over the Road series if you are interested in more details of the OTR Trucker life.
The objective of this series of posts will be to examine how to live in a given neighborhood in a Stealth Van, staying Under the Radar of the local Gestapo who generally do not look favorably on people who live in their vehicles, unless of course those vehicles are practically brand new super expensive Class 1 Diesel Pusher RVs and are parked for the night in for-pay Campgrounds with full hookups for electricity, water and sewer. You get less respect if you are using a Class 3, especially if it is older, and in terms of the RV crowd, you're down in the Boondocks if you're down to Van size. Car campers aren't really considered part of the RV crowd overall, and if you LIVE out of your car, you're a HOMELESS person, not a "camper".
The neighborhood I chose for this experiment and series of articles is my own, the Matanuska-Susitna River Valley of Alaska. Peculiarities of this neighborhood make some things easier than you would find possible in the Lower 48, but overall most of the techniques I will describe will work anywhere in the FSoA. Just the Scenery won't be quite so nice most of the time. lol. The main question to be answered though is about the MONEY! How much does it cost you to live this way in current FSoA FRNs each week, and how much do you need in Investment Capital to begin living this way? I will be detailing all the costs to get started and the weekly budget.
First caveat in this respect is that this is NOT a lifestyle that can persist once TSHTF in earnest and Gas is either not available or too expensive to afford. However, when that day does finally arrive, EVERYBODY will be thoroughly FUCKED and you might actually be better off than most if you at least still have one full tank of gas and a good Bugout Location picked out in advance to park your mobile home permanently. That is a whole other topic though, for this one we are just analyzing how to live mobile while some semblance of BAU is running in the Western countries. Not just the FSoA, I include the Great White North of Canada in this and Oz also. Also Western Europe, although over there gas is rapidly becoming unaffordable for much of the population, particularly in the southern PIGS nations of Portugal, Italy, Greece & Spain. In the main though, we are talking about Amerika, the Land of Happy Motoring.
Another important consideration here in analyzing this methodology is that it is mostly restricted to Single people, and usually Males. There are a few Females who pursue this lifestyle, just as there are a few OTR women out there driving the Big Rigs and just as there are a few women haunting the Collapse Blogosphere. Statistically speaking though, it's a small percentage in all cases. Couples are plausible, at least if you can stand to be with your Significant Other in a confined space all the time. I know of few couples who can manage that over the long haul. lol. Trucker Marriages with both on the road have a horrendous life expectancy. Beyond that, once you have kids, the whole paradigm becomes extremely dicey to pursue. It's not IMPOSSIBLE, but it is orders of magnitude more difficult. You have to Homeschool obviously, and a kid confined to a vehicle sized abode is generally not a very happy kid. Then you have Child Protective Services to deal with as well. It's about the same I suppose as trying to take a child into an off grid living situation on a fixed Doomstead, with a few extra Knuckleballs thrown in. Or Yachties who take their kids circumnavigating on a small sailboat. I have run into all these types over the years, but they are exceedingly rare, they are outliers.
It is also important to note that I am NOT in fact Homeless and living in SaVannah! I avoided this potential outcome when I got my SS Bennies and won my Workman's Compensation case. However, I lived in desperate fear of this outcome for 7 months before the first check from SS was deposited into my account. Each night I had nightmares I would end up as a Homeless Cripple Freezing to Death on the Streets of Palmer, Alaska ©. Fortunately for me as a Doomer, I HAD enough Savings to carry me through this period, most people in Amerika do not. 60% of people have less than 1 month in savings to carry them through hard times, much less make it for 7 months. My scum sucking bottom feeder lawyer told me more than half of his clients ended up Homeless before they ever saw an award from WC, and many of course never saw one. You can be off the cliff in the Blink of an Eye, all it takes is an injury at work, a car accident or a debilitating illness like Cancer. In all of those cases also, Medical Bills can and usually will play a large part in bankrupting you. If you do not protect yourself, the "social welfare net" will NOT protect you in the FSoA. You too will become a Homeless Person, an an early victim of the Collapse of Industrial Civilization.
My close call with this outcome however makes me very aware of the problem so many in our failing Industrial Civilization now have, and it is a lesson I will never forget even after I pass into the Great Beyond. In my writings, these are the people I really write for, even though they mostly are not here to read the stuff. If you are that far off the cliff, it's unlikely you are spending much time on the computer surfing doom, although it is possible to do as this series is intended to demonstrate.
Before we go on the Journey though, one more caveat. Although I intend for this series to be an accurate depiction of events, they may not always occur in the order in which they happened. I may shuffle things around some for the purposes of the narrative. I may fictionalize some names and places so as to preserve anonymity to an extent for myself and for others I might encounter along the way. It should however be a fairly accurate rendition of living the life of a Boondocker.
What IS a Boondocker?
It's not the original meaning of the word "Boondocks", which is where "Boonies" comes from as in "I grew up in the Boonies". When people say that, they mean they grew up in the "sticks", some backwater place where most if not all the people were poor and just getting by. In recent years though, Van Dwellers glommed the term, and what they mean by Boondocking is parking your van for the night in places that cost you no money to do it. Sometimes these places are legal, other times they are not. The more rural the area you are in, the more places you can generally find which are at least quasi-legal and that of course is what is going to make my little adventure quite a bit easier than if I was doing it in NY Shity for example. However, I DID live in my Astro Van for 6 months on the streets of Manhattan, a stones throw from Wall Street and you can do it there too.
I'm also not going to STRICTLY Boondock for the week. I'll take a couple of planned nights in For-Pay campsites too, for a variety of reasons I will detail as we get to them. What you are looking at here is a total Weekly Budget, and if you can afford some more comfortable nights in a pay for parking and services campsite, that's GREAT! I could afford every night this way right now, but then I wouldn't have a Boondocking article to write, it would be a review of Campsites which are a dime a dozen on the RV websites. The plan for the week currently is for 2 out of the 7 nights to be in for pay campsites, the other 5 will be Boondocking.
Finally before we actually get out on the road here I need to make a distinction between 2 different types of Boondocking and Van Dwelling in general. One type is what I would call "Local" Boondocking. This is done all in one general neighborhood where you probably USED to have a McMansion before you were laid off, your UE Bennies ran out and the bank Foreclosed on the mortgage. All your ties are still to that neighborhood though, it's what you know. That gives you something of an advantage in terms of finding good boondocking locations. You "hang out" in this location, you don't cruise the whole country all the time.
The other great advantage of Local Boondocking is that you don't have to be entirely self-contained in a Van (and maybe a trailer). You can lease a Storage Unit, and in my week of Van Dwelling here I will be utilizing my Storage Unit quite a bit I imagine. The storage unit allows you to keep a lot more stuff (including food preps) than you could possibly keep in a van without ridiculously cluttering it up. Also there are Seasonal changes to handle. You don't need to be carrying heating equipment around every day in the summer, nor do you need all those layers of winter clothes. You don't need the fans and the air conditioner if you spring for one of those in the Winter. You don't need to carry nearly any food preps, just what you will eat over the next day or two. When you are out Over the Road you have no storage facitlity for all you would like to have with you all the time, so this is a much more difficult paradigm to pursue long term. You might travel fairly far and wide, but you always need a Home Base of some sort as a Nomad. Even the old time H-Gs returned each year to a known location for a Summer Gathering with other tribes of Nomads. My Home Base as a Stealth Van Dweller is my 24/7 Storage Unit facility, which costs me $40/mo. That's a LOT cheaper than renting an apartment! I do have one of those too though, just not using it this week except for occasional cheats if I forgot to bring something along. lol.
OK! Now with the Preamble done and all the Caveats and Disclaimers made, let's get ON THE ROAD Boondocking the Matanuska-Susitna River Valley of Alaska, My Hometown. Where will we BEGIN this adventure? There can be ONLY ONE place to begin. The Walmart Parking lot in Wasilla.Increase the Reaper’s cost to 75 minerals / 50 Vespene gas. This would make it harder for the Reaper user to transition into a normal game after a Reaper rush.
Reduce the Reaper’s KD8 Charge damage from 10 to 5. This is a direct nerf to the damage output of Reapers, especially to small and fragile units like Zerglings.
Adjusting the Reaper’s Combat Drugs so that it would also not heal if the Reaper recently attacked. This would result in Reapers being more fragile in long running fights with an opponent which could encourage a Reaper user to back off and let them heal to full more often.
Hey everyone. We’ve been seeing your feedback on the forums and elsewhere over the past few weeks and wanted to make an effort this week to provide more insight into our thoughts. These thoughts range from less discussed units like the Colossus, to more common topics like Reapers and Mech. In all of this, we’re making an effort to be conservative with making changes in an effort to bring greater stability to promote mastery. With that in mind, let’s discuss these topics.Recently, we’ve been receiving feedback regarding Reapers openings. We have some changes we’d like to test, but before we get to them we want to clarify what our intended role for the Reaper should be. Reapers should be good for scouting, and through tactical use of their KD8 charge be a viable but risky rush opener when made in large quantities. However, in the TvZ matchup we are seeing numerous Reapers being used as a general opener that has a bit too clean of a transition to normal play for Terrans. While this strategy requires a lot of skill to execute perfectly, we think that amassing larger numbers of Reapers is too safe for how much threat they pose.Currently, we are thinking of the following possible options:We are planning to implement Reaper changes during the period between IEM Season XII – Shanghai and GSL vs. the World.Recently at high levels in Korea we have been seeing a relatively new form of mech play appearing in TvZ and performing well. We would like to continue to observe how it continues to play out first before stepping in and making changes here. This includes keeping an eye on its historic predator, the Swarm Host. Currently it has not been as effective in the Korean scene as elsewhere so we are wondering if there are regional differences in meta at play here.Mass Raven strategies have shown up infrequently in high level play. However, we believe the playstyle of mass Raven could be problematic for ladder level play. We are currently thinking of increasing its supply count from 2 to 3, which would bring it in line with other tech air units like the Banshee and Viper. This should have limited impact at professional levels of play and when using smaller counts of Ravens, while making mass Raven style easier to counter.In high level play we have not been seeing much Colossus use, even in situations where it seems like the Colossus should be viable. We think this is partially due to the Colossus not having a sharp enough identity, so we want to explore changing the Colossus from a general purpose splash damage unit into an anti-light splash damage unit.Our current thinking is to change its weapon from doing 12 damage flat to 10 + 5 light.Ideally this would also make the differences between Protoss’s splash damage options more clear. Disruptors have high burst damage and work especially well vs low mobility units, the Colossus is good for sustained damage vs light enemies, and High Templars are a more general purpose splash damage role.This change would likely impact the current pro-level PvZ and PvT metas which involves heavy Hydralisk/Zergling and Marine usage respectively. While we want to give Protoss a new option, we don’t want Colossi to be the only build choice so we will have to be careful with this change.Please feel free to let us know your thoughts on these topics and provide any feedback on the proposed changes.French President Francois Hollande said on Friday he thought commitments by individual EU member states offered a better way of resettling African and Middle Eastern migrants rather than the imposition of national quotas by Brussels.
Debate has grown over how to deal with a growing influx of migrants into the 28-member European Union and a number of countries have stressed any acceptance system should be based on a voluntary approach.
Hollande spoke after joining a meeting of prime ministers of the Visegrad group of countries within the EU–Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, which jointly oppose quotas.
“We need to address the reasons that have led to and that have caused the migration,” Hollande told a news conference held with the central European leaders in the Slovak capital Bratislava. “I do not think (quotas) make any sense for migration. I do not think it is the right method.”
The European Commission wants EU governments to agree to resettle over the next two years 40,000 asylum-seekers who reached Italy and Greece, many after perilous boat trips across the Mediterranean in which hundreds have died.
Only refugees from states deemed by the EU to be known to be facing the worst strife and conflict will be taken in.
The plan will be discussed at an EU summit on June 25-26.
Italy and Greece, bearing the brunt of the migrant wave, have repeatedly called on fellow EU states to share the burden.
{snip}
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, hosting a meeting of the Visegrad countries of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, said issuing quotas among member states flew against earlier EU decisions. He said the four countries supported a voluntary approach.
{snip}
Countries in the EU’s emerging east have faced varying pressure from the sharp increase in asylum seekers, especially countries like Hungary that border on the Balkans, a major transit route for migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
Hungary announced a plan this week to build a four-meter-(13-foot)-high fence along its border with non-EU member Serbia, a move that triggered a swift rebuke from the United Nations Refugee Agency.
{snip}
Hungarian officials have said 57,000 people have crossed into Hungary illegally so far this year, up sharply from 43,000 in all of 2014. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have only seen a fraction of those numbers.
Original Article
Share ThisSleep Talk: How To Sleep Like A Baby
We all have those days- tossing and turning in bed while begging ourselves to fall asleep.
Most people just accept this as part of life, without realizing all of the actions they can take to make it easier to sleep at night.
I’ll admit it, I think a good nights rest is one of the most valuable and easy to do things for a person’s personal growth.
If your sleep schedule isn’t right, your million dollar horse (your body) just won’t function right, and your perception of the world automatically becomes clouded by this reality.
Well, great news for all readers of Authentic Growth- I’ve compiled a complete list of foolproof techniques and tips for having the greatest sleep of your life.
I’ll start this post off with five habits that you can enact to improve the quality of your sleep tonight. Live by these rules, and you can almost guarantee a better sleep ritual.
Following these 5 habits religiously, even without reading the details below, will thoroughly improve your ability to sleep well. If you want to stop reading now, you can, you will certainly sleep better just following these rules. But if you want to continue learning more about how to have the best sleep of your life- proceed below.
1. Avoid Caffeine Within 4 Hours of your planned sleep time
This is big one, even if you can still sleep with caffeine in your system, it will have you waking up more frequently in the night. I have an old post from Steven Fowkes on why he avoids Caffeine in general. One of the main points he makes is that Caffeine disrupts your sleep architecture. Basically what he suggests is that caffeine is actually a mild irritant to the body, it is produced by plants as a sort of “insecticide” to prevent insects from eating them. Its pretty obvious that caffeine is a known stimulant, so it is best to avoid it at least 4 hours in advance of when you plan to go to sleep. I used to take some amino acid packed pre-workout drinks (loaded with Caffeine) around 6PM, and noticed I was always waking up in the middle of the night on the days when I did that. I now skip any caffeine after 5PM, and have no issues sleeping like a baby.
2. Turn off bright phone and computer screens one hour before bed
This is a little known tidbit that has greatly improved my ability to sleep! Lights are an instinctual signal to the brain that its time to wake up. Especially LED/LCD screens. Our bodies are programmed for thousands of years ago, when artificial lights didn’t exist. Artificial lights signals the brain that the sun is rising and its time to start the day. One of the best things I ever did in this area was install F.lux on my computer. Its a free piece of software that automatically reduces the amount of “blu-light” from your computer screen based on your time/location. What this does is give your screen a more orange hue, which you will notice helps incredibly with your ability to sleep and relax your eyes. I’m telling you, this software is free and it is awesome. After using it for a while, try turning it off around 8PM at night- you will be astounded that you ever put up with how bright and uncomfortable normal LCD light is at that time. F.lux is also available on jailbroken iPhones via Cydia, and for android there is a great app called Twilight which does something similar on Google Play.
3. Don’t exercise 1-2 hours before sleep. Also avoid high-stress phone conversations or encounters
Exercise gets your body ready to go and wakes you up. I used to always walk on the treadmill before bed to try and hit my step goal on my Fitbit and then I wouldn’t be able to sleep shortly afterwards. I’ve learned that the best thing you can do is finish up any exercise 2 hours in advance of you going to sleep. This gives your body time to cool down, lower any elevated hormone or cortisol levels, and allow you to ease into your restful sleep. I think this is common sense but exercise really wakes you up, increasing your heart rate before you go to sleep just isn’t a great way to sleep peacefully.
4. Turn off all sources of light while you are sleeping
Similar to the “dim the lights” tip above, this one is focused on the lighting in your room while you’re sleeping. Here, we want to be in complete darkness. This is how our bodies evolved to handle sleep, and how our circadian rhythms (our sleep-cycles) were programmed to function. One thing I did that really improved my sleep was switching my curtains to a thicker, darker color- so that they would block out the streetlights from outside my window. People spent thousands on a new mattress, but uou’d be surprised at how a small and affordable change like this can greatly enhance your sleep. I also make sure that any devices that have small steady charging lights on them (a laptop, anyone?) are either blocked or facing away from my bed when I sleep. The goal is to be in complete, peaceful darkness as you rest. This will give you the best sleep you can have.
5. Remove any ticking clocks or other noisy objects from your room
This final tip is literally a life-saver (or sleep-saver). It took me forever to figure this out, but the ticking clock in my room (that I had grown accustomed to) actually kept me awake because it was so loud! Seriously, you don’t realize how loud these things are until you find yourself awake at 3AM thinking, “Damn, is that clock always this loud?”. Find yourself a clock with a smooth second hand motion, not a ticking motion, if you really need a clock in your room. To be honest, I just took my ticking clock and threw it in the garbage once I realized what it was doing to my sleep. You may also want to adjust anything else that makes steady noises. Clocks were the worst offenders for me, but any device noises (turn off your computers or put them in sleep) or annoying beeps clearly have the possibility of waking you up mid-dream. This doesn’t include sleep playlists or white-noise, which I occasionally use on Spotify to help relax myself into a nice sleep.
Now for the extra stuff, the nutrients that really help to enhance your sleep.
I want to first start off by saying that sleep supplements and supplements in general get a bad rep. I think this is because of all the gimmicky pharmaceutical drugs they sell on the market now and the negative health connotations that people associate with them. I want to be clear- the supplements listed below are nothing like pharmaceutical sleep drugs. These are natural, healthy alternatives to help ease you into sleep. They have made all the difference in my normal life. People love taking a multi-vitamin to be healthy, why not take something similar- a “vitamin” for a better sleep if you will? We’re surrounded by |
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But the researchers, who are patenting the new material, believe that in small amounts it could be usable.
“It could be useful, for instance, in orthodontic implants due to the very high resistance required,” Dr. Demetriou said.Image: Mike Poresky/Flickr
Your current Uber experience is unsustainable.
A Bloombergreport Thursday revealed that Uber continues to lose an astounding amount of money as it tries to figure out a business model that works internationally. Uber lost $1.27 billion globally in the first half of 2016, according to the report. But more concerning for domestic riders is the fact that, after a profitable quarter in the United States, Uber is now once again losing money in the US market as it tries to use the enormous amount of financing it's raised ($16 billion) to destroy competitors such as Lyft.
In its quest to corner the ridesharing market, that has meant steep price discounts and promotional fares for consumers that are subsidized by Uber's investors. Uber lost $100 million domestically in the second quarter. Lyft isn't faring any better—its goal is to lose less than $50 million per month, according to the Bloomberg report.
"Uber has been engaged in a fierce price war with Lyft Inc. this year, and that has also contributed to the enormous losses," Bloomberg reporter Eric Newcomer wrote. "Uber told investors on Friday's call that it's willing to spend to maintain its market share in the US. The company told investors that it believes Uber has between 84 percent and 87 percent of the market in the US, according to a person familiar with the matter. One investor said that he was expecting Uber to continue losing money in the US for the next quarter or two."
The path Uber has been pursuing is one of dominance: Get people addicted to its service, push Lyft and traditional taxis out of the market by undercutting their prices, then jack up the prices once the market has been safely monopolized. It's a strategy that Wal-Mart nailed, and it's a path that Jet—which sought to undercut Amazon, which itself lost tons of money at the outset—was on before it sold to Wal-Mart. Hell, it's kind of the business model that has led to big telecom monopolies in cities around the US.
We're watching the most fascinating game of chicken ever played... https://t.co/HNgfy4mmP3
— Bryce Roberts (@bryce) August 25, 2016
Uber is cutting prices to consumers to make you forget about Lyft, and Lyft is cutting prices in an attempt to remain relevant. Both companies are losing massive amounts of money. It doesn't take an economics degree to figure out what this means. The rideshare battle is not sustainable long term, meaning that one or more of the following have to be true:
Rideshare drivers will be replaced with reliable autonomous vehicles
Rideshare prices will increase significantly
One or more rideshare companies will go bankrupt, pivot, or otherwise stop competing at the scale they are now
The big gamble both companies are making is that result #1 happens before result #2 or #3 does.
But even if we do see the rise of robotaxis in the near-term, there are a host of questions that could ultimately affect how much you pay for a ride: Who will own the cars? If it's Uber, how does that affect its bottom line considering that it currently doesn't pay for its own cars? Who will pay to perfect the technology? Will lobbying be necessary to get them on the road? Will Tesla, or Google, or Ford beat them to the punch?
Will money-sucking human drivers bleed the company dry before robotic reinforcements safely free it of its reliance on human labor?
These are (more than) billion dollar questions, and Uber's corner-the-market-at-all-costs strategy is a gamble that will go down in the history blogs one way or another: Will money-sucking human drivers bleed the company dry before robotic reinforcements safely free it of its reliance on human labor?
There are too many unknowns to say with any certainty how this is all going to play out.
Uber could very well end up rolling out autonomous cars and opt to keep prices the same in hopes of steering people away from car ownership. Uber could roll out autonomous cars, kill Lyft, and jack up the prices anyway. An endless supply of upstart, venture-funded competitors could start trying to undercut Uber and force it to keep prices low. In a few years, Tesla could flip a switch and suddenly transform its fleet of cars into taxis. Uber could perfect autonomous cars, continue to lose money because the technology is expensive, but receive government subsidies because Ubers are now so convenient and ingrained in our society that they become critical infrastructure. Uber's initial investors might get pissed off that they're not seeing a return on their investment and demand that Uber implement permanent surge pricing like, tomorrow.
The bottom line is that the current ridesharing experience can't continue as-is, and the evolution of ridesharing will be both the future of our economy and the future of transportation.The idea for this post came from Virgil’s comment on char[] versus char* entry. We will dig into some of C’s extern keyword internals by means of examples and then analyze the differences between extern char* and extern char[].
extern is a storage class specifier, indicating that the actual storage of a variable or the definition of a function is located elsewhere, typically in another source file.
Let’s start with a simple example:
helper.c
int sample = 42 ; /* definition */
main.c
extern int sample; /* declaration */ int main( void ) { printf( "sample = %d
", sample); }
Having obtained the corresponding object files helper.o and main.o we link them together into an executable named main. We will use the nm tool to check the symbols from each object file:
$ nm helper.o 00000000 D sample $ nm main.o U sample 00000000 T main
Notice that the symbol sample is only declared in main.c but not defined there. In the linking phase, the linker searches through all linked object files and finds out that the actual storage for sample is defined in helper.c. As a result our main executable will print value 42 declared in helper.c external file:
$./main sample = 42
Now let’s see how the compiler behaves if the types for cross-referenced variables do not match:
foo.c
char *foo = "Hello" ;
main.c
void foo( void ); int main( void ) { foo(); return 0 ; }
$ gcc -Wall -c foo.c -o foo.o $ gcc -Wall -c main.c -o main.o $ gcc -o main main.o foo.o $./main Segmentation fault
Functions are by default extern, hence the declaration of symbol foo in main.c file allows the compiler to create main.o object file without errors or warnings.
Anyhow, the linker does not check the type of symbol foo ; thus, running the main executable results in a function call into an non-executable memory area.
Finally, let’s analyze if we can use a pointer and an array interchangeably between 2 source files.
First try
The file main.c declares an extern array of chars, leaving it to the linker to find the actual storage area defined for it. File pointer.c defines a pointer to a memory area holding a string literal. At link time, the symbol str from main.c is bound to a memory area representing the address of a string.
pointer.c
char *str = "1234" ; char a = 'A' ; /* memory guards */ char b = 'B' ; char c = 'C' ;
main.c
extern char str[]; int main( void ) { printf( " %s
", str); return 0 ; }
By compiling and linking main.c and pointer.c together we get main executable.
$./main \�ABC
Notice how the array str is mapped to a memory area where an address is stored. The printf function will display raw data until a \0 is encountered. Fortunately, because of our guarding arrays, printing stops after showing some garbage and string ABC.
Second try
The file main.c declares a pointer to a memory area holding one or more characters. The linker will associate str from main.o with the storage defined by str array from array.o.
array.c
char str[] = "1234" ;
main.c
extern char *str; int main( void ) { printf( " %s
", str); return 0 ; }
By compiling and linking together these programs we notice that running the main executable results in a crash.
$./main Segmentation fault
Let’s use GDB to see the reason:
$gdb./main (gdb) b main Breakpoint 1 at 0x8048385: file main2.c, line 6. (gdb) run Breakpoint 1, main () at main2.c:6 6 printf("%s
", str); (gdb) p str $1 = 0x34333231 Address 0x34333231 out of boundsKeeping the development of a new bar under the radar can be tricky; after all, people in the restaurant industry love to gossip about who's opening, who's closing and what's next. Yet, two veteran operators have quietly joined forces to open a bar at the currently vacant property at 408 Westheimer in Montrose with barely a whisper that they're even working together.
While knowing who's involved doesn't guarantee success, the project will definitely have people's attention because of the names behind it: Omar Afra and Brandon Young.
When Afra revealed he was adding the hospitality industry to his portfolio of publishing Free Press Houston and concert promotions via Free Press Summer Fest, some reacted skeptically; yet, Lowbrow, his bar in the former Sophia/Cafe Artiste space, has emerged as a fun neighborhood bar with a solid food menu under the direction of chef Jason Kerr. Young is one half of the duo which has brought Moon Tower Inn and Voodoo Queen to the Second Ward; both are solid neighborhood spots that are known for tasty food and reasonable prices.
Why this project? Why now?
"It's always fun to say, 'I don't need to do this. I want to do this,'" Afra tells CultureMap.
"It's a bar and a restaurant," Afra explains. "It's going to be a super cool hang."
The name is still under discussion and the partners are still tinkering with the concept, but Afra decided to announce the project ahead of the TABC notice that's being posted in the building's window later this week.
"It's a bar and a restaurant," Afra explains. "It's going to be a super cool hang. We're excited. We feel like, in a good way, it's going to stick out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood."
Afra isn't ready to divulge details on the menu, other than to add that "it's going to be a place for cocktails where there will be a small but very focused food menu... I’m going to sit there and have drinks with friends for several hours and the food will be great, the feather in the cap of the experience."
Working with Young came together very organically. "I’ve been buddies with Brandon for years now," Afra says. "We’ve got so many mutual friends and mutual employees. Every time we get together to bullshit and talk about what’s happening we always found ourselves on the same page."
Young says the feeling is mutual. "Omar and his camp are really good friends of mine. He and I have been kicking around the idea of doing something together for a while."
It's Young's first project outside of the Second Ward, and he thinks the time is right to look beyond his neighborhood. "I simply just fell in love with the space when we first met up to see it. I feel the East Side needs to build a bit more before I go opening up places all over the neighborhood and shoot myself in the foot. We're still a small community over here, but it's growing."
"The creative process is what’s going to make people talk about you, not just for your opening."
Afra says he's learned an important lesson about Houstonians since opening Lowbrow. "They’re beginning to be of the mindset where you’ve got to kind of keep things new and fresh. Much like within music it’s not a craft in which you can just sit on your laurels and not keep the creative process going. The creative process is what’s going to make people talk about you, not just for your opening."
When will it open? Afra is hoping for the end of the year, but it will take some luck. The building lacks a commercial kitchen, which means a time-consuming build-out. Afra calls the structure, which includes the adjacent property at 412 Westheimer, "a labyrinth of 12 rooms."
Still, whatever it becomes and whenever it opens, it'll be a must visit. Even with the plethora of bars on Westheimer, a new concept, properly executed, will always be worth checking out.Neymar: Santos striker keen to learn English
The Brazilian forward is currently on international duty and revealed that he is keen to learn English when he can fit it in between his football and family commitments.
Barca are confident that they are at the front of the queue to sign Neymar, but Chelsea have also been linked with the Santos forward in recent months.
"I want to learn a worldwide language like English," the 20-year-old is quoted as saying by Sport.
"Now I would love to learn English and also Spanish, but between travelling with football, my family and my child I have not time to do so. I hope that I can organise things and do a course."
Speculation surrounding his future is reported on a weekly basis and only recently he was advised not to move to Europe by the legendary Pele, who feels he should stay at home for longer.
"I disagree that Neymar should leave for Europe now. Last year Neymar's agent spoke to his father, because he had an offer to go to England," Pele told Fox Sports.
"When I found out, I went to see them and told them it wasn't the right time to make the leap into English football, because it's very tough and Neymar, who is an excellent player, isn't physically up to it."
Despite not making his name in Europe yet, Neymar is idolised in Brazil and is ranked as the seventh highest paid football player in the world.The nation's second largest city is the latest to join the movement to hike the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The Los Angeles City Council vote on Tuesday would phase in the increase to $15 by 2020.
An earlier proposal that would have raised the minimum to $15.25 by 2019 would have benefited 40% of L.A.'s workforce, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Tuesday's vote directs the L.A. city attorney to formally draft legislation that will then go before the same council for a vote.
Related: What Latino voters care about more than immigration
Mayor Eric Garcetti has been pushing for a hike and said he looks forward to signing the bill.
"Today, help is on the way for the one million Angelenos who live in poverty," he said.
The legislation will give small businesses with fewer than 26 employees an extra year to phase in the wage hike.
The small Washington town of SeaTac was the first municipality to institute a floor of $15 an hour, and it was followed by Seattle and San Francisco.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has also come out for raising that city's wage to $15.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but the Obama administration has been pushing Congress to raise it.
Related: Red-leaning states vote for higher wages
Big companies are also hiking what workers make.
Facebook (FB) said last week it will require its U.S. contractors and vendors to pay their employees at least $15 an hour and to offer paid time off for sick days and vacation.
Walmart (WMT) also gave its lowest-paid workers a raise, pledging to give all of its employees $10 an hour by February 2016.
TJX Companies (TJX), which owns T.J. Maxx, Marshall's and Home Goods, will hike employee wages to at least $10 an hour sometime next year as well.
This country has the best minimum wage in the world
4 ways the new overtime rules may affect your paycheckThe Nike LunarEpic Flyknit is one of Nike’s newest runners which uses some of their best technology including a full Flyknit upper and a Lunarlon midsole for a smooth ride.
One of the only downsides of the sneaker which some people can’t really wrap their head around is the mid-height collar that gives the shoe a soccer boot look. If that was holding you back from buying a pair then you’ll be happy to hear that a low-top version without the ankle collar will be releasing very soon. The design is completely the same as the original, the only difference is that there is no more collar and thus looks more like a classic runner.
At the moment the Nike LunarEpic Flyknit Low is expected to release on June 30 in three different colorways. Stay tuned to Kicks On Fire for updates.
via: NB
Author’s Take
In my opinion the shoe looks much better without the Flyknit collar. That’s one thing that Nike has been doing lately that I’m just not a huge fan of. This low-top version looks much better.
#ChicksOnFire Collections: Damaries Negon (@kickitwitdd)
Available Now on Kixify & eBayMedia playback is not supported on this device Interview - Scottish judo player Chris Sherrington
Gold medallist Chris Sherrington says judo helped him conquer stress and alcohol problems after spending £8,500 on drink in just three months.
The Royal Marine from Ormskirk told BBC Scotland he had gone "off the rails" after serving in Iraq nine years ago.
After winning the +100kg final at the Commonwealth Games, the Scot, 30, thanked those who helped him recover.
"They fixed me six times. How many times can you break yourself? I broke myself rather crazily," he said.
"None of this would have been possible without the backing and help of the Royal Marines, Judo Scotland and Sport Scotland."
In a candid interview, he revealed that he:
Returned from Iraq with stress issues in 2005
Spent £8,500 on alcohol in just three months
Got into judo again as a way of combating problems
Sees himself as a sportsman rather than a member of the forces
Wants to go into schools to tell his story
Soon after his gold medal success, Sherrington continued: "Nine years ago, I started a campaign, without knowing.
"I came back from Iraq and I had a bit of stress and I tried to vent it through sport. At first, it didn't work.
"Then I remembered that I did judo as a kid. I didn't particularly like it and wasn't very good at it, but I remembered how tough it was.
"So I threw myself into it and put all my frustration into it. Within 12 months, I was third in Britain and 12 months after that I was number one."
Asked whether he had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, he said: "I don't know. I did go a little bit off the rails. My mum and dad were very worried about me.
"At the time, I just thought I was normal, but I was very open to suggestion and a little bit volatile as well.
"We got through it - and that's the magic of judo. There are people all over the world with problems and issues and this cures them.
Media playback is not supported on this device Watch Chris Sherrington win sixth Scottish judo gold
"There are people with physical and mental disabilities and it makes their lives better. Judo's a magical sport."
Cheered on by a raucous crowd at the SECC, Sherrington accounted for Ruan Snyman of South Africa in the final, before celebrating by saluting all four sides of the arena.
It took Scotland's judo tally to six golds, two silver and five bronze medals as the sport made its return to the Games.
"Today was a very good day," said Sherrington. "We came out fighting as we always do and thankfully the best man won on the day.
"This is the best team Scotland have ever had and we showed it by levelling with England on the medal table."
Having been granted a full-time sports draft to get in shape for the Games in Glasgow after fighting at the 2012 Olympics, Sherrington will now return to military service.
"As it stands, the draft was only considered until the Commonwealth Games," he said. "It's one of those things I'll need to assess."Auburn began the 2017 season ranked number 12 in the AP poll and in an interesting position. With new quarterback Jarrett Stidham leading the way, the Tigers have been picked by some as the main challenger to Alabama in the SEC, but some are limiting the amount of preseason hype surrounding the team given the team’s failure to reach double digit wins in each of the last three seasons.
Heading into Saturday’s season opener against Georgia Southern, coach Gus Malzahn praised the Eagles’ option attack as an offense that could give the Tigers fits. But the Tiger defense was dominant from the opening snap, as Auburn rolled to a 41-7 victory at Jordan Hare Stadium.
The Tigers played well enough to beat Georgia Southern, a team they should never lose to, especially at home, but they will need a much better effort next week if they hope to upset defending champion Clemson in Death Valley.
Let’s hand out some grades for what was a decent season-opening win for the Tigers:
Coaching: A
Not much to complain about from the coaching staff in this one. Georgia Southern tried everything on offense in this one, as their option attack threw lots of different looks at the Auburn defense. But defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s defensive gameplan was a masterpiece. Steele wasn’t afraid to send pressure and it paid off, as the Tigers recorded five sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey was not afraid to mix things up in his first game calling plays for Auburn. He used Stidham’s athleticism to his advantage, allowing the sophomore quarterback to get outside the pocket and make plays with his legs. Lindsey kept things simple for Stidham, sometimes isolating one side of the field with a rollout play and giving his quarterback a simple progression. He also used the wildcat formation, sometimes lining up the running back by himself in the backfield and snapping it directly to him.
Quarterback: C+
I give Stidham a bit of a break here, as it was his first game in nearly two years, but he will need to be better if the Tigers hope to compete with the Alabamas and the Clemsons of the world. Overall, his numbers weren’t too bad—14/24, 1 TD, 1 INT—especially considering the long layoff. The interception was a bad read, Will Hastings was covered the whole way, and it looked like Stidham never saw the defender as he undercut the route for the easy pick. Stidham’s athleticism was on full display throughout. He consistently got out of the pocket and bought himself time to throw, and his accuracy on the run were impressive. He also added 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Stidham certainly showed flashes of brilliance, and Malzahn was adamant that he thought his quarterback would be outstanding down the road. I don’t disagree, but Stidham will need to improve quickly if the Tigers are to stand any chance against Clemson.
Running Backs: A+
With starting running back Kamryn Pettway suspended for Saturday’s game, most were unsure of how well the Tigers would be able to run the ball. Johnson averaged 8.5 yards per carry and was not afraid to run between the tackles. He also showed his speed late in the first quarter when he took a sweep play 60 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Johnson appeared headed for another touchdown run when he pulled up and went down with a leg injury in the second quarter. He finished with 139 yards on 16 carries. After Johnson went down, leaving the Tigers without their top two backs, they needed Martin to step up and help preserve the lead down the stretch. Martin certainly answered the bell, putting up 139 yards and a touchdown. Despite his smaller size at just 182 pounds, Martin also showed a willingness to run between the tackles. His breakaway speed was impressive on his 36-yard touchdown run, as he raced around the outside untouched.
In all, Auburn rushed for 351 yards in all, well above last season’s average of 271. The strong rushing attack was an encouraging sign for the Tigers, who will need a similar performance on the ground if they hope to beat Clemson next week.
Wide Receivers: C
This was an up and down game for the receivers. The game began with a few quick completions to help Stidham get into rhythm and slowly opened up as the game went on. Darius Slayton had three receptions for 45 yards, but dropped what would’ve been a touchdown on a perfect pass from Stidham on the second possession of the game. He also lost a fumble late in the first half on what would’ve been a first down catch. It was a bit of a rough night for Slayton, but he did make one of the most underrated plays of the game with an excellent edge sealing block on Ryan Davis’ touchdown catch. Ryan Davis caught two passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came on a perfect pitch and catch on a crossing route and Davis put his determination on display as he dove inside the pylon. But at least for one game, it’s clear that Will Hastings is Stidham’s favorite target. Hastings, who recently was awarded a scholarship, had four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown on the night. He ran a perfect corner route early in the fourth quarter and caught what was Stidham’s best pass for the night for his first touchdown of the season.
It was a decent night for the wide receivers, but the drops and turnovers need to be cleaned up for next week.
Offensive Line: A-
The offensive line did a good job protecting Stidham, the three sacks were due in large part to Stidham’s hesitancy to get rid of the football. Where they excelled however was in the run game. The backs did a great job Saturday night, but you don’t rack up 351 rushing yards without some help from the big guys up front.
Defensive Line/Linebackers: A+
This was the unit that stood out for the Tigers on Saturday. Georgia Southern presented them with lots of different formations and different ball carriers, but the Auburn front seven was dominant throughout. Tre Williams led the way with ten tackles and two sacks, Jeff Holland added five tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss, and Marlon Davidson had four tackles and two sacks. Clemson is considered to have one of the best front sevens in the country, but if Auburn can play the way they did Saturday night, Kelly Bryant could have a lot to worry about.
Cornerbacks: A+
Hard not to give a grade of A+ when you give up just 8 passing yards all night. They didn’t see much action Saturday, but that is certain to change next week.
Special Teams: C
Daniel Carlson had a bit of a rough night Saturday, going just 2/4 on field goals. He nailed a 50 yarder on Auburn’s first possession, but missed from 53 and 46 yards later in the game. Carlson went 5/5 on extra points and became Auburn’s all-time leading scorer in the process. While he wasn’t his usual self, expect the two-time Lou Gorza Award finalist to bounce back and have an outstanding season.
Overall: B-
The front seven stole the show for the Tigers, and Stidham showed flashes of the quarterback everyone hopes he can become. But they will need a much more consistent effort across the board if they hope to live up to the high expectations the rest of the season.In the latest round of WikiLeaks emails, leading Democrats discuss religion in a manner that highlights the disdain that Progressive Democrats hold for traditional religious beliefs.
With the subject line “Conservative Catholicism,” the exchanges between Clinton campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri, Center for American Progress senior fellow John Halpin, and former Clinton administration chief of staff John Podesta include remarks disparaging the use of “Thomistic thought” and “subsidiarity” to “sound sophisticated because no one knows what the hell they’re talking about.” They also characterize as a “bastardization of the faith” the views held by Catholics and converts who “must be attracted to the systematic thought and the severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy.”
Reaction has been swift. Among the more forceful is a statement from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), reminding us that “the truth of Christ is never outdated or inaccessible.”
Not quite as recent, but nonetheless relevant, is Alexis de Tocqueville’s description in Democracy in America of the complementary relationship between religion and freedom. If religion is diminished, Tocqueville explains, the successful perpetuation of American democracy would be imperiled. He acknowledges that religion and freedom have often been at war, but that in America they were successfully incorporated into one another and combined marvelously. He devotes many chapters throughout his work to exploring their relationship, but begins by sketching how the two elements complement one another.
Religion and freedom are in fact part of two different worlds: the moral world and the political world. The political world is described by Tocqueville as agitated, contested, and uncertain; the moral world is classified, coordinated, foreseen, and decided in advance.
The political world is where innovation is permitted and where one can satisfy the desire for material wealth, well-being, and freedom; the moral world permits moral satisfaction and turns the attention of the believer toward Heaven. The political world permits independence, contempt for experience, and jealousy of every authority; the moral world requires passive though voluntary obedience. In spite of these contrasting characteristics, Tocqueville observes, “Far from harming each other, these two tendencies, apparently so opposed, advance in accord and seem to lend each other a mutual support.”
The key to the whole work that Tocqueville announces in the second chapter of Democracy in America, expressed in the simplest terms, is the active role that religion and freedom play in the lives of Americans.
Denigrating those who have deeply held religious beliefs and championing a “Catholic Spring” to overcome “a middle ages dictatorship,” as Voices for Progress founder Sandy Newman wrote to Podesta, go well beyond offending the sensibilities of Catholics and others. It suggests a cynicism as well as a contempt for the intelligence of Americans and their ability to participate in politics. It also seeks to sever a tie that Tocqueville saw as necessary to the freedom of the American people, but those who make up the Progressive Left have never been concerned with freedom.
On the contrary, those on the left undermine the moral foundation and cultural underpinnings of the people. Tocqueville warns in the second volume of Democracy in America that in such a case the members of society suffer and freedom is at risk:
When religion is destroyed in a people, doubt takes hold of the highest portions of the intellect and half paralyzes all the others. Each becomes accustomed to having only confused and changing notions about matters that most interest those like him & himself; one defends one’s opinions badly or abandons them, and as one despairs of being able to resolve by oneself the greatest problems that human destiny presents, one is reduced, like to a coward, to not thinking about them at all. Such a state cannot fail to enervate souls; it slackens the springs of the will and prepares citizens for servitude. Not only does it then happen that they allow their freedom to be taken away, but often they give it over.
We are not only witnessing, but experiencing this very event of freedom being taken away as the Progressive Left increases the size and scope of government.
The UCSSB statement invokes the founding principle of our nation, the freedom of religion, but there is far more at stake regarding the future of the nation. Tocqueville saw that freedom and religion provided a basis for living and governing one’s private and public life. Successfully combined, they also meet the challenges presented by the worst features of equality and democracy. If freedom is lost, then the existence of religion is called into question; if religion is lost, then the perpetuation of freedom is called into question.
Tocqueville offers a candid assessment of the chances of one surviving without the other. “As for me,” he wrote, “I doubt that man can ever support a complete religious independence and an entire political freedom at once; and I am brought to think that if he has no faith, he must serve, and if he is free, he must believe.” The subversion by the Left not only imperils freedom of religion, but the exercise of all freedoms that we hold dear.From 'Brexit' To Trump, Nationalist Movements Gain Momentum Around World
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
When Donald Trump arrived in Scotland Friday morning, hours after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was quick to draw parallels between the U.K.'s political earthquake, and his own campaign for president.
"People want to take their country back," Trump said, "They want to have independence, in a sense. And you see it in Europe, all over Europe."
And while Scotland itself voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union, Trump is right. Right-wing nationalist movements, fueled by anger toward political elites and mistrust of immigration — and primarily backed by white voters — are gaining more and more momentum on the continent.
"This is not a unique phenomenon to the United States, and 2016 is not a short moment that will pass," says Yascha Mounk, who teaches political theory at Harvard University and has studied the rise of nationalist movements. "This is a real populist turn that has been happening for the last 15 or 20 years."
In recent decades, nationalist movements have shifted from vocal minorities to powerful parties that gained control of governments in places like Hungary, have lost national elections by the slimmest of margins in countries like Austria, and, this week, forced the United Kingdom out of the European Union.
Mounk pegs economic stagnation among lower- and middle-class whites as a main driver for nationalism's rise around the globe. "You have a socially descending middle class that hasn't had real gains in the standard of living in 30 years," he said. "And at the same time, you seem to have real improvements in social status, if not necessarily economic status, for ethnic minorities. So they feel like our country is being taken away."
Add to that mix an immigration and refugee crisis tied to Syria's civil war, which has flooded European countries, especially, with scores of migrants looking for jobs, social-services protections and housing.
While each movement has its own unique characteristics, there are many similarities that are fueling nationalism in the United States, the U.K. and other European nations.
A contempt for the elite ruling classes
"People feel, quite rightly, that they have no real control over political systems — that the political class does what it wants and it sort of ignores ordinary people," Mounk says. "And to a large extent, that's because of the necessities of globalization."
The contempt was clear in the victory speech of Nigel Farage, the head of the U.K. Independence Party and a leading voice in the long push for the U.K. to disassociate from the EU.
"This will be a victory for the real people, a victory for the ordinary people," he said early Friday morning when it was clear the Leave campaign had won the referendum. "We have fought against the multinationals. We fought against the big merchant banks. We fought against big politics."
Trump has sounded similar calls throughout his campaign.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Corbis via Getty Images Corbis via Getty Images
"We'll never be able to fix a rigged system by counting on the same people who have rigged it in the first place," Trump said earlier this week, adding, "It's rigged by big donors, who want to keep wages down. It's rigged by big businesses who want to leave our country."
While the feeling has largely gone mainstream in recent years — both of those quotes could have been said by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — anti-elite sentiments have been a key part of nationalist parties' persona for decades.
Blaming immigrants
After the ISIS-inspired mass shooting in San Bernardino last December, Trump amped up warnings about Syrian refugees immigrating to the United States. He called for an across-the-board halt of all Muslims entering the country, warning they carried the risk of additional terror attacks.
While many Republicans hoped Trump would back away from his proposed ban on an entire religion, he embraced it even tighter after the Orlando shootings.
"We need to tell the truth, also, about how radical Islam is coming to our shores," Trump said in the wake of the attack. "And it's coming. With these people, folks, it's coming."
Trump even blamed "Muslim communities," en masse, for failing to tip off authorities about both the Orlando and San Bernardino attacks.
"The idea of nativism — of seeing your country under threat by non-natives, specifically immigrants and Muslims, is something that Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump clearly share," says Cas Mudde, a University of Georgia professor, who specializes in nationalist movements.
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
Le Pen heads the National Front party in France. In the wake of last year's Paris terror attacks, she told NPR that France needed "to institute a major policy, which would reestablish our own borders. This means we need to stop accepting this influx of immigrants."
She called the continued flow of Syrian refugees into Europe "madness" and urged for an end to the open-border policy that is a hallmark of the European Union.
"I think when people are disappointed and hurt and angry, they revert to a very basic part of human psychology," Mounk says. "And that is in-group versus out-group. Us versus them. And it's always easy to blame immigrants."
It can be popular, too. Exit polls conducted throughout the Republican primaries this year consistently showed a solid majority of GOP voters supporting Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration.
Simple solutions
Mounk says the basic approach of many populist, nationalist candidates can be boiled down to this: "I embody the will of the people. And the problems that we face are actually completely straightforward," he said. "The problem |
xyContin in 2012, while fewer than 1 percent of them had escalated to injecting heroin. These statistics support an emerging consensus that the gateway theory—which states that soft drugs like alcohol or marijuana inevitably lead to increasingly intense forms of drug use—is simply wrong. Instead, research by scientists such as Élise Roy, chair of addictions at the Université de Sherbrooke and a global expert on injection drug use, suggests that an entirely different phenomenon may be at work.
Roy is investigating the complex set of factors that leads to initiation—the first time someone injects drugs. During two decades of field research with Montreal’s street youth, she has collected a body of evidence that not only refutes the gateway theory, but dismantles the stereotype that injection initiation is an irrational, drug-fuelled decision made in the heat of the moment. Rather, it is typically the culmination of months—or years—of consideration, in proximity to injectors. “They’ve seen injectors, particularly young ones, who seem to enjoy the hit and don’t have too many bad consequences, because they are new users,” Roy says. “These youth become désensibilisé and begin to think injecting is without risk,” she explains. “They are good role models for those who are curious about it.”
Moreover, she has come to think of the months before and after someone first injects as a period of incubation. Generally used in scientific research on pathogens, the incubation period is defined as the gap between initial exposure and the first appearance of symptoms. For instance, it takes one to four days for flu symptoms to emerge after the virus enters the body and starts attacking the lungs. The incubation period for chicken pox, by comparison, is fourteen to sixteen days. For HIV, the period can last from three weeks to three months, while AIDS symptoms may not develop for years—particularly alarming given that during this time, HIV-positive individuals may not know their status and can unwittingly pass the virus along to others in their networks, through sexual contact or shared injection equipment.
Allison initially felt ambivalent about injection, even as she watched many of her friends try it. “I was interested in doing it,” she says, “but I was also scared of needles.” Slowly, in the context of an unusually intimate exposure, her attitude changed. “It’s such a small town,” she explains, “that I hooked up with older people, and they would hang out with my grandma, which is weird, because they weren’t any older than twenty-five, and she was in her fifties or sixties.” As far back as Allison can remember, her grandmother used drugs. “She acted like a teenager, kind of, but a druggie teenager, a crackhead.” Occasionally, she would show up at Allison’s mother’s house to evade an abusive boyfriend. By the time Allison was sniffing Percocets, her grandmother’s apartment “was the best place to get high.”
When Allison broached the subject of injecting, her grandmother said, “Don’t do it. You’re going to regret it.” But one day, Allison simply showed up at the apartment with pills and needles. “I had thought about doing it before and had told her I was going to do it, but it was also kind of a random thing,” she says. “I just knew I was going to do it.” Her grandmother ushered her in, tied off her arm, and injected her with crushed-up OxyContin pills. When I ask Allison how her grandmother reacted after it was over, she replies tersely, “Like it was nothing.”
From the work of Roy and others, we are starting to understand that while epidemiological commonalities such as poverty and trauma create vulnerability to drug abuse, they cannot entirely explain why someone would take the almost inconceivable step of sticking a needle in her arm. Meanwhile, research on social networks has steadily advanced, offering us some insight into the process by which individual decision making tends to mirror the values and interests of the people we spend our time with. Social networks intensify collective behaviour, reinforcing commonalities and subtly shaving away differences, while working to exclude those who are not sufficiently similar. That double feedback loop, which falls under the rubric of theories of social contagion and social control, is what makes city dwellers love the same sports team, or leads to a striking consistency between your values and those held by your Facebook friends. It also explains why, at one point not so long ago, almost everyone smoked cigarettes.
If you are a non-smoker, the idea of smoking, the smell of it, watching others do it, is often revolting. But if you have ever spent a substantial amount of time with smokers, you know that revulsion can eventually give way to acceptance. Imagine, then, cohabitating with a family of smokers, or socializing only with friends who smoke, or living in a neighbourhood or even a city filled with smokers. It is easy to imagine how acceptance would eventually give way to something even more insidious: the niggling feeling that it is only a matter of time before you, too, inevitably start to smoke.
In the first half of the twentieth century, when just about everybody ended up trying a cigarette at some point and the tobacco industry had a vested interest in keeping it that way, social norms that made smoking desirable were pervasive. Even when the link between lung cancer and smoking was scientifically proven in the early ’50s, and reconfirmed every few years after that, people continued to smoke. In the US, per capita cigarette consumption actually increased, as tobacco companies ramped up marketing efforts. Then, in the late ’60s, the American government invested heavily in anti-smoking ads, and, in conjunction with a doubling of the cigarette tax in 1983, attitudes toward smoking started to shift, and its prevalence declined. The first lesson here is that evidence is not enough to stop people from doing things they know might kill them. The second is that changing the social milieu just might.
Perhaps the most surprising fact about the phenomenon of injection initiation is the almost complete absence of measures to prevent it; in fact, there is exactly one scientifically evaluated program brought to scale in existence. Break the Cycle is the brainchild of Neil Hunt, a maverick scientist based in the United Kingdom. After piloting the program in Kent in the late 1990s, he exported it to the heroin-swamped central Asian countries of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, which border Afghanistan to the north, along the massive illicit trafficking routes that deliver Afghan heroin to a community of almost two million Russian drug injectors. Crucially, Break the Cycle works directly with those who have already started injecting—the potential initiators—rather than with those at risk of beginning to inject.
Once established injectors have been identified through street outreach and referrals from treatment centres, they are invited to a “motivational interview,” during which they are asked about their own first hit, the circumstances in which they now shoot up, and times they may have directly aided a first-time injector. The idea is to impress upon them the key role they play in determining whether other, often younger, users make the decision to inject. In principle, by the end of the intervention participants will be prepared to warn potential users about the harms of injecting and, perhaps more important, to say no to those who persistently ask to be initiated.
Break the Cycle is premised entirely on the transformational power of social networks. Its philosophy defines exposure to established injectors as the fulcrum upon which decisions to inject rest, and sees the behaviour of those who are considering it, regardless of how much they have already experimented with drugs, as modifiable, even up until the last minute. Allison’s story certainly supports this theory. When I ask her whether she thinks she would have begun injecting if she had not been surrounded by injectors, in particular her grandmother, she is emphatic: “No, I wouldn’t have done it, because I was scared. I couldn’t even touch needles. I couldn’t look when people injected me, because I’d get so scared and freak out. So I wouldn’t have known how to do it.” Hunt, meanwhile, touts data showing that those who complete the Break the Cycle intervention report significantly fewer instances of helping others inject for the first time.
Of course, quantifying the number of injection initiation events an intervention can help avoid is a complex scientific puzzle, not least of all because of the potential for unreliable reporting. No matter how well intentioned Hunt and his participants may be, and no matter how well they have done in evaluations, it is easy to imagine a variety of real-world scenarios in which all of the behavioural training in the world might be moot: for instance, if a user going through withdrawal were offered free heroin in return for helping a friend inject for the first time. Most scientists and policy-makers have resigned themselves to the fact that, more often than not, the cold calculus of addiction trumps voluntary behavioural change.
Twenty-eight-year-old Adam is impeccably polite and well dressed, in a leather jacket and crisp jeans—a far cry from the caricature of the junkie that holds sway in our collective consciousness. In the course of our interview at VANDU, he reveals that he never really had a father, while his mother’s drug binges were so extreme that he uses them as markers in his own trajectory of use. Growing up in Winnipeg, he experimented with a slew of drugs, eventually turning to cocaine, which he describes as a “door opener”—a way to meet people who otherwise ignored him. At eighteen, he first tried injecting, with crystal meth, not because of his erratic childhood or his history of drug use, he says, but because he dreamt of being just like his idol.
“The way I learned to inject was reading the Kurt Cobain biography,” he explains. “The book said, he put the needle in his arm, pulled the plunger back, and saw the crimson red…So I realized that’s probably how you do it, and I tried it myself.” Soon after his first injection, his mom skipped town unannounced, and his friends, previously game to party, suddenly stopped calling. Without any money, he decided to head west, first to Alberta and the oil sands, where he made tens of thousands in a few short months and blew it on a crystal meth binge, and then on to Vancouver, where, on his very first night, he finally injected heroin, just like his idol.
When I ask him about his experience initiating others, he becomes uncomfortable. He never has, he says at first. Except there was this one guy—a good friend, it turns out. “First time he asked, I didn’t want to be a part of it,” Adam says. “You never give someone down for the first time—it’s a rule on the street—and you don’t inject someone for the first time. You don’t want to be the first person to do that for them.” With his friend, though, he felt his resolve weaken: “He was begging me, and I felt really bad.” He had been injecting in front of this guy (who was then exclusively smoking crack) for months. “I’d be a hypocrite if I said he couldn’t do it. Plus he shared his rock with me.”
Like Allison’s grandmother, Adam found ways to rationalize. “If I said no to him, he would just get someone else to do it, or he’d learn it himself,” he explains with a sigh. “I figured I’d show him what I knew, which I thought was safe. You know, bevel up, tie it on this way, the basic safety stuff.” But the episode scarred Adam. He shakes his head: “He’s looking rough now.” The friend’s use quickly spiralled out of control, and he is now homeless. “Knowing what I did, and seeing what happened to my buddy,” Adam says, “no one could pay me enough to do that again, because it can ruin somebody’s life.”
The reality, however, is that he continues to move within social networks made up primarily of drug users, so even if he manages to turn away would-be injectors and their offers of free drugs, he will still be modelling injection every day. Ultimately, if we want to prevent the transmission of Adam’s behaviour to non-injectors, we must prevent any kind of exposure—another seeming dead end.
Except, perhaps, in the context of a new approach to preventing HIV transmission, developed by Julio Montaner, director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver (full disclosure: I work there). The idea is that if everyone in a community of HIV-positive individuals gets access to treatment, the level of the virus in their blood will decrease, most often to an undetectable level. For someone trying to manage his or her HIV, this is great news, because it becomes a chronic condition rather than a death sentence. But it also benefits the entire community, since the chance of that person infecting others—even when sharing a needle or engaging in unsafe sex—becomes infinitesimally small. Treatment as Prevention has been adopted as an official guideline for controlling HIV epidemics at the highest levels, and the program is slowly being implemented in parts of the world facing large HIV epidemics, such as China.
Pioneered in BC, the strategy focuses on expanding access to HIV rapid testing, as well as antiretroviral treatment for all eligible HIV-positive individuals, which requires a large upfront investment in medicine and outreach to at-risk populations, such as injection drug users. Results suggest that the investment has been very cost effective. While annual statistics for new HIV cases in other provinces have remained essentially stable or increased, the number in BC has decreased by more than half since it peaked in the mid-’90s, and Montaner is bullish about the project’s prospects. “We’re pushing back HIV to levels we’ve never dreamt possible,” said the native Argentinian during a 2011 TEDxSFU talk in Vancouver. “Death related to AIDS is [also] going down, and we have every reason to believe that with this aggressive approach we will reach a point where AIDS will not be anymore a significant problem in our province.”
Now, consider all of this in the context of another transmissible condition, namely injection drug use. What if we could reduce the overall number of injectors in a network of users by increasing addiction treatment? Borrowing the logic of Treatment as Prevention, we might manage to reduce the exposure of prospective injectors to established ones. This might in turn reduce the social pull—that sense of inevitability—that drives young users to seek out injecting. On the flip side, people like Adam, or Allison’s grandmother, or any other injector battling addiction would be freed from having to justify a bad decision to inject someone else, because the decision simply would not exist.
It is a simple theory—often the best kind—in need of scientific evidence. Testing it would require our governments to redirect investment from mass incarceration, street-level crackdowns, and other strategies of prohibition toward treatment. For this to happen, we will finally have to confront the ongoing stigma perpetuated by the war on drugs. Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, addiction continues to be widely conceptualized as a moral failing that only punishment can correct.
There are other challenges, too. Methadone, buprenorphine, and a small number of other prescription opiates are the only drugs clinically proven to manage heroin addiction (mitigating symptoms so the individual can lead a more stable and healthy life), and none is 100 percent effective. Meanwhile, no viable clinical treatment options exist for the millions of cocaine and amphetamine users worldwide, although, with the right kind of support, pharmacological advances could be made within a matter of years.
Finally, there are the vagaries of addiction itself. The intensity of symptoms can vary from day to day, month to month, person to person. Attempts to force users into treatment have been a dismal failure, not to mention ethically questionable. It should seem obvious, but it is worth repeating: people have to be ready to recover, and the window of opportunity can be very small. That is why we need to scale up public health services such as supervised injection sites, which not only reduce non-injectors’ exposure to injecting, but offer established injectors a point of contact with health professionals, increasing the likelihood that they will go to treatment.
Of the three young injectors I interviewed for this article, Adam is the closest to stabilizing his addiction. He has enrolled himself in methadone maintenance therapy, and he is moving into a bachelor apartment, a step up from the couch surfing he has been doing for the past few months. He admits, however, to occasionally still using heroin, and he finishes a diatribe about the dangers of crystal meth by admitting that he has a small Baggie of it on him.
“It’s hard to get out of here,” he says of the Downtown Eastside, but he could be talking about any network of drug users, on behalf of anybody trying to recover. “It traps us.” That is because, for Adam and many others who inject drugs, beyond the daily struggle for survival and self-medication, using is wrapped up in their sense of identity, and in the choices they make about where they live and who their friends and lovers are. Treatment and recovery are so hard precisely because they often require that people deracinate themselves from a community of their peers, right when they most need love and support. When I ask whether in a perfect world he would move someplace else, Adam shakes his head: “Maybe I’d live a little out of the area, but not too far. Everything I know and everything I am is down here.”
While treating injection drug use and addiction is a battle on par with the global fight to tackle HIV, it is not impossible. Indeed, in a Vancouver-based study I co-authored, (published earlier this year), we found that since 1996, 48 percent of participants—all people who inject at baseline—reported that they had ceased injecting by 2010, and that those enrolled in methadone programs were significantly more likely to do so. If effective treatment can be extended to all those who might need it, at the very moment they feel ready to try it, we may just start seeing the beginnings of a new feedback loop, in which less exposure to injecting starts to reduce the number of new cases, which results in less exposure, and fewer new cases, until we reach a point where injection drug use will no longer be a significant problem in our country. It all starts with helping someone like Matt, who could turn out to be the fulcrum upon which our efforts succeed or fail. “I’ve saved a few lives and taken a few lives,” he tells me at the end of the interview, his voice shaking. “I don’t want to do that again. My soul can’t take much more of it—I know that.”Poll: 19% of Americans associate just one word with McCain David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Monday July 7, 2008
Print This Email This An AP-Yahoo poll asked Americans what word comes to mind when they think of the two presidential candidates. Although both had roughly the same favorable-unfavorable split, the specific images of the two men were very different. For John McCain, the most common response was "old," with 19%. In contrast, 20% responded to Barack Obama's name with "change" or "outsider" and another 8% saw him as "inspiring." However, the news isn't all bad for McCain, as the Associated Press doesn't mention if one other word allegedly linked to McCain comes to mind. Among those responders who looked more positively on McCain, 9% referred to his having been a prisoner of war, while 13% noted Obama's "lack of experience." One woman told AP, "I think he talks the talk, but I don't think he can walk the walk." Another 9% called Obama "dishonest." Obama received more responses associated with caring or likability and was favored on domestic issues, while McCain was cited more often in terms of leadership or decisiveness. However, AP noted that "Obama's image has deteriorated with two crucial groups: 52 percent of whites view him negatively, up 12 points from November. And 48 percent of independents have an unfavorable view of him, up from 31 percent last fall." Finally, 7% saw McCain as equivalent to Bush and 6% linked him to Iraq or terrorism. "I think of the people we lost and a country that can never be won, no matter who is in office," said one woman. The full AP story can be read here. This video is from The Associated Press, broadcast July 7, 2008.
Download videoThe federal government has appointed Bill Ferris as chair of Innovation Australia, an independent body established by the government to push forward the country's innovation performance.
Ferris is the former chair of Austrade, and for 12 years was the chair of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. He is also a 45-year veteran of private equity, having founded Australia's first venture capital firm in 1970.
Minister for Industry, Innovation, and Science, Christopher Pyne, said the government is committed to making innovation a key element of the economic agenda, including developing a specific innovation and science agenda.
"Boosting innovation and entrepreneurship will create jobs and stimulate growth, and will position Australian businesses to take advantage of new technologies and opportunities," he said.
Ferris has been appointed to the position for three years.
"Now with the Prime Minister's and Minister Pyne's expressed determination to make innovation core to the government's economic policies, I relish the opportunity as chair of Innovation Australia to assist in identifying what changes are necessary for meaningful improvement in commercialisation and how to best get on with it right away," Ferris said.
Next month the federal government is expected to unveil its innovation agenda, which will contain a set of policies focused on how Australia can attract and retain talent, as well as how the nation should support and encourage startups.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had previously said the innovation agenda is part of the government's commitment to deliver better jobs and greater opportunities.
"Across government, business, the labour movement, and the wider community, we need to have a grown-up discussion which first clarifies the policy goals and then identifies and removes any obstacles that may be hampering our capacity to generate growth, productivity, investment, and jobs," he said.
Historically, Turnbull has given prominence to issues hindering on the country's innovation, as a result increasing awareness of the issue. For example, in February during an opening speech at a National ICT Australia's event, he called for the country's schools to introduce IT skills to children as young as five years old.
Turnbull made a similar point in May when he admitted that education has gone backwards, revealing the numbers of students taking up STEM learning has dropped significantly.
"Of our 600,000 workers in ICT, more than half work outside the traditional ICT sector. 75 percent of the fastest-growing occupations require STEM skills, but only half of year 12 students are studying science; that's down from 94 percent 20 years ago. That is really a retrograde development, and we have to turn that around," he said at the time.For the first time in 20 years, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made an official visit to Portugal. Two weeks later, Sisi received the president of Slovenia in Cairo. The two visits were given extensive media coverage in Egypt and were greeted by many as the first steps toward a new foreign policy the current regime is planning to adopt. The choice of countries, however, aroused considerable curiosity and made many wonder if Egypt is drifting away from the leaders of the European Union and forging new alliances that in the long term could be quite beneficial or whether this new approach is a reaction to the uncertainty that shrouds Egypt’s relations with superpowers.
Political analyst Moataz Abdel Fattah believes that interest in Portugal could be related to the similarities between them, particularly between the 1974 Carnation Revolution and the June 30 protests that toppled the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. “It was the army that toppled Salazar’s dictatorship and General Spinola became president later on,” he wrote. “The Portuguese people took to the streets to support the ‘coup’ and this turned it into a ‘revolution.”’ For Abdel Fattah, Portugal has gone through “a political and economic cycle” that is very similar to what Egypt is going through at the moment and that explains why the two countries are getting closer. “Through dealing with very similar conditions to ours, Portugal eventually managed to reach the relative stability it is currently enjoying.”
Professor of political science Asharf Singer noted that Nasser’s Egypt had very strong ties with Yugoslavia, of which Slovenia was part, under Josip Tito so current relations are some sort of extension of this historic alliance. “As part of the Yugoslav union, Slovenia was a strategic industrial base and this continued after it gained independence then joined the EU in 2007,” he said. “In addition to economic cooperation, Slovenia is one of the countries that identify with the transitional conditions through which Egypt is going at the moment and Egypt needs this kind of support in the European Union.” Singer also added that Donald Trump’s wife is of Slovenian origins. “Establishing ties between Egypt and Slovenia will, therefore, be beneficial in US-Egyptian relations,” he said. He did not, however, explain how exactly the two issues are linked.
Professor of political science Gehad Ouda argued that Sisi’s visit to Portugal and the Slovenian president’s visit to Cairo reveal a new strategy he is following as far as foreign policy is concerned. “Sisi is replacing countries in the European Union that still have reservations on their relationship with Egypt such as France and Germany,” he said, adding that while France sells weapons to Egypt, there is no real partnership between the two countries. “Egypt has problems related to tourism and investment with several European countries including France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.” Sisi, explained Ouda, is accessing Europe through “untraditional paths.”
The recent rapprochement with Portugal and Slovenia also revealed other significant changes in Egypt’s foreign policy that are not related to either country. For example, Sisi announced his support for the Syrian army on the Portuguese TV network RTP: “The priority is that we support the national armies to impose control over the territory, deal with the extremists, and impose the necessary stability in Libya, Syria and Iraq,” he said. According to Tyler Durden, this shift is not only significant in the way it reveals a tendency towards supporting the Russian position on Syria, but also because of the way it alters the entire global perspective on the Syrian conflict: “In the West, the war in Syria has been widely believed to be a conflict between Sunni and Shia forces... Now the largest Arab Sunni state has taken the side of Syria’s government to become a coalition ally with Russia. The sectarian interpretation of the conflict is not valid anymore,” he wrote, adding that such transformation is bound to impact the balance of power in the region: “a regional anti-terrorism entity or even a military block independent from the US might emerge at some point in future.”
Journalist Mohamed Abul Fadl said that the new shift in Egypt’s foreign policy is directly linked to three major lessons that Egyptian diplomacy has learned lately. “First, you cannot bet on one horse since there isn’t one single party that is capable alone of resolving a conflict or ending a crisis. Second, there is no place for political feuds and wars no longer erupt to settle old scores. Third, it is important not to put all the eggs in one basket through being fully allied to one country or group of countries because part of power is always having alternatives,” he wrote. Journalist Moustafa al-Saeid argues, on the other hand, against Fadl’s theory, which according to him does not work for a long time. For Saeid, Egypt has been shifting between too many parties, which made its foreign policy seem too confused. “No matter how good you are at maneuvering, you can never satisfy all parties or send mixed signals because in real crises, avoiding polarization is extremely difficult,” he wrote. Saeid said that Egypt is not currently in a position to take risks in its foreign policy because it already has too much on its plate domestically. “At this moment, Egypt could simply detach itself regionally and internationally and only get involved when there is a direct threat to its security,” he explained. “Otherwise, Egypt should better focus on education, healthcare, and unemployment.”
Last Update: Sunday, 11 December 2016 KSA 11:01 - GMT 08:01When Xiaomi first announced the Mi 5 earlier in the year, I was quite skeptical.
The spec-sheet read like a true flagship, boasting components that would make it a match for the best Android phones out there.
On the design side, the near bezel-less display, single home button and unibody construction echoed a minimalistic aesthetic that was sorely lacking in a lot of Xiaomi's phones.
What made me skeptical was Xiaomi announcing that all this, plus features like a fingerprint reader, IR blaster and USB-C support, would be available for the incredibly wallet-friendly price of just around $300.
After a month of using the phone, which launched just recently here in Southeast Asia, I am happy to say that my skepticism was completely unfounded.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 is proof that the gulf between Chinese smartphones and those from traditional powerhouses like Korea and Japan is no more.
This is a fantastic handset that can stand toe to toe with the likes of Samsung's Galaxy S7 but at around half the price, making the Xiaomi Mi 5 probably the best value-for-power Android smartphone on the market today.
For this review, I'll be focusing on my everyday experience with the phone and how it performs with the kinds of tasks that a user like yourself might require of the phone.
If you are looking for a more techie review with benchmarks and the like, check out this piece by fellow Forbes contributor Ben Sin.
How's the display?
Xiaomi phones, especially in the last few years, have all sported pretty solid screens but with the Mi 5, the company really hit it out of the park. The 5.15 inch Full HD panel on this phone is amongst the best I have ever seen.
Colors are rendered very well with great contrast and sharpness and the black levels, especially when watching HD video, look especially great.
A big source of annoyance for me is when phone screens become impossible to view in bright sunlight but once again, thanks to a super-quick ambient light sensor, the Mi 5 does admirably allowing for easy viewing even under bright sunlight.
Does it look good?
Well, in a word, yes.
What Xiaomi has done is look at some of the prettiest phones of the past few years and craft a device that takes from the best of them.
The phone's no-frills front, the single rectangular home button/fingerprint reader and discrete logo takes a few cues from Samsung's Galaxy S6 while the softly curved back reminds me of HTC's One series of phones and in the speaker grills and sleek edges, the phone is somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone 6.
All in all, this makes the Xiaomi Mi 5, in my opinion, the best looking phone the company has ever made.
Gone are the gaudy black and red accents, the capacitive touch symbols and the rubberized back seen on so many older Xiaomi phones. Instead what you get is a clean, simple more grown up Xiaomi and is a trend I hope to see continued.
Does it perform well?
Off the bat, you should know that I am what they call a power-user, meaning that I will often have multiple apps running at the same time along with a web browser full of tabs and the like.
For the most part, the Android 6.0 device's Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU performed admirably, handling whatever I threw at it with ease.
Without a doubt, for everyday tasks like social media, chatting, web browsing or media consumption, you will find the Xiaomi Mi 5 more than capable.
The only time the phone did stutter was during intense 3D gaming. During a session of Pokémon GO for example, the phone started lagging very hard needing a full reboot to get back in order but these issues were few and far between.
Does it sound good?
Sadly, no.
The speakers on the Xiaomi Mi 5 are not that great especially when compared to phones like the Apple iPhone 6S Plus and the HTC 10. While decent for small rooms, the phone struggles at the loudest volumes sounding tinny and overly sharp.
The same can be said for the loudspeaker, which while better than that on past Xiaomi phones, does not broadcast voice well, making for some very awkward conversations.
Here's hoping this gets fixed soon.
How's the camera?
Quite simply, it's fantastic.
The 16 megapixel rear shooter does an incredible job, especially for a phone in the sub-$400 range.
The shutter is pretty fast, allowing for quick snaps and this is coupled with pretty stellar image stabilization makes he Mi 5 a great camera for amateurs and pros alike.
The Dual-LED flash also helps the Mi 5 take some pretty solid night shots that are pretty respectable but still lags behind the kinds you get with some of Huawei's top-tier models.
The front facing 4 megapixel camera comes with the usual suite of Xiaomi selfie features including the now notorious "age detector" that lets the front facing camera detect (often wrongly) your age and gender.
Of particular note is the "beautification" feature that brightens your face, tries to cover up blemishes and wrinkles and generally tries to improve that selfie-face.
This feature has appeared on other Xiaomi phones but has never been as good as the one on the Mi 5.
Is it easy to use?
Xiaomi's Android skin, MIUI, has had a few years to work out the kinks and as it stands today, MIUI is definitely one of the prettier Android launchers ditching the app drawer of other Android smartphones in favor of a more iOS-esque one with multiple pages of apps.
Needless to say, like iOS, MIUI puts simplicity first and foremost allowing for a user experience with a very low barrier to entry. Commonly used features like screenshot, WiFi and mobile data are also easy to access via the Android drop down menu.
The UI is also pretty customizable with a variety of different aesthetic options available via Xiaomi's theme menu. These changes can be simple color variations to more drastic reskins that see even app icons change.
For hardcore Android users though, MIUI may be a tad simplistic, lacking some of the depth seen in skins like HTC Sense.
Personally though, I appreciated the simplistic tilt to MIUI, which made it easy to find and launch apps on the go.
Does it get hot?
One of my pet peeves about phones is heat.
Some of my favorite phones of all time like the HTC One M7, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge and the One Plus One all got incredibly hot especially while running intense tasks like gaming or navigation.
Where's the Mi 5 sit on this termparature scale?
Unfortunately, more towards the hot side.
While not as bad as some of the phones listed above, the Mi 5 has a habit of heating up, especially during GPS navigation. This required me to often shut down every other app running in the background and to make sure I kept the phone in as ventilated an area as possible.
If you want to buy a case for the phone, I highly recommend keeping this heating issue in mind.
How's the battery?
The phone comes with a 3000 mAh non-removable battery. While not as much as a high-spec phone like this should ideally have, you will get through a normal work day on single charge without much worry.
However, once you add stuff like gaming, navigation and wireless tethering into the equation then you'll find yourself hunting for a charger pretty quickly. Personally, I always keep a power bank on hand with this phone, especially if I want to go Pokémon hunting.
The phone does include a suite of battery saver options that you can use to extend your phone usage but overall, Xiaomi has done a good job with this one.
So, all these things considered, should I buy this phone?
Simply put, yes.
At its current price point of around $300, there are few phones out there with such staggering value.
It's specs are top notch, the fingerprint sensor is among the best I have ever used and this is probably the first phone from Xiaomi that I would deem as truly sexy.
I know that personally, with the Xiaomi Mi 5, I have found my new daily driver.The school campus is one of the most popular settings in manga and anime, appearing across a wide range of genres with varying degrees of realism. But what are the real world bases of these institutions like? Let’s take a look at some of the iconic features of Japanese schools.
The school campus is one of the most popular settings in manga and anime, appearing across a wide range of genres with varying degrees of realism. But what are the real world bases for these institutions like? Let’s take a look at some of the iconic features of Japanese schools.
Buildings & Classrooms
Beyond the grated iron gates, a solid, sturdy campus building looms over the school grounds, with an open space flanked by cherry blossoms... Well, the cherry blossoms are optional, but this standard introductory shot of the school’s façade should be familiar to everyone who’d run into plenty of school life titles.
Source: Sakamoto desu ga?
From the generally realistic schools seen in anime like Sakamoto desu ga? to the highly exaggerated schools of fantastical titles like Kill la Kill, school buildings have shown that while their designs can change greatly, some aspects of their architecture remain consistent across the board. Is there some sort of cheat sheet or template for designing fictional schools that everyone uses? Or is there a sort of standardized look that most of the schools in reality also adhere to?
Source: Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita
It must be said that, quite obviously, fiction is often just based on fact, and the reality is that Japanese schools are on the whole quite homogeneous. To pick an example, let us talk about their classrooms. The layout of these rooms are more or less identical, meaning that, barring a few exceptions, you can find the same items in any classroom you visit. Everyone would know to expect the dark green chalkboard, the teacher’s podium in front of it, the wood-and-steel-pipe tables and chairs arranged in neat rows, and then notice boards at the back of the class. On one side there will be rows of sliding-type windows, and on the other side there will be two sliding doors - one at the front, and one more at the back of the room connected to the same stretch of corridor.
Source: Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
One may say that these features are indispensable in bringing out that ‘Japanese classroom’ look. Another stereotypical feature would probably be the classroom label that sticks out above the door. Classes in the schools are usually sorted by alphabet, following the format of “(school year)+(section)”. If you see a shot of one such board saying “1-A”, "3-B", or “2-1″, you can be reasonably sure you’re looking at a Japanese classroom.
Uniforms
Source: Inou-B |
an organisation who seek to spread awareness of the commercial sex exploitation of children, report her views to Nintendo of America without any comprehension of the situation.
Mounting pressure came to a head this week, surely elevated by prominent articles in the media, and the disappointing conclusion was reached. In speculating, it is likely that Nintendo of America have looked to protect their family-friendly brand, and prevent any further prominence that Gamergate could continue to attract to such matter.
“As many of you know, the last couple months have been quite a whirlwind of controversy and GG [Gamergate] harassment,” Rapp shared on Twitter. “I mean, at this point (if it ever wasn’t), GG is a nebulous group without a real cause except chaos.
“The reality is, I actually had no involvement with localised content changes of any kind. Come on, I *wanted* the Xenoblade Chronicles X boob slider! But that’s not really what any of this was about, ya know? The attack campaigns have always been hardest against women.
“Over the last few weeks, I’ve had to talk safety measures with my family – including talks with police to warn them of possible suspicious activity. Throughout this, GG has been digging up all kinds of things about my personal life and contacting Nintendo about them. Today, the decision was made: I am no longer a good, safe representative of Nintendo, and my employment has been terminated.
“Your support over the last few months–and years!–has been wonderful, and I love you all for it. Obviously this is a lot to sift through and some of it’s highly confidential, so apologies that I can’t go into tons of details.”
She closed, “I do want to also say that I had some truly incredible coworkers at Nintendo, and I’d love it if you continued to support them.”
Since the news emerged Feminist Frequency, Anita Sarkeesian’s educational nonprofit that promotes a more equitable media landscape and online world, has swiftly criticised Nintendo of America’s decision, writing: “When companies cave in to vile harassment tactics aimed at women, they send a message that those tactics of gendered abuse are acceptable. Companies should support their female employees in the face of such attacks. To stay silent is to be complicit. To give in is unconscionable.”
That it has empowered those that have attacked her for months on end has come as a unanimous disappointment, many taking to social media channels to scorn Nintendo of America for their decision.The NHL’s salary cap will not be flat. It’s going up for 2017-08.
Just how high it goes, however, is in the hands of the NHLPA’s executive board, which is hearing arguments right now from two factions on what to do with escrow and the “5 per cent growth factor” that typically inflates the cap each summer.
This is expected to be settled by the end of the week, giving teams time to prepare for the expansion draft process.
According to several sources, the most likely outcome is a salary cap figure of $75-million next season. That is only a $2-million rise from last year. It would mean that the NHLPA voted against using the full 5 per cent growth factor, something it has only done once previously in 12 seasons under the salary cap.Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday revealed that Israel and Palestinian resistance faction Hamas had committed "unlawful attacks" on civilians during the weeklong Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip in November of last year.
According to the watchdog's annual report, the assault – in which more than 170 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed in Israeli airstrikes – came as a consequence of "escalatory steps" taken by both sides throughout 2012.
The report noted the Tel Aviv regime's "punitive closure" of Gaza's borders, which, the rights group said, had created severe consequences for the territory's roughly 1.7 million inhabitants.
The HRW study also referred to a recent World Bank report that stated that the "severity of poverty has increased" among the population in Gaza. The Word Bank report went on to note that more than 70 percent of the strip's residents lived chiefly on humanitarian assistance.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, the HRW report noted, had allowed imports into Gaza – including construction materials for projects funded by international organisations – at less than half of "pre-closure levels."
HRW also pointed out that Egypt had recently aided in easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinians through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Almost all other imports and exports, however, remain proscribed until now.
Egypt, meanwhile, had "turned a blind eye" to the extensive network of tunnels along the Sinai-Gaza border, the report stated.
Israeli forces have maintained a 500-metre-long 'no-go' zone from the border with Gaza, HRW went on to note, opening fire on any Gazan who attempted to cross the area.
During the November assault, Israeli forces launched a series of destructive attacks against buildings and media centres across the besieged coastal enclave, including the office of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.
The report also accused Israel of confiscating Palestinian fishing boats that ventured more than three nautical miles from the Gaza coastline, preventing access to 85 percent of Gaza's internationally-recognised maritime territory.
On the other hand, HRW stated that Hamas, along with other Palestinian armed groups, had launched more than 1,800 rockets towards Israeli sites during the conflict. Six Israelis died as a result of rockets fired by Hamas fighters into Israel.
Moreover, Mohamed Mafarja, 18, was accused of planting a bomb on behalf of Hamas that led to an explosion on a Tel Aviv bus near Israel's defence ministry complex on 21 November.
On the same day, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza-based resistance movement at a press conference in Cairo.
US President Barack Obama later thanked Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Morsi for his role is negotiating a truce between Israel and Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza.
The HRW report pointed to other rights violations committed by Israel in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
"Israel imposed severe restrictions on Palestinians' right to freedom of movement, continued to build unlawful settlements in occupied territory, and arbitrarily detained Palestinians, including children and peaceful protesters," the report said.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government recently announced plans to build almost 3,000 Jewish-only settler units on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, just days before a UN vote on Palestinian recognition.
Construction of the Jewish-only settlements will take place in the highly sensitive "E-1" area of the West Bank, which lies between annexed East Jerusalem and the nearby Ma'ale Adumim settlement.
Short link:Afghan President Hamid Karzai has slammed Western backers for the second time in a week, accusing the United States of interference, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
In a private meeting with up to 70 Afghan lawmakers Saturday, Karzai also warned that the Taliban insurgency could become a legitimate resistance movement if foreign meddling in Afghan affairs continues, the Journal said, citing participants in the talks.
During the talks, Karzai, whose government is supported by billions of dollars of Western aid and 126,000 foreign troops fighting the Taliban, said he would be compelled to join the insurgency himself if the parliament does not back his bid to take over Afghanistan’s electoral watchdog.
His comments came less than a day after Karzai sought to defuse tensions over his earlier anti-foreigner outburst by assuring US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he was committed to working with the United States.
Kabul and Washington said they were putting behind them the incident which saw Karzai publicly claim last week that foreigners orchestrated election fraud.
The latest remarks were sure to further erode an already fragile relationship. During a brief, unannounced visit to Kabul on Monday, Obama urged Karzai to rid his government of its pervasive corruption.
Karzai spent a large part of two and a half hours criticizing lawmakers for rejecting his efforts to wrestle control of the country’s Electoral Complaints Commission from the United Nations, five of the legislators who gathered at the presidential palace told the Journal.
Western officials were said to be seeking the installation of a “puppet government” in Afghanistan, the lawmakers said.
“He said that the only reason that the Taliban and other insurgent groups are fighting the Afghan government is that they see foreigners having the final say in everything,” one lawmaker told the newspaper.
The lawmakers quoted Karzai as saying the Taliban’s “revolt will change to resistance” if the United States and its allies keep dictating how his government should run.Massachusetts authorities apparently thought that asking nicely would suffice to keep secret their subpoena for information on a Twitter user involved with Occupy Wall Street. They thought wrong.
So when the Suffolk County District Attorney's office sent its request to Twitter, its subpoena ended up in the inbox of the DA's target, following a decision by Twitter to share it as part of its privacy policy.
The user in question goes by the handle @p0isAn0N, who last week posted the document in full on Scribd. Dated December 14, the subpoena requests IP address information about the accounts of @p0isAn0N, @OccupyBoston, as well as "Guido Fawkes" and two Twitter hashtags: #BostonPD and #d0xcak3.
At the bottom of the document, a Suffolk county assistant district attorney asked Twitter not to share the request with any of its users, since such an action could "impede the ongoing criminal investigation." Twitter has since said it did not follow that request due to its privacy policy.
"We can't comment on any specific order or request," Twitter spokesperson Matt Graves told ReadWriteWeb in a statement about the matter. "However, to help users protect their rights, it is our policy to notify our users about law enforcement and governmental requests for their information, unless we are prevented by law from doing so."
In a statement issued alongside the posting of the subpoena, @p0isAn0N wrote: "subpoenas will not shake me. So do whatever you think you can to try and stop Anonymous, but you will learn fast. One of us is not nearly as harsh as all of us. You cannot arrest an idea. You cannot subpoena a hashtag."
It remains unclear whether Twitter provided the Suffolk D.A.'s office with the IP addresses from the accounts. The company, however, has done that in the past, such as last month when it complied with a grand jury probe by the Department of Justice seeking information about account owners allegedly tied to the creation and distribution of documents shared on Wikileaks.One man is dead and another injured after a shooting in the parking lot at Bug-A-Boos strip club about 2 a.m. Saturday at E. 57th Street and Harvard Avenue, according to police.
The man who died has been identified as Joel H. December, 28, and police say he was shot in the head.
Police say that the suspect in the shooting was inside the strip club and was intoxicated. Police say a bouncer escorted him outside and that's when he got into an argument in the parking lot and shot December and another man.
The other man, Rayshaun Glass, 35, had his leg wound treated at MetroHealth Medical Center.
At the same time, police say a man was brought to St. Vincent Charity Hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was brought from the Shell Station at E. 55th Street and Kinsman Avenue.
About 1:30 a.m., police say a car flipped over on the I-90 West/Chester Avenue entrance ramp.
Police say Lynette S. Lawson, 26, and her boyfriend Stacey S. Moore, 27, had a verbal altercation in the area of East 25th Street, south of Payne Avenue.
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Lawson then drove a 2014 Chevrolet Impala southbound on East 25th Street with Moore hanging onto the outside of the vehicle on the left side hood area.
Police say Lawson accelerated and drove recklessly southbound on East 25th Street over the south curb, striking a park bench, steel guardrail and chain link fence.
Police say the 2014 Chevrolet continues southbound airborne and lands on the Interstate 90 westbound exit ramp to Chester Avenue.
At the same time the 2014 Chevrolet Impala struck the roadway, Lanisha E. Bowen, 38, was driving a 2014 Kia Sorrento SUV on the Chester Avenue exit ramp where she had no time to react and collided with the left side of the 2014 Chevrolet.
After both cars came to a stop, Moore was found pinned under the left rear of the 2014 Chevrolet.
All three were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where Moore was pronounced dead and the two women drivers were treated for minor injuries.
At 11 p.m. Friday, police say a man, 25, was taken by EMS from E. 99th Street to University Hospitals with a gunshot wound to the leg.Oct 10, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Les Miles leaves the field following a win against the South Carolina Gamecocks in a road game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated South Carolina 45-24. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee vs Georgia: 5 Vols to Watch for vs Bulldogs by Caleb Calhoun
Could Tennessee Volunteers defensive coordinator Bob Shoop replace Les Miles as the new head coach for the LSU Tigers beginning next year?
Of all the hot coaching assistants in college football, Bob Shoop is near the top of the list. And with Les Miles’s firing, he’s got one opportunity to leave the Tennessee Vols already after this year.
Conventional wisdom suggests that the Tigers want to go for a more offensive-minded coach given how bad they’ve looked on that side of the ball. That’s why you hear names like Lane Kiffin, Tom Herman, and Jimbo Fisher.
However, there’s another issue that the administration had with Miles. His mad-hatter tactics simply began to work against him.
Shoop is the opposite of the mad-hatter. Everything he does in analytical.
That’s one huge plus for the Tigers.
On top of that, Shoop is as touted of a coordinator as those offensive minds are. Butch Jones made a controversial firing and shelled out a ton of money to bring Shoop to Knoxville.
Through four games, he hasn’t disappointed. Despite some first-half struggles, Shoop has proven himself to be one of the best coaches ever at in-game adjustments.
Remember, Miles himself tried everything to lure Shoop away from Penn State and bring him to Baton Rouge the year before, after John Chavis had left for Texas A&M.
That didn’t work out.
But that provides enough of a reason to believe that LSU would consider targeting him. After all, Shoop made his move to Tennessee partially because he enjoyed living in the state but also because it would best position him to eventually be a head coach.
If the Tigers come calling, that would be the perfect job for him to take.
Sure, he doesn’t bring the offensive mind they are looking for. But with his analytical approach, Shoop could find that a lot more easily than Miles was able to.
So while he is a wildcard candidate to replace Les Miles, don’t be surprised if Bob Shoop gets a look.
Vols fans everywhere will be fine with that if he delivers a championship before leaving.The day Jason Frasor walked out of the Toronto Blue Jays' locker-room, he believed he'd never be back — let alone so soon.
Frasor is returning to the team for which he's played almost his entire career. Toronto acquired the reliever in a deal with Chicago on Sunday just five months after trading him to the White Sox.
The Jays gave up minor league pitchers Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb in Sunday's trade.
"It felt like I was never coming back. [His July 27 trade] was an emotional day. I think it was the first time I'd cried since I gave up five runs in Atlanta a couple of years ago," he said, laughing.
"It's hard to believe I'm going back to Toronto, my wife is thrilled, it's great. What a thrill, I don't know else what it say, and I can't wait to put on those new uniforms," he added, during a conference call from his home in Tampa, Fla.
Frasor was 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 64 relief appearances with Chicago and Toronto last season.
The 34-year-old right-hander had been the longest serving member of the team and left as the franchise leader in games pitched when the Jays sent him to Chicago along with pitcher Zach Stewart for pitcher Edwin Jackson and infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen.
Frasor, a Chicago native, spent eight seasons — 2004-2011 — with the Blue Jays, posting a 24-28 record in 455 games with 36 saves and a 3.69 ERA.
Frasor, who enjoyed a relatively quiet New Year's Eve of pizza and beer, said he was confused when he received a text message Sunday morning from Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos. He then received a message from a Jays media relations official asking if he'd be available for an interview.
It wasn't until he received a call from his agent that learned of the trade.
"Crazy day today, but good news," Frasor said from his home in Tampa, Fla.
Frasor said he enjoyed his brief stay in Chicago.
"I would have loved going back there, I was there for a couple of months and they were fantastic, great teammates, great people," Frasor said. "It was a dream come true for my parents, to play for the hometown team and it was interesting for me to play for a different team after being in Toronto for eight years."
Frasor joins former Chicago teammate and closer Sergio Santos, who the Jays acquired from the White Sox last month.
"I think you guys are really going to like him," Frasor said of Santos. "I can't believe Alex pulled him away from Chicago first of all, and for me to go back there and hopefully set him up again, it's great."
Frasor is happy he doesn't have to go far for Jays training camp in Dunedin, Fla., a short drive from his home in Tampa, Fla.
"It's six extra weeks of being at home for me and my family which is huge," Frasor said.
"It makes it easier for me to prepare for spring training. Now I can go to the complex early, and there'll be the catchers there, and I can utilize those guys and throw sliders and changeups in the dirt, and get those guys ready for the real thing."
The 20-year-old Jaye, meanwhile, made his professional debut with Advanced Rookie Bluefield of the Appalachian League last season, going 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA in nine starts and four relief appearances.
The 22-year-old Webb spent most of last season with class-A Lansing, where he was 4-5 with a 5.59 ERA. He also made one relief appearance with Bluefield.Shares
At its core, what is the EU? And why, despite its vast resources, does it seem perpetually unable to make sense of the world and meet its objectives? The two answers might lie hidden in the EU’s very DNA.
First, there’s the EU’s primary internal contradiction: EU federalism is an ideology that propagates post-ideologism; a culturally amorphous post-ideological world. A cosmopolitan easy going agnostic world, in which the single market and currency have made nationalism obsolete. Indeed, a world where the European Parliament invites a long-haired bearded shemale to perform in front of its building and announces him/her as “The voice of Europe” singing for equality, without anyone batting an eye.
The EU’s core problem, however, is that in its way of viewing and engaging the world beyond Brussels’ city walls, it is acting as if the world has already arrived at this so badly coveted post-cultural and post-ideological end station.
This is why the EU’s foreign minister is convinced political Islam should be part of the solution for Europe’s bicultural malaise. It is why for almost a decade now, the EU is maintaining that it is reasonable to expect a German-style fiscal discipline from Greece ― a country in which tax evasion has been a central pillar of its culture ever since it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire some 600 years ago. It is why the EU fails to grasp the fact that it’s deepening the migration crisis by acting as a ferry service for human traffickers. It is why the EU refuses to acknowledge an inherently expansionist religion like Islam views Europe’s open borders as an invitation to conquest. And it is why it was caught off guard by the mass rapes in Cologne etc., because in the EU’s world, man in its natural state never existed and the Rape of the Sabine Women was never told.
In short, the EU is treating the world as if it’s already an earthly utopia in which everything can be solved through dialogue and the right allocation of subsidies. And that’s why it will keep on chasing facts until its imminent demise.
But there’s something even more fundamental obstructing the EU’s ability to solve crises.
The EU is artificial and unnecessary
What is the EU? The EU is a government looking for people to govern. It didn’t evolve organically from a community’s desire to be governed. It was an elitist ideological hobby project ― one that European Commission first Vice-President Frans Timmermans a few months ago referred to as:
“arguably the most successful peace project in human history.“
The EU is not a peace project
This, however, is a deception. A deception so pervasive, it has become the most pivotal element of the Eurocratic belief system. But the EU is no peace project. It neither caused nor consolidated peace.
True peace is being able to hurt one another, but simply not wanting to. In 1945, after centuries of conflict, European nation-states finally reached this state of being. Subsequently, the European Economic Community (EEC) consolidated this peace in 1958 by entangling the French and German economies.
The EU came afterwards, without there ever being an actual need for it ― the continent was peaceful and that peace was already consolidated.
So, inadvertently, the image below by everyone’s favourite federal high priest, says absolutely nothing about the EU, but everything about the EEC.
The EU has no actual raison d’être
So, if the EU neither caused nor consolidated peace, what is the EU’s fundamental raison d’être? The simple answer is: it has none. There is nothing fundamentally positive about Europe, that could not exist without the EU.
This is no trivial matter.
Because the EU is a highly artificial and non-organic governing body, one without a fundamental raison d’être, the EU’s priority objective, at all times, is self-preservation. Even when this means not solving continental problems at all.
The euro and migration crises serve as prime examples. The EU is not only not solving the euro crisis, it is prolonging it by insisting fiscally dysfunctional member states remain member states, simply because their ejection from the EU would endanger and obscure the EU itself.
The same is true for the migration crisis. It’s not hard to solve. To simply stop being a ferry service for human traffickers and implement the very straightforward Australian model, is hardly rocket science. It’s no coincidence Australia’s migration architect claims Europe doesn’t even seem to be trying to solve this crisis.
In 2016, 490,547 migrants reached Europe. The total number of asylum applicants is almost 2.5 times higher at 1.205 million, which is a modest drop from 2015’s 1.323 million. During 2017, so far over 135.000 arrived by sea.
So what is the EU’s priority during the migrant crisis?
Instead, the EU’s highest priority seems to be preventing nation states from bypassing the EU, by taking their own measures against the crisis.
For if that were to happen, the EU would lose its ‘greatest achievement’: the federal control of European national borders, without which, the EU is nothing.
“Sell me this pen”
The EU has been sold to the European people by bored career politicians who persuaded them that Europe needed a supranational government and monetary union to prosper.
Europeans bought a pen from someone who told them to write their names on a napkin.A MAJOR Garda investigation is underway after a top GAA player suffered horrific injuries after he was assaulted by a close associate of one of Ireland's most dangerous criminals.
A MAJOR Garda investigation is underway after a top GAA player suffered horrific injuries after he was assaulted by a close associate of one of Ireland's most dangerous criminals.
The highly respected player, who is a father-of-one, is still recovering after the savage assault outside a takeaway in Wicklow town on the night of December 28 last.
Sources have revealed that gardai have studied CCTV of the incident which shows the gang boss's close associate kicking his victim “extremely hard” in the groin area.
The man was rushed to hospital after the incident and required surgery — it is understood that his injury may also affect his ability to play sports.
The victim, who is in his early 30s and from Wicklow town, has not made a complaint to gardai and there has been no arrests so far in the case.
“This was the result of a bit of slagging in a chipper that obviously went way too far — it has had very severe consequences for the injured party,” a senior source explained.
FEARED
The chief suspect in the case is a younger associate of one of the east coast's most feared crimelords — a volatile and dangerous gangster nicknamed the ‘Business Man'.
The assault suspect does not have many previous convictions but has been on the garda radar because of his very close association with the ‘Business Man’.
Sources say that detectives have been carrying out a number of surveillance operations against the criminal especially after receiving intelligence that he plans to ‘whack' two Wicklow brothers who were involved in a serious pub assault on a veteran member of his gang.
The Wicklow-based criminal has a huge property portfolio and links to the Continuity IRA.
He is suspected of being involved in the gangland murder of Philip ‘Philly' O'Toole (32), who was shot dead in January last year.
He has never been arrested in relation to that crime but sources say that gardai suspect that “he operated in the background” of the murder.
A file on the O' Toole murder has now been sent to the DPP with a Garda recommendation that one of the drug dealer's former close mates be charged with the killing.
Separately, the ‘Business Man’ is being investigated for a number of shootings and an abduction, with his sphere of influence stretching from Bray, Co Wicklow, down to Gorey, Co Wexford including the towns of Arklow and Wicklow.
He is also suspected of ordering the theft of 29 firearms in Wicklow in September, 2012.
INTIMIDATION
“This is an individual who thrives on fear and intimidation — he generally stays in the background but his volatility means that he sometimes gets his hands dirty,” a source said.
The Herald has also learnt that the ‘Business Man' was involved in a savage assault in a south Dublin pub last year.
Online EditorsEderson? Nope. David de Gea? Think again.
A Premier League keeper who's not plying his trade for any of the 'big' clubs is statistically the best in Europe.
When you think of the best stoppers around Europe, the usual suspects come to mind. From Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak to Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen, not to mention the finest between the sticks in the Premier League.
De Gea, Courtois to name but a few.
Though according to Opta, Burnley's Nick Pope has the best save percentage of any goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues, this season.
94% - Burnley's Nick Pope has the best save percentage of any goalkeeper in Europe's big five leagues this season (min. 10 saves). Saviour. pic.twitter.com/Vl2o3AZiN5
- OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 5, 2017
Pope has burst onto the scene as he covers for the injured Tom Heaton. The 25-year-old made his league debut against Crystal Palace after coming off the bench.
He marked his bow by keeping a clean sheet, while making fine save after fine save.
And he's since only conceded the solitary goal in the league.
Pope pulls off a brilliant save against Liverpool. Image: PA
Here's the top ten keepers in Europe:
1. Nick Pope (Burnley) - 94.4%
2. Ciprian Tatarusanu (Nantes) - 91.3%
3. Roman Burki (Borussia Dortmund) - 90.0%
4. David de Gea (Manchester United) - 88.2%
5. Philipp Tschauner (Hannover 96) - 86.2%
6. Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona) - 85.7%
7. Alisson Becker (AS Roma) - 85.2%
8. Ederson (Manchester City) - 84.6%
9. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) - 83.3%
10. Samir Handanovic (Inter Milan) - 83.3%
Meanwhile, following the victory against Palace in September, Pope said it was a dream to finally ply his trade in England's top flight.
"When I came to Burnley I wanted to play games. That's what you dream about as a player - you don't dream of sitting on the bench," he said via The Daily Mail.
Pope all smiles after keeping a clean sheet on his league debut. Image: PA
"As a goalkeeper coming off the bench is one of the hardest things you can do so to come on and get the clean sheet and the win, we're over the moon.
Pope added: "All the back four worked really hard as a unit and made last-ditch tackles and blocks. They were awesome in front of me and you need that when you come under pressure against top teams."
The Clarets' regular No.1 is set for an extended spell on the sideline after suffering a dislocated shoulder, so get used to seeing Pope in goal.The Inspector checked the plasma restraints that he and Lily Weaver had placed on the Apiomerian they had taken into custody for using stolen temporal technology in an attempt to change the outcome of its species’ war against the Apoidians on Harpactorina.
Getting the restraints on eight arms and legs had been difficult enough, but disabling the Apiomerian with its organometallic armour that could have broken the plasma chains was more of a challenge. Had the Apiomerian had remained less-than-docile, it might have reactivated its armour and put both the Kayaclaschian’s and the human’s lives in danger.
Fortunately for them, the BOOTH was able to synthesise a anaesthetic strong enough to subdue the Apiomerian for the time it took to transport it to the Intergalactic Justice Centre on Guardian Prime, where it would be processed and prosecuted for its temporal crimes.
The Inspector casually kicked open the BOOTH’s door and asked Lily to step out ahead of him and the prisoner. The Space Master’s timeship had emerged in an alcove where a couple of other boxlike devices stood silently, awaiting the return of their owners. A soft whisper of voices and shuffle of booted feet drifted in to the chamber from a doorway that led into the main corridor of the Justice Centre.
Behind Lily, the lithe, greenish-silver form of the Apiomerian unfolded from within the BOOTH, followed by the Inspector, who was holding the insectoid back as he closed the ship’s door and pulled on the handle to assure himself that it had locked.
“Well,” he said, looking pointedly at Lily. “Off we go.”
“Right-o, Inspector,” Weaver replied. “Lead on.”
The Kayaclaschian looked up at the ceiling and a pained expression formed on his face, like he usually did when he realized that she hadn’t been through something like this before. He quickly schooled his face and raised both his eyebrows. “Oh, right. You haven’t been here before, have you? I’m a little daft at times, Lily.”
Lily eyed him, then relaxed the muscles she hadn’t realized had tightened up. She smiled coyly. “You’re forgiven,” she said airily.
The Inspector grinned in response. “Always a good thing, then, isn’t it? Being forgiven?”
Lily couldn’t help but laugh at the statement, then rolled her eyes at his smugness. “’Course, Inspector. Happens often enough, now, don’t it?”
“Yeah,” the Kayaclaschian agreed. “Ta.” He took a moment to glance toward the door and orient himself. “Ah, fabulous! I know exactly where we are. We’ll take the corridor to the right, three bulkheads down, take a left at the second intersection, a couple dozen paces and we’ll be at the Custody Centre.”
“‘Custody Centre’?” Weaver repeated as the three of them began walking into the mass of aliens moving about between courtrooms and offices. “Sounds like where someone sends a wayward child rather than where they’d hold criminals.”
The Inspector nodded eagerly. “I know. I’ve told them a dozen times over to change the name. Something along the lines of ‘brig’ or ‘holding area’ would make tons more sense, wouldn’t it?”
“I s’pose,” Lily said slyly, as she stepped out of the way of a short, bulky black-furred alien in a tattered wrap that appeared in front of her. “But those don’t sound nearly as family-friendly as ‘Custody Centre.’”
Despite the fact that the Apiomerian towered over the two of them, it gave the Inspector little resistance as they pushed their way through the crowds, section after section of the Justice Centre. The stiffness the Space Master encountered was more an after-effect of the anaesthetic than conscious resistance to being moved against its will. Lily suspected that the Inspector had included some chemical that made his arrestees more docile and willing to obey his commands before they were locked up to wait for their trials and receiving their judgements from the Intergalactic Justice Centre.
The Space Master, his Associate and the Apiomerian passed through two sets of automated doors in order to reach the Custody Centre. Inside the office, three scaly, blue-grey, thick-chested one-eyed guards sporting four muscular arms stood monitoring screens that showed a variety of inmates and a variety of messages.
Upon their entrance, one of the three Barlurians slid an electronic workpass over a metal plate inside their booth, waited for the door to open and walked into the waiting area, carrying a tablet.
“Inspector,” the man’s gravelly voice greeted them, as he activated the tablet in one of this four hands. “You have another prisoner for us.”
“Xxxxindu of the Apiomeria from the planet Harpactorina,” the Space Master introduced the insectoid being to his future gaoler. “Caught ’im using a temporal transporter he’d stolen from the Time Patrol in the Eta-Five-Banana-Schwa Era. Apparently thought he could change the outcome of the Apionerian-Apoidian Uncivil War.”
The Barlurian narrowed its single eye at the insectoid. “The two sides have been going at each other for seven hundred thirty-four generations. Why transport to Eta-Five-Banana-Schwa?”
“Bringing armour and weapons that advanced, that far back in time?” the Space Master said rhetorically. “Would’ve prevented trillions of deaths. Well, that and put the Apionerians in control of Harpactorina.” He paused to consider that. “Which would’ve caused trillions more deaths, as the Apionerians wiped out the Apoidians from existence.” He shook his head ruefully. “He would’ve been responsible for the genocide of his species’ mortal enemy.”
The Barlurian typed away on the computer tablet in his hand, while verifying that the prisoner was properly secured with two of his free hands. Another being might have been affronted by such a blatant display of who was in charge, but the Inspector just mentally shrugged it off.
“Temporal incursion with intent to alter historical events, attempted intervention in historical events that would have led to mass extinction of a sentient race, theft of temporal-transporting device with intent to subvert historical events,” the gaoler read from his tablet.
“You might want to throw ‘resisting arrest’ in for good measure,” the Kayaclaschian suggested with a look of mock indignity. “That’s right, he tried to evade me when I tracked him down. Ought to add a few orbital cycles to his sentence,” he added lightly.
Apparently starting to come out of the anaesthetic-induced obedience, the Apionerian twisted its head and carapace and hissed at the Inspector.
“Don’t say that,” the Space Master tutted. “Might just add another charge of assault or some-such, which could put your away for the rest of your mortal life.”
The Apionerian’s compound eyes glittered under the electric lighting elements above them. Though its face could display no signs of emotions that Lily could define, it was clear that the insectoid was angry, as it hissed and clicked in the Inspector’s general direction for a few seconds, then went silent and turned round.
He ignored the sigh from the insectoid and faced the guard who had finished inputting the details of the arrest and waited for the Space Master to verify the data and affix his imprint on the tablet.
The Kayaclaschian ran a finger along the right edge of the tablet’s screen, rapidly reading it. Satisfied, he swiped his palm across its surface and handed the tablet back to the Barlurian. “When’s he scheduled to be arraigned?”
The gaoler craned his neck to look through the window separating the guards’ booth from the waiting room. “Ten daily cycles.”
The Space Master bobbed his head in agreement. “Not that I’d be going anywhen anyhow. We’ll stick around then.”
The Barlurian frowned slightly. “Please remain where you are, Inspector.”
“Isn’t that what I just said I’d do?” the Kayaclaschian responded absently, having turned toward Lily.
“Ulnar,” the guard grunted toward the booth.
There was a buzz and the guard bundled the Apionerian out of the chamber, but was quickly replaced by a second Bar |
. The United States is determined to push for action. There is no time to waste.
I consider it unfortunate that the occasion of my first appearance here is one in which I must condemn the aggressive actions of Russia. It is unfortunate because it is a replay of far too many instances over many years in which United States Representatives have needed to do that. It should not have to be that way. We do want to better our relations with Russia. However, the dire situation in eastern Ukraine is one that demands clear and strong condemnation of Russian actions.
The sudden increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine has trapped thousands of civilians and destroyed vital infrastructure. And the crisis is spreading, endangering many thousands more. This escalation of violence must stop.
The United States stands with the people of Ukraine, who have suffered for nearly three years under Russian occupation and military intervention. Until Russia and the separatists it supports respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, this crisis will continue.
Eastern Ukraine, of course, is not the only part of the country suffering because of Russia’s aggressive actions. The United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea. Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine. The basic principle of this United Nations is that states should live side by side in peace.
There is a clear path to restoring peace in eastern Ukraine: full and immediate implementation of the Minsk agreements, which the United States continues to support. For the people in eastern Ukraine, the stakes are high. With each passing day, more people are at risk of freezing to death, or dying from a mortar blast.
The United States calls on Russia and the combined Russian-separatist forces to fulfill their commitments in the Minsk agreements and fully restore and respect the ceasefire. The Minsk agreements require the disengagement of forces and withdrawal of heavy weapons from both sides of the contact line. This is the formula for a sustainable ceasefire. Pulling back forces and taking heavy weapons out of this area will save lives. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission must also be granted full, unfettered access. The presence of OSCE monitors can help calm tensions.
Cooperation on this issue is possible. Earlier this week, both Russia and Ukraine supported this Council’s unanimous call to return to a ceasefire. It was the first time in years that this Council was able to come together on Ukraine. The parties on the ground should heed this signal and hold their fire. The United States expects that those who can influence the groups that are fighting – in particular, Russia – will do everything possible to support an end to this escalation of violence. Thank you.You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters
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— New figures from legislative analysts confirm the 2013 cut to individual income tax rates is costing the state far more than originally projected.
Last year, Republican leaders authored a plan to cut income taxes from a three-tiered marginal system of 6 percent, 7 percent and 7.75 percent to a flat rate of 5.8 percent for 2014 tax year.
According to a memo Thursday from legislative analyst Brian Slivka and chief economist Barry Boardman, the updated cost of the tax cut is $680 million for the current tax year.
That's $205 million, or 43 percent, higher than the original projection of $475 million.
The cost for the 2015 tax year is also projected to be $200 million higher than original estimates – $890 million rather than $690 million. Additional tax cuts are set to take effect Jan. 1.
In the memo, Boardman and Slivka explain that the revision is due to the fact that North Carolina wages have not grown as quickly as projected last year.
"The modeled change in revenue is the result of new Internal Revenue Code data on North Carolina personal income taxpayers and an update to the economic forecast embedded in the model," the memo says.
According to the memo, the forecast does not account for corporate tax rate cuts.
It also doesn't figure in the additional money the state will receive as deductions are phased out, including the $50,000 deduction for small businesses ends, or extra revenue from broadening the sales tax to new items such as movie tickets, warranties and electric bills. Those new revenues could help offset the revised cost.
Republican leaders said last summer that lowering taxes would cause the economy to grow, helping more people find work and bringing in more revenue. They expressed confidence that the cost to the state would be actually be lower than initial projections.
The unwelcome news comes as lawmakers continue to struggle to find agreement on teacher pay raises, funding for teaching assistants and cuts to Medicaid in the 2014-15 budget.
The revision should not have an effect on the current budget negotiations. A Fiscal Research staffer said this fiscal year's budget adjustment already sets aside $445 million to cover the reduction in revenue from the tax cuts.
However, to put all those numbers in context, the cost of a 7 percent average teacher pay increase, according to the House's latest offer, is about $265 million.
The cost of a 6 percent average teacher raise, according to an earlier House offer, is about $178 million, while the cost of funding all current teaching assistants for 2015 is about $450 million.
The cost of the Senate's earlier proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, including cutting Medicaid eligibility for thousands of blind, disabled, and elderly patients, is about $228 million.
Democratic lawmakers, many of whom warned the tax cuts were too steep and too fast, were quick to chastise the Republicans who championed it.
"We have just learned that the cost of the Republican tax scheme over the next five years will be $5.3 billion, nearly $900 million more than previously estimated," said Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake. "The Republican legislature chose tax giveaways to big corporations and wealthy people over investments in our schoolkids and teachers. Their fiscal irresponsibility has created the budget crisis we currently face."
Meanwhile, the House's chief sponsor of the tax cut bill, Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, said lawmakers may have to take another look at the legislation.
"The decisions we made were based on those estimates. Unfortunately, some of those estimates have proven to not be right," Lewis told WRAL News. "If there's additional indication that revenue's going to be down, we're probably going to have to take a look at – is it a short-term thing, is it a long-term thing – what the possible fixes will do.
"It does take a certain amount of money to run state government. Nobody doubts or disputes that," Lewis said. "Of course, folks like me believe the more money you can let people keep, the better off you are. But with that said, we also recognize the responsibility to keep state government running, and we certainly take that very seriously.""Karate, properly viewed, is
a way of perfecting character" MAS OYAMA 1923-1994 Read the 11 Mottos of Mas Oyama (Mas) Oyama, founder of kyokushin karate, may be the toughest martial artist of all time.
Oyama, was born Yong-I Choi, on July 27, 1923, in the tiny village of Wa-Ryongri Yong-chi Myonchul Na Do, in Southern Korea. His family, considered aristocrats, belonged to the Yangban-clan. His father, Sun Hyang, was the mayor of Kinje, a town near the village where Yong-I Choi was born. As a young child, nine years of age, Oyama began studying Southern Chinese Kempo under the instruction of Mr. Yi, an employee on the estate owned by Oyama's father. Oyama was also an avid reader and was deeply affected and moved after reading the biography of Otto von Bismark (1815-1898) the Prussian Chancellor (1871-1890) of the German empire. Bismark, Oyama read, was instrumental in unifying Germany in a span of only two to three years, making it a nation powerful enough to control most of Europe.
The philosophy of Bismark made such a strong impression on Oyama that he decided he wanted to be the Bismark of the Orient. With great aspirations Oyama somehow felt his destiny was in Japan and he left Korea at the age of fifteen. It was at this time in Japan the young Choi changed his name. He adopted the name Oyama from the family that befriended him and took him in, while in Japan. In 1938, at the young age of fifteen, Oyama wanted to serve the country he now called home and therefore joined Japan's Yamanashi Youth Air Force Academy with the intentions of becoming a pilot. In September of this same year, Oyama became a student of Gichin Funakoshi, Shotokan Karate founder, at the Takushoku University. Funakoshi, a school teacher from Okinawa, was credited with introducing karate to Japan. It is this man that Oyama later would refer to as his true karate teacher. Throughout the years Oyama always spoke highly of Funakoshi, remarking in later recollections of his gentle yet overwhelming presence. Oyama went on to say that of the many things he learned from Funakoshi, kata (formal exercises) was the most important.
By the age of eighteen, Oyama had earned the rank of nidan in karate (second level black) rank. Oyama was still very much a patriot and was always volunteering for special military duty. On one assignment to an airfield near Tokyo, a confrontation provoked by an officer, resulted in Oyama striking the officer. Although found innocent, due to the provocation on the part of the officer, Oyama was ordered transferred to an area in the Pacific. However, the war was just ending and lucky for Oyama, the transfer was halted. But this luck had an ironic twist for Oyama because it also meant that his driving quest to serve his new country was now over. The announcement that Japan had surrendered WWII quickly ended Oyama’s military career. The stress of losing his career and the dishonor he felt for his adopted country losing the war created great - almost unbearable - stress in Oyama’s life. Oyama found someone Korean like himself by the name of Nei-Chu So. Not only was So Korean but he was also from the same province. Nei-Chi So was a practitioner of the Gojo-Ryu style of karate. Gogen Yamaguchi, nicknamed "The Cat", was carrying on goju-ryu, founded by Chojun Miyagi in 1930 in Japan. Yamaguchi commonly acknowledged that Nei-Chu So was one of his best students. Oyama quickly resumed his martial arts training under So and a strong bond was formed between the two. So, a great philosopher and strong in character, possessed even stronger spiritual convictions. Oyama would not only learn Goju-ryu from So, but would also be sanctified by him into the Buddhist faith of the Nichiren sect. It was So who inspired Oyama to make karate his life long dedication, propelling him to face his own challenges and develop his own achievements and victories. At the same time he began his training with So, Oyama earnestly took-up the practice of Judo as well. After four years of training, he received his yondan (fourth level black) ranking in Judo.
Oyama liked to attend the local dance competitions in the area in order to socialize and relax after his martial arts training. It was at one such dance event that Oyama came to the aid of a female who was being accosted by a local troublemaker. When Oyama intervened, the troublemaker, a tall Japanese suspected of several homicides, became enraged and produced a knife. Taunting Oyama, the troublemaker made continuous slashing movements through the air in front of Oyama’s face with the knife then lunged towards Oyama. Oyama blocked the attack and delivered a forceful punch to the head of the assailant, killing him instantly. Because of eyewitness accounts of the incident, Oyama was ruled by the courts as justified in using self-defense. However, the impact of the tragedy devastated Oyama. To kill a man with a single blow was so overwhelming to Oyama that he decided to give up his martial arts training. Learning that the man he killed had a wife and children on a farm in the Kanto area near Tokyo, Oyama went to the farm and worked there for several months. He did not leave until the widow assured him that she was financially capable of maintaining the farm and that she did not hold Oyama responsible for the death of her husband.
This became the turning point in Oyama’s life. His Goju-ryu instructor, Nei-Chu So advised him to go away, to train his body and soul and to give karate a chance to control his life. Oyama, lacking direction and a goal wondered if karate was a realistic goal. Would karate training give him the much-needed control of his physical strength as well as mental discipline? If karate would provide these traits, then he would have to give himself completely to the training. He realized it would be a long, hard journey. He was determined to succeed on this quest. In 1948 Mas Oyama, taking with him only his books and the basic necessities for cooking, began an arduous training regimen atop Mt. Minobu in Chiba Prefecture. Mt. Minobu is the same place where the famous seventeenth century samurai, Miyamoto Musashi, received inspiration for Nito Ryu, his celebrated double sword system. To Oyama, this was the ideal place to train and be inspired in the same tradition as his idol, Musashi. Of the books Oyama took with him on this journey, none were more important than the collection on Musashi, by Yoshikawa. For eighteen months, isolated in the mountains, Oyama tested himself against nature’s elements with such scenarios as training and meditating under icy waterfalls, performing countless jumps over bushes and boulders and using trees and rocks as makiwaras (striking aide, see photo below) to condition his hands, feet and legs. He would begin training at five in the morning, running up the steep slopes. Using large rocks as weights, he would lift them hundreds of times to increase his strength. In addition, he performed kata a minimum of one hundred times each day as well as hundreds upon thousands of repetitions of kihons (basic techniques), continuously pushing himself to the limits of human endurance. At the conclusion of his daily training, he would read various Buddhist writings and sit in zazen and meditate. It was also at this time that Oyama began to contemplate the idea of the circle and point for his karate. He also began visualizing himself defeating a bull with his bare hands. If he could get strong enough and powerful enough that he was able to defeat a bull with his karate, he would become famous. But it wasn’t fame he was after. The fame, he thought, would be a tool. If he could attract interest from others, he could enlighten them on the strengths and virtues of karate and he would succeed not only in his goal of mastering karate, but of instructing others in the way of karate as well.
After eighteen months of solitude, Oyama returned from the mountains. Shortly after his return from the mountain training, the first karate tournament since the end of World War II, was held in Japan. Oyama competed in this All Japan Karate Tournament held at the Maruyama Kaikan in Kyoto and emerged victorious - the tournament’s first champion. But Oyama was an intense young man and still was not satisfied with his achievement. He still felt that something was lacking in his martial arts and that he had not truly reached his full potential. Oyama returned to the mountains for another year of gruelling fourteen-hour training days. To this day, there is no other person who has undertaken such a training regimen within the martial arts. After this final isolation and training period, Oyama returned to civilization ready to apply all that he had learned. It was at this time Oyama decided to apply his karate expertise in a life and death battle - a conflict that would set man against beast.
Mas Oyama, in order to show the strength of his karate, tested his strength by fighting raging bulls bare-handed. It was a mismatch from the get-go for the bulls, not for Oyama. In all, he fought 52 bulls, three of which were killed instantly, and 49 had their horns taken off with knife hand blows. That it is not to say that it was all that easy for him. Oyama was fond of remembering that his first attempt just resulted in an angry bull. In 1957, at the age of 34, he was nearly killed in Mexico when a bull got some of his own back and gored him. Oyama somehow managed to pull the bull off and break off his horn. He was bedridden for 6 months while he recovered from the usually fatal wound. Today of course, the animal rights groups would have something to say about these demonstrations, despite the fact that the animals were all destined for slaughter. In 1952, he travelled the United States for a year, demonstrating his karate live and on national television. During subsequent years, he took on all challengers, resulting in fights with 270 different people. The vast majority of these were defeated with one punch! A fight never lasted more than three minutes, and most rarely lasted more than a few seconds. His fighting principle was simple — if he got through to you, that was it.
If he hit you, you broke. If you blocked a rib punch, you arm was broken or dislocated. If you didn't block, your rib was broken. He became known as the Godhand, a living manifestation of the Japanese warriors' maxim Ichi geki, Hissatsu or "One strike, certain death". To him, this was the true aim of technique in karate. The fancy footwork and intricate techniques were secondary (though he was also known for the power of his head kicks).
These life and death struggles brought notoriety to Oyama. Oyama used this notoriety to help establish his Kyokushin organization. Oyama's reputation grew with each bullfight and each challenge match, as he defeated wrestlers, boxers and judo stylists alike in no-holds-barred bouts. He was an equal-opportunity fighter, taking on any man from any combat system who wished to challenge him. For nearly fifty years, fifteen million plus members of Oyama's worldwide Kyokushin Karate organization witnessed this man's incredible feats. Whether from the power of his strikes, the strength of his handshake, his remarkable teachings or through the teachings of the instructors and branch chiefs that Oyama produced, everyone associated with him knew that this esoteric name was not inappropriate. Oyama was a living legend until he passed away April 26, 1994, at the age of 71. He could fight and defeat a bull or another man with little problem; they were tangible opponents that appeared before him. But lung cancer was a hidden enemy, sneaking around inside Oyama's body and tearing it asunder day by day. He couldn't beat the disease with his fists or his feet. Nor could he devise a strategy to ward it off. For years, the cancer ate away at his insides without him even knowing it was there.
His death was met with sadness in not only kyokushin circles, but the rest of the martial arts community as well.WASHINGTON — The Defense Department announced Wednesday that it would begin offering benefits to the same-sex spouses of military personnel and other employees by early September, in response to the Supreme Court decision that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act.
Under the plan, spousal and family benefits — including health care coverage, housing allowances and survivor benefits — will be available to all legally married military spouses. The same-sex spouses of service members and civilian Defense Department employees can claim the entitlements retroactively, starting with the date of the decision.
“The Department of Defense remains committed to ensuring that all men and women who serve in the U.S. military, and their families, are treated fairly and equally,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wrote in a memo released by the Pentagon.
To be eligible, couples must provide a marriage certificate “that is valid in the place of celebration.” The Pentagon said it would grant leave to those who need to travel to a jurisdiction where same-sex marriage is recognized by law in order to get married. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage.After BuzzFeed revealed late Sunday that a digital advertising firm, Titan 360, was using public pay phones in New York City ( yes, they still exist ) to host Gimbal Bluetooth tracking beacons, the mayor’s office has now ordered them to come down.
The beacons can be used to log nearby phones’ Bluetooth addresses and mark the date, time, and location where they are seen. As such, the beacons can be used as a way to track physical movements of cellphone users, potentially allowing advertisers to serve those phones customized spots. (Users who have Bluetooth turned off on their phones will not be seen by the beacons.)
As recently as last month, Gimbal’s beacons—a rival to Apple’s iBeacon—were also being tested by another ad firm in GameStop stores in Texas. But in NYC, "the beacons will be removed over the coming days," according to New York City mayoral spokesman Phil Walzak, in a statement sent to Ars.
"While the beacons Titan installed in some of its phone[s] for testing purposes are incapable of receiving or collecting any personally identifiable information, we have asked Titan to remove them from their phones," he added. Walzak did not immediately respond to Ars’ further questions.
In a statement sent to Ars, Dave Etherington, Titan 360’s chief strategy officer, said that these beacons "do not collect user data/information, they do not send or push content, nor do they track people." Titan 360 did not respond to specific questions as to how the devices are used and if they are being used in other cities.
According to Titan 360, the company operates in "46 North American markets" including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New Jersey, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Charlotte.
"Beacons can only be utilized through users’ smartphones if, and only if, the user has downloaded a specific app with the technology imbedded and the user has specifically opted in," Etherington continued. "Titan is committed to testing new technologies which may have future benefits to its municipality partners and their constituents. At NYC’s request, Titan is in the process of removing the beacons from all NYC locations and ending the test."
If users downloaded the relevant app and enabled location tracking, Gimbal’s own privacy policy states that they may be subject to "periodic collection of your location (e.g., latitude/longitude coordinates) and time of day or your location when/if your device is near any of our Bluetooth beacons—small devices that may be placed, for example, in retail stores or other locations."This is nuts.
According to conservative radio host Sandy Rios, Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian’s sexual orientation was “a factor” in Tuesday's train derailment that killed eight people and injured more than 200. Right-wing news sites have hastened to point out that Bostian, who campaigned against California’s ban on same-sex marriage, appears to be gay.
“I am not inferring to [sic] those of you who are gay rights activists and who like to monitor this show, I’m not inferring that this accident happened because he was gay,” said Rios, who hosts “Sandy Rios In The Morning” on American Family Radio. “But I do think it’s an interesting part of the story, and I bet it will be edited out.”
“I don’t know," she added, "but I think it is something to be discussed and I think it’s a factor and I doubt you will hear it anywhere else.”
Note the rhetoric here: Rios prefaced her statement by saying she’s not blaming Bostian’s sexuality for the disaster and then went on to do just that. It’s the “I’m not racist but...” argument.
Rios then implied a parallel situation with someone she knows who underwent a gender transition and also worked in transportation. She characterized this other individual as “going through some confusion that has to do with the very core of who they are.”
“Someone I know who worked for a very large airline started taking hormone shots and put his entire plane at risk because he had an emotional, angry outburst to something that happened,” Rios said.
Besides her radio show, Rios is also a former Fox News contributor (who was listed on its website as an active contributor as recently as Friday)* and the director of government affairs at the American Family Association, which has been labeled a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Rios did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
*UPDATED: This article has been updated to note that Rios is no longer a contributor to Fox News.The Canadian Press
EDMONTON -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the appointment of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization "unacceptable," joining a chorus of widespread condemnation.
The United States and a host of other countries, health and human rights leaders have criticized the appointment of Mugabe who has been long been accused of human rights violations. Trudeau said he was dismayed when he first heard of the appointment.
"Quite frankly I thought it was a bad April Fool's joke," Trudeau told reporters at a media availability in Edmonton on Saturday.
"It is absolutely unacceptable, absolutely inconceivable that his individual would have a role as a goodwill ambassador."
In addition to human rights abuses, Mugabe has also come under fire for frequently going overseas for medical treatment, costing the impoverished African nation millions of dollars.
Canada is making sure its unhappiness with the appointment is being heard, Trudeau said.
"Our diplomats and the folks at Global Affairs are busy making that very very clear to the international community," he said.
Two dozen organizations -- including the World Heart Federation and Cancer Research U.K. -- released a statement over the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing Mugabe's "long track record of human rights violations."
The chorus of international outrage quickly reached the ears of the WHO, which said it was reconsidering the appointment of the 93-year-old Mugabe.
WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said In a tweet on Saturday that "I'm listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible."
Tedros announced the appointment at a conference in Uruguay this week on non-communicable diseases. Tedros, a former Ethiopian official who became WHO's first African director-general this year, said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region."
The heads of UN agencies and the UN secretary-general typically choose celebrities and other prominent people as ambassadors to draw attention to global issues of concern, such as refugees and education. They hold little actual power.
The 93-year-old Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980 and is the world's oldest head of state.By Stanley Bill
Two days ago President Andrzej Duda astonished both politicians and pundits by vetoing 2 of 3 controversial judicial reform acts proposed by the Polish government. In his justification, Duda indirectly attacked the Justice Minister – who is also the Public Prosecutor General – for attempting to acquire undue influence over the judicial system. Inspired by the advice of veteran “Solidarity” campaigner Zofia Romaszewska, Duda argued that “in the Polish constitution and in the Polish constitutional system the Public Prosecutor General has never had any supervision over the Supreme Court.” In a possible clue to a more personal motivation and an internal party power play, he also expressed his disappointment that he had not been consulted – presumably by the Justice Ministry – during the preparation of the bill.
President Duda’s double veto is perhaps the boldest presidential act against his own party of the post-1989 period. Though he deserved criticism for allowing the government to hobble the Constitutional Tribunal in 2015-16, the negative characterization of Duda as the “pen” of the government has always been somewhat meaningless – at least on a comparative basis – as the supposedly neutral post of the president has been entangled with party politics since 1989. Most significantly, presidents have tended not to veto legislation when their own party has been in government. In other words, Poland’s presidents have always been “pens” for their own parties, while vetoes have generally been reserved for political opponents.
Lech Wałęsa is the record holder, with 27 vetoes over 1 term in office, as he attempted to assert his own independent authority over the parliament. Former communist Aleksander Kwaśniewski vetoed 34 bills altogether over 2 terms in office, but only 6 while his own party (SLD) was in government. Lech Kaczyński vetoed 18 bills over 1 interrupted term, but only 1 during the short-lived PiS coalition government of 2005-07. The entirety of Bronisław Komorowski’s term in office coincided with his party (PO)’s time in government, so he only vetoed 4 bills in 5 years (though he also sent 11 to the Constitutional Tribunal for consideration). Most importantly, bills vetoed by presidents against their own parties have been marginal in political significance (for instance, Komorowski vetoed a bill on a new aviation academy and Kwaśniewski sent back a bill on biofuels).
Not only has Andrzej Duda already vetoed 3 bills from his own party in only 2 years in office (plus 4 during the term of the previous government), but the last 2 of these – the bills at the center of the storm over judicial reform – were significantly more important to his own grouping than anything vetoed by previous presidents. Even Kwaśniewski did not reject key legislation, though he had a much stronger independent position within his party and sometimes came into open conflict with its other leaders. President Duda has effectively stymied one of the flagship reform projects of the current government, apparently standing up to PiS party chairman Jarosław Kaczyński and humiliating the Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro.
Of course, there are several caveats to these comparisons. First of all, one might argue that Duda has simply had more motivation to break party loyalty than previous presidents. The government was attempting to implement a dubious transformation of the separation of powers, while street protests and international condemnation imposed further pressure. Admittedly, these factors did not stop Duda from approving the government’s earlier attack on the Constitutional Tribunal, but the cumulative effect might ultimately have told (some commentators also point to Duda’s alleged resentment at increased marginalization by the party and Kaczyński). In short, the government’s legislative agenda has been so constitutionally adventurous that it might have warranted a few more vetoes from the president.
Secondly, it remains unclear exactly what has happened behind the scenes. It is not impossible that Duda’s move has allowed for a temporary climb-down for PiS in a moment of increased pressure both at home and abroad. Indeed, I would argue that – whether or not the leadership believes this to be the case – the vetoes were absolutely in the party’s interest, as the situation was rapidly spinning out of control. Nevertheless, judging by the reactions of various prominent party members, it appears that Duda’s decision was a genuine and unwelcome surprise. Jarosław Kaczyński has not yet commented. The president has promised to produce his own versions of the bills in the near future. These documents will give a clearer idea of exactly where he stands on judicial reform.
Duda’s broader credentials as a stern defender of the Polish constitution remain highly questionable. He is still the president who allowed PiS to take over the Constitutional Tribunal. Moreover, he has signed the first of the three recent judicial reform bills, giving the Justice Minister more power to control provincial courts, district courts and courts of appeal. In general, Duda’s position with respect to his party has been weak, but his vetoes have changed the current game in ways that leave the future unpredictable. This is a very significant moment for both the president and the government. Ultimately, his actions may represent a new power play within the PiS camp.
As always in politics, a healthy suspicion is obligatory, but President Duda deserves some recognition for what looks – at least for now – like a bold stand against those who launched his political career. History tells us that Polish presidents have rarely turned against their own parties, and certainly not in such a key questions. On July 24, Andrzej Duda looked more independently presidential.
AdvertisementsChancellor Philip Hammond has said that the controversial non fire-resistant cladding fitted to Grenfell Tower is in fact banned in the UK.
In the days after the tragedy occurred, attention has focused on the the panels that were fitted to the outside of the tower last year that have been labelled flammable by German and US authorities and banned from use on high rise buildings.
Asked about this by the BBC’s Andrew Marr, the Chancellor said: “My understanding is the cladding in question, this flammable cladding which is banned in Europe and the US, is also banned here.
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.
“So there are two separate questions. One, are our regulations correct; do they permit the right kind of materials and ban the wrong kind of materials? The second question is were they correctly complied with?
“That will be a subject that the inquiry will look at. It will also be a subject that the criminal investigation will be looking at.”
Mr Hammond also suggested that in the days since the fire, the Government had been given advice that retro-fitting the type of sprinkler systems that were missing from Grenfell Tower is not always the best course of action, in contradiction to statements made by the Fire Brigade Union and in the report into the Lakanal House fire in 2013, which killed six people in south London.
In the wake of the fire, it has emerged that the panels fitted to the outside of Grenfell Tower during an £8.7m two-year refurbishment completed in 2016 were the cheaper flammable version of two types made by the same company, which cost £22 each, compared to the fire-resistant version which cost £24 each.
The Reynobond panels, made by a US firm, are aluminium coated with a flammable plastic core. The total saving from using the non fire-resistant panels has been estimated at around £6,000. There are also concerns that the addition of the panels to the outside of the building created a “chimney effect” sending flames up the outside of the building, spreading the fire faster.
A criminal investigation is already underway, after which Theresa May has said there will be a full public inquiry into the fire.
The Chancellor added: “When the inquiry produces its recommendations we will act on them.”
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 now.Boss insists team will not change style
Upon Valencia CF’s arrival in Seville for the UEFA Europa League game against Sevilla, manager Juan Antonio Pizzi spoke to the media gathered ahead of the big occasion. Whilst journalists were welcome in the press conference, the trophy was not - as the VCF boss requested for it to be removed from the table.
“Now is not the time to be photographed with the cup,” he explained. “The only photo with it that is worth anything is that from when you lift it as winners. In other games we haven’t had the trophy with us, and I see no reason to change that now.”
Pizzi expects a tough game at the Sánchez Pizjuán, telling the press that “they are a competitive side, have some very good players and a very good manager, so it will definitiely be difficult. However, despite them being considered favourites, in the last meeting between us we held them to a 0-0 draw, having played almost the entire second half with ten men.”
“Sevilla were incapable of scoring then, so I think we should see that as a reason to believe we can have a good game and push for the win,” he continued.
“We’re both in the semifinal on our own merit, although the situation in La Liga is useful for gauging which team is in better shape. On that basis they are the favourites, but it does not mean that we can’t win this tie.”
Pizzi revealed that there will be no change in approach for this game, telling the press that “we shall try to beat Sevilla with our available weapons and with our philosophy of playing. I'm sure they will give us trouble for much of the game, but we need to focus on the contest, get a good result and see if we can get through to the final. It would be an important achievement for the club and for the squad, but we can’t look ahead to that just yet.”In a 2012 TED talk — which has been viewed over a million times — this week’s guest, lawyer Bryan Stevenson, talks about the hard truths of America’s unequal justice system, the incredible disenfranchisement of those with criminal convictions and his own upbringing in Delaware.
[M]ass incarceration, in my judgment, has fundamentally changed our world. In poor communities, in communities of color there is this despair, there is this hopelessness, that is being shaped by these outcomes. One out of three black men between the ages of 18 and 30 is in jail, in prison, on probation or parole. In urban communities across this country — Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington — 50 to 60 percent of all young men of color are in jail or prison or on probation or parole.
Our system isn’t just being shaped in these ways that seem to be distorting around race, they’re also distorted by poverty. We have a system of justice in this country that treats you much better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent. Wealth, not culpability, shapes outcomes. And yet, we seem to be very comfortable. The politics of fear and anger have made us believe that these are problems that are not our problems. We’ve been disconnected. Read the full transcript »With U.S. President Donald Trump set to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital on Wednesday—a move denounced |
a strong comprehensive voice business is an imperative," Macquarie analysts wrote in a note on June 7.
Reliance received a boost when India recently allowed 4G carriers to offer voice services by paying an extra fee. It is yet to decide whether to offer voice on its 4G airwaves using new technology or by tying up with an established voice carrier, a company source said.
Reliance did not reply to emailed questions seeking comments on its 4G plans.
While acknowledging scepticism towards his 4G venture, Ambani said at the shareholders meeting this month he was in the "optimistic minority" who held a bullish view of the sector.
Executives at rival carriers play down the Reliance threat.
"For them it is everything starting from scratch and we have a very serious headstart in this business," said an official at a large rival telecoms carrier, declining to be named.
(Additional reporting by Lee Chyen Yee in Hong Kong; Editing by Tony Munroe and Jeremy Laurence)Mike Flanagan was the best student of people, the toughest pitch-hurt competitor, the most unselfish teammate and the best world-leery wit of any Oriole of his time. Nobody was like him — at all.
A few years ago, the O’s honored former manager Earl Weaver with a plaque that’s on the wall, waist-high, in their dugout. “Oh, life size,” Flanagan quipped.
When he was a kid pitcher who allowed too many steals, Flanny threw a sideline session as Weaver watched. Suddenly Earl began running, yelling, “I just stole second on you.”
“How’d you ever get on base?” Flanagan replied.
That is the best-known version of Flanagan: the droll New Hampshire stoic, watching bemused, waiting with a needle that he never dug too deep. But there were several other Flannys, all worth valuing now in the wake of his death Wednesday at age 59.
Once, when no Oriole would say a good word for smart, angry, drug-plagued teammate Alan Wiggins, Flanagan analyzed, rather than judged.
“I always tend to give people two or three more chances than they deserve. That might help you in the long run because they give you more chances, too,” he said. “Maybe Alan gave everybody two or three less chances than they deserved. So they gave him no chances at all.”
That was Flanagan, too.
In 1983, Flanny pitched with a four-pound brace on his knee. The league knew he was, once again, sacrificing another notch off the power arm that won him the 1979 Cy Young Award. But as he had in several seasons, he wanted to help the O’s while other, slower-healing pitchers waited until they could stand the pain. Flanagan’s tough-it-out code, the product of being a third-generation pro pitcher, probably turned a potentially stellar career into a merely very good one: 167-143. But it brought vast dividends of respect.
That year on the O’s beat, I waited for somebody to bunt for a hit against Flanagan while he was wearing that brace. Nobody did, not even with a pennant at stake. It was beneath the dignity of the game to exploit him — because he wouldn’t throw at hitters, because he never took his spitball out of the bullpen and because, in his prime, he loved the challenge of attacking the strengths of the greatest hitters, such as Jim Rice.
That, also, was Flanagan.
During the bleakest years of Peter Angelos’s tenure as Orioles owner, few respected baseball executives would come to Baltimore. But Flanagan was always an Oriole first, all else a distant second. He befriended Angelos, tried to understand him, influence him for the best and explain him to others. As executive vice president of baseball operations from 2005 to ’08, he was the public face of the franchise.
It didn’t work. Just as he abused his arm for Weaver and the team, Flanagan sacrificed some of his reputation as an exec by being identified with Angelos. After Andy MacPhail became general manager, there was no logical place for Flanagan. He called friends throughout baseball to pick brains about jobs in other front offices. None apparently materialized.
After serving in more Orioles roles than any Baltimore player, including two stints as pitching coach, Flanagan went back to the TV broadcast booth to explain the latest 95-loss year — insightfully, generously and sardonically.
Flanagan was respected, beloved and seen as an exemplar of the best in the word “pro,” because he was so completely guided by his own internal compass of values. Ballplayers have just as much difficulty figuring out who they are as everybody else — maybe more, at times, because their stardom lets them delay maturation. Wise beyond years, Flanagan knew himself.
For example, when he was the reigning Cy Young winner, he showed me how to cheat. He scuffed one side of a ball, just two marks with a coat hanger in his locker. He played catch with Dennis Martinez to show how, effortlessly, he suddenly had four new pitches.
“It’s the same principle as a flat-sided Wiffle ball,” he said. “You hold the ball with the scuffed side opposite to the direction you want it to break. It takes no talent whatsoever.”
Why don’t you do it?
“My real stuff’s still too good,” said Flanagan, who won 23 games with the best left-handed curveball in the American League and a fastball in the 90s.
Then, seriously, he said: “I can understand why they do it and I can’t swear that I won’t ever do it, but I still hate it. [Once] when I was hurt, I got to the point where I actually took the mound thinking I’d cheat that day. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I thought, ‘If you’ll do this now, just to have a little better chance to win, what won’t you do eventually?’
“I guess I just felt too conspicuous out there.”
Conspicuous to whom?
“Myself, I guess.”
Flanagan always called his job description “fool on the hill” and wore a T-shirt under his uniform that said “Dead Goat Saloon.” Even as a player, you’d see him reading serious novels. Once, asked what he would have done if he were not a baseball player, he referred back to the old John Belushi skit on “Saturday Night Live” and said, “I think I’d have made an excellent Killer Bee.”
Flanagan was a first port of call for Orioles with problems because he had had his share. “They cannot scare me with their empty spaces/Between stars — on stars where no human race is,” New Hampshire’s Robert Frost wrote. “I have it in me so much nearer home/To scare myself with my own desert places.”
Sometimes, Flanagan wore a black suit in summer, and his humor bore the etymology of the root word that described it: “mordant.” But what those who knew him best will recall — first and erasing all else — were his eyes crinkling to a slit with laughter and, behind those eyes, a bone-deep desire to give, even for things not asked, while taking little.
After years of frustration, when the O’s won the ’83 World Series, Flanagan said, “Now we got what we all wanted: a highlight film with a happy ending.”
This week, we don’t get the happy ending, but we can keep our highlights, our memories, of the life and the man, which still shine brighter than any trophy.WOW INSANE CLOWN HYPOCRITES
SHOUT OUT TO THE UCB – ICP HAD A SONG TALKING ABOUT DRILLING NEWBORN BABIES HEADS SONGS OF MURDER, RAPE EXPLICIT VIOLENCE BUT NOW CRY ABOUT IT.
According to members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, the Insane Clown Posse forced the cancellation of a UCB show, after issuing a cease and desist and threatening legal action over Saturday’s scheduled “The Gathering Of The Juggalos For A Mother Fucking Baby Funeral” at the group’s New York theater. Presumably based on this, the performance was structured as a fake send-off for an 8-month-old Juggalette, complete with “music, clowns, bereavement, stand up comedy, bar-b-que, scripture readings, hatchets, mother fuckin’ eulogizing, midgets wrestling retarded monkeys, and huge-ass titties,” and hosted by Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope themselves. Or rather, “Violent J” and “Shaggy 2 Dope,” as UCB cast members dug deep to find some aspect of their personalities they could then blow up into outsized parody, using their well-honed comic sensibilities.
Unfortunately, not only is the death of a baby Juggalette one of the two or three worst things that happens to Juggalos and therefore no laughing matter, holding a faux Juggalo funeral apparently infringes on the Juggalo brand that Mssrs. J and 2 Dope have labored so intensively to cultivate over the years, leading them to seek their totally wicked, balls-out legal action. And naturally, there were also apparently vague threats of actual members of Juggalo Nation showing up to protest the mocking of their very serious lifestyle as psycho clowns—psycho clowns with feelings. But thanks to ICP’s last-minute intervention, both their band and their fans have been saved from becoming objects of derision.
“I gotta catch these carnival thrills newborn bloody baby heads I drill”
Chop Chop
This is a Juggajoke, they can rap about anything but someone makes fun of them, they get outraged and ban it while letting other places make fun of them like snl because they want the press……There was once a time – five months ago, to be precise – when the big fear surrounding the Affordable Care Act was that it would cause health insurance premiums to “skyrocket.” That, at least, was the terminology the Hill used in a headline for a story on its health policy blog, which quoted a handful of anonymous insurance executives in reporting that “ObamaCare-related premiums will double in some parts of the country, countering claims recently made by the administration.” The Hill’s report was eagerly shared and promoted by conservative and Republican opponents of the ACA, who waved it around as proof that the law was a disaster.
Despite all the fanfare, there was little reason to believe the Hill’s reporting. The ACA’s first open enrollment period was still going at that point, so there was no way to know how many Obamacare enrollees there were, their ages, their health status – all factors that go into calculating rate increases. Getting a better picture of what the rate adjustments for 2015 would like required waiting, and patience.
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Well, now we’re starting to see the picture develop, and it looks very different from the 100-percent increases conservatives were secretly (or overtly) hoping for just a few months ago. PricewaterhouseCoopers put together a “preliminary look at 2015 individual market rate filings,” and they found that, for the 27 states for which data are available, the average premium increase will be 7.5 percent. It’s all preliminary, of course, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the Hill’s citation of a former insurance executive’s “gut” feeling. The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn writes that “the experts I consulted all saw the available information as relatively encouraging, particularly in comparison to what many were predicting just a few months ago.”
So where are conservatives looking for proof that the Affordable Care Act is not living up to its moniker? Florida. The Miami Herald reported earlier this week that “Floridians who buy health insurance on the individual market for next year will face an average increase of 13.2 percent in their monthly premiums, according to rate proposals unveiled Monday by the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation.” That isn’t anywhere near the “skyrocketing” that Republicans assured us was coming, but 13.2 percent would qualify as a “double-digit rate increase,” and conservatives were quick to point that out. (Consumer health advocates in the state accused regulators of employing a flawed methodology, as the Herald notes.)
One loud critic of the Florida premium increase is the state’s Republican governor, Rick Scott, who said in a statement that “Obamacare is a bad law that just seems to be getting worse,” and “Florida families are going to be slammed with higher costs. Obamacare has failed to live up to its promises in nearly every way.” That’s an audacious statement for Scott to make, given that he and the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature did everything in their power to make it as difficult as possible for the Affordable Care Act to function in the state. They set out to sabotage the law, and now they’re trying to score political points off the fruits of their sabotage.
Florida was one of the many states that refused to expand Medicaid and refused to build their own health insurance exchange. But Rick Scott went a step further and turned the state into a laboratory of anti-Obamacare activism. He and the state Legislature passed a law last June that temporarily suspended the ability of state regulators to negotiate with insurance companies on premiums for individual insurance plans. At the time, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson accused Scott of doing pretty much exactly what he’s doing right now: “Nelson … contended in his veto request that legislators removed state rate regulation in order to blame the health care overhaul if rates go up.”
Scott’s opposition to Obamacare and his commitment to its failure were such that he actively worked against the interests of his constituents. He and the Legislature passed another law in 2013 that “made it more difficult for Floridians to obtain the cheapest insurance rates under the exchange and to get help from specially trained outreach counselors.” All this despite the fact that Florida, at the time of the ACA’s rollout, had the second highest uninsurance rate in the country.
Generally speaking, Obamacare is performing well in the states that embraced the law, and not as well in the states that rejected expanded Medicaid and declined to build their own insurance exchanges. It’s a simple bit of cause-and-effect logic: cooperation with Obamacare produced better outcomes, while opposition made the law less effective. But the Republicans and conservatives who fought desperately against the law’s success are now professing to be absolutely shocked and appalled that the Affordable Care Act isn’t able to fully make good on its promises. That's about as disingenuous an argument as you can make.Looking for news you can trust?
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Environmentalism has never been more dangerous. According to findings published Monday by the NGO Global Witness, 2015 marked the bloodiest year on record for environmental activists and land defenders. At least 185 environmentalists in 16 different countries are known to have been murdered, according to the group—a rate of more than three a week.
The figure represents a 60 percent increase over 2014’s death toll. And those are just the murders we know about. Global Witness says that number may actually be a significant underestimate. The true number could be “far higher,” since many such killings happen deep within rainforests or in remote villages and are difficult to document.
Latin America and Southeast Asia suffered the brunt of the slayings, with Brazil (50), the Philippines (33), and Colombia (26) sustaining the greatest losses.
Nearly 40 percent of those killed came from indigenous communities, according to the report. Groups that attempt to resist development and land expropriation in resource-rich areas are particularly vulnerable. In the Mindanao region of the Philippines, a largely indigenous region flush with coal, nickel, and gold, 25 activists were murdered in 2015. The violence carries global implications—according to the IBON Foundation, foreign industries control 97 percent of all mineral production in the Philippines.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, few of these murders are ever prosecuted in court, or even investigated. According to the report, “Many authorities either turn a blind eye or actively impede investigations into these killings due to the collusion between corporate and state interests—the principal suspects in these murders.” Based on available data, Global Witness determined that killings were almost equally likely to occur at the hands of paramilitary, army, police, and private security. Felipe Milanez, former deputy editor of National Geographic Brazil, told the Guardian that “killing has become politically acceptable to achieve economic goals” and that he had “never seen, working for the past 10 years in the Amazon, a situation so bad.”
Slumping global commodities indices may give one partial explanation. The report cites economist Ademar Ramos of the State University of Campinas in Brazil, who argues that plummeting commodity prices and access to cheap oil have actually led to companies expanding their extractive practices and taking on greater risks in order to recoup lost profits. Coupled with an eroding regulatory climate in places such as Peru and Brazil, business interests have run roughshod over preexisting land tenure practices and in some case have targeted dissenters.
Mining, agribusiness, logging, and water rights were the four industrial sectors mostly explicitly implicated in this wave of violence. Mining—for tin, coal, copper, silver, and gold—was linked to 42 murders. Agribusiness was linked to 20 known murders. Expanded logging activity was linked to 15 killings. And hydroelectric dam initiatives in Central America were linked to another 15—not including the high-profile assassination of indigenous Honduran activist Berta Cáceres, a Goldman Environmental Prize winner and dam opponent who was shot in her home in March 2016.
Global Witness presented a number of recommendations, encouraging UN Human Rights Council intervention, increased government enforcement, and greater scrutiny in international trade agreements. The group called for urgent intervention, warning that population and economic growth coupled with rising global temperatures would serve to exacerbate this troubling trend in the years to come.Looking for news you can trust?
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John Hoffman is the new boss of documentaries at the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and the Science Channel, and he wants you to know big changes are coming to the networks sometimes criticized for favoring overcooked “docu-tainment” over scientifically accurate programming.
“I am the change,” he told me in his first extended interview since taking the job in January. We met at Discovery HQ in Manhattan, his corner office view only obscured by the five Emmys lining his windowsill.
Hoffman calls climate change “the most important story of our time.”
Documentary programming at the Discovery Channel—along with Animal Planet and Science Channel—is experiencing a “dramatic shift,” Hoffman said. “I’m also part of a group decision, throughout the company, to bring a lot more science. To elevate the scientists in the films.”
Part of the reason I’ve been invited by Discovery’s PR exec to interview Hoffman, I suspect, is to meet the cleanup guy. I’ve reported extensively about animal mistreatment behind the scenes of the Animal Planet show Call of the Wildman: A drugged endangered zebra is just one of the problems currently being investigated by the US Department of Agriculture.
Animal Planet has also aired two documentary-style programs purporting to present evidence that mermaids are real, as well as a similar program about Bigfoot. Asked in 2012 if fake science dented the brand, Animal Planet’s chief at the time, Majorie Kaplan, said “I don’t think so, or I wouldn’t put it on… The audience voted with their remotes.”
In 2014, Discovery’s “Shark Week” aired Megalodon, a film that claimed the largest predatory shark that ever lived was still alive. (It’s not.) Infuriating wildlife advocates, last year’s Eaten Alive promised to show a man being swallowed whole by an anaconda. (He wasn’t.) Oh, and don’t forget 2012’s zombie “documentary,” either.
By contrast, Hoffman is regarded as documentary aristocracy: a 17-year veteran of HBO with a record of meticulous science documentaries like The Alzheimer’s Project and The Weight of the Nation, on which he partnered with leading research and advocacy groups to present definitive pictures of Alzheimer’s disease and obesity, respectively. He’s won a Peabody Award and two duPont-Columbia awards.
Along with Hoffman comes a new Discovery documentary unit of five staff members, and a big budget (though he wouldn’t tell me exactly how big). It’s “a demonstration of Discovery’s commitment to documentaries as a really important part of the schedule,” Hoffman said.
To reflect that investment, Hoffman said 2016’s roster will be brimming with new scientific TV programs about planet Earth—films about the “ways that we’re compromising the environment, and ways that we will hopefully save it”—marking a new direction for the network. He called climate change “the most important story of our time.”
That sentiment didn’t always rule at Discovery. Just three years ago, the lavish and popular seven-hour series Frozen Planet, a co-production with the BBC that aired on Discovery, was widely criticized for shortchanging climate science and being skittish about the politics of the climate debate. The series producer for the BBC, Vanessa Berlowitz, told the New York Times at the time that she didn’t include scientific theories behind climate change because it “would have undermined the strength of an objective documentary.”
With Hoffman’s entrance, that may soon change. As his first big act on the job, Hoffman acquired Racing Extinction, a film from the Academy Award-winning director of The Cove, Louie Psihoyos. The film launches simultaneously on December 2 on Discovery channels around the world—in 220 countries and territories. At the heart of this gorgeously shot nature documentary about the next mass extinction is a precise and unflinching explanation of climate change and its devastating effects on the planet (along with some thrilling undercover stings of illegal animal traders). “Humans have become the asteroid,” the film notes grimly.
“Pretty pictures only go so far,” said Hoffman’s boss, Rich Ross, the new president of Discovery, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, when I met him after watching the film. At the same time, “activism without focus loses its power.” The film is designed to coincide with the early days of the high-stakes UN climate summit, which begins on November 30 in Paris, where leaders will attempt to forge a new global deal to limit greenhouse gases.
Launching alongside the film is an environmental advocacy campaign, #StartWith1Thing, which asks people to say one thing they’ll change in their lives to save the planet, and then pass it on. (Hoffman’s own pledge is to power-down all his devices overnight.) It’s “a film which is actually a movement,” said Fisher Stevens, a producer of the film, at an industry screening.
The film is also pulling in star power to push its message. One of the pitchmen, in attendance for the Manhattan screening, is actor Paul Rudd. “There are so many things competing for our eyeballs, and most of them aren’t as thought-provoking as this, or affecting in such an obvious, palpable and tangible way,” Rudd told me. “The more people who see it the better.”
But the film’s message is not simply about activism, says Hoffman. It’s a statement to the film and media industries at large that Discovery is back in the game of producing powerful scientific films: “Racing Extinction sends a big message to a lot of people about how we’re now doing business— not only to our viewers, but to the opinion makers in this country, to the entertainment community, to the directors that we want to come in our doors and bring us ideas.”
Hoffman said he knows nothing of the Animal Planet scandals I uncovered. (“I literally have no idea what that show is. What’s the show?”) But he said his good name in the industry is on the line. Hoffman is not simply an executive, he said. He’s a filmmaker. “I bring that credibility into this job, and I need to maintain that credibility.” Ratings, he said, aren’t the be-all and end-all of his job. The other metrics are that a project “gets good press, gets good buzz, it gets good reviews, and five, it gets awards.”
I pushed him more: “But how do you prevent that stuff from happening?”
In the only even remotely testy moment in our interview, Hoffman said, “Do you think for a second I am going to risk my reputation and that I’m going to do something that is a troubled documentary? That I associate the brand with either controversy, or scandal, or whatever? It’s career suicide.”
“I don’t want ‘devil horns, I want ‘halo’ associated with my name,” he said. ” That’s what I was schooled in. That is why I was hired.”
Racing Extinction airs globally on December 2.When Microsoft announced the Xbox One would come bundled with a next-generation Kinect sensor, which was initially required to be connected to use the console, it created fears that the console would gather user information and invade privacy. Recent comments at an advertising industry event stoked these fires again, though their context has been misreported.
On Sunday, Kotaku reported that Yusuf Mehdi, vice president of marketing and strategy for Xbox, said Kinect could be used to share user data. The alleged comments came at the Association of National Advertisters' Masters of Marketing Conference in Phoenix on Saturday, but when asked about the statements, a Microsoft spokesman said they were taken out of context.
Mehdi's comments, according to Microsoft, had nothing to do with Kinect. Microsoft provided Neowin with the following statement outlining the inaccuracy of the article in question:
The comments in Ad Age attributed to Yusuf Mehdi were not in relation to Kinect. We do not have plans to target ads or content to you based on any data Kinect collects. We have a long-standing commitment to your privacy and will not target ads to you based on any data Kinect collects unless you choose to allow us to do so. Furthermore, we will give you a clear explanation of what is collected and how it will be used. Importantly, we do not collect your personal information to share or sell to third parties, and you are fully in control over what personal data is shared. We have strict policies to protect your privacy and these policies will continue to be upheld with our next generation product.
Microsoft's response reiterates previous claims made by company officials that the sensor won't be used for gathering user data. Albert Penello, director of marketing and planning for Xbox, said "nobody is working on that," referring to data-gathering Kinect features, in a comment Friday, adding that even if Microsoft ever implemented such a feature, users would have control of it.
Similar statements were made almost immediately after the Xbox One console and next-generation sensor were announced, with Microsoft maintaining users will always be in control of their privacy with the console.
Image via MicrosoftWhat happened in men’s soccer, where the United States vastly surpassed Canada, and in men’s hockey, where the Americans pulled up to at least comparable with Canada, appears also to be happening in rugby.
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Langford-based Canada lost its third consecutive Test match to the Americans, dropping a 41-23 decision Saturday in Ottawa.
The XVs streak is compounded by the U.S. victory over Canada this summer in men’s sevens that qualified the Americans for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games.
Canada was within hailing distance Saturday at 20-16 and attacking toward the U.S. goalline with 14 minutes remaining when Phil Mack of Victoria was whistled to the sin bin.
That proved costly as the Americans took advantage and scored three tries.
“In the second half, we got back into it, kept the ball, put some phases together. But the sin bin hurt us again,” Canada’s head coach, Kieran Crowley of Mill Bay, said in a statement through Rugby Canada.
“We’re giving up too many penalties, too much stupidity around that area, and too many turnovers. It just wasn’t good enough.”
It was Canada’s fifth consecutive Test loss of the summer after going 0-4 in the recent Pacific Nations Cup.
Nathan Hirayama, from the University of Victoria Vikes, started at fly-half Saturday and kicked a conversion and drop goal.
Cornish Pirates pro Aaron Carpenter scored a try and captained Canada, with Tyler Ardron out due to injury.
“We’re hurting a little bit right now,” Carpenter said in a statement.
“Every loss, we take on the chin. We know we have to do better. We have to look inside at ourselves and ask what we can do more. It’s just not good enough right now.”
Players from Island clubs involved on Saturday were Hirayama and Mack, Hubert Buydens, Nanyak Dala and Ciaran Hearn from Castaway Wanderers, John Moonlight from James Bay and Matt Evans from Duncan.
Ottawa was the final pre-2015 World Cup Test match at home. Canada has a non-Test next Saturday in Halifax against club side Glasgow Warriors in what is dubbed the Battle of New Scotland.
That is followed by pre-World Cup Tests against Georgia on Sept. 2 in Esher, England, and against Fiji on Sept. 6 at The Stoop in London.
Canada’s World Cup opener is against No. 2 Ireland on Sept. 19 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
The other Group D matches for No. 18 Canada are Sept. 26 against Italy in Leeds, Oct. 1 versus France in Milton Keynes and Oct. 6 against Romania in Leicester.
Canada began its 2015 World Cup lead-up with a training camp in July at Shawnigan Lake School.
SCRUM NOTES: With a Pacific focus to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, the Canadian team send-off dinner was held in Victoria. With a cross-Atlantic trek for the 2015 World Cup, the send-off affair is taking place on Tuesday at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.comThe “Countdown to Alpha” thread on the HexTCG.com forums got me thinking…
I have first hand knowledge of one of the 3 cost cards having been significantly redesigned since it was spoiled. I figured I’d run a quick competition to give away roundtrip flights to/from HexCon! All you have to do is make a guess at:
Which card has been changed? What is it’s new cost? How has the effect text been changed (it’s broadly similar to the original but there is a key change)?
The person who, in my opinion, gets closest to the new version of the card wins. Better be quick – you only have 2.5 days before Alpha (hopefully). And… it could be sooner if the card gets spoiled before that!
The only way to enter is to leave your guess as a reply to THIS post! Have fun!!!
EDIT: Because it’s a FAQ… There may well be more that one card that has been changed. I have a specific card in mind. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re completely right about the card you guess, you need to have guessed the card I’ve chosen!
EDIT2: Entries closed at 4:45pm PDT on 10/8/2013. Set 1 Spoiler List posted to HexTCG.com. The card I had in mind is NOT on the list… yet… As soon as CZE spoils it, I’ll announce the winner.“In China victory for wildlife conservation as citizens persuaded to give up shark fin soup.” This October 19 headline in the Washington Post was one that marine conservationists had been waiting decades to read—and the story inside delivered, reporting a 50 to 70 percent decrease in consumption of the delicacy over the last two years in China. Demand for shark fin soup is one of the largest drivers of the global shark overfishing crisis that has resulted in one in six species of sharks, skates, and rays being evaluated as Threatened by the IUCN Red List. Given that demand for shark fin soup comes overwhelmingly from China, the reported decrease in consumption there would mean a major reprieve for sharks. But a closer look at the situation suggests that all is not as it seems.
Shark fin dealers attribute the reported steep decline in demand to conservationist’s campaigns in Asia aimed at educating consumers and distributors about the environmental cost of the prized dish. Indeed, many conservation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been educating the public in China about the environmental cost of shark fin soup: San Francisco-based NGO WildAid utilizes Chinese celebrities such as basketball star Yao Ming to educate people about the inhumane and unsustainable fishing methods that support shark fin soup; SharkSavers, a New York City–based organization, has a “Finished with Fins” campaign that aims to get hotels and restaurants to voluntarily remove the soup from their menus. Another environmental campaign, led by Hong Kong–based activist and photographer Alex Hofford, is working to get airlines to refuse to carry shark fins into Hong Kong. Shark fin dealers have blamed this operation—which so far has led to full bans in transporting shark fin from Emirates, Asiana Airlines, Korean Airlines, Qantas and Air New Zealand—for decreased sales. “We want to put a stranglehold on the supply chain of shark fin imports to Hong Kong. And create noise,” Hofford says. “And it’s working.”
Cultural changes among young people are often cited as a reason for declining consumption. A survey of Hong Kong residents run by the Hong Kong–based Bloom Association, a conservation NGO, found that “66 percent said they were uncomfortable with the idea of eating an endangered species, and more than three quarters said they would not mind if it was removed from [wedding] banquet menus.”
Some conservationists attribute the reported declines in shark fin soup consumption to government attempts to curb public perception of luxury usage among government officials. The Hong Kong government’s own, more recent policy, motivated both by conservation and similar efforts to not appear extravagant, has yet to make an impact.
But could any of these factors really account for such a rapid decrease in shark fin soup consumption in China? Many experts interviewed for this piece were skeptical. For every hotel or restaurant that has taken the “I’m Finished with Fins” pledge, hundreds have not. Hofford reported that his campaign has yet to hear back from 21 airlines. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of shark fins are transported into China by sea, not air (although Hofford did note that the shipping company Evergreen Line is no longer transporting shark fin. Government officials make up only a small portion of the soup-eaters, so a change in their dining habits cannot explain such a decline either. And the same Bloom survey that found that many citizens would not mind if shark fin soup were removed from banquet menus also found that 89 percent of Hong Kong citizens had eaten the soup in the last year. Additionally, shark fin trade expert Shelley Clarke of Sasama Consulting said, “a China-led antismuggling campaign from October 2011 to March 2012 that was said to have effectively shut down the international trade,” probably only temporarily curbed consumption.
Customs data do show a significant decline in unprocessed shark fin imports into Hong Kong in recent years. Historically, most fins were imported into Hong Kong before being shipped to mainland China for processing and distribution. If this were still the case, then reduced imports into that port would in fact be indicative of overall reduced consumption. Changing economic conditions in China, however, are likely to have altered this supply chain (pdf). Clarke says, "the historical pattern of shark fins being imported by Hong Kong traders and then shipped over the border for processing has been shifting gradually toward direct import into the mainland since the early 2000s.” If many more fins than usual are simply being imported directly into China, then reduced imports into Hong Kong do not necessarily mean reduced consumption.
In 2012, in accordance with the Brussels-based World Customs Organization guidelines, Hong Kong changed their customs codes for shark fins. A report in the South China Morning Post mentioned that in 2012 “a large quantity of fins were recorded against a previously rarely used code and omitted from the total figure reported.” This reclassification could easily be at least part of the reason for a reported drastic reduction in reported shark fin imports.
The best available evidence, then, fails to support the claim that shark fin soup consumption in China has declined 50 to 70 percent in the last two years. But even if demand for the soup does eventually fade away, that shift will not assure the survival of sharks. The shark overfishing crisis is multifaceted and has arisen from a lack of management for many shark fisheries, inconsistent and incomplete regulations between fishing nations, and too many sharks of many species being killed for a variety of reasons including meat, cartilage and liver oil as well as incidental bycatch. Many scientists, conservation activists and fisheries managers continue to work on the larger, more complex problems facing sharks and, despite encouraging progress, they are not yet ready to declare “mission accomplished.”Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says he is asking Canadians for a majority government on Oct. 19.
Trudeau made the comments during a campaign stop in Hamilton today.
Asked about his party's prospects in the upcoming vote, the Liberal leader answered in French.
"Am I asking Canadians to vote for us? Yes. Am I asking them to vote for us across the country? Yes. Am I asking them for a majority government? Yes."
Trudeau asked for a majority in french but did not use the word in english during a stop at Mohawk college in Hamilton 0:15
Trudeau did not repeat his comments in English.
When asked by a CBC reporter about the chances of a Liberal majority, Trudeau dodged, delivering a rambling two-minute answer in which the word "majority" was never mentioned. With that, the Liberal leader ended his question and answer session.
With just five days remaining in the campaign, the Liberals do not want to appear overconfident, despite their surge in the polls.
Trudeau's comments today prompted an e-mail from Liberal organizers to reporters covering the Trudeau campaign, reminding them both Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair have called on Canadians to give their parties a majority in the House of Commons.
The question that won't go away: Coalition?
Trudeau was also asked today about the possibility of co-operation or even a coalition with the NDP in the event of a minority Parliament.
The Liberal leader said his party has a history of working across the aisle in the House of Commons but steered clear of specifics.
"What Canadians don't want is politicians organizing backroom deals around who actually gets to wield power," Trudeau said.
"We will put the service of Canadians at the front of everything we do."
Trudeau asked Canadians for a majority for a'strong choice' as he toured Mohawk College in Hamilton. 0:34
Tories target Trudeau over brothels, marijuana
Trudeau responded as well today to recent attacks from the Conservatives.
Harper has been using props, sound effects and piles of cash to warn voters their taxes would rise under a Liberal government. Trudeau said today that Harper could do "as many game show simulations as he likes."
A new Conservative Party ad aimed at Chinese-speaking voters in Vancouver makes several claims about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. (CBC)
The |
yet to undergo a committee vote, proposes cuts to various women’s health services, including cutting funding for Planned Parenthood. It also allows employers to opt out of insuring women employees’ contraception coverage for ‘moral reasons’ and authorizes spending on abstinence-only education, which is widely deemed ineffective at reducing teen pregnancy, STIs or the onset of sexual activity.
Planned Parenthood issued a statement objecting to the cuts, calling the bill an “unprecedented suite of attacks on women’s health.”
“This budget proposal is badly out of touch with the needs of American women and families. Chairman Denny Rehberg and the House Republican leadership clearly don’t think that their constituents care about their access to health care. They could not be more wrong,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Eliminating vital preventive programs like the national family planning program and attacking women’s health providers will mean that millions of women would lose access to basic, preventive health services, and those are economic issues for millions of families.”
The bill blocks Medicaid funds for any women’s health services provided by Planned Parenthood. This tactic has been tried in many states, including Arizona, which passed a law in May prohibiting state Medicaid funding for clinics that offer abortions, even though the Hyde Amendment already bans federal funding from being used for abortion services and only about 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s funds go to abortion care.
The bill requires any clinic that receives Title X family planning funding to encourage “family participation in the decision of minors to seek family planning services and that it provides counseling to minors on how to resist attempts to coerce minors into engaging in sexual activities,” and mandates no clinic receiving Title X funds “shall be exempt from any State law requiring notification or the reporting of child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, or incest.” This directly violates laws that attempt to ensure patient-doctor confidentiality, such as the Health Information Privacy Act (HIPAA).
When it comes to employer heath insurance under the Affordable Care Act, the bill said an employer can ban birth control coverage if it “objects to such items or services on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions.” Catholic bishops famously opposed coverage of contraception under the Affordable Care Act, and Republicans even held an all-male hearing to discuss allowing employers to deny coverage. Ultimately the Obama administration offered a compromise in which they would require the insurance companies, not the employers, to cover the cost of contraception as preventative care.
The bill also sets aside $20 million in “competitive grants” for abstinence-only education, which has been scientifically proven to be ineffective.
“This bill is about making tough choices, setting priorities and doing the right thing,” Rehberg said in a press release on his website that failed to mention the nature of the cuts.
Planned Parenthood has objected to Rehberg’s proposed cuts before, even releasing an attack ad in May that highlighted his proposed 2011 cuts that offered similar attacks on women’s health care.
Watch the video, uploaded to YouTube by PPVotes on May 11.
(h/t Huffington Post)The US Open Cup committee has finalized plans to have the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) take over the qualifying process for next year’s tournament. The new competition will begin in the fall of 2015 and will involve teams from the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), US Club Soccer (USCS) and the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) with the qualifying teams advancing to the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup the following spring.
When the registration period begins, any teams affiliated with those organizations can sign up for the 2016 US Open Cup qualifying tournament through the USSF. The teams that enter will be separated based on geographic location as to minimize travel costs, and giving teams from different organizations the chance to play each other.
“We have been talking about doing this for over a year,” said USASA president and Open Cup committee member John Motta. “This will help the USSF add some prestige to their tournament.”
The complete details, including the registration deadlines, have yet to be announced by the USSF.
The United Soccer League’s Premier Development League (PDL) and most of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) are expected to continue to determine its entries based on the previous year’s league results. However, it is unclear at this point if the NPSL Western Conference will fall in line with the rest of Division 4 (amateur division) which will have its entries determined for the 2016 US Open Cup by the end of 2015. Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League and the United Soccer League will not be affected by these changes.
“I am excited to see the tournament develop and the amateur organizations play a bigger part in regards to adding teams who will be able to pursue qualification now,” said USSSA Vice President and National Director Craig Scriven. “The changes will allow each structured league the ability to be represented in the oldest tournament in the country. We [USSSA], fully support the development and I am excited to see the future of this tournament as more teams compete for the Open Cup.”
Motta also confirmed that the USASA has voted to eliminate the organization’s Open Cup tournament as one of its national events. However, for next year, Region I will continue to hold an Open Cup tournament, with an invitation extended to other USASA teams from Regions II, III and IV.
The competition, up until this year, was the organization’s method of qualifying for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, in addition to eventually crowning a USASA Open Cup champion. Once professional teams re-joined the tournament en masse in 1995, the over-matched amateur clubs decided to create their own version of the Open Cup in 1999, later renamed the Werner Fricker Open Cup. In addition to selecting their entries for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, those same teams squared off at the USASA National Finals to crown a champion. As far as men’s soccer goes, the USASA continues to offer the Amateur Cup, which has always had the same rules and format as the Open Cup and has been running since 1923.If you think of your home as a haven from pollution, we’ve got some bummer news. Levels of pollutants in indoor air can be from two to more than 100 times higher than outdoors, according to the U.S. EPA. That indoor pollution is due in large part to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that evaporate, or “offgas,” from home decorating and cleaning products.
Photo: iStockphoto
So if the weather cooperates, step one for green cleaners is: Open a window and let those pollutants out! Yet even in the spring and summer, when a vase of daffodils can fill a room with a lovely natural scent, many consumers stubbornly keep using synthetic room fresheners and fragranced cleaning products that are full of VOCs and other toxic chemicals. These can make our indoor air unhealthy, provoke skin, eye, and respiratory reactions, and harm the natural environment.
Take those so-called air fresheners. According to a study published in New Scientist in 1999, in homes where aerosol sprays and air fresheners were used frequently, mothers experienced 25 percent more headaches and were 19 percent more likely to suffer from depression, and infants under six months of age had 30 percent more ear infections and 22 percent higher incidence of diarrhea.
In choosing alternatives, however, consumers need to be alert to greenwashing. “Just because a product says it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s nontoxic,” says Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation, which produces genuinely eco-friendly cleaning supplies and household products. The word “natural” is undefined and unregulated by the government and can be applied to just about anything under the sun — including plastic, which comes from naturally occurring petroleum. Because no standards exist, claims such as “nontoxic,” “eco-safe,” and “environmentally friendly” are also meaningless, according to Consumers Reports’ Eco-labels website.
Instead of being taken in by slogans, David Steinman, coauthor of The Safe Shopper’s Bible, advises looking at labels for specific, eco-friendly ingredients that also perform effectively. These include grain alcohol instead of toxic butyl cellosolve as a solvent; coconut or other plant oils rather than petroleum in detergents; and plant-oil disinfectants such as eucalyptus, rosemary, or sage, rather than triclosan. You can also mix your own cleaners, as does Annie Berthold-Bond, green living editor at Care2.com and author of Clean and Green and Better Basics for the Home. According to Berthold-Bond, a few safe, simple ingredients such as plain soap, water, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), vinegar, washing soda (sodium carbonate), lemon juice, and borax can satisfy most household cleaning needs — and save you money at the same time.
If you’re in the mood to detoxify, getting rid of germs doesn’t have to mean overkill: This is your home, not a hospital. In 2000, cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10 percent of all toxic exposures reported to the U.S. poison control centers, accounting for more than 206,000 calls, over half of which concerned children under the age of six. According to Philip Dickey of the Washington Toxics Coalition, the most acutely or immediately hazardous cleaning products are corrosive drain cleaners, oven cleaners, acidic toilet-bowl cleaners, and anything containing chlorine or ammonia (which should never be combined — see below).
Read on to get the dirt on various conventional products and ingredients and their eco-friendly alternatives. With a little effort, you can make your home a truly clean haven rather than a chemical storage tank.
Dish Detergents, Laundry Detergents, and All-Purpose Cleaners
Photo: iStockphoto
Problems:
Most conventional dish and laundry detergents are made from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Some detergents contain alkyphenol ethoxylates, which are suspected hormone disruptors that don’t readily biodegrade and can threaten wildlife after they go down your drain. Ethoxylated alcohols in liquid detergents can contain carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane.
The fragrances in detergents and fabric softeners can contain phthalates, chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive-system harm in animal lab tests. Fragrances may also trigger asthma and allergic reactions, with symptoms including skin and respiratory irritation, headaches, and watery eyes. Although phosphates, which choke waterways, are no longer used in most dish and laundry soaps, they can be found in dishwasher detergents. Phosphates are highly caustic and can be fatal if swallowed.
Other ingredients turn dangerous when combined: Diethanolamine and triethanolamine can react with nitrites (an often undisclosed preservative) to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Solutions:
Use laundry soaps labeled “fragrance-free,” advises Harvey Karp, a Los Angeles pediatrician and author of The Happiest Baby on the Block. If you want to use citrus-oil products, sniff-test a small amount from a few feet away, as these products can be irritating to allergic or sensitive individuals. Karp also advises choosing dish and laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaners that are plant-based (corn, palm kernel, or coconut oil).
To remove stains from clothing, try soaking fabrics in water mixed with borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, washing soda, or white vinegar. Or, look for “non-chlorine bleach” made from sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate, available from Bio Pac, Ecover, Naturally Yours, Shaklee, or Seventh Generation.
Fabric can be softened by adding one-quarter cup of baking soda to the wash cycle; this recently worked on several pairs of catalog-bought cargo pants made of a cardboard-stiff cotton that literally scraped a teenager’s skin. A quarter cup of white vinegar will also soften fabric, as well as eliminate cling.
Less toxic products include Ecover and Seventh Generation laundry and dish soaps; Aubrey Organics and Vermont Soapworks all-purpose household cleaners; and Bioshield and Naturally Yours dishwasher detergent.
Antibacterial Soaps and Cleansers, Bleach, Stain Removers, Disinfectants, Glass Cleaners, and Bathroom Scouring Powders (Whew!)
Problems
Popular in liquid form, antibacterial soaps are helping to promote growth of resistant bacteria, according to a 2000 World Health Organization report.
Chlorine bleach, a common disinfectant frequently found in scouring powders and cleaning solutions, is highly caustic, meaning it can burn skin and eyes — plus it can be fatal if swallowed. When it travels from your drain into the natural world, it can create organochlorines, which are suspected carcinogens as well as reproductive, neurological, and immune-system toxins. And be warned: Bleach (also known as sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide) should never be mixed with any product containing ammonia or quaternium compounds. Doing so creates highly toxic chlorine gas. Many conventional scouring powders and cleaning solutions contain chlorine bleach.
Solutions
Instead of using antibacterial soap, Karp recommends thorough hand-washing (about two minutes’ worth) with plain soap and warm water.
To disinfect bathroom or kitchen surfaces, try Earth Power‘s EPA-registered herbal disinfectant or Seventh Generation sanitizers. White vinegar helps kill bacteria, mold, and viruses, according to Berthold-Bond, who uses it on everything from kitchen surfaces to toilet seats. However, the only foolproof way to kill food-borne pathogens such as salmonella or E coli is to use hot, soapy water to wash all cutting boards, dishes, knives, and surfaces that have touched raw meat or eggs.
Photo: iStockphoto
Scrubbing sinks, tubs, and countertops with a paste of baking soda and water effectively removes dirt rings and some stains; if that doesn’t work, try a paste of washing soda and water, and be sure to wear gloves. Commercial non-chlorine bleach products include Bon Ami scouring powder and cream cleansers from Earth Friendly, Ecover, and Seventh Generation.
For cleaning windows, fill your own spray bottle with water and either one-quarter cup white vinegar or one tablespoon lemon juice to cut grease. Safer commercial glass cleaners are made by BioShield, Earth Friendly, Naturally Yours, and Seventh Generation.
Drain, Oven, and Toilet-Bowl Cleaners
Problems
The corrosive ingredients in these products can severely irritate eyes, skin, and the respiratory tract, and can be fatal if swallowed. Chemical drain cleaners are among the most dangerous of all cleaning products, containing sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) that can permanently burn eyes and skin. In oven cleaners, lye and sodium hydroxide can burn skin, eyes, and the respiratory tract.
Solutions
For drains, a plunger “snake” plumbing tool should first be used to bring up as much of the clog as possible, giving cleaning products room to work, or perhaps eliminating the need for them entirely. Earth Friendly and Naturally Yours drain cleaners use enzymes, rather than caustic chemicals, to dissolve obstructions. Don’t forget to prevent future blockage with inexpensive metal or plastic drain screens, available at most home-improvement or hardware stores.
To clean oven surfaces, coat them in a paste of water and baking or washing soda and let stand overnight, then scrub off the paste while wearing gloves. Among commercial products, EnviroSafety‘s plant-based multi-purpose cleaner works well. Or you can use the non-chlorine scouring powders and creams listed above. To prevent future buildup, line the oven floor with aluminum foil and wipe oven walls and ceiling clean after each use.
For toilets, forget the fancy stuff: Again, use the simple, non-chlorine scouring powders and creams listed above, or try AFM SafeChoice or Ecover toilet cleaners.
Furniture and Metal Polishes
Problems
These are corrosive and may cause eye, skin, or respiratory tract irritation. They can also contain nerve-damaging petroleum distillates or formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
Solutions
Polish furniture with a mixture of one teaspoon olive oil and one-half cup white vinegar, or look for solvent-free products that use mineral or plant oils, such as Earth Friendly furniture polish or Hope’s lemon oil.
As your grandmother probably knows, silver can be kept clean with toothpaste. Copper can be polished using a cloth dipped in white vinegar or lemon juice with salt dissolved in it; just rinse with water when you’re done. You can shine your brass with a paste made from one teaspoon salt, one cup white vinegar, and one cup flour. Or, use Kleen King copper and stainless steel cleaner, Twinkle copper and silver polishes, or Hope‘s brass and silver polishes.
Air Fresheners and Other Perfumed Products
Problems
Aerosol propellants contain flammable and nerve-damaging ingredients as well as tiny particles that can lodge in your lungs. Fragrances of all kinds can provoke allergic and asthmatic reactions.
Solutions
If the air outside is clean, open your windows and ventilate the natural way. An open box of baking soda removes odors. (If you’re feeling Martha Stewart-ish, you can decant it from the box into a pretty bowl.) Cedar blocks or sachets of dried flowers and herbs provide gentle scents — but avoid any potpourri that lists unspecified “fragrance” on the label; this could mean synthetic chemicals, including phthalates. Look for products scented with essential plant oils, such as lemon, verbena, or lavender.
Finally, we cannot stress enough that you should avoid aerosol sprays in any product, as they disperse ingredients through the air and make them easy to inhale. Even nontoxic ingredients can irritate eyes, noses, and lungs. Carelessly shaken powders can also spread through the air and cause irritation.
Now Get to It!
Most of the eco-friendly products mentioned above can be found in supermarkets or natural-food, hardware, and home-improvement stores — or online. For more complete info and further tips, see the Green Guide website, and check out the green-cleaning advice in Grist’s book, Wake Up and Smell the Planet.
And remember: When it comes to green cleaning, less is definitely more!CNN Whitehouse photojournalist Mark Walz flew Southwest Airlines out of West Palm Beach, Florida on Monday night and checked some camera equipment.
Here’s how it came out to him at baggage claim.
He wrote, “I knew that [Southwest Airlines] flight crew are often entertaining but had no idea that their baggage handlers were comedians as well. But to be fair, maybe it was the TSA…..”
Walz reports that Southwest Airlines reached out to him on Tuesday.
I just got a call this evening from Southwest Airlines HQ and got an apology and assurances that they would look into this and while they cannot confirm it was their employees, they said they take this kind of stuff seriously. Thank you, Southwest!
If you’ve got a sense of humor about it, this is awesome. But it could just as easily be taken as a huge insult to a customer.
Southwest baggage handlers: basket of deplorables?
(HT: Ken A.)When Jeb Bush and Donald Trump share a debate stage next week, Bush needs to ignore the real estate mogul at all costs —and if that fails, laugh him off.
That’s the advice of more than half of the POLITICO Caucus, our weekly, bipartisan survey of the top activists, operatives and strategists in Iowa and New Hampshire.
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“The old maxim applies: Never wrestle with a pig,” counseled a New Hampshire Republican. “You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”
At the first GOP primary debate slated for Aug. 6 in Cleveland, Bush and eight other Republicans will share the stage with Trump, the bombastic businessman who is leading the Republican field in recent polls and dominating headlines. Trump has been critical of a host of other GOP candidates, but he is an especially sharp and persistent critic of Bush — even attacking Bush in his own announcement for president.
But insiders have a message for the former Florida governor: Do not engage. Many Republicans expect Trump will zero in on Bush in the debate — and how Bush responds could go a long way toward shaping perceptions about his cool under fire. Bush has not tussled as frequently or as intensely with Trump as other GOP candidates have, and several insiders advised that the longer the focus is on Trump’s battles with the others, the better it is for Bush to quietly consolidate support while others struggle to break through.
“With Trump being Trump, he will be the news of the debate 24/7 and no one else will break through,” a New Hampshire Republican said. “This helps Bush by keeping anyone else down in the pack.”
“Donald Who? Allow others to seek media attention with attacks on Trump. Bush needs to be above the fray, because, frankly, he IS above the fray,” said a New Hampshire Democrat, who like all participants was requested anonymity to speak freely.
Most early-state Republicans expect Bush to emerge as the victor in the first GOP primary debate next week; he had the highest overall expectations for any one candidate competing in the nationally televised, prime-time event according to the survey. But they expect him to succeed by demonstrating seriousness and a command of the issues onstage — not by taking on Trump.
“Jeb Bush needs to introduce himself as a serious leader for serious times to a large and curious audience,” said an Iowa Republican. “I hope he stands next to Trump onstage. The comparison in knowledge, depth and quality will be apparent in the first 15 minutes.”
“He should avoid a food fight and be an adult but not a pushover,” said a New Hampshire Republican.
That may be easier said than done, warned some caucus participants.
“[He] needs to not get ruffled, which will be hard to do because Trump doesn’t just throw punches, he throws grenades,” a New Hampshire Democrat said.
But the best way to handle Trump broadsides, advised several insiders, is to disarm him — and the audience — with humor.
“He needs to punch Donald Trump in the nose, but do it with a smile on his face,” an Iowa Democrat said. “He should be funny and confident, but do everything he can to poke holes in his gasbag facade.”
Several added that other presidential contenders, in particular Ronald Reagan, showed a talent for defusing tense debate situations with a lighter touch.
“They all need to remember that Reagan’s classic “There you go again” line [to Jimmy Carter] was delivered not with a snarl and a smirk but rather with a smile and a shrug,” a New Hampshire Republican said.
But if GOP insiders have the highest expectations for Bush, they also believe that, after Trump, he has the most to prove. And a third of Democratic insiders also say Bush has the most to prove, followed by Trump with 21 percent.
“Jeb Bush is still the perceived yet relatively untested front-runner,” said a New Hampshire Republican. “With everyone questioning his fire in the belly for the job, he needs a strong performance before another cycle of ‘can he go the distance’ stories kick in.”
“He is the true front-runner,” an Iowa Republican said. “A lot of folks will be looking at him to see if he can break away from the pack and be the leader of the party.”
Among both Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker came in third on the list of candidates who have the most to prove at the first debate. Walker leads the polls in Iowa, but critics have questioned whether his grasp of policy is enough for the national stage.
“As the Iowa front-runner and legitimate first-tier candidate, Scott Walker will get his first real turn on the big stage,” an Iowa Republican said. “To date, he’s turned in uneven performances on substance. His speeches are largely canned, memorized talking points. His shifting positions on issues create huge potential land mines with the base. Several candidates put Iowa in the must-win column, and for them, he’ll be a prime target.”
“Trump is probably gonna Trump, so nothing to prove there. Bush is probably experienced enough that he doesn’t really have that much to prove. I picked Walker because he’s considered a top-tier candidate, and leader in Iowa, so he needs to prove he’s able to handle himself and the questions in on a national stage,” a nonpartisan Iowan said.
Twenty-one percent of Democrats said Walker has the most to prove, tied with Trump.
“Walker needs to prove he belongs,” a New Hampshire Democrat said.
These are the members of The POLITICO Caucus (not all of whom participated this week):
Iowa: Tim Albrecht, Brad Anderson, Rob Barron, Jeff Boeyink, Bonnie Campbell, Dave Caris, Sam Clovis, Sara Craig, Jerry Crawford, John Davis, Steve Deace, John Deeth, Derek Eadon, Ed Failor Jr., Karen Fesler, David Fischer, Doug Gross, Steve Grubbs, Tim Hagle, Bob Haus, Joe Henry, Drew Ivers, Jill June, Lori Jungling, Jeff Kaufmann, Brian Kennedy, Jake Ketzner, David Kochel, Chris Larimer, Chuck Larson, Jill Latham, Jeff Link, Dave Loebsack, Mark Lucas, Liz Mathis, Jan Michelson, Chad Olsen, David Oman, Matt Paul, Marlys Popma, Troy Price, Christopher Rants, Kim Reem, Craig Robinson, Sam Roecker, David Roederer, Nick Ryan, Tamara Scott, Joni Scotter, Karen Slifka, John Smith, AJ Spiker, Norm Sterzenbach, John Stineman, Matt Strawn, Phil Valenziano, Jessica Vanden Berg, Nate Willems, Eric Woolson, Grant Young
New Hampshire: Charlie Arlinghaus, Arnie Arnesen, Patrick Arnold, Rich Ashooh, Dean Barker, Juliana Bergeron, D.J. Bettencourt, Michael Biundo, Ray Buckley, Peter Burling, Jamie Burnett, Debby Butler, Dave Carney, Jackie Cilley, Catherine Corkery, Garth Corriveau, Fergus Cullen, Lou D’Allesandro, James Demers, Mike Dennehy, Sean Downey, Steve Duprey, JoAnn Fenton, Jennifer Frizzell, Martha Fuller Clark, Amanda Grady Sexton, Jack Heath, Gary Hirshberg, Jennifer Horn, Peter Kavanaugh, Joe Keefe, Rich Killion, Harrell Kirstein, Sylvia Larsen, Joel Maiola, Kate Malloy Corriveau, Maureen Manning, Steve Marchand, Tory Mazzola, Jim Merrill, Jayne Millerick, Claira Monier, Greg Moore, Matt Mowers, Terie Norelli, Chris Pappas, Liz Purdy, Tom Rath, Colin Reed, Jim Rubens, Andy Sanborn, Dante Scala, William Shaheen, Stefany Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, Terry Shumaker, Andy Smith, Craig Stevens, Kathy Sullivan, Chris Sununu, James Sununu, Jay Surdukowski, Donna Sytek, Kari Thurman, Colin Van Ostern, Deb Vanderbeek, Mike Vlacich, Ryan Williams
Kristen Hayford contributed to this report.
Follow @politicoDavid Butt is a Toronto-based criminal lawyer.
At a ceremony on the weekend, retiring Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin received a richly deserved award from the legal community. But her acceptance speech, in which she weighed in on the current turmoil around sexual assault and criminal courts, was tone-deaf. The Chief Justice's speech only exacerbated the crisis of confidence afflicting the courts she symbolically speaks for.
By now, it is well known that only three in every 1,000 sexual assaults result in a conviction. No one can rationally call this an acceptable level of service to sexual assault survivors. It is instead a profound failing. Chief Justice McLachlin could have addressed this serious problem in constructive ways, but she missed the boat.
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Read also: Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin on sex assault cases: 'No one has the right to a particular verdict'
The key takeaway for sexual assault survivors from her speech was simply this: ratchet down your expectations. This is perplexing. With the conviction rate already dismally low, how much ratcheting down is left? And why ratchet down, not up?
Chief Justice McLachlin justified her stance by asserting that no one is entitled to a particular verdict. This is true, trite and unhelpful. Of course judges should hear each case with an open mind and decide it based on the evidence. Nobody seriously suggests that the appalling level of service delivery to sexual assault survivors should be fixed by assuming guilt without hearing evidence. The hashtag #Ibelievesurvivors is a rallying cry, not a policy prescription. Yet by deploying this straw-man argument, Chief Justice McLachlin implicitly denigrated thoughtful reformers, endorsed an indefensible status quo, and skated around the vexing question that those thoughtful reformers are already pondering: How do we dramatically – yet fairly – improve sexual assault outcomes?
Chief Justice McLachlin's foray into this important social issue was problematic in another respect as well. She suggested the national debate is too polarized and hostile to be helpful. This sounds like code for "anger is inappropriate here." But wait a minute. Nobody on the offender side of the ledger is angry about a 99.7 per cent success rate in escaping liability for sexual violence. So the Chief Justice's coded disparagement of anger is really directed only at sexual assault survivors. This shades uncomfortably close to victim-blaming. Ugly as this truth may be, sexual assault survivors and their loved ones have every good reason to be angry at the current system's profoundly unacceptable service delivery rates. The last thing survivors need, and the last thing that could build greater confidence in justice processes among survivors, is for the Chief Justice to wag her finger at them.
But we should not be surprised the Chief Justice's speech was so disappointing. Members of the judicial branch of government are sworn to apply the laws as fashioned by elected legislators. Basic principles of democracy insist that unelected judges must never go off on social reform frolics of their own. They are faithful implementers of the law, not change agents. As a result, deeply embedded in the judicial mindset is small-c conservative aversion to radical change, even necessary radical change, and strong fealty to the status quo. Reformers make bad judges, and judges make bad reformers.
So while we need not be surprised at the Chief Justice's tone-deafness on sexual assault reform, we certainly need not give it the weight her office normally commands. Chief Justice McLachlin stepped outside judicial confines to offer views on a reform issue. She is a fantastically accomplished judge, but as a reformer, she has much to learn.
What should she have done? Chief Justice McLachlin should have started with the obvious: the justice system can and should do far, far better than it is doing now for sexual assault survivors. That recognition would have brought on board the key survivor constituency in this debate. Then she could have laid the groundwork for productive discourse by alluding to the universally shared values of presuming innocence and proving guilt only through credible evidence, and ended by inviting everyone to pursue improvement in service delivery by re-examining everything short of those basic principles.
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On a topic calling for brave honesty and commitment to improvement, we got status quo-oriented bromides and finger-wagging. We deserve better.Update 9:30pm: Senate Democrats have now taken their filibuster on gun rights on Wednesday to its 10th hour.
A little after 9pm, Maine Senator Angus King noted that 10 people have been killed by guns since the filibuster began this morning.
People on federal terrorist watch lists should not be able to buy guns.
That may sound like a pretty uncontroversial proposal. But it’s run aground in Congress, prompting Senate Democrats to join together for a filibuster on Wednesday in response to the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
I am prepared to stand on the Senate floor and talk about the need to prevent gun violence for as long as I can. I've had #Enough — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 15, 2016
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy began speaking around 11:20 am, and Democrats continued to hold the Senate floor close to 4:30 pm, according to multiple reports.
Here's a live stream of the Senate floor:
While on the floor, Murphy said that 244 people on the terrorist watch list tried buying a firearm in 2015, and 223 of them (around 90 percent) succeeded. (The suspected Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, had been on the watch list but was later removed after the FBI finished its investigation, according to the LA Times.)
"It's impossible for Americans to understand," Murphy said.
Murphy has called for stricter gun control measures since 20 young children in his state were killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Murphy is also calling for universal background checks for gun purchases.
Murphy continues to hold the floor, but other prominent Senate Democrats including Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Patrick Leahy have also taken turns asking questions on the floor.
Why Republicans have opposed closing the loophole
The proposal to prevent those on the terrorist watch list from buying guns has been DOA in the Republican-led Senate thus far. Per the Hartford Courant:
Murphy is seeking a vote on a bill from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that would let the government bar sales of guns and explosives to people it suspects of being terrorists. Feinstein offered the amendment in December, a day after an extremist couple killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif., but the Republican-run Senate rejected the proposal on a near party-line vote.
Republicans have continued to oppose the idea in the wake of the Orlando shooting, saying they worry that doing so would infringe on the rights of gun holders. (For a full explainer on the proposal, read this explainer from Vox's Dara Lind.)
"We don't want terrorists to be able to walk into a gun store and buy a gun, but we don't want an innocent law-abiding citizen to be denied his Second Amendment rights because he's on a list with a bunch of terrorists," said Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, in an interview with the Courant this week.
On Wednesday, the Atlantic noted that the American Civil Liberties Union has joined Republicans in opposing the initiative in part because those on terrorist watch lists haven't necessarily been accused or convicted of a crime.
Democrats may see an opening in attacking the "terrorist gun loophole"
But Democrats have argued those concerns are overblown and that the bill is particularly necessary to pass after Orlando, which was the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
Citing the shooting this fall at a college in his state, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said not closing the "terrorist gun loophole" would amount to not acting in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"People shouldn’t look at that as a partisan issue," he said. "Americans want to know why anybody would vote to allow individuals suspected of terrorist ties and motivations to purchase regulated firearms."
That call was widely echoed by several prominent Democrats on Wednesday:
We are 2 hours in on Sen floor. No business as usual. We want a vote on closing the terrorist gun loophole. #ENOUGH https://t.co/Jg7tlBO7My — Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 15, 2016
I’m standing up & speaking out to close the terrorist gun loophole. #TerrorGap. Listen @JoyCardinShow: https://t.co/uFbINuH5LV — Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) June 15, 2016
Despite their longstanding opposition to the bill, Democrats may be hoping that tying gun control to terrorism will shift the political calculus for Republicans.
It may be working. On Wednesday, Donald Trump said he’d be talking to the National Rifle Association about the question — bucking his otherwise hard-line stance on gun control:
I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2016
18 charts that explain gun violence in AmericaHybrid electric vehicles, cell phones, digital cameras, and the Mars Curiosity rover are just a few of the many devices that use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Now a team of Penn State researchers has a simple mathematical formula to predict what factors most influence lithium-ion battery aging.
Lithium-ion batteries function by moving lithium ions from the negative electrode to the positive electrode and in the opposite direction when the battery charges. How often and exactly how that battery is used determines the length of a battery's life. Complex models that predict battery aging exist and are used for battery design. However, faster, simpler models are needed to understand the most important factors that influence aging so that battery management systems in hybrid electric vehicles, for example, can better control lithium-ion batteries.
"We started out by making models specifically for Volvo's batteries that were tuned to their specific chemistry and showed that the models matched experimentally," said Christopher Rahn, professor of mechanical engineering, Penn State. "We then focused on simplifying the aging models. Now, we have the ultimate simplified aging model down to a formula."
The researchers report their work today (Oct. 30) in the Journal of Power Sources.
According to Rahn, a battery ages, or degrades, whether it is sitting on a shelf or used. The main cause of lithium-ion battery aging is the continuous formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer in the battery. The SEI layer must form for the battery to work because it controls the amount of chemical reactions that occur in the battery. As the battery is continually used, however, small-scale side reactions build up at the SEI layer, which decreases battery capacity -- how much of a charge the battery can hold. Models allow researchers to understand how different factors affect this degradation process so that longer-lasting, more cost-efficient batteries can be made.
Hybrid electric vehicles combine the efficiency of electric vehicles with the power and longevity of gasoline-powered vehicles because they have both a gasoline-fueled conventional internal combustion engine and an electric motor powered by batteries. The electric motor uses regenerative brakes, which take the energy that was moving the car forward and convert it to mechanical energy, putting the electric motor into reverse and slowing down the car. The electric motor acts as a generator and takes the electricity that is generated to store in batteries for future use. This is in contrast to conventional braking systems in which braking energy is wasted when friction converts the energy into heat.
According to the researchers, this new simple aging formula takes into account only the factors shown to most influence lithium-ion battery aging by affecting growth of the SEI layer, which include state of charge, how often the battery charges/discharges completely, operating temperature, and current.
"Car companies can use this formula to quantify which factors are contributing the most in aging and focus |
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